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Glad to see a Tory Council implementing sensible environmental measures which actually save money. As long as it doesn't become militant...or linked to 'global warming'...they should be ok...
Reigate and Banstead freeze Council Tax - and plan 30% cut in energy consumption
News of Tory councils freezing (or cutting) the Council Tax continues to come in by the day. Congratulations to Reigate and Banstead Borough who are freezing Council Tax - the first time in the Council’s history that the bill won't go up. Cllr Victor Broad, Deputy Leader of the Council and Execu...
NM! What are you doing posting comments at four in the morning? Are you unable to sleep whilst there's someone with centre-right views out there who hasn't gone unanswered? I shall not rest!
Situation vacant: Political Editor of The Sun
That's right, one of the biggest jobs in political journalism is up for grabs. The FT Westminster blog reports that George Pascoe-Watson, who took over from Trevor Kavanagh in the political editor's chair at the best-selling British tabloid in 2006, has been lured by the big bucks of Portland ...
NM, you brighten up my day. Keep taking the tablets, and it'll all be fine...
Tory lead up to 17% in first post-Manchester poll
Good news but there is likely to be an immediate bounce effect here (as there was for Brown when the Tory lead shrunk to 7%). Let's wait a week before reading much (if anything) into the Conference season. Tim Montgomerie
Erm, I'm assuming he was being ironic...?
David Miliband attacks the Conservatives as "schoolboys" in his speech to Labour conference
We don't need women any more than we need other types of people. We need people who are competent and best suited to the job. It's what sets us apart from the other parties - we believe in ability, not tokenism.
Jonathan Lord selected for Woking
Woking Conservatives last night held an Open Primary to select their new parliamentary candidate and the winner was Jonathan Lord. A former director of Saatchi and Saatchi, Jonathan has a background in media, communications and marketing and is currently a Marketing Consultant helping small and...
Your point being...?
Jonathan Lord selected for Woking
Woking Conservatives last night held an Open Primary to select their new parliamentary candidate and the winner was Jonathan Lord. A former director of Saatchi and Saatchi, Jonathan has a background in media, communications and marketing and is currently a Marketing Consultant helping small and...
Dominic, you may be right to be sceptical...but isn't politics about persuading people of opposing views to come round to your way of thinking? If you question their motives and claim that they shouldn't be in the party, doesn't that give out a pretty bad message? Is noone allowed to change their views...?
Welcome to the party Francis - it's good to have you!
Gordon Brown's fightback falls flat in Brent as Labour councillor defects to the Conservatives
As Gordon Brown attempted to spear-head his party's fightback last night, a Labour councillor in Brent has announced that he is defecting to the Conservatives. Cllr Francis Eniola has represented the Welsh Harp ward since 2006 and explained his decsion thus: “I have today resigned from the...
'If climate emissions are a problem' - you have it one. Until greenhouses are proved to be damaging for the earth (including the biggest of them all, water vapour), then we should carry on as normal.
Adam Buckley with Ben Caldecott and Gavin Dick: Even forgetting the challenge of climate change, clean energy is still worth it
This is the first in a series of three articles examining climate change and the opportunities created from decarbonisation written by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN). The aim of CEN is to advocate solutions to environmental problems that are consistent with conservative principals....
Interesting idea Phil - what do you think the effect on the world economy would be of that, and who might enforce it?
Adam Buckley with Ben Caldecott and Gavin Dick: Even forgetting the challenge of climate change, clean energy is still worth it
This is the first in a series of three articles examining climate change and the opportunities created from decarbonisation written by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN). The aim of CEN is to advocate solutions to environmental problems that are consistent with conservative principals....
Very much agree there are good reasons to switch away from fossil fuels re energy security etc.
However, can someone point me to evidence that man-made carbon emissions are responsible for increasing temperatures both now and throughout history? I find myself agog at the way Governments across the world are basing all of their policies on something which noone seems to be able to prove is actually definitively happening...Happy to be proved wrong though.
Adam Buckley with Ben Caldecott and Gavin Dick: Even forgetting the challenge of climate change, clean energy is still worth it
This is the first in a series of three articles examining climate change and the opportunities created from decarbonisation written by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN). The aim of CEN is to advocate solutions to environmental problems that are consistent with conservative principals....
Tony, it may only be half nine in the morning, but you need a drink to help you take life less seriously
Alan Sugar is a prat. He's a dipstick. He's a wally. (As well as not having an enormous intellect).
Roger Alton, Matthew d’Ancona, Liz Anderson, Martin Bright, Jeremy Clarke, Nick Cohen, Nicholas Coleridge, Lloyd Evans, James Forsyth, Julia Hobsbawm, Rachel Johnson, Dylan Jones, Mary Killen, India Knight, Rod Liddle, John Micklethwait, Fraser Nelson, Matthew Parris, Stephen Pollard, Hugo Rifki...
Can we have a proper definition of 'eco-friendly' for a start please? One that doesn't include a pledge to combat 'climate change' by reducing carbon emissions?
There are many reasons to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use, but let's not bang on about 'climate change' which isn't actually happening, according to the evidence.
How green is your Council?
If you were to draw up a list of how a Council could be more eco friendly and another list of how it could save money you would find many items that would appear on both - print less, save energy, don't keep sending staff off to conferences, reduce the amount of street lighting, don't replace hu...
What a relief to hear from someone in an elected position who doesn't swallow the alarmist global warming line whole! The vast majority of people getting worked up about 'global warming', e.g. Al Gore, have got no idea what the facts are. According to the debate I've read, scientists are not in agreement, and most of the alarming predictions are based on computer models rather than empirical facts.
Sound basis for making public policy? I don't think so.
Global warming propaganda and local government
Cllr Derek Tipp, a Conservative councillor on New Forest District Council, says Town Halls should not present contentious claims on global warming as if they were facts. As a district councillor I am continually bombarded with what I call propaganda on the subject of global warming, or as it i...
It's pretty outrageous. It's not as if they're not lobbying on a worthy cause - the 'rain tax' which is hitting community groups around the country is going to cripple so many of their activities. Ofwat are behaving in a disgraceful way, so I hope this story brings more attention to the fact that they're not worthy to be called a proper regulator...
Julian Brazier calls for ban on lobby of Parliament by scouts to be lifted
Julian Brazier, the Conservative MP and chairman of the of the all-party group on Adventure and Recreation in Society, has joined calls for a ban on an organised lobby of Parliament by one hundred cub scouts to be lifted. The scouts had planned a trip to Parliament and a room had been booked f...
What is it that makes the Labour Party so patronising? Since when were gay people part of a bloc, who all vote for one party over another? Do all black people vote the same, and all disabled people, and all short people, and all old people?
Utterly disgraceful - the bigotry and intolerance in this present Government is reason enough to sling them out as soon as possible.
Gay Labour vs Gay Conservatism
Labour MP and Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw: "A deep strain of homophobia still exists on the Conservative benches." Foreign Affairs Minister Chris Bryant: "If gays vote Tory they will rue the day very soon." Alan Duncan MP: "This is the last gasp of Labour's desperation. Bradshaw and Bryant ...
Albert, that was only in winnable seats. And there weren't too many of those either...
ConservativeHome research highlights the likely surge in female Tory MPs at the next election
I will be making a presentation at the ConservativeHome Inside Cameron's Conservatives conference this afternoon about the likely new intake of Tory MPs at the next election. If David Cameron is to attain a working majority in the Commons, there will need to be 326 or more Conservative MPs sit...
This advert is hilarious! Can't wait to see Tom Watson defending it when Labour get kicked in the groin at the election...
Stapler-hurling Brown launches negative ad against Conservatives
Labour's Party Election broadcast for the European Election attempts to paint the Conservatives as a party that will cut vital services to needy people. Fraser Nelson's judgment: "It's a thoroughly unpleasant advert, which reminds you how Labour's good points (and no, that wasn't a typo) hav...
My usual opinion is that George Foulkes is not a very pleasant chap. He's one of the worst Labour toadies ever to grace parliament. However...
In this case it needed to be said. Not so much the content of what he was saying, but the fact that he challenged someone from the Beeb over their extravagant use of public money. Quite right too! £92k for reading a script and asking a few questions? Makes me glad I don't pay the licence fee.
He's quite right to highlight Paxman and Humphrys. More spotlight on BBC waste, I say.
How much are you paid? How much are you paid? Labour peer attacks BBC presenter for her tough questioning of MPs
During the course of the interview Carrie Gracie admits she earns £92,000. But under questioning from Lord Foulkes she says she pays her own phone bills! It's must watch stuff.
m wood, you could have added that where computer models have made predictions in recent years, they've been mostly proved to be completely wrong.
What scares me is the fact that 'climate change' policy is being made on the basis of predictions, and not empirical facts. The fact that the Met office predicted that 2008 would be one of the hottest summers ever, and it proved to be the opposite gives one some idea of the reliability of the people we rely on as experts.
Mrs Thatcher and the Environment
I have been busy so missed the opportunity to post this closer to the actual anniversary of Mrs Thatcher's first election victory. In any event, I thought it important to reflect on Mrs T's oft-cited policies on the environment. She tends to be lauded by those in favor of immediate action on gl...
jack, you never fail to cheer me up with your comments. I notice you appear to have left-wing views and a lot of time to comment on this blog. do you by any chance work in the public sector?
Why isn't "diversity" on banned jargon list?
Ed West, blogging for The Daily Telegraph, welcomes the Local Government Association's list of words it advises Councils to cease using. But he asks why "diversity" isn't on the banned list? Quoting various Guardian recruitment ads, he then asks: "I wonder how any of these local government offic...
...so one minute cars and carbon emissions are bad and need to be taken off the road at all costs...
...and next, they're the best thing since sliced bread and we need to sell as many of them as we can. Brilliant!
Malcolm Harbour wants more done to boost car sales
Conservative Internal Market spokesman Malcolm Harbour MEP has called on the Government and European Union to boost the car sales. Mr Harbour, who is a former director at Rover, comments: "The British government's support package might have been sufficient several months ago but it now fails to...
Trev, something tells me the delicate way you state your nuanced argument may not have the desired effect of swaying Sally's opinion. Or anyone else for that matter.
Re: We sang God Save the Queen and rallied for peace against Hamas Islamist Terror
It looks like CentreRight was well represented at the End Hamas Terror rally. Douglas gave a great speech. I met Peter Cuthbertson in the crowd and plenty of the commenters in Rob Halfon's post appear to have been at the rally. The event was well organised and very well attended. Apart from ...
Thanks Matthew, very sensible piece. On economic, environmental and social grounds, claiming that high-speed rail is an alternative to Heathrow expansion is ludicrous. They should go together, with a new high-speed hub at Heathrow to go hand-in-hand with a third runway.
Re: In praise of the Conservative Transport Team
First, I think I need to correct Tim's argument, which Charlie links to, that opposition to the third runway is "crucial in the battle to win many seats under Heathrow's flightpath". The evidence for that statement is very weak. Anthony Wells, at the excellent UKPollingReport blog, highlights ...
Sorry Charlie, completely disagree with you. Theresa Villiers has shown shocking judgement, naivety and petty politics at every turn. The problem is she's firstly a politician seemingly bent on making petty factional points at the expense of coming up with serious policy.
Her policy on high-speed rail and Heathrow clearly show she hasn't the first idea about transport issues and how to solve them. The solution to overcrowded airports is not to rule out all expansion, and put in place a high-speed rail system which would duplicate existing provision, and only come online in over 20 years time! For the sake of our party, let's get rid of her now.
In praise of the Conservative Transport Team
Following on from Tim's excellent ToryDiary entry the other day, I thought it worth highlighting the quality of the work that has been done by the Conservative Parliamentary transport team. We now have a clear transport policy in many areas, notably: High speed rail links joining up our majo...
Of course it doesn't matter. What do mottos say about Councils? That they're willing to spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on an exercise which will do nothing to deliver better value services to its residents. Scrap the lot of them.
Has your council got the right motto?
Wandsworth is "the brighter borough." Haringey doesn't seem to have a motto but it's logo (pictured) looks like a cross between a broken window and Communistic star. Kensington and Chelsea are most traditionalist and predominantly use their Borough crest for their branding. In Hammersmith an...
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