• Harriet Harman’s Speech to UNITE Conference 3 June 2010

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    It is pleasure to be here at Unite’ first ever policy conference and to address you in my capacity as the Labour Party’ acting leader. Not a caretaker – but Labour’ active acting leader.  e are in opposition but not demoralised.

  • Coalition’s Budget will throw people out of work and hold back economic growth - Harman

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    Harriet Harman MP, Acting Leader of the Labour Party, has criticised the coalition’ Budget statement as one that will throw people out of work, hold back economic growth and harm vital public services.It is a Budget of broken Tory and Lib Dem promises on VAT. She emphasised that there was an alternative. Last week the independent Office for Budget Responsibility reported that Labour’ plans would have more than halved the deficit over four years. Harriet Harman said:"This is a Tory Budget that will throw people out of work, that will hold back economic growth, that will harm vital public services. 

  • Philip Hammond's admission that families on £25-30k will lose tax credits - Yvette Cooper MP

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    X X Follow us Home Leadership 2010 The candidates Election timetable FAQ News Conference 2010 Our Policies Manifesto 2010 Securing the economic recovery Families and pensioners Health Education Crime , Justice and Immigration Modernising democracy Environment Culture Equalities Women Britain in the World Our People Harriet Harman Shadow cabinet MPs Support Us Sign up for campaign news Join Donate Volunteer Why I'm Labour Campaign shop Tools for your website Women Membersnet How can I help Volunteer Make a difference Leadership 2010 Join now to take part Donate Contribute to the campaign Sign up for news Labour in your Area Find out what Labour is doing in your . area Post a link on Facebook The Labour Party on Twitter UKLabour : MrTomBaker If you're still having trouble registering , do

  • "Those who are fit for work should be working or seeking work" - Yvette Cooper MP

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    X X Follow us Home Leadership 2010 The candidates Election timetable FAQ News Conference 2010 Our Policies Manifesto 2010 Securing the economic recovery Families and pensioners Health Education Crime , Justice and Immigration Modernising democracy Environment Culture Equalities Women Britain in the World Our People Harriet Harman Shadow cabinet MPs Support Us Sign up for campaign news Join Donate Volunteer Why I'm Labour Campaign shop Tools for your website Women Membersnet How can I help Volunteer Make a difference Leadership 2010 Join now to take part Donate Contribute to the campaign Sign up for news Labour in your Area Find out what Labour is doing in your . area Post a link on Facebook The Labour Party on Twitter UKLabour : MrTomBaker If you're still having trouble registering , do

  • Rudi Vis

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    The Labour Party is saddened to hear about the death of Rudi Vis, who had served as MP for Finchley and Golders Green. 

  • Shadow Foreign Secretary's statement on Gaza

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: I am deeply concerned by the incidents overnight. As I said in the House of Commons last week, a policy of neglect of Gaza is bound to fail.

  • Nominated Candidates for leadership of the Labour Party announced

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    X X Follow us Home Leadership 2010 The candidates Election timetable FAQ News Conference 2010 Our Policies Manifesto 2010 Securing the economic recovery Families and pensioners Health Education Crime , Justice and Immigration Modernising democracy Environment Culture Equalities Women Britain in the World Our People Harriet Harman Shadow cabinet MPs Support Us Sign up for campaign news Join Donate Volunteer Why I'm Labour Campaign shop Tools for your website Women Membersnet How can I help Volunteer Make a difference Leadership 2010 Join now to take part Donate Contribute to the campaign Sign up for news Labour in your Area Find out what Labour is doing in your . area Post a link on Facebook The Labour Party on Twitter UKLabour : MrTomBaker If you're still having trouble registering , do

  • Pat McFadden responds to the Government's cancellation of Sheffield Forgemasters loan

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    Pat McFadden MP, Labour's Shadow Business Secretary, said in response to the government's decision to cancel an £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters which was to support the civil nuclear supply chain:"This decision is short sighted, damaging and wrong.  nbsp;"The Labour Government approved a loan – not a grant – to Sheffield Forgemasters which was to have been repaid over time. 

  • Armed Forces Day

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    </p Bob Ainsworth MP, Labour’ Shadow Defence Secretary, on Armed Forces Day said: "Today is an opportunity for people up and down the country to recognise the achievements and sacrifices of our outstanding servicemen and women and veterans. 

  • NHS rated number one for efficiency under Labour

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:15:47
    A Commonwealth Fund report placed Britain's NHS as the most efficient healthcare system, and second overall, amongst seven other international health systems.

  • Picture of the Day: Protesters pack up in Parliament Square

    Updated: 2010-06-30 17:10:40
    The protesters in Parliament Square begin to vacate after Boris Johnson won a High Court order to evict the squatters. Protesters have been camping in 'Democracy Village' since May 1, 2010 but they will have to leave by tomorrow. Many protester have vowed to defy the order and remain.Original post blogged on Total Politics.

  • Downing Street rubbishes claim that Cameron is "considering backing electoral reform"

    Updated: 2010-06-30 16:14:12

  • Prison could work, but it isn't working now

    Updated: 2010-06-30 12:57:50
    Prison, any Lower Sixth debater will tell you, serves three functions: retribution, deterrence and reformation. In truth, it fails at all three: 40 per cent of offenders are reconvicted. No, there is only one thing that prison does effectively: it immobilises a chunk of the criminal population. Michael Howard’s “prison works” strategy was based on the [...]

  • Cameron and Harman clash over future (un)employment levels at PMQs

    Updated: 2010-06-30 10:38:13

  • Live blog: prime minister&apos;s questions

    Updated: 2010-06-30 10:31:00
    David Cameron faces questions in the Commons on the day that his Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke, puts forward plans to reform the prison system. Will MPs like it? Follow all the action with our live blog.Prime Minister's Questions: 30 June 2010

  • Ken Clarke's challenge to Michael Howard's legacy

    Updated: 2010-06-30 07:50:09

  • "David Cameron's good fortune was not to have won the election"

    Updated: 2010-06-29 21:27:45

  • IPSA shows MPs what it's like to be on the receiving end of a quango

    Updated: 2010-06-29 17:53:12
    Quangos are the curse of modern Britain. Any elected representative can tell you stories about constituents whose lives have been wrecked by the bungling of some state bureaucracy or other: the Child Support Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Agency, their Local Education Authority. Only now, though, do most MPs have first-hand experience of being at the mercy of [...]

  • Does Holyrood have lessons for Westminster?

    Updated: 2010-06-29 17:32:11
    Total Politics because knowledge is power Home Magazine Blogs YouTube Daily Politico Subscriptions Internships Editorial Board The Team About Contact Shop Political Speeches Political Blogs Political Quotes BBC Television Centre turns 50 by Laura Sainsbury Does Holyrood have lessons for Westminster June 29th , 2010 Tonight the Hansard Society is hosting an event to discuss the lessons the coalition government could learn from Holyrood . Total Politics talks to Margaret Curran and Cathy Jamieson both MPs and MSPS , who sit in both the UK and Scottish Parliament to find out if Holyrood holds wider lessons for . Westminster Total Politics asked them both to name three things that Westminster can learn from . Holyrood For Jamieson the working hours are one issue that can be looked into” .

  • Picture of the day: cabinet meeting in Bradford

    Updated: 2010-06-29 16:10:37
    : Total Politics because knowledge is power Home Magazine Blogs YouTube Daily Politico Subscriptions Internships Editorial Board The Team About Contact Shop Political Speeches Political Blogs Political Quotes BBC Television Centre turns 50 How will local government cope with the Budget by Jess Freeman Picture of the day : cabinet meeting in Bradford June 29th , 2010 The coalition cabinet have today held their first meeting outside of London . This is carrying on the tradition for Prime Minister's to take their cabinet out of the city which was started in the 1920s . However , this was only revived by Gordon Brown who held the first cabinet meeting outside of London for decades in September 2008 when he took his cabinet to Birmingham . Cameron is continuing the . tradition This entry was

  • Fewer police officers + fewer local police stations + fewer offenders going to jail = political trouble

    Updated: 2010-06-29 13:27:50

  • Quangocrat grudgingly accepts the outcome of the general election: Sir Hugh Orde is not resigning after all

    Updated: 2010-06-29 12:39:54
    It’s a good rule in politics not to threaten to resign. If you feel strongly enough about something, just go. Standing on the edge saying “I’ll jump, I’ll jump, I really will…” is undignified. When Sir Hugh Orde warned that he might quit as head of his quango (the Association of Chief Police Officers is funded by the [...]

  • What do you think of the Budget? What are the Coalition's best achievements so far? Who is performing well in the Cabinet?

    Updated: 2010-06-29 08:55:55

  • Migrant workers must have private medical insurance, insists Theresa May

    Updated: 2010-06-29 07:34:33

  • Another poll confirms that the Budget hurt the Liberal Democrats

    Updated: 2010-06-28 20:58:45

  • All the wrong reasons to stand for office

    Updated: 2010-06-28 20:41:47
    I’ve blogged before about people who go into politics as a result of being bullied at school. There are, of course, plenty of elected representatives who are actuated by a sense of ideology or of service. But a fair few – there’s no denying it – are driven by ego or insecurity. One such has [...]

  • Does Francis Maude still plan to appoint BP's Lord Browne as a Whitehall chief?

    Updated: 2010-06-28 12:19:33

  • EU to ban eggs by the dozen? That's un-oeuf!

    Updated: 2010-06-28 11:17:17
    The last word on the proposed EU ban on selling eggs by the dozen goes to my old friend Lee Rotherham: that’s un-oeuf! We Old Brussels Hands know how these directives work. On the rare occasions that the British press gets wind of the proposal in advance, there is usually enough of a fuss to ensure [...]

  • Gove and Hunt plan 'Schools Olympics' in bid to revive UK sport

    Updated: 2010-06-28 07:55:25

  • "New kid on the block" - David Cameron - enjoys a perfect start on the international stage

    Updated: 2010-06-28 07:29:56

  • Baroness Ashton wants a Situation Room in Brussels

    Updated: 2010-06-27 20:40:18
    I find this story slightly unsettling. Suppose a crisis erupts somewhere in the world – a revolution, a hostage situation, an epidemic. Who takes charge, striding grim-faced into the Situation Room like President Bartlett in The West Wing? Why our old friend Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the former CND Treasurer who has risen to be [...]

  • William Hague must champion religious freedom with the Islamic group to which he's linked Britain

    Updated: 2010-06-27 16:28:30

  • Is this what you want David Cameron's Government to achieve?

    Updated: 2010-06-27 13:00:18

  • World Cup 2010: I like Germans, but…

    Updated: 2010-06-27 09:37:36
    Regular readers will know that this is a Germanophile blog. You will know, too, how unimpressed I am when bloggers and Tweeters say “I hate…” meaning “I disagree…” This tendency is found across the Internet, but is especially prevalent on the Left (see here for an explanation). I try to discourage my little girls from using [...]

  • Iain Duncan Smith wants to help council tenants escape jobless cities

    Updated: 2010-06-27 07:27:18
    thetorydiary Liberal Democrats squeezed in two new opinion polls Main Sunday , June 27, 2010 Iain Duncan Smith wants to help council tenants escape jobless cities The Sunday Telegraph chooses a sensationalist headline for its interview with the Work Pensions Secretary and Ed Balls is already in full attack mode but the suggestions put forward by Iain Duncan Smith are eminently sensible . Mr Duncan Smith is not ordering people to up sticks and move across the country and find work . He is proposing help for those who want to do . so Through his work at the think tank he founded the Centre for Social Justice he has long been concerned at the barriers that discourage able-bodied people from taking paid work . Top of that list of barriers is the benefits system that presents the low-paid with

  • Liberal Democrats squeezed in two new opinion polls

    Updated: 2010-06-26 19:35:04

  • What&#39;s up with Fox and Cameron?

    Updated: 2010-06-26 15:19:25

  • David Cameron is right to want to leave Afghanistan

    Updated: 2010-06-26 11:20:17
    I’m delighted that the PM has set a target date for leaving Afghanistan. We were right to go in in 2001. It is worth recalling that we had been attacked: more British subjects died in the Twin Towers than in any terrorist atrocity in our history – more than at Lockerbie or Omagh. When our soldiers [...]

  • David Cameron wants out of Afghanistan as soon as possible

    Updated: 2010-06-26 07:54:10

  • Senior Tory and Lib Dem figures "will address each other's conferences" this autumn

    Updated: 2010-06-25 18:12:13

  • The Gilbert-and-Sullivan dispute between Fopog and Fyrom

    Updated: 2010-06-25 17:06:17
    Ivo Petovski writes a measured blog over at Comment is Free about the Gilbert-and-Sullivan dispute between Greece and Macedonia over nomenclature. (Greece won’t let Macedonia join international associations except as ‘The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom)’). Petovski links to an intriguing article written by David Cameron following a visit to Skopje in 2003. Asked [...]

  • MEPs claim to be under attack from, er, Colombian secret service

    Updated: 2010-06-25 10:01:24
    The European project is under attack. This time, the threat comes, not from American neo-cons or British Tories, not from Polish nationalists or short-selling bankers, but from Colombian spies. MEPs are demanding an investigation into the activities of the Colombian intelligence agency, DAS, which they accuse of having mounted a campaign to destabilise the European Parliament [...]

  • Shooting: The Sport, The Facts

    Updated: 2010-06-23 22:31:23
    A good shooting video by Mike Yardley: Shooting: The Sport, The Facts from James Marchington on Vimeo.

  • Not the BBC’s finest broadcast.

    Updated: 2010-06-08 23:03:21
    A debate on the BBC on Sunday just passed. Not the finest broadcast and it would have been interesting to hear a little more from Michael Yardley. The Big Questions: Gun debate from James Marchington on Vimeo.

  • Green MP on Queen's Speech

    Updated: 2010-05-25 20:34:00
    : Greenman's Occasional Organ Ecosocialist . Syndicalist . Critical . Techno-Progressive Tuesday , May 25, 2010 Green MP on Queen's Speech Green Party leader’s comment on the Queen’s Speech It’s a pack of half-hearted measures” says UK’s first Green MP Caroline Lucas MP , the first Green MP in the UK parliament , commented this : afternoon It’s a pack of half-hearted measures . For example they talk about far-reaching political reforms , but all they’re offering is a referendum on AV , which would go nowhere near far enough . There are warm words on climate change and energy efficiency , but no real detail . We need to see genuine commitment to serious targets and to the investment needed to meet those targets . Even worse , the fact that this comes the day after we’ve heard of budget cuts

  • So who runs the CCTV for the police?

    Updated: 2010-05-11 11:12:22
    Bookmark this category In some cases not the police, what happens to the video? Sent from my HTC

  • So where do we find ourselves today in England?

    Updated: 2010-05-10 22:03:53
    By all reasonable counts the labour party no longer has a case govern the United Kingdom. The Labour party lost more seats in the 2010 election that at any party at other time since the 1931 election, the Lib Dems did not get the breakthrough that they wanted and lost ground with the electorate returning [...]

  • So who gets the vote of an underwhelmed English Shooter

    Updated: 2010-05-05 01:41:02
    Bookmark this category So the day is almost on us where we place out X in the box, and I must say that I am underwhelmed with the campaign. All three parties are going to put taxes up and cut spending in the next 18 months, all three want to cut the number of MPs and tinker [...]

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