Posts Tagged ‘Osborne’

Friday News Review

18/06/2010, 08:13:47 AM

Not just the candidates, but their children

“The question had related to the lack of women in the upper echelons of the Labour Party and glanced towards Yvette Cooper’s decision not to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper MP leaves number 10 Downing Street, London after a meeting of the British Cabinet on November 6th, 2008.stand against her husband, Ed Balls. But the discussion soon turned – how could it not? – to the difficulty of combining a senior role in politics with babies. It was as though the playpen gate had been thrown open. The four men positively fell over each other to vaunt their infatuation with their offspring.” – The Independent

“Other critics – many within the Labour’s own ranks – believe the situation is evidence that the party has failed to foster a belief amongst its female MPs that promotion to the highest offices is a realistic prospect, and also that the party remains stifled by an anachronistic culture of paternalism.” – Political Promise

“Under the Tories, the poorest will end up paying the price of the mistakes of the richest. We should not be afraid of the mansion tax on £2m houses or extending the bankers’ bonus tax, rather than charging the poorest with VAT rises. And the idea of taking money from the poorest children while continuing to subsidise private schools is just wrong”. – The Guardian

“I believe it would be economic madness for Osborne to go ahead with deflationary spending cuts and the VAT hike that his advisers have been whispering about to the newspapers. I fear this “unemployment budget” will set back the economic recovery and put jobs at risk.” – The Guardian

Has the race left London?

“I’d make a break with the London- centric nature of our politics. I regret to say our party has run itself in too top-down a way from London.” – Western Mail

“Ed Balls finally launched his campaign website today in his email to the 80,000-strong Labour Party email list. Every candidate is entitled to send one email to the party’s list. David Miliband sent his first, last Wednesday, followed by Ed Miliband on Thursday and Andy Burnham last Friday.” – Labour List

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The leader we have: inside the leaders’ office

11/06/2010, 02:08:39 PM

“And all the sons I might have had mean nothing, for I have a son.”  So wrote James Baldwin.

And so it is with the leadership.  While Diane and the boys spend the summer in a four month penalty shootout, Harriet has quietly slipped on the captain’s armband.

If the coalition collapses in August – which is very unlikely, but not impossible – it will be Harriet who leads Labour’s reponse. (more…)

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