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Articles tagged with Conservatives
Europe: The tail that's wagging the dog
by Justin Cash / 20 May 2013 09:38
Now we’ve all had a chance to reflect on UKIP’s local election triumphs, it seems the one thing that commentators across the board have been able to agree on is that Farage's success reflects an elevated wave of euroscepticism among the British population. What to do about EU membership has, as a direct consequence, become one of the most important debates in modern politics, one that has caused no end of confusion in Tory ranks.
But
Why the parties are ripe for rebranding
by Tom Wadsworth / 04 Mar 2013 13:08
It’s easy for political geeks to forget that most people in this country are not absorbed in politics on a day-to-day basis. So once every few years when they come to vote, people have to rely on their overall impressions of the parties – the brand.
That brand needs to give voters an overall impression of what they’ll get for the next five years: what the party’s vision for the country
All Mod Conservatives
by Anoosh Chakelian / 17 Jan 2013 14:59
“This isn’t a plan for a manifesto,” Greg Barker MP remarked to the intimate gathering of his fellow Tory modernisers and a few eager environmental journalists last Wednesday evening, “this isn’t even a plan for a plan.”
Yet.
Cameron’s loyal energy minister was addressing a rather plush underground bar in the Mayfair offices of the Legatum Institute - what must be one of the swankiest of British politics’ independent think tank brigade.
Chancellor slams shut Clegg's emergency tax plan
by Aisha Gani / 29 Aug 2012 13:01
Nick Clegg’s demands today for an emergency tax on Britain’s wealthiest – in order to rescue Britain from its economic troubles – was effectively slammed shut by the Chancellor this morning. The deputy prime minister made this bold plan just as recess ends, and as George Osborne came back from his summer holiday. This political positioning is an indication of the less collegial tone of Coalition colleagues that we can expect from the next
Voters believe the Conservatives have lost economic credibility
by Tom Mludzinski / 18 May 2012 14:54
When the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats came together in the summer of 2010 to form a coalition government there was a great deal of speculation about the future of the British political landscape. We were entering into untrodden ground. No-one knew for sure exactly what it would mean for the two governing parties or for that matter, for the only remaining party of opposition. The coalition is now two years old and a look
David Laws warns both parties must keep up ‘necessary modernisation’
by Ben Duckworth / 14 Mar 2012 10:38
Last night, in a Commons committee room, David Laws gave a short speech that revealed a great deal. The former chief secretary to the Treasury was in office for less than a month in 2010 but remains enormously well-regarded within both the Lib Dem and Conservative parties. If you were expecting the coalition agreement 2.0 to be a wholesale renewal bursting with new policies, this speech will have disappointed you. Speaking at a Bright
Nick Clegg’s pitch to the centre
by Ben Duckworth / 21 Sep 2011 17:48
The Lib Dem leader’s well delivered speech made a future civil partnership with Labour impossible. Or more accurately, Nick Clegg won’t be able to reconcile with Ed Miliband’s party. How do you make up having spat out the line: “Never, ever trust Labour with the economy again”? There were also the personal attacks on Miliband and Ed Balls “the two backroom boys”. While Clegg could not have backed away from the coalition’s number one purpose, restoring
The guide to political drinking
by James Clayton / 27 Jul 2011 14:04
It’s a question that’s always intrigued me. Why does anyone who has access to parliamentary bars not drink there all of the time? I mean think about it. A selection of subsidised bars nestling in the confines of a UNESCO World Heritage site with your choice of river views and interiors by Augustus Pugin, or a mangy, overpriced pub filled with tourists? It’s a no brainer right?
But for all sorts of reasons
Cut it out, Conservatives
by Francesca Preece / 18 May 2011 09:30
Cuts have become synonymous with the Conservatives. It seems cuts are all voters see when they look at our party. And who can blame them? Our governments have always tried to keep costs down. The Tories are the bores with calculators and budget books, accounting for every penny while our Labour counterparts live for the moment, affording luxury with their credit cards.
Penny pinchers just don’t have the same appeal. We often don’t
Clegg and Cameron reveal their view of the coalition
by Ben Duckworth / 11 May 2011 09:07
The anniversary of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is marked today by a speech given by the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirming the achievements of the Lib Dems in government. The PM has also written for ConservativeHome to discuss the government’s achievements in the year since the coalition formed in May 2010. Both provide insight into how the leaders want to sell their decisions to their respective parties.
Clegg’s speech this morning is trailed in
‘Purple Labour’ leads new party debates
by Ben Duckworth / 19 Apr 2011 14:44
This morning’s press conference by the Labour leader concentrated on tuition fees with the claim the Tories have “broken” their promise that the £9,000 upper limit would only be charged in “exceptional circumstances”. In the following Q&A session I asked Ed Miliband about what contribution he would like to see from ‘Purple Labour’ – the name for a group of formerly-known-as Blairite Labour members who are publishing a moderniser’s manifesto through Progress and
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