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Thank you Tom - both of those errors have now been corrected.
Commented Nov 2, 2012 on Introducing Thinkers' Corner at ConservativeHome | Thinkers' Corner
Introducing Thinkers' Corner
By Roger Scruton. For too long conservatives have been reluctant to lay claim to their intellectual heritage, while the media, muffled by political correctness, have given little or no space to any way of thinking that would challenge their left-liberal orthodoxies. It is time to change all that...
Paul's piece was, imo, a funny response to Nick Clegg's recent use of overblown rhetoric. I'm sorry you didn't agree but it certainly made me laugh.
Commented Mar 12, 2011 on Clegg must intensify his new macho strategy at thetorydiary
Clegg must intensify his new macho strategy
by Paul Goodman Yesterday morning, Nick Clegg shocked the Independent by claiming that the Prime Minister's been talking "complete bilge" about AV - and that he told him him so in the Commons. Later in the day, he stunned BBC Sheffield listeners by saying that he wants "to wring the necks of ...
Thanks Andrew. I hope I made clear that local factors were important, as they often will be in UK but interpreted for their national importance.
Commented Feb 21, 2011 on A warning from Hamburg for David Cameron at international
A warning from Hamburg for David Cameron
Tim Montgomerie Angela Merkel received a bloody nose from voters in Hamburg yesterday. Her CDU party's support collapsed from 42.6% in 2008 to just 20% in yesterday's state elections. The elections happened early because the spectrum-transcending CDU-Green alliance formed after 2008's elections,...
1. We were borrowing even during the boom years.
2. Brown was no Churchill.
Commented Feb 8, 2011 on What are this Government's moral principles? at thetorydiary
What are this Government's moral principles?
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday I began a series arguing that Conservatives must battle for the moral high ground. And I promised to, today, set out some moral principles that should - and do - underpin this Cameron-led government. They shouldn't just exist for private reflection but should be communi...
Labour may say they agree with the moral principles, Richard, but we know they have fallen far short of meeting them.
Your list of alternatives is fine but they are more technical than ethical.
Commented Feb 8, 2011 on What are this Government's moral principles? at thetorydiary
What are this Government's moral principles?
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday I began a series arguing that Conservatives must battle for the moral high ground. And I promised to, today, set out some moral principles that should - and do - underpin this Cameron-led government. They shouldn't just exist for private reflection but should be communi...
Okay Sue. Yours is going to be the only comment on this thread on Europe that I'm going to permit. There are other subjects!
Commented Feb 8, 2011 on What are this Government's moral principles? at thetorydiary
What are this Government's moral principles?
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday I began a series arguing that Conservatives must battle for the moral high ground. And I promised to, today, set out some moral principles that should - and do - underpin this Cameron-led government. They shouldn't just exist for private reflection but should be communi...
David, could you suggest anything close to "Labour's one line image of looking after the poor and unemployed"?
I ask hopefully!
Commented Feb 8, 2011 on What are this Government's moral principles? at thetorydiary
What are this Government's moral principles?
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday I began a series arguing that Conservatives must battle for the moral high ground. And I promised to, today, set out some moral principles that should - and do - underpin this Cameron-led government. They shouldn't just exist for private reflection but should be communi...
My apologies Your Grace.
In my defence principle three is all about the family.
Principle five is, in part, about learning and philanthropy.
The list is also about the principles that DO underpin this government. You and I may agree about the sanctity of life but our understanding is probably different, eg on abortion, than many government ministers.
Commented Feb 8, 2011 on What are this Government's moral principles? at thetorydiary
What are this Government's moral principles?
Tim Montgomerie Yesterday I began a series arguing that Conservatives must battle for the moral high ground. And I promised to, today, set out some moral principles that should - and do - underpin this Cameron-led government. They shouldn't just exist for private reflection but should be communi...
I think you are out-of-date Richard. The popularity of coalition-style politics has dropped into negative territory over last nine months.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
William, I would like open primaries in UK in all seats. Every MP should feel accountable in every seat in every election.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
But kingmaking parties can get influence out of all proportion to their vote. Parties with very small percentages of the vote can hold the balance of power. The tail wags the dog.
I don't pretend that FPTP is perfect and primaries to eliminate safe seats are an essential reform (as suggested by William MacDougall elsewhere on this thread).
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
Pathetic Denis.
What is wrong with politics is the loss of voters' faith in politicians to be straight with them. AV produces a politics of more hung parliaments, more broken promises and more power for the political class.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
First past the post is the most popular electoral system in the world. Its key advantage is that it gets rid of unpopular governments. Under most alternatives politicians are harder to eject.
My argument against AV is against the system of government it produces. More coalitions. More power for the Lib Dems, Fewer manifesto promises kept. More distrust in politicians. More post-election horsetrading.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
AV Is only used in three nations in the world but see my answer to "Undergraduate Contribution" at 15:21. Given how AV gives the LibDems more seats they will routinely become the kingmakers of British politics.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
Australia is not that relevant in this respect. What is relevant are the models that consistently show the LibDems benefiting under AV.
Just ask Peter Kellner and Professors Rallings, Thrasher and Bogdanor. It is very hard to argue that coalition politics would not be more likely under AV. You can say that coalition politics is good but it's hard to say it's not more likely.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
AV gives the LibDems more seats and that is likely to lead to more hung parliaments and a shifting of power from voters and manifesto to politicians and back room deals. My campaign is all about AV.
Commented Feb 3, 2011 on AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees at thetorydiary
AV can be defeated if voters go into the polling booth thinking of Nick Clegg, broken promises and tuition fees
by Tim Montgomerie There are two major ways of thinking of Alternative Vote: You can think of it as a mechanism; a way of voting where someone's fourth preference carries as much weight as someone's first preference. Alternatively you can think of the kind of government it produces; ie more coa...
Gosh. If that's the necessary standard I'm going to fail you too Elmer!
Commented Feb 1, 2011 on The campaign to leave the EU took 373,000 steps forward yesterday at thetorydiary
The campaign to leave the EU took 373,000 steps forward yesterday
By Tim Montgomerie Last week The Sun handed in a petition to 10 Downing Street. They had collected about 100,000 signatures calling for a tax cut for motorists. Yesterday the Daily Express - a newspaper with a quarter of the Sun's sales - handed in 350,000 coupons calling for a referendum on B...
Getting rid of 50p (and replacing it with another tax on wealthier people but one that is less economically damaging) is about job and wealth creation... which pays for the NHS etc.
Commented Jan 31, 2011 on Show us you are a tax cutter, George. Please. at thetorydiary
Show us you are a tax cutter, George. Please.
Tim Montgomerie This morning's papers (see today's newslinks) are full of stories of higher taxes. 750,000 (some papers say 850,000) extra paying 40% income tax. Some families paying marginal tax rates of 70% and more. The Sun continues its campaign on higher fuel duty. In yesterday's papers a...
I talked about immigration in terms of education.
Commented Jan 29, 2011 on "A government with 20 priorities has no priorities" at thetorydiary
"A government with 20 priorities has no priorities"
Tim Montgomerie In today's Daily Mail I look at Cameron's party management challenges. Within the piece I argue that the government is reforming on so many fronts that it is not sufficiently focused on any. In particular it is not crafting a clear message for its most important priorities. I sug...
Sorry!
Commented Jan 29, 2011 on "A government with 20 priorities has no priorities" at thetorydiary
"A government with 20 priorities has no priorities"
Tim Montgomerie In today's Daily Mail I look at Cameron's party management challenges. Within the piece I argue that the government is reforming on so many fronts that it is not sufficiently focused on any. In particular it is not crafting a clear message for its most important priorities. I sug...
If you had closed the tags the problem would not have occurred!
The guidance is here:
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2006/01/commenting_guid.html
Commented Jan 29, 2011 on "A government with 20 priorities has no priorities" at thetorydiary
"A government with 20 priorities has no priorities"
Tim Montgomerie In today's Daily Mail I look at Cameron's party management challenges. Within the piece I argue that the government is reforming on so many fronts that it is not sufficiently focused on any. In particular it is not crafting a clear message for its most important priorities. I sug...
Davis is not of course the only person to have fallen on Cameron's wrong side and never to have been rehabilitated. I think also of Graham Brady, Bernard Jenkin, Patrick Mercer and Mark Field. All big talents. Some forgiveness towards one or two of them would be good for party unity.
Commented Jan 29, 2011 on "A government with 20 priorities has no priorities" at thetorydiary
"A government with 20 priorities has no priorities"
Tim Montgomerie In today's Daily Mail I look at Cameron's party management challenges. Within the piece I argue that the government is reforming on so many fronts that it is not sufficiently focused on any. In particular it is not crafting a clear message for its most important priorities. I sug...
You make an important distinction Cleethorpes but I still think the moral force of the argument can win through and the deficit-denying Mr Balls won't have much authority on the debt issue.
Commented Jan 29, 2011 on "A government with 20 priorities has no priorities" at thetorydiary
"A government with 20 priorities has no priorities"
Tim Montgomerie In today's Daily Mail I look at Cameron's party management challenges. Within the piece I argue that the government is reforming on so many fronts that it is not sufficiently focused on any. In particular it is not crafting a clear message for its most important priorities. I sug...
Enough on Europe. Thank you. There are other topics and this thread is not about Europe!!
Commented Jan 22, 2011 on After Coulson, Downing Street should make four strategic shifts in communications strategy at thetorydiary
After Coulson, Downing Street should make four strategic shifts in communications strategy
Tim Montgomerie So, who will it be? Guto Harri? George Pascoe-Watson? George Bridges? Or, as Andy Porter intriguingly blogs, a civil servant? In seeking a replacement for Andy Coulson, David Cameron should take this opportunity to refresh his whole communications operation. Here are some things ...
Julian Bray left italics on so I've deleted his comment and re-pasted below:
"Why oh why do they think unreconstructed hacks make good comms directors? Ask any PR agency chief who has hired a hack or an editor and they will tell you that a period of rehabilitation needs to be undertaken, lessons learned, before our friendly hack is let anyway near the client. David Cameron was once a PR for Carlton Televsion, can he have forgotten what it is really like out there beyond the Westminster bubble?"
Commented Jan 22, 2011 on After Coulson, Downing Street should make four strategic shifts in communications strategy at thetorydiary
After Coulson, Downing Street should make four strategic shifts in communications strategy
Tim Montgomerie So, who will it be? Guto Harri? George Pascoe-Watson? George Bridges? Or, as Andy Porter intriguingly blogs, a civil servant? In seeking a replacement for Andy Coulson, David Cameron should take this opportunity to refresh his whole communications operation. Here are some things ...
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