Conservatives rate a hung parliament as an economic disaster
With the second of the three planned televised debates looming this week, and opinion polls showing an incredibly tight three-way race to the finish line between the main political contenders, parties are trying to separate themselves through various forecasts and statements. In line most recently, Tory MP Kenneth Clarke, who came out a day before the Sky News debate in Bristol to send a firm warning that a hung parliament would mean a financial disaster for Britain, leaving the country at risk of needing an International Monetary Fund bail-out.
Following the first television debate, of which outsider Nick Clegg was generally hailed as the winner, opinion polls have shown a surge in support for the Liberal Democrats, creating an even more likely perspective of a hung parliament come May 6th. This, says Conservative Ken Clarke, would be highly risky for the bond markets, causing the national currency and interest rates to reach dangerous levels. According to Mr Clarke, the lack of a government with majority support in the Parliament would send a worrying signal to the international market, possibly prompting the intervention of the IMF.
Tory rivals quickly stepped in to attack these claims, with the statements being characterized as “ridiculous”, “desperate”, “scaremongering” or a sign of panic at “losing the election”, by Labour and Lib Dems alike.
photo: davidChiefGordon Brown takes campaign to Wales
The incumbent Prime Minister arrived in Wales for the first time yesterday, steering his campaign towards Cardiff. During an open question and answer session at the Swalec cricket stadium, he rejected criticism of not giving enough attention to that park of UK, saying he had been to Wales on numerous occasions prior to the general election. The Q&A meeting with students touched upon a variety of subject, from the hot topic of the airway crisis, to the general state of the economy, institutional reform and expenses by political represantatives in the Parliament.
Welsh jobs and unemployment were issues on the agenda in the meeting, with recent statistics indicating an added 10,000 people out of work in the country. Gordon Brown took the opportunity to highlight what he considered were very bad Conservative plans for the economy, as Tory agenda would be of no help to creating employment opportunities in Wales and elsewhere. He said his main concern was creating a job market for the future generation of workers, as well as keeping a good level of public services in the health, education and policing sectors.
Local opposition to the Labour Prime Minister used Mr Brown’s visit to Wales as an opportunity to criticise Labour policies. Myfanwy Davies, Plaid Cymru candidate in the constituency of Llanelli, told the press Mr Brown should be tackling the “shamefully low” level of the state pension, which he considers Gordon Brown is avoiding as it is an issue he would not be able to defend. Welsh Conservative Cheryl Gillan, on the other hand, complained about the late arrival of the Prime Minister in Wales, mentioning her party’s leader – David Cameron, had already travelled there twice during the current campaign.
Nick Clegg denies past donation misuse
Following revelations by The Daily Telegraph that the now LibDem leader had monthly donations from three businessmen go directly into his personal bank account back in 2006, party representatives have come out to say all the money was properly accounted for, registered and used in support of Liberal Democrat expenses. The payments, said to amount to £250 per month, came from a Diageo, a KPMG and an ex-gold-mining executive respectively. They are all registered as official Lib Dem donors. Mr Clegg went on record this week by saying the funds were used to pay a member of his parliamentary staff.
In contrast, The Daily Telegraph claimed it had found documents which were pointing towards personal uses of the money, for purposes such as Mr Clegg’s mortgage, shopping and other expenditures. However, these donations were officially registered as required with the specific institutions (the Electoral Commission, the Parliamentary Register of Members Interests) at that time, said a spokesman for the Lib Dem MP. Suggesting that there was improper use of the funds is “utterly unacceptable”, the Tory representative went on to declare.
The issue of party donations is likely to be dug up again, as Nick Clegg prepares to face his main general election opponents tonight, in the second live TV debate bringing together the main party leaders. The debate will start at 20.00 BST and is hosted by Sky News.
photo: LibDemsEgg thrown at David Cameron [video]
Tory party leader David Cameron had an egg thrown at him while exiting a college in Cornwall. The MP was in Saltash while on his campaign trail and took the opportunity to engage in a debate with students at Cornwall College. After the discussion, while leaving the room, Mr Cameron was approached by a 16 year old attending the meeting, who threw an egg at the Conservative MP.
Witnesses said the Tory leader was unbothered by the aggression and walked off the premises calmly. The teenager who had thrown the egg was quickly arrested by local police, but released soonafter, without being taken into custody. Following the egg incident, Mr Cameron set off to Torquay, where he appeared in a fresh shirt and only joked (in relation to the chicken-dressed newspaper reporter who had been following him throughout the campaign): “Now I know which came first – the chicken not the egg”.
A spokesperson for the college where the incident happened said that the staff were very disappointed with the issue, but that the Tory’s visit had been beneficial to the institution, otherwise giving the students a good opportunity to get involved in the election issues first-hand. Asked about the egg being thrown at Mr Cameron, Gordon Brown declared, while on a visit in Cardiff, that he regretted such incidents and was hoping for a fair and civil campaign.
BNP finances under investigation
Following comments by registered auditors Silver & Co, claiming that the financial statements submitted by the British National Party in 2008 did not “give a true and fair view of the state of the party’s affairs”, the independent Electoral Commission has started an investigation into the party’s financial accounts from that year. The matter was kicked off in January with a case review, now moving into a formal investigation to find out whether there has been any kind of breach in the rules, a step in which the commission can use its full statutory powers to obtain relevant information on the issue.
The Electoral Commission mentions that no conclusion has yet been reached and that the assumption shouldn’t be made that rules have been broken. The auditors making the initial claim said that, in their opinion, the BNP’s accounts failed to comply with requirements specific to political entities, as outlined by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act of 2000.
Tory savings considered dangerous by economists
A public letter quoted by The Daily Telegraph and signed by over 50 economists has issued a warning over the danger that the Conservatives‘ public spending plans represent on the health of the British economy. The publication claims it has read the leaked letter, which is supposedly signed by 58 economists, among them Lord Peston, Sir David Hendry, Lord Skidelsky and Lord Layard. All of them support the current Prime Minister’s plans for the economic recovery, while calling the Tories’ so-called efficiency savings only “a cut by another name”.
The Conservatives have spun much of their ongoing campaign around a proposed efficiency plan on the public sector which is promising to save £6bn straight away. The economists in question are warning this would be a “destabilising action” which is not needed. They claim that the country’s recovery is still fragile, and that “only when the recovery is well under way, will it be safe to have extra cuts in government expenditure”.
This comes in contrast with the opposition party’s supporters of the heavy cuts, as the Tories have been vigurously advertising the backing of over 400 small and medium businesses, as well as that of the leaders of several high-profile companies, such as Marks and Spencer and Next, over their savings plans. Mainly the Tory party is opposing a decision by Gordon Brown’s cabinet to raise National Insurance by one percent next year, for high earners (over £20,000), saying the measure would in effect “kill the recovery”.
photo: CPTory MP unhappy over Hitler parody
Oxfordshire Conservative MP John Howell has filed a formal complaint to the Thames Valley Police with regards to a YouTube clip using a subtitled extract from the movie Der Untergang (Downfall). The scene, well-known and heavily-used on the internet for parodies, used subtitles to picture Hitler complaining vociferously about Oxfordshire Tories. Howell said the video was “defamatory”, as well as highly offensive for the World Word II generation that would have to endure such material.
The MP, a Conservative candidate for the Henley constituency, has gone as far as to take legal action on the matter, reporting the video to local police. John Howell was elected in 2008 in the south Oxfordshire constituency, with just over 10,000 votes ahead his Liberal Democrat opposition.
ICM poll results – election week 2
An ICM poll carried out from the 9th to the 11th of April released its findings just before the Tory manifesto launch today, revealing an overwhelming expectancy for a Conservative win in the coming election. When asked to name whom they expect to hold the Downing Street position after May 6th, regardless of their own preferences, 58% of respondents named David Cameron, against only a 28% response for Gordon Brown. It largely coincides with the percentage of people who think it is time for a change in power (63%), while only 26% trust continuity is the way to go. The ones asking for change include as much as a third of people who gave the Labour their backing in 2005. Geographically, The Labour still hold the lead in the North of England, and Scotland, but are at a disadvantage in the south, as well as the Midlands.
When it comes down to actually leaving their mark on polling day, only 55% of the people interviewed declared they were certain to vote (up by three points compared to results from a week earlier). The study was carried out on 1,024 adults aged 18 and over, through telephone polling acrossing the country, by ICM Research.
Labour and Tory manifestos, the cover story
They sit at opposing ends in the Parliament, have radically distinct policies and have now positioned themselves even further away from each other with the official campaign manifestos. This week has seen the launch of both the Labor and Conservative manifesto publications and, before delving in the substance of the plans and the promises, a look at the form of them is equally intriguing.
The ruling party has long been labelled by their opposition as lacking vision, as well as energy. It’s as if the Labour manifesto has set out to contradict just that: bright colours and a lively imagery featuring a family looking towards “A future fair for all“. No doubt a striking image, overly socialist-realist perhaps, but bold enough to be considered cool, some consider. In contrast, the Conservatives certainly lived up to their name, with a simple cover intended to instill distinction, trust, and suggest calm (perhaps by way of experience), encasing the “Invitation to Join The Government of Britain” in a serene dark blue background.
Want to buy your own copies of the Tories and Labour manifestos? You can, but for the moment just the Tory one, which sells for £5 in hardback. Their counterparts only offer theirs as a digital download (also an option for the Conservative’s document), but have announced a paper copy would be made available for £4, should demand create a need for it.
David Cameron’s party might ‘consider’ gay marriage
A protest by quality campaigners outside Tory election headquarters over the weekend prompted Conservative MP George Osborne to declare his party is not ruling out gay marriage. The shadow chancellor met up with a group of gay rights leaders and afterwards said the Tories now have “real policies” in place for the purpose of equality in society. This did little to please gay rights prominent campaigner Peter Tatchell, who rather saw this as a lack of commitment and thought the statement to “consider” the case was in actuality “meaningless”.
Gay couples made some progress in the way of being recognised through the Civil Partnerships Act in 2004, but while this allowed them a number of similar legal treatment as married couples, they are still not referred to as “married” as such.
Tory MP Chris Grayling, shadow home secretary, caused a stir last week after declaring owners of bed and breakfast places should be allowed to refuse service to gay couples. It wasn’t too cautious a remark from a man whose party is hoping to get a record climb back into Parliament seats to get a majority on its own in the May 6 election, and the Conservatives are now having to delve in the issue of gay marriage. This after David Cameron himself promised the party would stay clear of more “divisive” policies that are thought to have marked the Thatcher cabinets in the 80’s.
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