Matt Chorley - London Calling

I am leaving the Western Morning News

2010-07-14T09:09:00.001+01:00

The morning after a magnificent send-off from regional colleagues and friends seems as good a time as any to confirm my departure from the Western Morning News on Friday.

After almost four fantastic years of badger culling, DEFRA-bashing, unitary-yawning, tourism-talking, campervan-driving, expenses-exposing and, mostly, laughing, I am moving on to pastures new.

From next week I will have a complete change of pace and pressure covering politics at the Independent on Sunday. As someone has already noted, they could not be more different papers and probably don't share many readers but I'm looking forward to a new challenge.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to read this blog or been remotely informed by the political coverage in the WMN in what has been a fascinating time for politics; nationally in general and in the Westcountry in particular.

As a Somerset boy I will always have fond memories of working for a paper I grew up knowing, covering a region I love.

But for now, I think it's time for a quiet cup of coffee and hope there isn't too much shouting at PMQs.

Tory MP warns deficit will last 31,000 years

2010-07-07T17:23:00.000+01:00

All MPs are desperate to make the unimaginable figures on the national debt easier to understand.

Sarah Wollaston, new Tory MP for Totnes, has found a novel way. She told the Commons:

“All these very sad cases are unavoidable. It is because we have a national debt of £1 trillion. I was looking at what that means. If every pound were a second, that would be 31,546 years and we would all be sitting here for a very long time.”

Hmm. But if those pound coins were laid end to end will they reach the moon or buy a cake the size of Wales?

Only one way to find out…

Lib Dem grassroots revolt at scrapping new school buildings

2010-07-06T12:22:00.000+01:00

Another day, another test for the coalition. Michael Gove's announcement that he was stopping plans to rebuild or refurbish 16 Westcountry schools has (unsurprisingly) not gone down well.

MPs of all parties are making noises about "requesting meetings" and urging rethinks. Local councillors are less subtle. Des Hannon, a Lib Dem, county councillor who has just seen plans evaporate for his local school in Tiverton to be rebuilt, is pretty blunt in this letter he is sending to Mr Gove.

Dear Sir

I wrote to you on the 15th of May to explain why Tiverton High School’s BSF project deserved your support. I told you about the huge strides made at GCSE. I told you about the money already invested by Devon council tax payers and about crumbling buildings and rapidly growing student numbers. I got a reply utterly free of substance.

I listened to your speech on BSF today with incredulity. You have set back the educational hopes of our community and undermined the trust of our young people in government. I’m at a loss as to how your proper criticism of the ‘bureaucracy’ of BSF can justify ditching our scheme after we’ve jumped through every hoop. In May I told you that scrapping our project would be ‘a gross and unforgivable injustice to our children.’ You’ve done it anyway.

You are enthusiastic about creating ‘free schools.’ I fear you intend to squander the investment Tiverton needs on an expensive fad of interest only in cities. As a parent in a market town, serving a large rural area, ‘choice’ isn’t my priority. I just want our local school to have buildings fit for the students and teachers inside.

In the wake of your decision I’d be grateful for answers to two questions. How will you renew our building and make it big enough for soaring student numbers? Will you reverse the dire under funding which has seen Devon children short changed by Labour and Conservative governments for decades?

I look forward to the courtesy of a reasoned response. Our children deserve it.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr Des Hannon (Devon County Council, Tiverton East)

Does Harriet know Labour have been wiped out in the Westcountry?

2010-07-03T10:00:00.003+01:00

Harriet Harman has cooked up a real wheeze about getting Labour councillors to challenge Lib Dem MPs in their area over the support for the VAT rise to 20 per cent.

But as Lib Dem councillor Alex Folkes aka Lanson Boy points out, the one flaw in this plan is the distinct lack of Labour councillors in many parts of the country, including Devon and Cornwall.

In particualr, since the unitary council came in to force, Labour have no elected councillors on Cornwall Council, which means no-one to tackle Dan Rogerson, Steve Gilbert or Andrerw George, who has already made clear his unhappiness at the VAT rise.

It is a similar story for Torbay MP Adrian Sanders.

Might be back to the drawing board with that one, Harriet.

Did George Eustice watch a lot of Grange Hill?

2010-07-02T16:38:00.002+01:00

So the AV referendum is on for May 5. According to sources speaking to just about every newspaper, TV channel and radio station.

What a surprise, it is going to be on the same day as local elections.

One of the key architects of the No campaign will be George Eustice, Tory MP for Camborne and Redruth and one-time spin doctor for David Cameron.

He was also Campaign Director of the anti-euro 'No Campaign’.

Clearly George took note when Zammo warned him: “Just say no.”

Ben Bradshaw involved in a total farce

2010-07-01T17:39:00.000+01:00

Oh alright, it’s not the Shadow Culture Secretary. Some while back I was catching up on the boxset of The Office, and noticed in the credits that one of the extras was called Ben Bradshaw.
I knew Exeter MP had worked at the BBC but did not think he had spent time at Wernham Hogg.

Now my Google alerts of Westcountry MPs have solved the problem.

This is Ben Bradshaw.

Or rather, it is Brian Stewart, who has just written and directed a farce - All in Vein – which gets its first performance at Abbey Theatre in St Albans shortly.

Brian’s stage name, as this local paper story points out, was Ben Bradshaw, and he appeared in most episodes of The Office.

Problem solved by a Google Alert.

Less easy to explain is why the email alert for Sarah Newton – new Tory MP for Truro and Falmouth – keeps throwing up a link to a story which describes her being “naked in a tubof marijuana”.

I assume it is not the honorable member, but I daren’t follow the link on work computers.

Silent Devon MP told minister does not have eyes in the back of his head

2010-07-01T10:44:00.000+01:00

It is tough being a new MP. Neil Parish, the newly-elected Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton, tried to make a contribution to a debate on energy efficiency yesterday.

He stood up not once, not twice, not three times but FOUR times in the hope that energy minister Greg Barker would allow him to intervene. Each time he was overlooked, in favour of Labour MPs.

The problem was he was stood by the minister in the Commons, as quiet as a mouse.

Speaker Bercow, who even when trying to be helpful risks sounding patronising, had to tell him to be “audible” in the hope of getting called.

This is the full exchange from Hansard:

Gregory Barker: Renewable heat is a renewable form of generation; it is not equivalent to energy efficiency. However, we are committed to an ambitious renewable heat agenda. We have a challenging renewable energy target and renewable heat will be a key part of that. We will be looking at how to move forward and at having the right incentives in place. Because we are aware of the concerns of businesses, such as the one the hon. Lady mentions in her constituency, we will be making an announcement on this as soon as possible.

Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton) (Con) rose-

Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab): I welcome the Minister to his position. He has taken a long and careful interest in the matters for which he has responsibility, and I welcome his enthusiasm. So far in this debate, however, he has been quick to parry any questions that are not specifically about energy efficiency and has responded in a very constrained manner. If we are to have the debate that all of us would wish this afternoon, we need to be able to discuss the energy context in which it takes place and the broader financial measures that will be available to the industry in the future, in order to consider the wider aspects of the green deal the Minister has talked about.

Gregory Barker: Obviously, I take on board the hon. Gentleman's comments, and he is an expert in this field, but the key point I made at the beginning of my speech is that energy efficiency has always been the poor relation and that all too often people leap to discuss other, perhaps more sexy, matters such as heat pumps, the renewables heat incentive or renewable energy. While I want a full debate-and, of course, I will answer the hon. Gentleman's questions as best I can-I also want to focus the discussion on energy efficiency, because it is the most important and the best value-for-money consideration in terms of saving carbon.

Neil Parish rose-

Chris Williamson (Derby North) (Lab): Can the Minister confirm that the coalition parties will agree to implement the previous Government's commitment to ensure that all new homes are carbon-neutral by 2015?

Gregory Barker: That is an important target. We are committed to carbon neutrality, and I know that my colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government are looking to see if there is any room for making the target more effective. Perhaps I may write to the hon. Gentleman with the very latest on that?

Neil Parish rose-

David Wright (Telford) (Lab): The Minister and I served together on the Environmental Audit Committee a few years ago. Will he comment on the future of the boiler scrappage scheme, a tremendous energy-efficiency measure that has been very successfully delivered, and will he look at the possibility of extending the scheme to cover gas fires? A company in my constituency produces very energy-efficient gas fires. If we were to support it, we would see real progress not only in boiler scrappage, but in the scrappage of other lower performing products such as wasteful gas fires.

Neil Parish rose-

Gregory Barker: The hon. Gentleman is right: the boiler scrappage scheme was highly effective. Although it was not a large scheme, it was both very good and very timely, and I will be closely examining whether we ought to take it further. I know that the hon. Gentleman has expertise on this, and if he would like to talk to me about it, I would be very grateful for the opportunity to pick his brains.

Mr Speaker: Order. May I interrupt the Minister to try to help a new Member? I very gently say to the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) that whatever gifts and traits the Minister possesses, he does not have eyes in the back of his head, so if the hon. Gentleman wishes to intervene, it is not enough simply to stand; he must make himself audible.

Gregory Barker rose-

Neil Parish: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Gregory Barker: With pleasure.

Neil Parish: Thank you for your advice, Mr Speaker.

Lib Dem rebel, er... doesn't rebel

2010-06-29T17:45:00.000+01:00

The Cornish ringleader of a Liberal Democrat revolt over the VAT hike abandoned his opposition and voted to back the move in the House of Commons.

St Ives MP Andrew George lahas defended his surprise decision, claiming he wanted to give a “fair wind” to the government but would continue to demand ministers do more to “justify” the rise to 20 per cent planned for January.

Despite defying his party leadership to table an amendment to the Finance Bill over the increase - which he claims will hit the poorest hardest - Mr George followed hundreds of Tories and Lib Dems to vote in favour of the move.

Just two Lib Dems – Bob Russell and Mike Hancock – joined Labour MPs to oppose the measure, which is expected to raise £13 billion-a-year.

Mr George has called for an inquiry into how the rise in VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent will affect businesses, charities and households across the income spectrum.

He told MPs: "I believe that the impact assessment of the type that I have described is one that, reasonably, I think the Government should be bringing forward."

Mr George said "on balance I wish to give the Budget a fair wind at this stage", and welcomed measures including the rise in the personal tax allowance, a key Lib Dem policy which survived the coalition deal with the Tories.

It ain't over yet, is the gist of his message.

Lib Dem rebels say Treasury will accept Budget amendment. Treasury says: No

2010-06-28T10:45:00.001+01:00

St Ives MP Andrew George’s amendment to the Finance Bill is sitting proudly on today’s order paper.

It demands a full impact assessment of the VAT rise, amid growing Lib Dem unease over the impact on the poorest.

Mr George has just put out a press release seeking to calm things down, in which he insists it is no big deal.
“My proposal is not tantamount to an earthquake along the fault line of the Coalition. The Coalition is different to the one party rule we have experienced in the past. It is a Coalition of two distinct parties with distinct policies and values. Those items, like budget measures which clearly cannot be debated between the parties prior to announcement, can, and should, be subject to an open debate prior to implementation. That is all my Parliamentary colleagues and I are doing.”
The release concludes with:
Mr George is expecting that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt. Hon Danny Alexander MP, will accept his amendment and agree to the undertaking of a further impact assessment of the VAT rise prior to its implementation.
But a Treasury source insists this aint gonna happen. On a practical level, the way the Budget debate is structured means the Finance Bill cannot actually be amended and a vote cannot take place.

More importantly, though, Danny Alexander believes they basically met the demand for fully assessing the impact of the Budget measures, with an “unprecedented” amount of information released, both by the Treasury and the OBR.

This is in contrast, they suggest, to the 2007 Budget when Gordon Brown scrapped the 10p tax rate, and the information about the impact on the low paid had to be “dragged out of them”.

I suspect this will not be enough to quell the anger. Mr George and his three partners in crime are just the tip of a very large Lib Dem iceberg.

The West Lib Dem leading the "not nuclear" VAT rebellion

2010-06-27T15:36:00.001+01:00

My revelation in yesterday's Western Morning News that Andrew George is seeking to amend the Finance Bill has been picked up by some of the nationals today and will likely dominate coverage of the Lib Dems this week.

Andrew, who rightly sees this as a matter of principle over fairness, is stressing that this is a "tiny storm in a very small teacup". Some of his colleagues might disagree.

Here is yesterday's story:

The coalition government is to face a direct challenge to its claim that the hike in VAT to 20 per cent will not hit the poorest hardest, in a revolt led by a Westcountry Liberal Democrat MP.

Andrew George has defied his party leadership to table an amendment to the Finance Bill which would implement George Osborne’s Emergency Budget.

The St Ives MP is the architect of a move to embarrass the government into reconsidering how the tax-raising, budget-cutting package will affect the worst off.

Lib Dem HQ was desperately trying to quell the rebellion, after deputy leader Simon Hughes suggested on Thursday that the party could “come forward with amendments” to make the Budget fairer.

In a statement yesterday the party insisted there were "no plans" to amend the Budget. It was claimed Mr Hughes had been referring to a "hypothetical situation".

But the Western Morning News can reveal that Mr George and three other Lib Dems have tabled an amendment to the Budget for Monday which, if debated, could open the door for other senior Lib Dems to criticise the VAT move.

The amendment demands the Government carry out “an assessment of the impact of the increases it proposes upon business, charities and households across the income and age groups”.

Such a report would have to be laid before the House of Commons for a full debate. The amendment is backed by Lib Dem firebrand Bob Russell who threatened within hours of Mr Osborne’s Budget to vote against it.

Mr George has stressed to colleagues that he is not seeking to trigger “nuclear war” in the party but believes the issue of fairness needs to be addressed.

Earlier this week he told the WMN that VAT was a “regressive tax” which “hit the poorest more than it hits the wealthiest”, despite bankers being to blame for the economic collapse.

“On that basis it didn’t chime with the stated purpose that those who got us into the doo-doos should pay the cost of getting us out.”

Critics of the VAT move say the low paid spend disproportionately more of their income on the duty than the wealthiest. It is especially embarrassing for the Lib Dems, who launched a poster campaign claiming the Tories were planning a VAT “tax bombshell” during the election.

A study by the South West Observatory earlier this week suggested 10,800 jobs could be lost in the region if VAT rose to 20 per cent.

Several senior Westcountry Lib Dems this week criticised the move, claiming old Tory ideology of punishing the poor had won through.

Lib Dem Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander has defended the rise from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent as “unavoidable”. He said the only alternative was still deeper spending cuts.

Labour has accused the Lib Dems of acting as “fig leaves” for a Budget that would hit the most vulnerable hardest.

But Lib Dem defence minister Nick Harvey said the state of the public finances left the Treasury with little choice.

“Nobody would want to take any of the measures taken in the Budget. The financial situation is worse even than we realised,” he told the WMN.

“Nobody in the election seemed to be acknowledging there was going to be a VAT rise. I would prefer there didn’t have to be. It is something that had to happen. It may not prove to be permanent.”

Mr George’s amendment is listed on the order paper for debate on Monday afternoon.

Westcountry Lib Dems are revolting

2010-06-24T16:41:00.001+01:00

Simon Hughes has put the cat amongst the coalition pigeons today by promising to table amendments to the Budget, as pressure from Lib Dem MPs, activists and supporters grow.

Westcountry Lib Dems are particualrly unhappy about the Budget hike in VAT to 20 per cent which they campaigned so angrily against just weeks ago.

MPs in the region admit they are considering abstaining or voting against the rise to 20 per cent which they warn will “clobber” the poorest, as I reported in the WMN today.

St Ives Lib Dem MP Andrew George said he was “disappointed” with the VAT rise, due to come into effect in January.

“I can see how seductive it is because it does make a lot of money for the Treasury but I do think it is a regressive tax. It does, without question, hit the poorest more than it hits the wealthiest.

“On that basis it didn’t chime with the stated purpose that those who got us into the doo-doos should pay the cost of getting us out.

“Anything that is going to clobber those that didn’t put us into this mess is the wrong way to go about it.”

Alex Folkes, a Lib Dem on Cornwall Council, said the spectacle of the Lib Dems “going back on their word” on VAT was a “crying shame”

“Having taken a bit of time to digest the budget I can't get past the VAT hike and the message it sends out,” he wrote on his blog.

“Not only is VAT a hugely regressive form of taxation which is likely to hit the poorest hardest, but there is also the message it sends about our Government - both halves of it - that what they said before the election and what they are doing now don't match up.

“The Lib Dems campaigned on the basis of the Conservatives' 'VAT Bombshell' and I can't help thinking that today's decision is hugely regrettable.”

Karen Gillard, the defeated Lib Dem candidate in South East Cornwall, said:

“I understand why we had to get rid of Gordon Brown, but that does not mean we have to let the Conservative mantra and ideology get its way. I am very sad to see senior Lib Dems trying to justify penalising the poorest in society.”

Lib Dem Voice, a leading grassroots website, has been inundated with party members and supporters angered by the Budget, branding the VAT rise “a disgusting betrayal of values”.

One web user, toryboysnevergrowup, said:

“How different do you think the Budget would really have been if the Lib Dems had sold their souls?”

Another, Ian Ridley, said the “whacking great” VAT rise meant he was now “seriously considering” quitting the party. Terry Gilbert added that the move was “both inflationary and ethically disgraceful”.

Jonathan Underwood, who stood unsuccessfully for the Lib Dems in the Tiverton and Honiton seat, said it was clear before the election that VAT needed to rise.

“I wish all parties had been a bit more straightforward about the scale of the financial challenge facing the country.

“It is not exactly the Budget I would have wanted, but the Conservatives have got five times the number of seats.”

He added, though, that without the Lib Dems in government, a Tory Budget “would have been a lot worse”.

Minister confirms 'John' is a lady

2010-06-23T10:51:00.000+01:00

I reproduce the following from Westminster Hall without comment:

Joan Ruddock: Last week the Minister talked about skills, and praised the chief executive officer of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, John Llewellyn.

The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Charles Hendry): Jean Llewellyn.

Joan Ruddock: I am grateful for the Minister's advice. I shall call him Mr Llewellyn-I do not know him.

Charles Hendry: She is a lady.

Joan Ruddock: I accept entirely that I have made an error, but I obtained the information from a good source, so I blame that source and not myself. I accept that the chief executive officer is a woman.

MPs, the men in tights (and hacks) charged £500k more for Commons food and booze

2010-06-23T10:20:00.000+01:00

Now this austerity business is really starting to bite.

The House of Commons Commission has just slipped out a press release announcing major savings, cutting £12 million from its budget this year - five per cent more than planned.

It will include scaling back programmes and projects and freezing all but essential recruitment.

Select committee jollies will feel the pinch, with travel budgets cut by £800,000.

But the thing exercising hacks this morning is a price hike in the bars, raising £500,000.

It will bring canteen charges "into line with benchmark workplace venues" and bar bills "into line with a competitively priced high street pub chain".

It's enough to drive a hard-pressed hack to drink.

Wurzels say Osborne scrapped Scrumpy tax hike fearing revolt by their fans

2010-06-22T15:54:00.000+01:00

Tommy Banner, accordion player and zider drinker, is delighted to hear that George Osborne has abandoned Labour’s plan to increase duty on cider by 10 per cent above inflation.

He admitted the news came as a “surprise” not least because he had been playing in the garden with his grandchildren instead of watching the Brutal Budget.

He told me it was “magic news for the cider industry” while also being “good news” for pubs.

Asked why the coalition backed down, he added that the public outcry and Wurzel uproar which greeted Darling’s announcement in March was a warning:

“They were obviously frightened by the result they got last time. They didn’t want the government to be brought down. That’s the first step in the right direction for the working man by the Cameron government.”

Confirmed: Julia Goldsworthy becomes Treasury spin doctor

2010-06-22T14:37:00.000+01:00

At the usual huddle of lobby hacks after the Budget there was a familiar face lurking with a pile of papers - Julia Goldsworthy, ex-Lib Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne who lost her seat at the election.

Her political reincarnation comes as special advisor to Danny Alexander, as I blogged last week.

An interesting time to join the team, starting "unofficially" last week but only officially confirmed yesterday.

You read it here first, as they say.

Here we go - let the cutting begin

2010-06-22T11:48:00.000+01:00

So after an incredible general election which put the economy centre stage, a remarkable coalition deal and then the early appetiser £6.2 billion cuts, we now come to the meat.

George Osborne will set out exactly what he plans to do to tackle the £155 billion deficit in three quarters of an hour.

I am told Labour's vindictive plan to hike tax on cider will be dealt with, along with measures to reverse a tax raid on holiday homes which put billions in the Westcountry's tourism industry at risk.

The Sun is reporting that Capital Gains Tax will rise to 28 per cent, which sounds a bit like trying to be higher than 18 but lower than 40 - pleasing neither Lib Dems nor right wing Tories.

I stuck my neck out yesterday and said I wasn't sure VAT would rise. The FT makes a similar prediction this morning. We will see.

Anyway, we'll get the full details in 45 minutes.

For now, here is what Mr Osborne has had to say first thing to whet our appetites:

“My budget is tough but it will be fair. This is an unavoidable Budget because of the mess we have to clear up.

“So the Coalition Government will take responsibility for balancing Britain's books within five years.

“We're going to do it fairly, protecting children and pensioners, and ensuring the richest contribute the most.

“And it means getting enterprise going, because it's businesses, not government, that will create the jobs of the future.”

Culture Secretary becomes paperboy delivering WMN

2010-06-21T18:00:00.000+01:00

Jeremy Hunt had his first outing in the Commons as Culture Secretary this afternoon, teasing his opponent Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter, about their role reversal.

Hunt told Bradshaw his local newspapers were still be delivered to his old ministerial office, before throwing a copy of the Western Morning News across the Dispatch Box.

(On assumes he read the Westcountry’s favourite daily read first)

For his part Bradshaw had a decent comeback, saying Hunt’s tickets for the Royal Opera House for him and his wife were still being delivered to Bradshaw’s office.

Darling warns Osborne: 'I know where the bodies are buried'

2010-06-21T16:43:00.003+01:00

Alistair Darling gave a pre-Budget briefing this afternoon. A bit of a climb-down for the former Chancellor, and not hugely detailed.

In his defence, he noted how he no longer has the full Treasury machine to do his number crunching, just one (rather young looking) assistant by his side.

But he made clear that When George Osborne rises at 12.30pm tomorrow, the former Labour Chancellor knows the tricks of the Treasury.

“I am well aware of what is lying around in there,” he said pointedly.

Asked what sort of things the civil servants might be proposing, he added: “As you can imagine in the Treasury there are a whole host of ideas, some are fit for human consumption, some are not.”

Even so, he would be “astonished” if VAT did not rise to 20 per cent tomorrow.

I confess I am not so sure. Both Cameron and Osborne went further than they needed to in recent weeks to suggest it was not on the cards – almost with a wink - and within a whisker of ruling it out completely.

I wonder if the government has been happy for the VAT thread to continue in recent weeks, only to announce tomorrow that it won’t rise after all.

But then, I don’t know where the bodies are buried.

UPDATE: A lot of eyes will be on what happens to Capital Gains Tax. Westcountry Lib Dems are keen to see the election pledge rise implemented, targetting amongst others second home owners. But Tories are not happy. As Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox has just tweeted: "Hoping George will spare the prudent who have buried a bone for a rainy day. "

Tory MP's goalkeeper grandad

2010-06-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

As England manager Fabio Capello grappled last night with who to field as goalkeeper, one Westcountry MP has some sympathy.

Tory Sarah Newton's grandfather played in goal for England in the 1930s, with mixed results.

The newly-elected Truro Falmouth and Camborne MP revealed Ken Tewkesbury had a short-lived career between the sticks for the England national amateur side.

As Capello left until the last moment before deciding whether or not Robert Green deserved another chance after his fumble threw away England’s lead over the USA, it emerged Mr Tewkesbury’s debut on the world stage was no less unfortunate.

Winning his first of six caps against Ireland in 1930, England lost 3-1, though newspaper reports at the time absolved him of blame – which is more than can be said for Green last week.

Mr Tewkesbury also played professionally for Aston Villa, Birmingham, Notts County and Walsall before retiring from the game in 1939. He went on to join the RAF and was among the forces to liberate Belsen.

Ahead of last night’s crunch England game against Algeria, Mrs Newton said: “The pressure that you are under as a goalkeeper - I do think it’s the worst position on the team, all the pressure that you are under.

“I wish our England goalkeeper all the luck in the world.”

RDA rushes to bolt stable door after Vince Cable rode out of town

2010-06-18T17:02:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. The South West Regional Development Agency spin machine has gone into overdrive – though possibly a bit late.

As we report in the WMN, Business Secretary Vince Cable all but confirmed the RDA day’s are numbered, criticising them for blowing £50,000 on a staff jolly to Center Parcs and being too Bristol-focused.

Plans are already with Cable to create a Local Enterprise Partnership covering Cornwall, Devon and possibly parts of Somerset.

As one source told me: “The sands of time are running out for the RDA. Suddenly everyone has got the message they are likely to be history pretty quickly.”

After getting an earful from the RDA this morning for our coverage – apparently it didn’t give enough credit for what they had done in Cornwall, though they don’t dispute their days are numbered – a remarkable piece of spin pinged into my inbox.

From an email address called “newsflash” it announces:

RDAs: “One of the most efficient of all Government departments and agencies…” and “Focused on getting the economy moving again”

Government analysis shows that England’s RDAs are among the most efficient of all departments and agencies, and also confirms economic benefits arising from RDA work.

And so it goes on for 1,400 words.

This analysis has been around for sometime, and still the coalition is committed to getting rid of them.

I was told that the argument in today’s paper needed more balance, though it seems the argument is probably over.

Though the RDA isn’t going down without a fight, it does all seem like locking the stable door long after the horse has bolted.

Lib Dem named “one to watch” by body chaired by his predecessor

2010-06-18T16:26:00.000+01:00

Ping! An email arrives from Steve Gilbert, the uber-busy new MP for St Austell and Newquay.

He is “honoured” apparently to have been named “the ‘one to watch’ from the Lib Dem benches on the important local issue of housing by the influential National Housing Federation.”

He goes on:

“I see it as a reflection on the added challenges a community like ours faces when it comes to planning future developments and ensuring local provision in the housing stock.

“Most of the people I grew up with cannot afford to get onto the property ladder in Cornwall. It’s a sad reality that sees far too many local people move away to live and work.”

All true enough, but no space to mention the small – though no doubt unrelated - detail that the National Housing Federation is chaired by Matthew Taylor, former Lib Dem MP and Mr Gilbert’s predecessor in St Austell.

Calling all loonies! Want to open a school? Tell Michael Gove why, in no more than 200 words

2010-06-18T14:02:00.001+01:00

A strange briefing this morning where Education Secretary Michael Gove explained is plan for Swedish-style "free schools" springing up across the country.

I have to admit there is a slight suspicion that it is a chance for pushy parents and frustrated teachers to indulge in an ego-trip in setting up their own school. Lots of talk this morning about allowing an “invocative ethos” to permeate.

As the invitation was thrown open to anyone wanting to set up a school, we were given the application form, which included the above section, asking someone why they want to open and run a school – a school! – in no more than 200 words.

You have to give more information to run the London Marathon.

Mr Gove stressed though that extremists need not apply. Phew.

Is ex-MP Julia Goldsworthy about to become a spin doctor?

2010-06-17T18:17:00.002+01:00

She complained a week or two ago in an interview with the WMN that there were too few women in the new politics.

But Lib Dem Julia Goldsworthy - who lost the Camborne and Redruth seat by 66 votes - could be about to change that... sort of.

Rumours persist in Westminster that she is about to be appointed a special advisor, possibly to new Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

The pair know each other well as part of the youthful Lib Dem intake of 2005. They once did a joint "Big Breakfast meets PowerPoint" presentation at the Lib Dem conference, perched on bar stools if memory serves.

Julia also shadowed the treasury job at the same time as appearing on The Games in Channel 4. Could a similar move help Mr Alexander's profile? Anyone got a number for Davina McCall?

A Treasury spokesman could neither confirm nor deny the story but noted Mr Alexander already had one
Spad. His Labour predecessor Liam Byrne had two. David Laws only had one, but might not have had time to appoint a second...

Julia isn't returning calls. We await confirmation.

Regional quango staff offered a permanent away day

2010-06-17T11:58:00.000+01:00

The government has moved to “choke off” millions of pounds in funding for the regional assembly which Labour falsely claimed to have scrapped.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles vowed to pull the plug on Whitehall support for the unelected, near-anonymous “talking shop” which had been simply re-branded as the South West Strategic Leaders’ Board.

When the WMN tried to contact the Strategic Leaders’ Board at its Taunton HQ yesterday, we were told no-one could comment because they were “all on an away day”.

A government source said: “Pretty soon they will be on one long extended holiday.”

Within days of becoming Prime Minister in 2007, Gordon Brown made great play of a pledge to scrap the South West Regional Assembly. MPs in the region celebrated, saying: “good riddance and good bye” to the assembly.

But in March this year a junior Labour minister admitted: “No regional assemblies have been abolished.”

Instead, it had been replaced by the vague-sounding South West Strategic Leaders’ Board, last year receiving more than £2 million in funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government. It meant saving just £230,016 on the assembly’s budget.The Leaders’ Board is the “executive arm” of a body called South West Councils,

Members include Torbay mayor Nick Bye, Plymouth city council leader Vivien Pengelly and Julia Day from the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Alec Robertson, Ken Maddock and John Hart, leaders of the Cornwall, Somerset and Devon county councils respectively, also sit on the board.

Councils will now be free to “organise themselves and work together as they choose”, also paving the way for the demolition of the South West Regional Development Agency.

Who is missing ex-Labour MP Linda Gilroy?

2010-06-17T11:42:00.003+01:00

Something weird is going on, a colleague told me. Whenever you go on the excellent TheyWorkForYou.com – the searchable version of Hansard – it lists the most popular searches.

And all this week, and indeed for several months, the top search has regularly been the same: Linda Gilroy

Except Labour’s Linda lost her Plymouth Sutton and Devonport seat in the general election to Tory Oliver Colvile

Is someone struggling to cope with this loss? Or is a keen web user using their spare time to look back on some of her best bits?

The £1.3 million project which gave NHS-branded bibs to babies

2010-06-15T14:06:00.000+01:00

Clearing out a drawer in the kitchen last night I came across this piece of taxpayer-funded nonsense which we were given when our daughter was born in October.

When the government kept telling us how important it was to protect health budgets, I didn’t realise it meant producing NHS-branded bibs which would struggle to act as a duster.

Why anyone would want to feed their baby in state-sponsored propaganda is beyond me, and without a plastic backing is almost completely useless at stopping clothes underneath getting wet. (Trust me).

And what do you find when you go to babylifecheck.co.uk?

A brightly-coloured survey asking probing questions about how your child is developing, like:

Of course not everyone takes to parenting easily, and needs extra help.

But a few more visits from a midwife or health visitor would be better than handing out branded freebies that no-one will use to promote a website which borders on patronising.

Incidentally, in 2009-10 NHS BabyLife check cost around £1.3 million.

Lib Dems won’t give up the trappings of opposition

2010-06-14T16:16:00.000+01:00

It might be five and half weeks since the election, but some of our duly elected representatives are still without an office in the Commons.
One Westcountry MP tells me that some “Liberal Democrat colleagues are being difficult about their moving arrangements”.

In English, this apparently means some veterans “have rather nice offices and don’t want to leave them”. They have been given less salubrious billets by the whips.

As a result, some of the new intake are still squatting in the offices of rather more helpful colleagues.

So much for the new politics.

Why did Labour splash the cash on designer sofas and executive bins?

2010-06-11T11:04:00.001+01:00

OK, the obvious answer is they thought the money would just keep on flowing. They believed the Gordon Brown’s hype about abolishing boom and bust.

But the enthusiasm of Labour ministers for announcing wads of spondoolicks ran right through the public sector, where the pennies just kept on flowing.

Earlier this week, I reported on how civil servants ignored the onset of recession and blew thousands of pounds on up-market “executive” waste bins because they looked nicer for visitors.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spent an extra £32,000 on the "aesthetically pleasing" bins, instead of opting for a budget option which was “slightly larger”.

Officials even examined the bins at large private firms including Deutsche Bank and Virgin Media.

EXECUTIVE BIN

UGLY BIN

They then settled on the range of “executive bins” for separating paper, recyclables and waste for landfill - costing £148 each instead of just £57 for the standard wheelie bin – because they looked nicer for visitors.

An internal report said: "The Executive bins are specifically built for an office environment and are aesthetically pleasing, but cost £32,273 more than the slightly larger and more cumbersome adapted wheelie bin version, which offers a budget option for delivery of this project.

"Choosing the Executive bin option would maintain the professional office environment that Defra look to maintain throughout their estate, especially in their HQ buildings to which many important visitors come."

Now it has emerged* that the Department for Communities and Local Government, the home of pointless announcements and wacky spending under Labour, spent more than £134,000 on luxury sofas intended to create a “peaceful oasis” in the workplace.

In total 28 of the shocking-red “Alcove Highback” sofas – costing £4,120 each - by Parisian designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, were ordered for the department’s central London headquarters at a total cost of £134,503.

They were part of a an efficiency initiative called “SpaceFlex” to make the department “more practical” and save money.

According to the marketing bumpf: “Sitting within the Alcove Highback, you cannot be seen or heard from the outside, and find yourself in a secluded space.”

And at DCLG, nobody can here you pouring money down the drain.

[* The sofa story is running on PA but I think it came from today’s Sun]

Councils told to cut millions by press release

2010-06-10T18:20:00.001+01:00

Eric Pickles today spelt out the details of the budget cuts faced by every council in the country.

It is part of £1.1 billion needed from town halls for the Osborne/Laws £6.2 billion early cuts.

While the main block grant was untouched, the extra "bits and pieces funding" so loved by Labour is getting the chop.

On average it means a 0.7% cut in revenue - not massive though one council leader told me that the services currenty funded by the £3 million or so they had to cut would be first for the chop.

Mr Pickles made the announcement in a written ministerial statement at 10.30am this morning, just as he began his debut at the despatch box.

I began phoning the big councils in my patch, and with each call the bemusement of the press officers grew.

They had no idea it was coming and were completley in the dark.

One press office boss told me the first details of their budget cuts came in the press release I sent them. The Department for Communities and Local Government missive to their chief exec arrived almost an hour later.

"We might have had a change of government, but the machinary is as incompetent as ever."

Another press officer had apparently never even heard of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

They pay your wages, dear. At least for now.

Sisterly row as Goldsworthy says Harman only acting leader after “kicking around” Labour party for years

2010-06-07T12:27:00.000+01:00

Former Liberal Democrat MP Julia Goldsworthy has stepped into the debate on the dearth of women in coalition top jobs.

She was the subject/victim of the Saturday Interview in the Western Morning News (right), and warned it is “unacceptable” that her party now has fewer women MPs than before the election.

The new coalition government attracted criticism for only having three women in the Cabinet – all of them Conservative.

But in an apparent swipe at those who were over-looked, Julia said: “I think it’s a problem for all parties and I don’t think that with the options that they had before them I don’t think David Cameron and Nick Clegg could have done anything different really than what they have got.”

I think that’s called making the best of a bad job.

She also had some very un-sisterly comments to make about acting Labour leader Harriet Harman.

“If you look at the way the Labour party works, Harriet Harman is basically somebody who has been kicking around the Labour party and those organisations for a really long time and there probably aren’t that many women who have had that kind of experience.”

She blamed the “career break” that women have when having children for damaging the personal and professional relationships which help to get ahead in politics.

The 31-year-old, who lost the Camborne and Redruth seat by just 66 votes, said women MPs in fall into two categories – those “at the pre-child bearing phase… and then another lump at the other end whose children are a bit older and there’s not really anything in the middle”.

“I have changed my mind on all women shortlists because I think there’s a real danger that we will go backwards if we don’t do something. I wasn’t selected on an all-woman shortlist and for me that was really important because I wanted to be the best candidate.

“But the Lib Dems now have fewer women MPs than they did in 2005 and that’s not acceptable nothing should be rule out.”

The Lib Dems fielded women in three of the six seats in Cornwall at the election – and all were defeated by Tories.

The comments have provoked a bit of a spat with Julia’s Labour opponent in the election, Jude Robinson. (right)

She said on Twitter:

If you are as disgusted as I am at @jgoldsworthy 's bitchiness to Harriet Harman, here http://bit.ly/d9UjNn please register and comment.

Then later:

If @jgoldsworthy really concerned about women in politics, why so bitchy about @harrietharman? http://bit.ly/d9UjNn

Julia responded:

I have plenty of time for Harman - but far more men than women work their way through the pol/party machines - she's unusual

Provoking Jude:

Then an acknowledgment would have been appropriate, not dismissive comment

Labour leadership rivals clash over "swinging rope"-gate

2010-06-03T17:26:00.001+01:00

First it was Iraq. Then the language of New Labour.

Now contenders for Leader of the Opposition have disagreed over the merits of joint use of playground equipment in the name of a publicty stunt.

Andy Burnham, one-time health secretary, used a speech in the Commons to distance himself from the blunder when in government with Schools Secretary Ed Balls.

Burnham said in the Commons: "I rarely missed an opportunity to promote joint working between our two departments, although we can probably both admit now that jumping on a rope swing was, in retrospect, a promotional step too far."

At which point Balls, practising the new politics of positivity, said: "I enjoyed it."

But Mr Burnham abandoned the cost consensus to insist: "I beg to differ."

This contest is getting ugly.

PMQs - Sober and serious but can it last?

2010-06-02T17:52:00.000+01:00

Better late than never, David Cameron today delivered on one of his 2005 promise to end “Punch and Judy” politics.

True, he spent the best part of five years beating Labour’s two Prime Ministers over the head with a stick. Again. And again.

But shortly after 3pm, a more sombre, serious and altogether more sensible mood prevailed in the Commons for the first Prime Minister’s Questions since the election. None of the usual farmyard braying from the Class of 2010.

It was difficult to imagine anything else, after Mr Cameron’s first act was to pay tribute to troops killed in Afghanistan and then relaying to MPs details of the shootings in Cumbria.

At the time of speaking, at least five people had been killed by a gunman, Mr Cameron said calmly. A number of MPs were visibly shaken. “God,” exclaimed one Labour frontbencher, biting her lip. The death toll has since risen to at least a dozen.

Harriet Harman, holding the fort while various Milibands and Eds battle it out to be leader, began with the equally sobering subjects of Israel and rape convictions.

But she came unstuck when criticising Tory plans to recognise marriage in the tax system. Mr Cameron noted that if Christmas parties and parking a bicycle at work were given special treatment by HMRC, why not those who get hitched?

Labour had made an “enormous recognition of marriage” through changes to inheritance tax, transferring allowances from husband to wife.

If it’s OK for the rich, why not the poor, he asked to Tory cheers. A solid hit, sending Ms Harman’s final ball to the boundaries.

Liberal Democrat deputy PM Nick Clegg nodded slightly, reduced from spare part to playing no part at all in this weekly ritual.

The overall tone was more grown-up. What was being said seemed to matter. “I am going to give accurate answers rather than making them up on the spot.” Hmm, we’ll see.

For the new MPs it will have been an anti-climax. Tiverton and Honiton Tory new boy Neil Parish stood on his tippy toes to peer over taller colleagues, from behind the Speaker’s chair. At the opposite end Sheryll Murray (Con, South East Cornwall) had heavy eyelids.

Not the bear pit they had seen on the TV. Give it time though, give it time.

Worth remembering it is Clegg who would do the firing

2010-05-29T11:54:00.001+01:00

Amazing story from the Telegraph today on David Laws paying £40,000 to his partner, with much of the furore focussing on the fact he has been “outed” as gay.

Certainly the “revelation” of Mr Laws’ sexuality is not much of a revelation to his Yeovil constituents, many of whom thought they’d “known” about it for years.

The question will be which way the argument falls on privacy vs expenses. Paul Waugh suggested this morning that, rather like the Ecclestone F1 affair early in New Labour’s honeymoon, Cameron and Clegg should be able to ride this one out.

But it is worth remembering that during the early days of the coalition, it was stressed that the hiring and firing of Lib Dem ministers was the job of the DPM aka Nick Clegg. Will the Orange Bookers rally round?

Here is what some Westcountry politicians (past and present) have been saying this morning:

Julia Goldsworthy on Twitter:

“Judge politicians on how good they are, and allow them personal privacy. David Laws has intellect and integrity - this country needs him.”

Foreign office minister and Taunton MP Jeremy Browne on the Today programme:

"I've known David for about 15 years and can tell you categorically that this is a human story, it is not a financial story. He is a deeply private man and he has a personal wish not to have his life put up in lights.

"This is not about David being motivated by money. He gave up a very lucrative job to go into politics. He could have earned a lot more money that this.

"What it is about is him wanted to be a private person and I think he should be able to be that."

He referred to the row as "a massive distraction, motivated possibly by politics, to try and tear David down."

Hat tip Politics Home

Lord Ashdown said:

"The central question is, what does a partnership actually mean...I don't believe you should be making a judgement about that.

"David has referred this to the parliamentary commissioner as he, as a man of integrity, would, and we must now wait for his judgement.

"His moral authority has only been damaged if what he has done is an act of wrongdoing. You and I do not know whether that is the case at the moment."

Hat tip Politics Home

Kevin Davis, the Tory candidate in Yeovil, said:

“I actually think Mr Laws was doing a good job as Chief Secretary but I fear that he can only come to the conclusion that he must step down. I say this reluctantly because the coalition needs good people to work for it but the fact is that he has now undermined that coalition by raising again the problem of sleaze and expenses, just when we thought that matters had been cleared up and we could move on.”

Minister says £6 billion cuts are "peanuts" compared to what's coming

2010-05-29T10:24:00.002+01:00

The £6 billion of cuts announced this week is “peanuts” compared to the budget bloodbath expected in the autumn, farming minister Jim Paice warns today.

In the Saturday Interview, Mr Paice admits he has no “wadge of money” to spend on new projects as the belt-tightening begins.

On Monday, Chancellor George Osborne announced cuts to all government departments. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was told to find £162 million, the equivalent of 5.3 per cent of its total budget.

Mr Paice told the Western Morning News it was “very tough” to find the savings, but hopes that this first round of cuts can fall on “backroom” costs while protecting frontline services.

But the comprehensive spending review, planned for the autumn, is likely to involved far greater reductions as the Treasury moves to tackle the £150 billion deficit.

Mr Paice said: “This £6 billion is peanuts compared to what we are going to have to do over the next three years as we move into the comprehensive spending review. That’s where all departments, not just Defra, are going to start saying there are some things which we currently do which we will have to stop doing.”

Quangos like Natural England and the Environment Agency will be told to stop some of their work altogether, while Defra itself prepares to abandon some of its output.

“You’ve going to have to take out whole heads of expenditure.”

Mr Paice insists farming is his priority, as he sets out a “clear direction” for officials at the department which was heavily criticised by the Tories in opposition.

Key issues high on his agenda include planning for a cull of badgers, clamping down on unclear food labelling, cutting red tape and demanding Whitehall buys British food.

Lib Dem MP said he wouldn't become a Lord. Guess what?

2010-05-28T18:47:00.000+01:00

January 17 2007

Matthew Taylor announes he is quitting as an MP and tells the WMN he had no immediate job plans after he leaves the green benches behind him – but ruled out a move to the House of Lords.

“I would assure people that whether they like it or not they won’t have heard the last of me.”

May 28 2010

Matthew Taylor becomes Lord Taylor.

To be fair, he has a great explanation for this u-turn.

"I only intend to have some continuing national voice in Parliament on these issues for a short while longer. When I announced in 2007 that I would not be seeking re-election as an MP, I fully expected that by the General Election the then Labour Government would have honoured its pledge to have an elected House of Lords. Therefore I expected no new peerages would be made. I have accepted this unexpected honour with the specific intention of abolishing myself by voting through the new Coalition Government's pledge to democratise the Lords."

Congratulations to Matthew, and to two other former Westcountry MPs and ex-ministers, Tory Angela Browning and Labour's Jim Knight, who also become peers.

Lib Dem MP says public "appalled" at coalition policy on badger cull

2010-05-27T17:25:00.000+01:00

A Westcountry Lib Dem MP has become the first in the region to publicly criticise government policy.

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders condemned the coalition's plans for a cull of badgers in the region to deal with the spread of TB, saying people would be "appalled" at the idea.

Such a move would be a “massive waste of public money”, Mr Sanders claimed.

And he pinned his hopes on a government u-turn after reports new Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman was blocking the policy – a claim denied by the minister.

A targeted cull of diseased badgers in the areas where bovine TB is at its worst was both Conservative and Liberal Democrat policy before the election.

Last year, 40,000 cattle were destroyed nationally as a result of the disease, with almost half in the South West region.

The coalition agreement, published last week, pledged: “As part of a package of measures, we will introduce a carefully managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine tuberculosis.”

On the same day a national newspaper claimed the policy was being “blocked” by Ms Spelman while she “reviews the scientific evidence”.

But at a press conference Ms Spelman insisted there was no change in stance, and warned “time has been lost in dealing with this issue” while Labour refused to sanction a cull.

The Western Morning News understands that officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have already begun drawing up plans for a cull in England, after the Welsh Assembly begins its own programme.

But Mr Sanders, Lib Dem deputy chief whip, said: “So many Torbay constituents are appalled by the idea of a badger cull; there is not enough scientific evidence that it would make any difference and any cull would simply be a massive waste of public money.”

“Culling badgers simply is not the right way forward.”

Tories oppose naming Plymouth street after Michael Foot as "overtly political"

2010-05-27T11:37:00.000+01:00

A growing row over whether a road in Plymouth should be named after Michael Foot was flagged up to me by a couple of people on Twitter yesterday.

There seems to have been some debate about whether or not the former Labour leader could be classed as "local" to the city he served as MP, and was of course one of the most famous Argyle fans.

This is from today's Western Morning News:

A row has broken out over whether a Plymouth street should be named after former Labour party leader and city MP Michael Foot.

Mr Foot, who died aged 96 in March, was MP for Devonport from 1945 to 1955 and fought for cash to rebuild the city which was blitzed during the Second World War.

Labour councillor Nicky Wildy said she wanted part of a new development in Devonport to be named after Mr Foot.

But Conservative cabinet member Ian Bowyer said it was “overtly political”.

Ms Wildy said: “To describe our suggestion as political is an insult. I don’t think it is about politics at all. It is about Michael Foot.

“He is better known locally for supporting Plymouth Argyle than as an MP. I don’t see why we can’t name a street after him.”

Mr Bowyer said he had nothing personal against Mr Foot.

He said: “In the current climate, with unease about politicians, I believe it is not the right time. However illustrious the name, it is overtly political. It could have been Winston Churchill as far as I was concerned.”

No plans for the development proposed for the Mount Wise area have yet been submitted to the city council.

Liam Fox praises maiden speech of MP who has been here for five years

2010-05-27T10:57:00.000+01:00

Oh dear. New defence secretary Liam Fox is obviously a very busy man but last night he got in a bit of a muddle about which MPs were new and which weren’t.

Winding up the defence and foreign affairs debate on the Queens Speech, he praised Plymouth Moor View Labour MP Alison Seabeck for her “incredibly informed maiden speech, albeit a highly political one”.

Except Ms Seabeck was elected in May 2005. And in the last five years has probably spoken on defence more than any other issue in the Commons, often with Mr Fox sitting across the chamber from her.

“It was not my maiden speech,” she insisted, clearly a bit put out.

He apologised: “In any case, she made an incredibly informed speech that I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Got out of that one… just.

In her not-maiden speech, Ms Seabeck boasted how she and ex-Labour MP Linda Gilroy (defeated in this year’s election) had “lobbied very hard” to raise awareness of Plymouth’s defence industry in government.

She might also start lobbying to raise awareness of Plymouth’s MPs too.

Anti-war banner on the side of Parliament - photo

2010-05-26T09:23:00.002+01:00

This is an admittedly not very good photo of the banner the peace protestors have unfurled on scaffolding on the side of Speaker's House.

In case you can't read it, it says:

"We respect the soliders. We do not support the war"

In the best British tradition regarding post-horse bolting stable door management, the place is now swarming with police, who are doing a lot of pointing at the banner and scratching heads.

I suspect heads will being banged together by Commons authorities before the end of the day.

Spot the difference: Pensions/Earnings links delayed?

2010-05-25T12:16:00.002+01:00

Thursday May 20 – Coalition Agreement launch

We will restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011.

Tuesday May 25 – Queen’s Speech

The main benefits of the Bill would be to help ensure the future affordability of the State Pension, including the restoration of the link between earnings and the basic State Pension from 2012.

12.15pm: No-one at the Department for Work and Pensions is available to explain this at the moment. They are all in a meeting, apparently.

12.20pm UPDATE: DWP are now saying that the 2012 figure is wrong, and shouldn't have been in the Queen's Speech notes. Asked if it would actually happen in 2011, a spokesman said "that is what it says in the coalition agreement".
Not a great typo to have made though.

£780m Labour housing pledges was not "fully and securely funded"

2010-05-25T12:08:00.000+01:00

Labour ministers promised thousands of new homes would be built despite hundreds of millions of pounds in funding not being secured.

The Department for Communities and Local Government took the highly unusual step of releasing details of the scale of Labour’s largesse in the months before the general election.

A trawl of records showed “the previous Government made commitments that were not fully and securely funded”.

It included an eye-watering £780 million towards housing priorities as part of Gordon Brown’s flagship Housing Pledge.

It is understood that the money – half of a £1.5 billion fund - depended on the Home Office and the health, education and transport departments “underspending” on their annual budgets. This money will now be used to tackle the deficit.

A spokesman for Communities and Local Government said the state of the public finances is “severe”.

David Laws, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said the government was instead allocating an £170 million to “fund investment in social rented housing in 2010-11, to help deliver 4,000 social housing starts”.

The Homes and Communities Agency is also cutting £50 million from housing market renewal schemes and £30 million from the gypsy and traveller programme.

No new or further commitments will be entered into.

However Labour’s John Healey, the housing minister until the election, claimed the government’s failure to defend the housing budget would lead to cuts in jobs and homes.

"This is bad for the economy, bad for families' and bad for a housebuilding sector that has been kept going through recession by public investment.

"In failing to defend housing, the new ministers at CLG have shown little fight. On the back of David Cameron's downgrading of Housing Minister to a non-Cabinet post, they've made the Treasury's task of public investment cuts much easier.”

Queen's Speech Day - all bling and bluster

2010-05-25T08:46:00.003+01:00

This is the fifth Queen's Speech I have covered for the WMN.

Every year I get a ticket to watch HM dryly reading out the list of Bills from the limited press gallery in the House of Lords.

Every year there is a lot of hanging about, much tittering at over-the-top frocks, cheap looking tiaras and Lords, ladies and high commissioners trying to wedge themselves into their tiny allocated seat.

Every year I make lots of notes for a sketch.

And every year almost none of it gets into the paper, because the contents of the Bills and the exchanges in the Commons are more newsworthy by the end of the day.

I had already begun the fear the same this year. Until the Sunday papers got their mits on apparently the whole Queens Speech.

Which means for the first time exactly what Lady Fotherington-Forsyth-Smythe is wearing risks being the big unknown political shock.

Although there is the small matter of Harriet Harman's first proper outing against David Cameron in the Commons.

Can she really complain about leaks to the press with a straight face?

Where's the meat then, George?

2010-05-24T12:30:00.002+01:00

George Osborne made great play at his outdoor press conference this morning about how he was being much more open about the efficiencies than Labour ever were.

No more hiding behind vagaries of “efficiency savings”.

The message does not seem to have got through to all government departments though.

The Department for Communities and Local Government will be saving £362m in cuts in grants to local government.

Asked which grants, I was told: “You might have to wait until the Budget.”

That would take us to the end of June – almost three full months into this financial year. Until then presumably, councils must twiddle their thumbs and wait to be told if the money John Denham, John Healey et al promised just a few weeks ago will ever turn up.

Over at Defra, £162 million in cuts are planned, including vagaries like “limiting recruitment and reducing the number of non-permanent staff; operational savings in IT, estates and procurement; and savings within the delivery of selected programmes”.

Again details hard to come by.

The Department for Transport promises to make savings on “the deferral of £54m that would have been spent on lower priority schemes”.

The Department for Business pledges “£82 million from efficiencies in Universities”.

Fingers crossed that by the end of the day there is a bit more meat on these bones.

At present, it looks like a vegetarian’s feast.

Here come the cuts - Lib Dems about to find out the downside of being in power

2010-05-24T09:00:00.001+01:00

It may all be smiles this morning as George Osborne and new Lib Dem best friend David Laws set out £6 billion in cuts, a small but useful first step towards cutting the £156 billion deficit.
Hilariously Labour are grumbling that this is being made to the media first, not Parliament. Almost beyond parody.
Though someone should have a word with the Lib Dem ministers who professed to being disgusted by the 'accidental' leaking of the entire Queen's Speech to two Sunday papers.
As the coalition negotiations showed, if you don't want things to leak, they don't.
Frankly Lib Dem MPs might be better trying to placate their grassroots, who are up in arms not about HOW the cuts are being announced, but that their nice little party is being implicated in the bloodbath.

Live from Whitehall, The Coalition. Forget Prog-Rock, this is prog(ressive) politics.

2010-05-21T12:01:00.000+01:00

Lead singer David Cameron sat the first 20 minutes out, leaving his incongruous backing band to thrash out their solos on the platform.

First up, deputy lead singer Nick Clegg rattled through some familiar riffs – freedom, fairness, responsibility. He must get used to playing these big stages.

Next, Home Secretary Theresa May brought a bit of glamour, promising bobbies on the beat, cutting paperwork and more freedom.

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, was having technical trouble. When he was due to take centre stage, a roadie was adjusting his microphone. Ms May offered to fill time by dancing, though it is Mr Cable who is more usually found twirling ladies around ballrooms.

In the awkward delay, Mr Cable joked: “We're making it up as we go along.”

Unfortunately this had the ring of truth to it. Flicking through the coalition agreement, where policy clashes have occurred the wording of the final statements are a fine blend of compromise, vagaries and fudge.

The vote on hunting has become a vote on whether there should be a vote on hunting. Lib Dem Chris Huhne’s energy department will draft the government’s pro-nuclear policy and he will then campaign against it.

And a pledge to freeze council tax for two years has become a one year commitment, while they will “seek to freeze it for a further year, in partnership with local authorities”.

Cutting the deficit takes precedence over everything, we were told again and again. Except, it seems, when there is a publicity budget to spend.

Towering over yesterday’s coalition press conference, at least ten feet tall, were two floor-to-ceiling billboards almost entirely blank but bearing the logo of this new politics.

Inevitably, it also had the mark of a design guru – a colon. It read: “The Coalition: our programme for government.”

The Coalition was written in green. Blue (Tory) and yellow (Lib Dem) of course make green. Keep up at the back!

Mr Cameron insisted it would be “churlish” to look for the holes in the agreement, when hacks should be focussing on all the things they could agree on.

The mood music may be positive now, but as the axe falls on pet projects and divisions emerge on key policies, Tory and Lib Dem backbenchers may be less willing to dance to The Coalition’s tune.

Does this mean the vote to repeal the Hunting Act is on?

2010-05-18T17:09:00.001+01:00

Defra today released the full list of ministerial responsibilities for its new (wholly-Conservative) team.
Top man Jim Paice, as widely expected and welcomed in the industry, has become Minister of State for Agriculture and Food.

His responsibilities include:

• Farming
• Food
• Animal health (including endemic and exotic diseases)
• Responsibility and cost-sharing
• Welfare of farm animals
• Single Payments Scheme
• RDPE
• Forestry (including Forestry Commission)
• Agriculture and forestry carbon budgets
• Hunting and shooting
• Agricultural Wages
• Gangmasters Licensing
• Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS)
• Better regulation
• Deputising for the Secretary of State at EU Agriculture Council

Now, the appearance of 'Hunting and shooting' seems significant. A quick trawl through the archive shows none of Labour’s last Defra team was responsible for either of these things.
Shooting is obviously a major industry, and a popular country pursuit, so it is good news that a minister is now overseeing it.
But what about hunting? It has proved impossible to get any information out of the new coalition government about the likelihood of the Tory promise of a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act 2004.
But surely you wouldn’t have a minister responsible for something which remains illegal, would you? It is certainly back on the radar.
I understand new Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman will be setting out her priorities later this week. I suspect this subject will be raised.

Looking down on a sea of Lib Con heads - but where's the Labour Wally?

2010-05-18T16:36:00.000+01:00

The WMN perch in the press gallery gives me a fine view of the opposition benches. Almost directly above where the Prime Minister sits, for the last three and a half years I have been able to survey the dozen or so Westcountry MPs on the Tory and Lib Dem side.

Now, I have a problem. In the whole of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset there are just two Labour MPs.

Ben Bradshaw is shadow culture secretary – for the time being at least – leaving Alison Seabeck as the sole backbencher. I shall resist the temptation to suggest this presents me with a political game of Where’s Wally.

Alison’s attempt to stand out during the election of the new Speaker – by wearing an ultra-loyal Labour Red jacked and matching specs – was limited in its impact with the bulk of her female colleagues doing the same.

As it was she was on a green bench near the front and gave me a wave. I suspect in the coming weeks she will be vital voice of opposition in the region.

On the Lib-Con side it was positively bulging, though I laregly only had a view of the top of their heads.

Newly-appointed ministers and very green MPs jostled behind the Speaker’s Chair. Conservative Sarah Wollaston, the GP-turned-MP for Totnes, stood at the door behind the Speaker clutching what appeared to be some forms from IPSA, the expenses watchdog. Very sensible.

East Devon Tory MP Hugo Swire, newly-installed as Northern Ireland Minister, was in the thick of it too.

Amid the mêlée, one impertinent Tory was trying to barge them all out of the way.

“Can I just squeeze through?” inquired… oh… it’s our new Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Punctuality man! At least he was there, though. Gordon Brown, having attracted respect for staying on as an MP, let himself down by not showing up for this parliamentary formality. Indeed, in all the gushing of congratulations to the elections winners and losers, he was completely forgotten.

On the Lib-Con frontbench, the behind-the-scenes struggle for government jobs became all too physical.

It began as the senior ministers returned from a brief but constitutional visit to the Lords.

Business Secretary Vince Cable parked himself on the bench first, tactfully leaving a large space either side, resisting the temptation to cuddle up to his new Tory friends.

Next came Theresa May, new Home Secretary but not a natural bedfellow of Mr Cable.

Things were looking tight when Justice Secretary Ken Clarke spot an inch of green leather between Cable and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, plonking himself down with a real “oomph”, sparking cheers from the press gallery as if a champion wrestler had just sat on a floored opponent.

Just when it was all looking a bit like sardines in a tin, new Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman came along and somehow found a slither seat to perch on. Though it may actually have been Mr Hammond’s knee.

This is the cosy consensus in action.

Sir Peter Tapsell becomes Father of the House, having first been elected an MP in 1959. He had previously served as an aide to Eden, and frankly knows the place inside out.

Presiding over the re-election of John Bercow as Speaker, he had to endure some truly dreadful jokes at his expense, which he did with good grace.

In the end, Bercow was elected without a fuss. Attempts by Tory troublemakers including Nadine Dorries to force a vote were scuppered by Sir Peter.

We were told to be back for 3.10pm tomorrow. Obviously someone has a big lunch planned.

Ashdown asked for Miliband to rescue Lib-Lab pact

2010-05-15T21:12:00.004+01:00

I spoke to Paddy Ashdown yesterday for our first Saturday Interview after the election.
As always he was on great form, quoting the politician's prayer - Lord make my words sweet and reasonable for I may have to eat them - he knows he has said one or two things about the Tories.
But he revealed a lot about his personal role in trying to rescue a deal with Labour, including making an indirect plea to one D Miliband.
Here is an extract:

It is clear Lord Ashdown would have preferred to have seen the Lib Dems enter government with the Labour party – something he came tantalisingly close to doing with Tony Blair in 1997, a deal scuppered by senior Labour ministers.

For three decades the Lib Dems have aimed to be a party of government in their own right by trying to “create a realignment of the left around broadly moderate and liberal values”.

That was the vision of former leaders including former one-time North Devon MP Jeremy Thorpe, David Steel and Jo Grimond.

He insists it was “very important” that the Lib Dem negotiators pursued talks with Labour, even in “pretty fragile circumstances”.

“My job in this process was to keep the Labour option alive because if we hadn’t we would have had no bargaining power with the Tories. So of course many of us, the whole party, would have preferred to do that.”

He insists Mr Clegg simply “kept his promise” that whichever party had the most votes and seats had the right to try to form the government first.

“Did I think it would end up precisely as it ended? No. Did I think there would be a serious attempt to do this? Yes I did.”

Two factors caused the Labour talks to fail. “The first was the old Neanderthals, the old knuckle draggers, stopping it happening for tribal reasons.”

In particular he blames former Deputy PM John Prescott, outgoing justice secretary Jack Straw, and former home secretaries David Blunkett and John Reid. “These were the old tribalists who stopped things happening in ‘97.”

He admits that Mr Brown was also a key roadblock to doing a deal in 1997. The outgoing Labour leader has “many, many personal gifts – one of them is not the personal gift required to run the country”.

But he is also critical of the would-be future Labour leaders who failed to see the potential of doing a deal with the Lib Dems this week.

“I think there was a failure of action by those who could have staked out very clearly this is where they wanted to go.

“By this I mean David Miliband. There was a point, and I will say to you that, not directly but indirectly, I know that this point was made to him: that he ought to come out clearly and say if he was leader of the Labour party he would back this.

“But I fear greatly that he decided that for reasons of a leadership election, he wouldn’t. I think that’s true of others too.”

UPDATE: The Independent on Sunday has picked up the story today. However Jane Merrick reports that:

The accusation that Mr Miliband, the frontrunner in the race to succeed Gordon Brown, could have denied the Conservatives power was rejected by sources close to the former foreign secretary last night.

Three more ministers for the Westcountry

2010-05-13T20:07:00.001+01:00

David Cameron and Nick Clegg tonight appointed three Westcountry MPs to senior government jobs as their Liberal Conservative coalition took shape.

The move, on top of Yeovil MP David Laws' Cabinet job, gives the region a much bigger voice in Government than it had under Labour.

Liberal Democrat North Devon MP Nick Harvey becomes minister of state for the armed forces at the Ministry of Defence. He had previously been the frontbench spokesman on defence matters for his party.

He said: “It is an important job at a time when we are fighting a major war in Afghanistan and obviously I want to ensure the best possible support for our troops and the best possible outcome from the defence review.”

Jeremy Browne, the Lib Dem MP for Taunton Deane and former treasury spokesman, becomes a minister of state at the Foreign Office. He told the Western Morning News how he heard the news from Mr Clegg: “I got a call from the man I must start get used to calling the Deputy Prime Minister when I was in Tesco in Taunton.”

And Hugo Swire, long-serving Conservative MP for East Devon, becomes minister of state for Northern Ireland.

All three men are on the rung below Cabinet level on the ministerial ladder. Mr Laws was named Chief Secretary to the Treasury earlier this week, sitting in Cabinet and working alongside Chancellor George Osborne. West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin will be a minister at the Cabinet Office.

Maybe someone should have a look at Vince’s Twitter feed

2010-05-12T13:17:00.001+01:00

Ah, the perils of the web. As Vince Cable is confirmed as Business Secretary, it might be worth whoever operates his Twitter account either taking it down or removing some of the less complimentary comments about his new Cabinet colleagues.

Tory Inheritance Tax cut costs £6bn and benefits 3000 wealthiest estates http://bit.ly/cZMdto 3:05 PM May 2nd via web
Labour and the Tories are as bad as each other. Their plans would drive public finances into the ground http://bit.ly/92qqDU 11:48 AM Apr 1st via web
Tory policy on NICs is school boy economics http://bit.ly/aBRGsq 1:15 PM Mar 29th via web
Osborne is out of his depth http://bit.ly/c64Uel 7:01 PM Feb 24th via web
Labour and Tories are accusing each other of being confused and contradictory on the economy, and they're both right. http://bit.ly/dDoROR 1:44 PM Feb 1st via web
Tories confused about cuts http://bit.ly/9I0lbx http://bit.ly/aJ9XwA 4:09 PM Jan 29th via web
Lack of clarity in Labour and Tory approaches to banks http://bit.ly/6uCyuK 10:29 AM Dec 7th, 2009 via web

Lib Dem MP reveals 80% of new government policies are from Lib Dem manifesto

2010-05-12T10:29:00.002+01:00

The remarkable thing overnight and this morning is the extent to which the Tories have given way to the Lib Dems on key policies.

Both sides have been able to drop their more bonkers ideas (Inheritance Tax/illegal immigrant amnesty) while moving on to the “liberal conservative” ground that both David Cameron and Nick Clegg favour.

Full details of the deal will come out this morning, with Prime Minister Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Clegg (better get used to that) giving a press conference at 2.15pm

In the meantime, Andrew George - the staunchly independent Lib Dem MP for St Ives has put out a statement – admitting he favoured a deal with Labour but was satisfied the Tory deal is right for the country.

He also reveals 80 per cent of the new government’s policies are from the Lib Dem manifesto not the Tories’.

We’ll find out in the next few hours.

Andrew George's statement:

“The electorate had given MPs a clear mandate. One which required them to work together. There was no overall winner of the General Election.

“Liberal Democrats have always argued for consensus politics. In any case, it is the inevitable consequence of electoral reform. So this is consensus politics in practice.

“The last thing the country needs right now is unstable Government followed by another General Election in the autumn. I believe that the agreement reached is not only a good one for the Liberal Democrats – as the statement to be released later this morning will show – 80% of the policy commitments of the new Government are items from the Liberal Democrat rather than Conservative manifesto.

“Personally, I had hoped for an alignment of the centre left. However, the Labour Party were very clearly not prepared to do any kind of deal. They were not prepared to compromise. They wanted to go into opposition.

“I am aware that whichever way these negotiations went many local electors would be unhappy. I am keen to speak to as many people as possible about the challenges we faced, the conundrums we had to overcome in negotiation and the justification of having to come to a deal which, above all, put the national interest first.

“I will be holding public meetings in the coming months and am keen to hear from all who have an opinion on the matter. My Parliamentary colleagues and I will be releasing a joint statement later in the day setting out our ambitions for Cornwall in the new Government.”

Which Westcountry Lib Dems are heading for ministerial office?

2010-05-11T17:29:00.004+01:00

Some might say it's early days, but we are hurtling towards the endgame so why not play at fantasy reshuffle.

Rumours are the Lib Dems will get six seats in a Cameron Cabinet, and according to some notes photographed on Nick Clegg's lap, they'll have a minister in every department.

So, who from Cornwall, Devon and Somerset could get a red box? This is my take (with their current job - at least at the time of writing) including their chances as I see it.

And crucially, as far as I am aware Lord Ashdown has not ruled out taking a government job. Brown famously offered him Northern Ireland after becoming PM. Could Paddy achieve what he set out to do 13 years ago, and get a seat at the top table?

Certain
Schools spokesman and negotiator David Laws (Yeovil)

LikelyDefence spokesman Nick Harvey (North Devon)
Treasury spokesman Jeremy Browne (Taunton Deane)
Commons spokesman David Heath (Somerton and Frome)

Possible
Deputy chief whip Adrian Sanders (Torbay)
Communities spokesman Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall)
Andrew George (St Ives)
Paddy Ashdown???

Only just elected
Steve Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay)
Tessa Munt (Wells)

*Julia Goldsworthy would surely have been a shoe-in, had she not lost Camborne and Redruth by just 66 votes.

Ben Bradshaw smiles as Adam Boulton almost loses it - again*

2010-05-11T10:59:00.001+01:00

I have some sympathy for Adam here. I have had infuriating conversations with Labour candidates, MPs and activists who fail to accept the outcome of the election. One even told they were "absolutely ecstatic" with the result.

It's like trying to get Granny to start making arrangements for Grandad's funeral, but she refuses to accept that he is dead.

And the maths being peddled by Labour is bonkers. They say that if you add the Labour and Lib Dem vote together it is more than the Tories, which proves the majority of the nation are anti-Tory, so the Rainbow Coalition is the only option.

But the Tories got more votes than Labour on their own, and combined with the Lib Dem votes is double the Labour vote.

It is true no-one won this election outright, but that is because voters turned their back on Labour in favour of the Tories and the Lib Dems, who both saw their vote share rise.

The idea that voters all got together on Wednesday night to conspire to create a hung parliament - as some on all sides seem to suggest with all this "the people have spoken" stuff - is equally bizarre.

As an aside, a colleague noted that it is only a matter of time before a cartoon appears saying: "We have been without a government for three days - and things have never gone more smoothly."

* In case you haven't seen it elsewhere, here is the Adam Boulton v Alastair Campbell row which happened yesterday.

Lib Dem: You can’t trust the f***ing Tories

2010-05-10T10:38:00.001+01:00

It seems we are inching towards a deal between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, with both leaders due to meet their MPs today.

They should not underestimate the unease and distrust in their ranks at the – especially among the Westcountry contingent who have just spent four weeks slogging it out in one of the dirtiest election campaigns many said they had seen.

Today’s Western Morning News contains a number of juicy comments from both Tories and Lib Dems – some on the record, some off – which should give the consensual negotiators pause for thought.

It seems to have brought out the potty-mouthed worst among them.

Liberal Democrats

One Lib Dem in the region said a deal with the Conservatives would be a "f***ing travesty". This morning on the way into a sun-drenched Parliament, a Lib Dem MP told me: “You can’t trust the f***ing Tories.”
Another frontbencher said: "Not many Lib Dems joined the Lib Dems to help the Tories, but every party lost so we are where we are. There are probably quite a lot of Tories who are not thrilled by the prospect of working with Liberal Democrats."

On electoral reform, a Devon Lib Dem source said: "This is what we have been waiting for, for 80 years. The economic crisis is huge but will continue for a few years. Constitutional reform would last 100 years. I am left with the slight sense the Tories are just leading us a dance and don't really want a deal at all."

Conservatives
Tories in the region seem no keener to cosy up to Lib Dems.
Hugo Swire, Tory MP for East Devon and a former member of the Mr Cameron's shadow cabinet, ridiculed the idea that the Lib Dems are "the new, fresh party", saying they had been a "disaster" when running Westcountry councils.
"The reason we kicked them out of overall control in Cornwall, the reason we kicked them out of Devon County Council and Somerset County Council… is we know how completely useless they are when they are in power."
One option understood to be being considered is a "confidence and supply" deal, under which the Lib Dems would undertake not to bring down a minority Conservative administration in return for assurances on certain policy areas.

"Given how flaky the Liberals are, how long that will last, who knows," Mr Swire added.

Labour

A Labour source claims Lib Dems in the region will defect to them on mass: "There will be mass insurrection among the Liberal Democrat grassroots."
And Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said: "I still find it hard to believe that the Lib Dems would agree to a deal with the Conservatives without a referendum on electoral reform and if they fail to reach a deal with the Conservatives then our door is always open.

"We support a fair voting system. It was in our manifesto. There is an alternative to a Con-Lib collation, in a progressive alliance of Lib Dems, Labour, possibly the moderate Northern Ireland parties, that could deliver that historic political reform and manage the country and the economy stably for the next two or three years."
2pm UPDATE: All morning I have been speaking to MPs, new and old, of all three parties. A selection of their views:
Labour: "Brown must go, it's just a question of when. He was toxic on the doorstep."
Tory MP on Lib-Dems: "They will sh*t on you, they will be b*st*rds and then they will stab you in the back."
Lib Dem MP telling Tories: "Play your cards right and I'll make you my PPS."

After the Westcountry Lib/Con battles turned nasty, can they really all be friends?

2010-05-09T09:42:00.002+01:00

The Conservative / Lib Dem battlegrounds in the Westcountry are not for the faint hearted. This campaign, to put it bluntly, got nasty.

Dozens of Lib Dem posters dumped on Dartmoor; two students arrested for vandalising Tory billboards; rumours of LibDem affairs; a Lib Dem reportedly calling a council worker a Nazi; private financial troubles splashed across front pages; Tories targetted for having second jobs; Lib Dems targetted for having no principles...

All this just in Devon and Cornwall.

In the three and a half years I have worked for the Western Morning News, most days I have had a Lib Dem on the phone tearing into the Tories (either an individual or 'them' as a whole) while Conservatives likewise condemned Lib Den local tactics and national irrelevance.

The scars of the 1980s and 1990s run deep.

On election night Lib Dem careers crashed by the smallest margins. Julia Goldsworthy, once tipped as a Lib Dem leader, lost to Tory George Eustice by just 66 votes. Lib Dem supporters wept, through disappointment, anger and sheer exhaustion. Imagine how they'll be feeling to see the possibility that George could be sharing power with Julia's old colleagues by the end of the week.

Lib Dem hopefuls like Karen Gillard and Terrye Teverson fought tough campaigns but were defeated by Tories. Bitterness reigns.

Others, notably Adrian Sanders, Jeremy Browne and David Heath increased their majorities despite being considered "in the bag" by Tories a week ago. Five years of hard constituency work clearly counting for more than Ashcroft's big bucks.

Others still, like Andrew George in St Ives, saw big majorities dramatically eroded.

Labour was in most areas an irrelevance. This was hand-to-hand, street-by-street combat between the Tories and Lib Dems, which took no prisoners.

And now they must form a government?

The public (or at least those out shopping and suddenly confronted by vox-popping hacks) have often wondered why the parties "can't all just work together". This weekend, we are finding out.

The conflict comes when voters realise that some of the policies they like could be sacrificed as part of the "working with" others.

Even if the leaderships present a tidy deal in Westminster - no foregone conclusion - this will get messy in the bombed out election battlefields of the Westcountry.

Westcountry map turns (patchy) blue

2010-05-07T08:20:00.001+01:00

The Tories have made some gains in Cornwall and Devon.
After a slow start last night, with the Lib Dems holding on in Torbay, Somerton & Frome and Taunton Deane, it began to look as if there would be little change to the Westcountry map.
The dozen Tory targets were looking unlikely. Since I went to bed though there has been a run of upsets:

Con Oliver Colvile took Plymouth Sutton and Devonport from Lab Linda Gilroy
Con Sarah Newton won Truro and Falmouth, beating Lib Dem Terrye Teverson
Lib Dem Julia Goldsworthy was narrowly defeated by Tory George Eustice
Lib Dem Karen Gillard was defeated by Con Sheryll Murray in South East Cornwall
And of course, earlier in the night Tory Anne Marie Morris ousted Lib Dem Richard Younger-Ross.

Elsewhere:
Steve Gilbert retained St Austell & Newquay for the Lib Dems, beating Caroline Righton
Lib Dem Dan Rogerson held North Cornwall
Lib Dem Nick Harvey held North Devon
Con Mel Stride won Central Devon

I will post all the detailed results later but it seems the background to the changes rests on a collapse in the Labour vote, halving in some seats.
In Somerset, the only change has been the Lib Dems taking Wells from Tory David Heathcoat-Amory.
St Ives in Cornwall is likely to remain Lib Dem while Torridge & West Devon is expected to stay Conservative. Counting in both seats doesn't start until 9am.

Westcountry results so far

2010-05-07T02:57:00.010+01:00

4am
Really am clocking off now. Back from 9am
03.45am Plymouth Moorview: Lab HOLD
Alison Seabeck has held this safer of the two Plymouth seats, though Matthew Groves slashed her majority from a healthy 7,740 to just 1,588. The Tories had made noises to suggest they could have taken this.

Alison Seabeck (Lab) 15,433 (37.16%)
Matthew Groves (C) 13,845 (33.34%)
Stuart Bonar (LD) 7,016 (16.90%)
Bill Wakeham (UKIP) 3,188 (7.68%)
Roy Cook (BNP) 1,438 (3.46%)
Wendy Miller (Green) 398 (0.96%)
David Marchesi (Soc Lab) 208 (0.50%)
Lab maj 1,588 (3.82%)
Notional 7.77% swing Lab to C
Turnout 41,526 (61.74%)

03.35 West Dorset
Despite the high hopes of Paddy Ashdown yesterday, Oliver Letwin clings on

Oliver Letwin (C) 27,287 (47.59%, +1.07%)
Sue Farrant (LD) 23,364 (40.75%, -1.15%)
Dr Steve Bick (Lab) 3,815 (6.65%, -1.09%)
Oliver Chisholm (UKIP) 2,196 (3.83%, +1.79%)
Susan Greene (Green) 675 (1.18%, -0.61%)
C maj 3,923 (6.84%)
1.11% swing LD to C
Turnout 57,337 (74.59%, -1.70%)

03.35am Tiverton & Honiton: Con HOLD
As expected, former Tory MEP Neil Parish has held the seat vacated by Angela Browning

Neil Parish (C) 27,614 (50.30%)
Jon Underwood (LD) 18,294 (33.33%)
Vernon Whitlock (Lab) 4,907 (8.94%)
Daryl Stanbury (UKIP) 3,277 (5.97%)
Cathy Connor (Green) 802 (1.46%)
C maj 9,320 (16.98%)
Notional 0.28% swing C to LD
Turnout 54,894 (71.47%)

03.25am Bridgwater & West Somerset: Con HOLD
No shock here.

Ian Liddell-Grainger (C) 24,675
Theo Butt Philip (LD) 15,426
Kathryn Pearce (Lab) 9,332
Peter Hollings (UKIP) 2,604
Donna Treanor (BNP) 1,282
Charles Graham (Green) 859
Bob Cudlipp (Ind) 315
Electorate: 76,560 — Turnout: 71.18%

03.25am Newton Abbot: Con GAIN
Confusion reigns. The BBC (who are winning the battle for my TV viewing) reported the Lib Dems held this seat. It has now been confirmed that Richard Younger-Ross is out, and Anne Marie Morris has take it - apologies.

Anne-Marie Morris (C) 20,774 (43.03%)
Richard Younger-Ross (LD) 20,251 (41.94%)
Patrick Canavan (Lab) 3,387 (7.01%)
Jackie Hooper (UKIP) 3,088 (6.40%)
Corinne Lindsey (Green) 701 (1.45%)
Keith Sharp (Ind) 82 (0.17%)
C maj 523 (1.08%)
Notional 5.79% swing LD to C
Turnout 48,283 (69.63%)

03.00am THOUGHTS
The Tories so far have not had a good night in the Westcountry. While big Labour majorities have fallen elsewhere and the Lib Dems seem to be struggling, here in the Westcountry the Tories have failed to take a seat yet. Exeter stayed Labour. So-called easy wins like Taunton, Somerton & Frome and Torbay have stayed Lib Dem and increased their majorities.
No results from Cornwall yet, but the Lib Dems in the region could yet stand between Cameron and a victory/majority. I could yet be wrong of course...
I am clocking off now, in search of sleep. I'll be on BBC Somerset at 9am and back in the office and online all day working up our full round-up of results for Saturday's WMN.
I bid you adieu...

02.57am Taunton Deane: Lib Dem HOLD
Jeremy Browne has held this seat, despite being high on the Tory target list. Mark Formosa fought North Cornwall in 2005 and failed there too. This is a coup for the Lib Dems, and even some Tories will privately welcome Jeremy's return to the Commons on a substantial 3,993 majority

Jeremy Browne (LD) 28,531 (49.06%)
Mark Formosa (C) 24,538 (42.20%)
Martin Jevon (Lab) 2,967 (5.10%)
Tony McIntyre (UKIP) 2,114 (3.64%)
LD maj 3,993 (6.87%)
Notional 1.78% swing C to LD
Turnout 58,150 (70.45%)

02.48am Totnes: Con HOLD
Dartmoor GP Sarah Wollaston has held the Totnes seat vacated by retiring MP Anthony Steen, almost doubling the Tory majority from 2,693 to 4,927.

Dr Sarah Wollaston (C) 21,940 (45.86%)
Julian Brazil (LD) 17,013 (35.56%)
Carole Whitty (Lab) 3,538 (7.40%)
Jeff Beer (UKIP) 2,890 (6.04%)
Lydia Somerville (Green) 1,181 (2.47%)
Mike Turner (BNP) 624 (1.30%)
Simon Drew (Ind) 390 (0.82%)
Dr Stephen Hopwood (Ind) 267 (0.56%)
C maj 4,927 (10.30%)
Notional 2.27% swing LD to C
Turnout 47,843 (70.42%)

02.37am Somerton and Frome: Lib Dem HOLD
Incredibly, David Heath has defied the odds and increased his slender 595 majority to a whopping 1,817. This should have easily fallen to Conservative Annunziata Rees-Mogg and was one of 12 seats in the Westcountry the Tories needed.

David Heath (LD) 28,793 (47.50%)
Annunziata Rees-Mogg (C) 26,976 (44.51%)
David Oakensen (Lab) 2,675 (4.41%)
Barry Harding (UKIP) 1,932 (3.19%)
Niall Warry (Leave EU) 236 (0.39%)
LD maj 1,817 (3.00%)
Notional 0.94% swing C to LD
Turnout 60,612 (74.33%)

02.20am East Devon: Con HOLD
No surprise this. Hugo Swire is returned as Tory MP, with a small swing to the Lib Dems

Hugo Swire (C) 25,662 (48.33%)
Paull Robathan (LD) 16,548 (31.17%)
Gareth Manson (Lab) 5,721 (10.78%)
Mike Amor (UKIP) 4,346 (8.19%)
Sharon Pavey (Green) 815 (1.54%)
C maj 9,114 (17.17%)
Notional 1.03% swing C to LD
Turnout 53,092 (72.62%)

02.10am Exeter: Labour HOLD
Not a huge surprise that Ben Bradshaw has hung on, his majority cut from 8,559 to 2,721, but even this week Tory strategists were hopeful of claiming a Cabinet scalp. Ed Balls has a similar majority in Yorkshire, but he must be looking safe too.

Ben Bradshaw (Lab) 19,942
Hannah Foster (C) 17,221
Graham Oakes (LD) 10,581
Keith Crawford (UKIP) 1,930
Chris Gale (Lib) 1,108
Paula Black (Green) 792
Robert Farmer (BNP) 673
Electorate: 77,157 — Turnout: 67.72%

01.45am Yeovil: Lib Dem HOLD
David Laws (LD) 31,843 (55.71%)
Kevin Davis (C) 18,807 (32.90%)
Lee Skevington (Lab) 2,991 (5.23%)
Nigel Pearson (UKIP) 2,357 (4.12%)
Robert Baehr (BNP) 1,162 (2.03%)
LD maj 13,036 (22.81%)
Notional 2.74% swing C to LD
Electorate 82,314; Turnout 57,160 (69.44%)

01.43am
Plymouth University elections guru Prof Michael Thrasher says Torbay results indicates that the Tories “will struggle to take tough Lib Dem targets” in the Westcountry.

01.33am Exeter
Ben Bradshaw has just been on Sky. Asked if he could work with the Lib Dems, he said: "I have always said I would be very happy to work with anyone."

He also admitted: "It may be that the Conservatives win an outright majority. If the exit poll is right it’s not possible for us to continue to govern on our own."

01.12am Torbay: Lib Dem HOLD
This was on the Tory target list. Should have fallen to them, and even this week Tory sources were saying they were confident. It looks like Labour seats are falling to the Tories easily, while the Lib Dems are putting up a strong fight, which raises a question about how much the Westcountry map will change.

Adrian Sanders (LD) 23,126 (46.99%)
Marcus Wood (C) 19,048 (38.71%)
David Pedrick-Friend (Lab) 3,231 (6.57%)
Julien Parrott (UKIP) 2,628 (5.34%)
Ann Conway (BNP) 709 (1.44%)
Sam Moss (Green) 468 (0.95%)
LD maj 4,078 (8.29%)
Notional 1.14% swing C to LD
Turnout 49,210 (64.62%)

Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell told the BBC: "Torbay was an interesting one. It's not going all the Tories' way."

Ashdown: A comprehensive rejection of Labour

2010-05-07T01:26:00.002+01:00

Lord Ashdown said politicians should wait until next week to “make more sensible decisions” if a hung parliament is delivered.

He also told ITV News the Tories would “try to play the trick of Milosevic of turning an election into a street battle”.
He said: “What you have got here is an uncertain result – a rather poor result for Mr Cameron – but the phrase ’a comprehensive rejection of Labour’ is the phrase you are going to hear.”

Benn: Conservatives have made progress

2010-05-07T00:38:00.001+01:00

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, sporting a very large rosette, tells Sky News says "one of the stories tonight is the number of people who have come otu and voted".
There has been "some" trouble in Leeds with people trying to vote.
Asked if Labour will lose majority: "On the basis of the exit poll it looks as if Conservatives have made progress." Must work towards a parliament that works.
"I think that it is going to depend entirely on the results. But at the same time I think certainly as far as Labour is concerned if there are others with whom we can work, that is something we should contemplate.
"It's going to depend on the result itself. The things that we have fought this election on... just because the election is over doesn't mean we will stop fighting."

This is what is needed for the next few hours

2010-05-06T22:35:00.002+01:00

Exit poll – are Westcountry Lib Dems in trouble?

2010-05-06T22:29:00.000+01:00

So the exit poll is saying: Con 307
Lab 255
Lib Dem 59
Other 29
For the Lib Dems to LOSE seats is remarkable after all the excitement of Cleggmania. With Tories and Lib Dems across the Westcountry admitting they had not seen the post debate surge for Clegg witnessed elsewhere in the country, I suspect this poll could mean gains for the Tories in the South West against the Lib Dems, while the Lib Dems make gains in the north against Labour.
All politicans are queuing up to say exit polls are always wrong, though mainly citing 1992.
But Paddy Ashdown on ITV has been magnificent: “Your figures are inaccurate … polls are nearly always innaccuare, wildly inaccurate."

The Westcountry seats to watch tonight

2010-05-06T16:09:00.000+01:00

(Pic copyright Western Morning News)

With a few hours to go before we start getting results, here is my take on Westcountry seats, the ones to watch and the safe seats which would cause a political earthquake if they changed hands.
They are in no particularly order and all come with the proviso that they will be completely wrong.

TORY TARGETS
North Cornwall: Despite The Independent claiming Dan Rogerson is a new candidate today, the Lib Dem is actually seeking re-election and is looking difficult to unseat for Tory Sian Flynn

Taunton Deane: This seat has changed hands at every election since 1997. Lib Dem Jeremy Browne defends a slender 1,868 majority over Tory Mark Formosa, who unsuccessfully contested North Cornwall in 2005

South East Cornwall: A strange one this. Lib Dem Colin Breed is retiring, and his party’s candidate Karen Gillard could not be more different. Tory Sheryll Murray is well-known, particularly in fishing circles, but both women have a Marmite tendency to split opinion

Truro and Falmouth: Terrye Teverson belongs to Lib Dem royalty in the Westcountry, but her Tory challenger Sarah Newton is one of the new breed of Cameroon local candidates and is less than 4,000 votes behind

North Devon: On paper, Lib Dem Nick Harvey should be vulnerable, but Tory candidate Philip Milton will struggle to erode the 5,276 majority. With a crowded field of nine candidates, a split vote could let either of them through

Exeter: Ben Bradshaw is the most senior Labour minister in the South West and defends a 8,559 majority over Tory Hannah Foster – a similar margin enjoyed by Ed Balls, who has been the target of a high profile decapitation strategy in Yorkshire. It would be a real shock if the Conservatives took this seat this time round – not least for the Tories themselves

Newton Abbot: Lib Dem Richard Younger-Ross sits on a 4,830 majority and is on the Tory target list. Whether or not Anne Marie Morris sneaks in will be a bellweather of the Tory performance nationally

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport: Tory Oliver Colvile is standing in this tough seat again, hoping to reverse Linda Gilroy’s 4,472 majority. Cuts to the dockyard and the government’s unpopularity could prove critical but Labour will not give up without a fight

Somerton and Frome: Lib Dem frontbencher David Heath is the most vulnerable in the Westcountry. Tory Annunziata Rees-Mogg is considered favourite to erode his 595 majority, but Mr Heath has form for hanging on against the odds

South Dorset: Labour’s employment minister Jim Knight looks vulnerable. It only takes a swing of 1.86 per cent for the Tory Richard Drax to take this seat on the south coast. He admits: “It will always be the case that if things go really wrong for the party nationally it will be really tough for me… but I don’t think we will be in that situation.”

St Austell and Newquay: After boundary changes and the retirement of Lib Dem Matthew Taylor, this is a new seat with a new slate of candidates. Lib Dem Steve Gilbert defends a 5,723 majority and former newsreader Caroline Righton needs a substantial swing of 6.22 per cent to win it

Torbay: Lib Dem Adrian Sanders is under real pressure from Conservative Marcus Wood, with barely 2,700 votes between the two parties in 2005. Mr Sanders says “this has been the most enjoyable election campaign I have ever fought”

LIB DEM TARGETS

Central Devon: As a new seat, swiping chunks from several others, Conservative Mel Stride starts out as the notional incumbent, with Lib Dem Phil Hutty 2,300 behind

Torridge and West Devon: Late in the campaign the Lib Dems said they thought their man Adam Symons could win this, though Tory Geoffrey Cox will have to be unlucky to see his 2,732 majority evaporate

Totnes: After Tory Anthony Steen’s retirement, the result here is uncertain. Dartmoor GP Sarah Wollaston was selected in an open primary and is the frontrunner, but Lib Dem Julian Brazil is only 2,700 votes behind while Labour, UKIP, the Greens, BNP and two independents crowd the field

THREE-WAY MARGINAL
Camborne and Redruth: The region’s true three-way marginal. Defended by Lib Dem high flier Julia Goldsworthy who faces tough competition from Tory George Eustice, a former spin doctor for David Cameron and Michael Howard who can trace his local roots back centuries. Labour’s Jude Robinson is in 2nd place on paper. What happens to the Labour vote will prove crucial.

HOW SAFE ARE SAFE SEATS?
St Ives: Lib Dem Andrew George’s 10,000+ majority looks safe but the Tories think they could make a big dent in it

East Devon: A Tory stronghold for donkeys years, Hugo Swire will not be going anywhere

South West Devon: Tory Gary Streeter is safe, though Labour’s Luke Pollard has put up a spirited fight and will hope to be rewarded with a more winnable seat next time

Plymouth Moorview: The safer of Labour’s two seats in the city, with Alison Seabeck defending a 7,740 majority though some optimists in the Tory party seem to think Matthew Groves could take it

Tiverton and Honiton: Former MEP Neil Parish should retain this for the Tories, after Angela Browning’s retirement

Bridgwater and West Somerset: Ian Liddell-Grainger’s Tory stronghold got safer with boundary changes, and defends a notional majority of 10,081

Yeovil: The seat once held by former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown, David Laws keeps up the tradition with a notional majority of 8,779

West Dorset: Tory policy chief Oliver Letwin defends a majority of only 2,461, and the Lib Dems have played up the idea they could take it. All depends on the Clegg-effect and seems unlikely

In case you haven't voted in the Westcountry, here is the Western Morning News leader on why you should

2010-05-06T10:51:00.000+01:00

Today, the politicians must stop talking and start listening. The Westcountry’s voice must be heard. In the closest general election contest for a generation, every seat in the region, indeed every vote, will count.

The Western Morning News has always, in its 150 year history, avoided endorsing any political party in an election. Instead, we seek to honour our commitment to stand full square behind the needs of the Westcountry.

And what the region needs today is for every voter from the Scilly Isles to the Somerset Levels to stand up for the place we are lucky enough to call home. The party leaders and their candidates have finished their campaigns. Now they must pause and await our verdict.

We do not seek to tell you how to vote, only that your vote is crucial to deciding how the Westcountry fares in the years ahead.

Life will not be easy. Difficult decisions need to be made. After the years of plenty, pain will come. Whoever finds themselves in power when the dust has settled tomorrow will be forced to wield the axe like never before. Tax rises and deep spending cuts are inevitable.

This is not an election in which the Westcountry can afford to sit on the sidelines.

Too often we have complained, under successive governments of all hues, that the Westcountry has been overlooked. From the decline of rural communities to rising water bills. From the treatment of the elderly in an ageing region to the exodus of young people unable to find work or afford a home in the place they grew up and love.

We have chronicled the rise and fall of industries like tourism, agriculture and fishing on which our economy depends. And we have argued for our fair share in funding for our schools, hospitals and roads.

With the record national debt casting a grim shadow over all of this and more, now more than ever every community needs a strong voice in Westminster.

We can take heart that democracy in the Westcountry seems alive and well. There are 25 per cent more candidates standing in the region than in 2005. The region’s hedgerows, car windows and front gardens are once again sporting the placards and billboards of political activism. The number of hustings, high street stalls and internet campaigns have swelled. Voter registration is up, turnout is expected to increase.

And more parties than ever are fielding candidates. Alongside Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, ballot papers feature a selection from a long list of smaller parties, including the UK Independence Party, the Greens, Mebyon Kernow, the BNP alongside socialist, communist, democrats and independents.

Few could now truly argue there is no-one to vote for, nor that all the parties are the same.

When our London Editor Matt Chorley embarked on his Marginal Mystery Tour, in late March, criss-crossing the region’s election battlegrounds, he encountered an electorate that was angry and disenchanted. Things have changed thanks, in part, to the TV leaders’ debates, which gave the politicians an open platform, and the cynicism and apathy which took hold in the wake of the expenses scandal has been sidelined. Trust in politics may not have recovered, but a belief that each vote can make a difference has returned in the nick of time.

Two thirds of the seats in the region could change hands on a swing of less than seven per cent from one party to another. Given the volatility of the opinion polls, anything can happen. For once, politicians are truly at the mercy of the electorate and we should not overlook this rare opportunity to make our vote count.

The Liberal Democrats go into today’s election as the front runners in the Westcountry. They hold the most seats and are ahead in the regional polls. Their leader Nick Clegg has high hopes that his MPs could be at ministerial desks on Monday morning.

The Conservatives have made no secret of the fact that they need to turn vast swathes of the region blue. Of the 116 seats, David Cameron needs for an overall majority, at least a dozen are in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. We have been inundated with visits by the leader himself and his shadow cabinet. If he manages to cross the line when the results are in, we hope this flirtation becomes a long-lasting relationship and not a hastily abandoned affair.

The Labour party is less represented, holding just four seats in Plymouth, Exeter and South Dorset. But as the party of government for the last 13 years, its influence should not be underestimated and investment has transformed services and lives.

There has been much talk this week of voting tactically to keep one or other party in or out of government. But if the result is inconclusive, the number of votes will matter as much – maybe more – than the number of seats each party has secured. It is worth voting for the outcome you want.

The horse-trading and backroom deals which will follow if the result is close means every MP will matter. But before any of them can take up their seats they need you, the voter, to give them that privilege. And this time your vote – the Westcountry vote – counts.

Now Darling says Labour supporters in Tory/Lib Dem marginals should vote for "next best choice"

2010-05-05T09:34:00.002+01:00

Chancellor Alistair Darling has become the latest minister to hint at Labour supporters backing the Lib Dems in areas where they are best placed to keep the Tories out.
In an interview in today’s Western Morning News, Mr Darling insisted every voter had to decide for themselves who to back at the ballot box, and “would encourage people to vote Labour”.
But in the wake of Ed Balls and Peter Hain saying similar things, Mr Darling said:

“We and the Liberals have many areas where we share a view, on political reform for example and that is opposed by the Tories.
“I think every voter knows what the score is in their constituency and they have got to make their own mind up and think if they cannot get the first choice, go for the next best choice. It is for the voters to choose at the end of the day. My job is to set out our case.”

Last week Mr Balls told me that Labour and the Lib Dems have “common cause” to “stop the Conservatives”.

“In some places people vote Liberal to stop the Conservatives, in other places they are voting Labour to stop the Conservatives. Of course, I think everybody should vote Labour but I do want to stop a Conservative government.”

And of course he repeated that on Tuesday, while Welsh Secretary Peter Hain who said, in an interview with The Independent, that people should “vote with their heads, not their hearts”.
Also speaking to me for today’s paper, Nick Clegg rejected these advances, knowing it could spell disaster for Lib Dems in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset who do not want to be seen as an extension of Gordon Brown’s unpopular party. He said Labour ministers were “just desperately trying to save their own skin”.

“Don’t let any politician tell you how to vote. It’s your choice, it’s your country, it’s your future.
“I am asking you to vote for something, to vote for a different politics, for fairer taxes by raising the income tax threshold to £10,000, for smaller class sizes and more one-to-one tuition for your children, for rebuilding the banks to get them lending again and for a decent and open politics.
“I think it’s a measure of how desperate Labour have become that they are now trying people to try to second guess how other people will vote, when I think people should be voting with their hearts.”

What price democracy?

2010-05-04T09:09:00.000+01:00

Newton Abbot pensioner Gordon Green, 82, had to fork out £1.32 for a letter where postage had not been paid, only to discover it was an election leaflet from Lib Dem Richard Younger- Ross, who has since insisted Mr Green would be compensated if he contacted his constituency office.
It is not just the main parties leaving voters out of pocket. Western Morning News reader Andrew Hall has been in touch to say he traveled to a hustings to hear from two Independent candidates standing in the Westcountry, Dr Stephen Hopwood in Totnes and Brian Gerrish in Plymouth at the Totnes Truth Festival.
“This festival was advertised as "Free" - imagine my surprise therefore to be told that free admission could only be gained by paying a £10 donation as the speakers needed to be paid,” Mr Hall writes.
“What is the world coming to when we have to pay to hear what Prospective Parliamentary Candidates have to say? What next, £10 to have a look at their duckhouses?”

Someone in Labour HQ has a good idea shock

2010-05-03T12:17:00.001+01:00

Few would argue the Labour campaign thus far has been great. One of the big surprises is why the Tories aren't doing better given how woeful the Labour effort has been. Bigotgate, Elvis and even today photos of Gordon Brown praying in front of a stained glass window suggest there is no real direction or control.

So knock me down with a feather. This video on the Labour party site, taking a satirical swipe at David Cameron's Big Society, is smart and funny with a strong message.

Even if there is an argument for people getting more involved in their communities instead of relying on the state, this cleverly portrays a busy mum trying to run a home as well as most of the public sector. The moment when she is looking for yet another ringing phone in her messy kitchen and answers "hello parole board" and claiming there are always breakouts at the prison when The Robinsons are in charge were particularly good.

Do visits = votes?

2010-05-02T10:41:00.001+01:00

I'm on my way to Newquay this grey Sunday morning. David Cameron is meeting tourism leaders, holding a Q&A and setting out his stall for the final push. That overall majority alludes him still.
This is the third time he has been to Devon and Cornwall since the election was called, previously visiting Saltash and, in week one, nearby Plymouth. He was also in Exeter a week or so before the campaign proper began.
Nick Clegg, by contrast, has been down here just once, Redruth, on the same day as the Cameron Saltash egg incident. The Lib Dem leader is in Wells, Somerset today, but I understand will not venture into his party's heartland of Cornwall and Devon again this side of polling day. Vince Cable, who was down last week, will be in Cornwall on Tuesday.
The Conservatives have won the battle for faces in marginals, with almost every member of the shadow cabinet coming down here at least once.
Labour has been less prominent. Darling, Johnson and the two Eds - Balls and Miliband - are the most high profile but have stuck to Plymouth and Exeter.
Clearly, the visits mean press coverage. I wouldn't have got up at 6am on a Sunday to go to Cornwall unless a political big hitter was visiting.
Some voters may feel flattered, others impressed by a little political celebrity on their doorstep. It is also a big boost for the morale of battle weary activists.
But does it win votes in the seats where a big cheese rocks up for 20 minutes?
Would your vote be swayed by a party leader rolling into your town?
And will Gordon Brown make it down here before Thursday? Don't hold your breath.

What do Labour do about the Lib Dems? Cabinet not sure

2010-05-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

Senior Labour party figures are split over the way to prevent a Tory landslide in the Westcountry by wooing Liberal Democrat support.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the Western Morning News yesterday that he would not disrespect voters in the region by telling them to vote tactically.

But his comments appear to contradict remarks made by Schools Secretary Ed Balls on Wednesday, when he highlighted Labour’s “common purpose” with the Liberal Democrats in wanting to “keep the Conservatives out”.

Mr Balls said: “In some places people vote Liberal to stop the Conservatives, in other places they are voting Labour to stop the Conservatives. Of course, I think everybody should vote Labour but I do want to stop a Conservative government.”

Other senior Labour figures to suggest Lib Dem support could help Labour include Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, who said he would be "very comfortable" working with the Lib Dems.

But speaking as Labour stepped up its campaign with a new set of posters, Mr Miliband told the WMN: “I respect people in the Westcountry very much indeed and I am not going to tell them how to vote tactically.”

Outside Labour strongholds in Exeter and Plymouth, all of the major marginal battles in are between the Conservatives and Lib Dems. The Tories need to win a 10 Lib Dem seats in the Westcountry to secure a Commons majority of just one.

"You can actually see the moment when his political career leaves his body"

2010-04-30T17:49:00.000+01:00

Before you log off on a Friday afternoon, take a look at Jon Stewart's brilliant take on Bigotgate.

Worth watching all the way to the end. A very British scandal. CLICK HERE
(Hat Tip: Just about everyone)

Have the Tories really wasted their money?

2010-04-30T10:51:00.000+01:00

Driving around the Westcountry it is impossible not to notice the huge amount of money the Conservatives have spent in the key marginals. Huge campaign posters - many featuring US-style grinning colour photos of candidates - line verges, fields and gardens.

It is impossible to drive into any of the major towns without passing a billboard plastered with the latest Tory attack on Labour, or a giant David Cameron looking down on you.

On one visit to the Torbay seat, I arrived to find a new Tory attack poster being pasted over an old "I've never voted Tory before..." one. Literally money to burn, it would seem.

But speaking to David Miliband this morning, as part of a round of regional interviews he was doing post-debate, he made an interesting point.

“We haven’t got the money the Tories have. The party that’s spent the most money has, according to the opinion polls, lost the most votes.”

It is true the Tory poll lead slumped just as the campaign really got underway. And Lord Ashcroft surprisingly quickly became a well-known shorthand for Tory ‘outsider’ money, which many in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset don’t like.

But it has also created a sense of momentum, and of taking an interest in a region which has long felt ignored, especially by the two largest parties.

The Liberal Democrats have quietly grumbled about the Tory spending, while reluctantly admitting they wouldn’t be spending the huge sums if it didn’t work.

Just how well it has "worked" is not clear. We’ll have to wait another week for that.

Campaign gets dirty – students arrested for spraying vote Lib-Dem on Tory posters

2010-04-30T08:53:00.001+01:00

Candidates from all parties have privately grumbled over the last few weeks about how the campaign was unlike any they had known before. It was, in short, getting dirty.

Rumours circulated that one candidate had left his wife and set up home with a party colleague. Labour punted out claims a Tory had been posting obscenities on the web. Both were false.

Across the patch, the battle for the hedgerows was fierce. The Tories seemed to be winning, with the most roadside posters though the famous orange Lib Dem diamonds were also in abundance.

But all was not well. Posters – especially Tory and Lib Dem ones- were disappearing or being vandlised.

Now I report in today’s Western Morning News how two students have been arrested for spraying pro-Liberal Democrat messages on Conservative campaign posters.
A man and a woman, university students from Falmouth, were caught defacing a Tory party sign in Truro on Saturday evening, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police confirmed.

“They also admitted to defacing a number of others, in total eight, between Truro and Falmouth,” he said. “They had used spray cans to put Lib Dem slogans on them.”

The officer in the case, PC Andrew Brocklehurst, decided it would be best to deal with the incident by way of restorative justice and has been in talks with the Conservative Party candidate Sarah Newton. (right)

A spokesman for the Lib Dems in the South West said they “utterly condemn any criminal damage or theft to posters or other election material”.

She added: “It is regrettable that theft and graffiti to posters of all parties – both of which are matters for the police – seem to be rife during this campaign.

“In some cases the damage to Lib Dem posters has been highly distressing to the households involved, with perpetrators trespassing on to gardens and private property, and using saws and wire cutters to pull down signs.

“We have reported every incident involving Lib Dem posters to the police.”

This includes the discovery of 68 of Lib Dem poster boards found dumped at Bickington on Dartmoor on Tuesday.

Tory candidate Ms Newton said her Conservative supporters, including many elderly people, had been intimidated by the attacks.

But the quote of the day though comes from Camborne and Redruth Tory candidate George Eustice.

“I have had my eyes cut out with a Stanley knife.”

Leader's debate - a verdict, of sorts

2010-04-29T22:01:00.006+01:00

The economy was big stuff, and it was time for the big boys. It turned into Cameron v Brown. Clegg peaked too early in the debates, and he struggles with some of his policies. He could have done with Vince sitting on his shoulder.

It’s the economy stupid. Everyone knows that some nasty cuts are coming after next Thursday. All three leaders were put on the spot. All three said they were going to be “frank” and then danced around specifics. You can’t blame them. There is an election next week.

David Cameron, in need of a strong performance, got off to a confident start and built on it. He probably came out on top. It's not clear he has done enough to seal the deal but he came closer than he has in the last two debates. Brown's attack on inheritance tax was repetitive but hits home.

Gordon Brown, one-time Iron Chancellor, is convinced everyone else is wrong on the economy. He tackled the ‘bigotgate’ episode head-on, saying it was an example of how he doesn’t always get the job of PM right. But, he said, he did know how to run the economy. Tory spin doctors quickly claimed this was the “first joke of the night”.

He slammed the “same old Conservative party of the 1980s and 1990s” – a charge which will sting in the Westcountry.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg again made his plea for politicians to “work together… to be open and straight about how big the black hole is”. Fat chance. This is a fight to the death, a fight in which he was in danger of looking like a spectator.
These debates have been game changers. Not just for the three men at the podiums – and Mr Clegg remains the greatest beneficiary – but for the electorate as a whole.

Of course there is still apathy, trust remains low and anger still fizzes over expenses and immigration.

But after years of politicians complaining that their words are twisted by us nasty hacks, these debates have been a platform for them to set out their stall. The claim that all the parties are the same has subsided. Real differences have emerged over Trident, voting reform and, tonight, the economy.

Go back to your constituencies and prepare for (a) government.

POLLS
YouGov/Sun: Cameron 41%, Clegg 32%, Brown 25%
ComRes: Cameron 35%, Clegg 33%, Brown 26%
Angus Reid: Cameron 36%, Clegg 31%, Brown 23%

Moment of the Night:
Michael Gove on Sky tells Charlie Whelan he may be out of a job next week and Tories would help him "quickly out of welfare and into work". Brilliant.

Pulling pints with Eric Pickles

2010-04-29T12:53:00.004+01:00

Tory activists these days go to a lot of trouble to make their big name visitors feel welcome. T-shirts are pulled on – often bizarrely over long-sleeve shirts and even ties – while placards are waved and cries of "change" ring out.

Yesterday, it seemed they had gone to trouble of immortalising Conservative party chairman Eric Pickles on a pub sign. There was definitely a similarity between the straight-talking Yorkshireman and the bespectacled monk on the board 10 feet overhead.

Read the full piece from today's Western Morning News here

Is this the lamest poster of the election campaign?

2010-04-29T12:03:00.003+01:00

It is widely agreed that the best Labour poster since Tony Blair left Number 10 was the Not Flash, Just Gordon billboard which appeared as Brown took over.

In four words it captured Brown’s strengths – solid, dependable, reliable – and the weaknesses of David Cameron – flash Harry, all style, spin and cringe worthy photo opportunities.

By contrast, the Labour party seems to have completely lost their way with their latest effort, above.

(The one saving grace being that presumably this ‘poster’ will not actually appear anywhere other than hacks’ inboxes)

The message is still a strong one, and putting bigotgate to one side, Brown is at his best when he avoids the spin and presentational tricks to just be himself. (Incidentally, this is not the same as the pre-prepared soundbites he keeps wheeling out on the TV debates about being rubbish at TV debates.)

But the new poster is truly rubbish. The choice of photos makes all three leaders look about equal - though not in size, obviously.

Why not use a picture of Brown giving a statesmanlike speech alongside Cameron on his bike and Clegg dunking hobnobs with Vince Cable?

According to the Labour press office: “The poster highlights David Cameron and Nick Clegg's lack of substance on the economy and the risk to the recovery the Conservatives' and Liberal Democrats' policies pose.”

Not sure it does any of that, actually.

Douglas Alexander, Labour's General Election coordinator said: "Tonight's debate will be an opportunity to demonstrate that a Conservative government would cut support from the economy and put the recovery at risk. Only Labour can plan for growth and secure the recovery."

Despite what Team Brown might say, there is a real need to be good at presentation, media management and marketing in 21st century politics, as the Gillian Duffy fiasco showed yesterday.

Frankly, far better for them to just concentrate on the substance of tonight’s economy debate and turn Photoshop off.

Turning up the heat

2010-04-28T19:02:00.002+01:00

Watching the 'bigotgate' fiasco being played out on a pub TV screen at lunchtime was agony. The subtitles meant its awfulness was delivered in slow motion.
Labour's hopes of seizing the initiative in the campaign are now doomed. All those people I met on the Marginal Mystery Tour who felt sorry for Brown will, I suspect, be turning their back on him.
Worse than the unnecessary comment about the Labour voter was the attempt to blame anyone else but himself.
Meanwhile, here in Exeter, Ed Balls has made a naked plea to Lib Dem voters to unite with Labour to "stop the Conservatives".
Eric Pickles in Newton Abbot said Mr Brown's comments were the sort of dark thoughts a politician should only "whisper to your teddy bear".
And for reasons known only to staff at my hotel, the heating in my room is on full blast.
I know Exeter is home to the much-maligned Met Office, but surely they can realise it is boiling outside?

What we have learned at the Exeter climate change hustings

2010-04-27T20:44:00.002+01:00

LibDem Graham Oakes is allergic to horses.
Labour's Ben Bradshaw used to have an anti-nuclear car sticker.
Tory Hannah Foster likes waterskiing and flyfishing, though not at the same time.
Green Paula Black only has flour and vegetables to eat in her house.

Oakes & Black can both drive a tractor and milk a cow. Bradshaw and Foster dodged this important issue.

All eyes on the Westcountry this morning

2010-04-27T09:54:00.003+01:00

This morning there seems to be a lot of media interest in the politics of the Westcountry.

The Guardian has a piece on Totnes, the seat vacated by Tory veteran Anthony Steen, in which the Conservative candidate GP Sarah Wollaston talks about "low moments" on the campaign trail:

"You wonder why you are giving up the nicest job in the world to do a job where it feels some days that everyone thinks you must be in it for the wrong reasons. I can't tell you the difference between knocking on someone's door as a GP and knocking on someone's door saying you'd like to be their MP. Sometimes you feel a wave of hostility."

The Daily Mail's brilliant Quentin Letts has been out and about in Exeter, with Ben Bradshaw:

"Strolling through Exeter with the Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw, is rather like going walkabout with the Queen. Passers-by wave. Cars toot. Grannies squeeze him as though testing shop plums."

And the BBC is in St Austell and Newquay all day. On Breakfast this morning, Tory Caroline Righton and Lib Dem Steve Gilbert had a bit of a ding dong on the issue of binge drinking.

Caroline saying she wanted to see more "bobbies on the beat" while appealing for more visitors looking straight down the camera, while Steve demanded she distance herself from comments made last year by a Tory councillor who tried to play down the impact of drunks on the town's reputation.

As the Western Morning News' election coverage says, the Westcountry Counts.

What is it with UKIP and spelling their own constituencies?

2010-04-26T18:23:00.000+01:00

Candidates are often caught out by surveys by local papers asking what they know about the constituency they want to represent.
But surely they should be able to spell the name of the seat. Iain Dale had a story last night of Emmett Jenner spelling Chislehurst as Chiselburst on a leaflet.

And in Cornwall a UKIP has been forced to apologise after his official election address spelt the name of his seat wrong.

In a bizarre release, Derek Elliott, UKIP candidate for Camborne and Redruth pinned the blame on a London-based UKIP official for putting a ‘U’ in the spelling of Camborne.

He said: “I cannot apologise enough to the people of Camborne for this ridiculous typing error, which has regrettably distracted attention from UKIP’s winning policies of job creation, opposing mass house building, and uncontrolled immigration.”

UKIP South West regional organiser Steve Crowther also apologised and because he is based in Barnstaple in Devon, felt the need to highlight the fact that he is half Cornish.

“The mistake was actually made by someone in our production team in London”, he said.

Cameron to block Anthony Steen peerage

2010-04-26T11:54:00.000+01:00

From today's Western Morning News:
David Cameron has crushed former Tory MP Anthony Steen's prospects of being elevated to the House of Lords if the Conservatives win the election.

The Conservative leader said Mr Steen, who announced he was standing down after a public furore over his expenses, should not "hold his breath" about becoming a peer.
Read the full story here

The leaders send mixed messages - no wonder voters are confused

2010-04-26T10:22:00.000+01:00

So, Clegg won't prop up Brown. Brown needs Clegg. Cameron doesn't want to want Clegg, but Ashdown says Clegg can't work with Cameron.
Meanwhile, the Tories spin that they are now focussing on Labour seats in the north which they previously felt were out of reach.
But just when cats across the Westcountry thought it was safe to doze behind the front door, another 500,000 Tory leaflets are being sent to target Lib Dem marginals.
The ongoing excitement of the Lib Dems holding their place in the polls disguises the truly shocking picture for Labour, trailling in third in more polls than not.
Party managers are growing increasingly concerned about Ben Bradshaw's seat in Exeter, where aides admit it is "neck and neck" with Tory Hannah Foster. The Tory love-bombing in Plymouth could also pay dividends in Linda Gilroy's seat.
The Lib Dems hope that Nick Clegg's ongoing popularity on the national stage will save them in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, though activists admit they have not seen a huge surge in support on the doorstep in the last two weeks, in part because the Lib Dems are already well known in the region.
So, Monday morning on the train to Plymouth. While the final result will go down to the wire, this could be the week when the election is won or lost by one of the three main parties.

At last – those two defections to the Tories

2010-04-25T17:14:00.002+01:00

More than a week ago, I sparked a bit of a flurry of interest by posting what I believed to be imminent news that two Lib Dems were jumping ship to the Tories. I can now reveal that the two defectors are long-standing Lib Dems, who had been sitting as Liberals for the last three years, after becoming increasing upset at the party.

Tony and Simon Inch, who currently sit as Liberal Councillors for Bideford South in Torridge District Council, are backing Conservative Geoffrey Cox (right) in his campaign for re-election in Torridge and West Devon.

Tony Inch, a former Mayor of Bideford and respected town and district councillor, said: “Simon and I have always had a good working relationship with Geoffrey.”

“We know how hard he works. He has always been friendly, approachable and supportive. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you have a problem he is your MP and that is all that counts.”

“We are both campaigning for Geoffrey to carry on being our MP. He is a true local constituency MP who works for the whole community first and foremost.”

The brothers left the Liberal Democrats in July 2007 in disgust after it emerged a colleague in the party was running a sex chat-line and advertising stripteases on the Internet.

Last night Mr Cox said: “I am proud to have won the support of Tony and Simon, whom I greatly respect as really good servants of our community. Their support shows that more and more people of traditional Liberal beliefs are increasingly seeing the modern Conservative Party as a congenial home.”

It marks a major move for the Inch brothers, and is a reflection on the way the Tory party is viewed in the Westcountry. I know of other long-standing Lib Dem supporters elsewhere in Devon and Cornwall, who come from the more traditional, Methodist history of the party, who are upset at the way the party has selected candidates and some of its campaigning methods.

However, it is not all one way traffic.Last week it emerged the former chairman of the Redruth Labour party Janet Brook had switched to back Lib-Dem Julia Goldsworthy in Camborne and Redruth. Mrs Brook said the Labour had changed, adding: “The Lib Dems are the only party standing up for ordinary working people”.

This defection clearly did not upset Labour's candidate Jude Robinson, who posted on Twitter:

The Lib Dems getting desperate in #Camborne. A 'switcher' that no-one has heard of and another who was last seen in 2001. #bestyoucando?

Does the Gordon Brown real people relaunch include running outdoor pursuits?

2010-04-24T16:34:00.003+01:00

My favourite bit of the train ride home

2010-04-23T10:18:00.002+01:00

Proof, if it were needed, that the Westcountry in the sunshine is hard to beat.
The stretch of railway past Dawlish just stunning this morning.

One more visit then home

2010-04-23T08:46:00.001+01:00

If it's Friday, it must be Ed Miliband in Exeter. The energy secretary today becomes only the fourth Labour cabinet minister to make it to the Westcountry since the campaign began.
Tory and Lib Dem teams report seeing little Labour activity outside Exeter and Plymouth. Certainly the number of roadside signs I've seen this week, from Plymouth to Saltash to Redruth to Truro to St Austell to Newquay to Plymouth, suggests the Labour party is not bothering much in Cornwall.
No doubt they'll be on to me immediately to put me right.
After a busy week, I'm not sure if a huge amount has changed in the campaign. Certainly the Clegg effect nationally is having a more limited impact in the Westcountry, where, for good or bad, people know the Lib Dems and their leader pretty well already.
But Cameron still struggles to cut through here. Deals are far from being sealed, and any gains are likely to be more about local candidates and a strong anti-Brown sentiment.
Anyway, the sun's out. A weekend at home beckons.

A colleague in the office has been doodling

2010-04-22T21:48:00.003+01:00

Leaders debate verdict

2010-04-22T21:40:00.002+01:00

Brown better. Cameron better. Clegg not as good. So, it was more even-handed than last week.
No longer got the novelty of this debating lark being new.
Sky are now getting live verdicts. D. Miliband says Brown won. L. Fox calls it for Cameron. P. Ashdown thinks Clegg beat the two "old ugly sisters" of politics. Also bravely claimed Clegg was "master of the debate".
If anyone came out of it well, I would nudge it for Cameron. Did much better than last week, arguably back in the race but landed no knock out blow. Clegg was solid, but occasionally too confident, hand in pocket, when he was being attacked. Good summing up statement. The "something is happening" line gets round the argument that he won't be PM.
Brown is staking his claim on being the man who got us in this mess so will get us out of it.
No gamechanger here. Suspect polls will tighten even more.
YOUGOV:
Cameron 36%
Clegg 32% (down from 51% last week)
Brown 29% (10% up)

Leader's debate #2 - some observations

2010-04-22T19:54:00.006+01:00

God, Sky News are milking this. They have got a line-up of three political hacks just talking and talking and talking. Apparently Nick Clegg doesn't like the city because it plays havoc with his throat and David Cameron has been drinking tea.
Meanwhile, a text arrives from a Westminster insider with some tips for the Tory leader:

"Top Tips for Cam... Ditch the tie (I dare you), look at the camera, get angry, take the p*** out of yourself, use the phrase 'thirteen years have been REALLY unlucky for some', talk about '18 years', speak slowly, make a show of using only a small amount of the the given time at least once.

We'll see. Gordon Brown certainly needs to sharpen up. And probably agree with Clegg less.

8.45pm: It all seems to be more exciting outside the debate. Lots of demonstrations.

9pm: Mary, Mary, Mary. Good to see my old college mate Mary Slattery (her parents live up the road from mine) getting stuck in on expenses. No doubt her dad Tim, Lib Dem councillor and former mayor in Taunton, (right) will be pleased with Nick Clegg's answer.

David Cameron branding Clegg's cake tin. Brown reckons MPs shouldn't have second jobs. Should be working full-time on being an MP. Contacting us more. Heaven help us.

9.11pm: Cameron got a good hit on asking Brown to disown himself from some dodgy Labour leaflets on Tories cutting benefits for the elderly. Clegg still performing well. Lots of hands in pockets.
Brown doing better than last week. "David you are a risk to the economy. Nick you are a risk to security with your nuclear policy."
Lots of audience looking bored, though.

BIG PITCHES
Brown: The buck stops here. Bring forces home. Multinational negotiations on nuclear weapons. Economy. "Don't do anything which puts this economic recovery at risk."
"Nick you would leave us weak. David you would leave us isolated."
Cameron: Brown "all sounded desperate" trying to scare people. New leadership. Big differences. "Pull together to build the big society that we need."
Clegg: "Shape the world around us." Run through of all question subjects. "Something really exciting is happening. Beginning to beleive and hpe we can do something difference this time."
At handshake Cameron did the old body language expert trick of touching Clegg and Brown's arms.

Cameron and Clegg head to head in the West

2010-04-22T08:28:00.002+01:00

From the moment the Tory leader stepped on to Cornish soil yesterday lunchtime, there was an air of trouble.

“Oi, Cameron, where’s yer bike?” came the first heckle. “On the bus,” he replied quickly, if nonsensically.

Before David Cameron arrived in the library at Cornwall College Saltash, the principal had to remind them of their language. “You can get excited and say things you didn’t mean.”

I don’t think she was referring to the female student who later boasted she wanted to be a Conservative Prime Minister. In fact the questions from the students were incisive and a damn sight more interesting than those from the media haggle and TV tarts hovering at the back.

There were times when Mr Cameron (graying around the neckline) risked sounding patronizing. Telling the (mostly) first time voters to “vote for my team, the blue team" was horribly Playschool, but every party needs the ‘yoof’ vote. Thank goodness he didn’t rap.

Adult education, spending cuts, financial help for students, Afghanistan, Israel… on and on he went. When he got into his stride on regional quangos, one or two of the teenagers tried unsuccessfully to stifle yawns. It was in danger of getting boring.

And then, crack! Eggs! Panic stations. Who saw it, who threw it, who’s got the first pun?

In fact what can quickly be billed as an attack on an elected representative was actually missed by almost every hack, who were too busy kicking their heels and wondering what time the bus left.

The egg-thrower didn’t even have the manners to hang round and give us his full name, address and voting intention.

I am sure it is just a coincidence that the Liberal Democrat tour bus is the colour of a yolk - sunny side up. On the outfield of Redruth Cricket Club, a young girl, no more than eight, bowled Nick Clegg a googly.

“What can you do as Prime Minister that David Cameron and Gordon Brown can’t.”
Surprisingly, Mr Clegg (greying around the temples) was stumped, waffling for two minutes and surmising: “There you go, a rubbish answer.” It was.
Quite what the primary school children thought of it all wasn’t clear. With loudspeakers blaring across the field, the whole thing had an air of a school fete. Without the fun.
But then, as they kept telling us yesterday, these are serious times. At least the sun was out.

Tories winning battle of the hedgerows

2010-04-21T19:28:00.001+01:00

The Tories are winning one battle in the Westcountry. The one for the hedgerows.
Driving from Plymouth to Saltash, then on to Redruth before heading back to Truro, Conservative Vote for Change placards were everywhere – in fields, up trees, on roundabouts, derelict buildings. You name it, Lord Ashcraft will pin a poster to it.
The Lib Dems were easily second, though the bright orange diamonds look a bit old-fashioned next to the Tories’ colour-printed photos of their candidates.
In the 80-odd miles I’ve covered today, I have seen just one Labour poster. And a small one at that.
Cornish nationalists Mebyon Kernow managed a good half a dozen.
UKIP had a couple too.
Much excitement with the egg-throwing hoodies in Saltash attacking David Cameron. A fine political tradition, and it was one of the heavies which bore the brunt of the mess.
Nick Clegg’s media circus seems to be growing, though the veterans of the yellow battlebus are wearying of hearing the same anecdotes.
When Clegg was stood silently waiting to speak to Sky News, surrounded by supporters, he enquired: “How long is this going to go on for?”
His battle-hardened press spokesman replied: “Another two weeks.”
I know how she feels. Tomorrow, St Austell then Helston. And I’ve still not had an ice-cream.

Bradshaw: I'd be "very comfortable" working with Lib Dems - it's what voters want

2010-04-21T08:51:00.003+01:00

Gordon Brown is in The Independent today talking in code about forming a “progressive alliance” which is taken to mean Labour and the Lib Dems uniting to fight the Tories.

But in an interview in today’s Western Morning News, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has been more explicit.

He said he would be “very comfortable” working with the Liberal Democrats, and even suggested the public should vote to force the two parties into a coalition.

“There is very little you could put between me and many Lib Dems.”

The Culture Secretary’s 8,559 majority in Exeter has been heavily targeted by the Tories, and success in retaining the seat could depend in part on wooing Lib Dem supporters.

He pointed to voting reform, the green agenda, overhauling the House of Lords, Europe and helping those on low incomes as common ground between Labour and the Lib Dems.
In an “unpredictable election”, he said he wanted Labour to win outright, but repeatedly stressed he could “work effectively with Liberal Democrats on those reforming issues”.
Speaking after a day campaigning in the city, Mr Bradshaw said:

“I work very well with local Lib Dems. I share a great deal in common with them.
“I get a lot of positive feedback from Liberal Democrats on the doorstep in Exeter who realise that the only way they will get real political reform and a fairer voting system is either by voting for a Labour government, or Labour working with the Lib Dems. The Conservatives are the no-change party.
“I think it is very exciting. I think we have a unique and historic opportunity in Britain for real change, that I have been arguing and campaigning for years – meaningful change to the electoral system and reform of the House of Lords.”

Recent opinion polls suggested a third of people wanted to see no overall winner.

“It is very interesting that the public would actually welcome a balanced parliament.
The public want change, they don’t want change to the Conservatives and the way they can get change they want is by making Liberal Democrats and Labour work together.”

He insisted Labour was “fighting very hard” and “not taking anything for granted”.
In the Westcountry, Labour’s best hopes of retaining power depend on the Lib Dems holding back the Tory party. In 10 of the dozen seats the Conservative need for a majority, 10 are Lib Dem/Tory battles.
THE FULL STORY IS IN TODAY’S WESTERN MORNING NEWS

UPDATE: The fightback begins. "Ben Bradshaw is no friend of the Lib Dems in Devon," is how Brian Greenslade, former Lib Dem leader of Devon County Council puts it.
"This is just desparate Labour trying to cosy up to the Lib Dems in the hope of hanging onto office."

Cable: I’m not agitating for leadership

2010-04-20T13:45:00.000+01:00

After his meteoric rise in the polls, Nick Clegg has been hitting the campaign trail on his own.

This led to speculation that the Lib-Dem leader was finally stepping out of the shadow of his treasury guru Vince Cable.

There were even reports Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, aka Mrs Clegg, had been texting friends to grumble that her husband was being upstaged by his senior colleague.

But in an interview with the Western Morning News, Mr Cable denied talk of a rift, even wondering where the “speculation” was coming from.

“I am absolutely delighted he is now getting the recognition that he deserves.
“It is actually a very good relationship. It has been for a long time – good communication, we don’t have any differences. I am not agitating for his job like Brown and Blair.”

He also urged colleagues to keep calm and carry on.

“We are not getting carried away. Our feet are still firmly on the ground, the significant thing is we have got a hearing.”

The Lib-Dems defend 10 seats in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset which feature high on the Tory target list. The region has been targeted with a multi-million pound Conservative advertising campaign, and has been inundated with visits from senior shadow ministers.
But Mr Cable said “that kind of superficial razz-a-matazz doesn’t have much impact” in an area where the Lib-Dems have a track record on which to campaign.

David Davis: I'm happy to serve

2010-04-19T17:01:00.000+01:00

David Davis has been campaigning in Devon today. The former shadow home secretary was doing his bit for Torridge and West Devon Conservative Geoffrey Cox, who defends a 2,732 majority over the Lib-Dems.
Mr Cox should have been a shoe-in, until Nick Clegg-mania gripped the nation.

I spoke to Davis briefly this afternoon, and he was withering about Lib-Dem policies, including the "daft" regional immigration plan ("iron curtains across Devon and Cornwall?") and suggested that in the event of a Lib-Lab coalition, Clegg and co would be impotent in reversing Brown's ID cards and "authoritarian databases".

But would Davis consider a return to the Tory front bench, after his sojourn to campaign on civil liberties?

“I have always said ‘I’m easy’.
“I enjoy being a backbencher. I am perfectly happy to serve if I am needed.”

He stressed the decision was not his.

But with the polls as they are, it could be all hands on deck.

What happened to those defections to the Tories?

2010-04-19T15:53:00.000+01:00

A few people have asked me, both in comment threads and elsewhere, what has happened to the announcement on two Lib-Dem councillors defecting to the Tories, which I caught wind of on Friday.
An announcement was expected today, but I now understand it will be tomorrow at the earliest.
And from what I have been told by the Tory orchestrating the whole thing, the surprise element may not be all it was cracked up to be. It’s more complicated than first thought.
Will update when I know, but not sure it’s a gamechanger, as they say.

Labour talk about Tory win

2010-04-19T13:17:00.002+01:00

We were summoned to the super-futuristic, super-trendy surroundings of Bloomberg in the City, to hear about Labour plans for the economy.

Instead, all we got was Labour talking about the Tory plans for the economy, and surprise, surprise, how Labour don’t agree with them.

We even had to endure a fake radio report, which they obviously had a lot of fun with in the Labour press office.

The premise was it is the morning of June 25, George Osborne has just delivered his emergency budget, widespread horror from just about everyone.
Even Alistair Campbell got a look in, posing as a sports reporter who managed to get political, talking about an Anglo-German row at the World Cup. All very amusing/cringe-worthy* (delete as appropriate).

It seems a major gamble for Labour to keep on talking as if the Tories are going to win.

And the idea that it will be all sunshine and happy days if Labour win, without any job losses in the public sector after the election, is just as fanciful as the radio broadcast and this website (above) which they have also launched.
On an unconnected note, Gordon Brown repeatedly referred to “mainstream public services”.
It sounds like the sort of wooly phrase which joins the long list of “hard-working” families and people on “middle” incomes.
But could it be paving the way for cuts in the “non-mainstream” public services.
An where will they be?

Vote Clegg get: Cameron... or Brown, depends who you ask

2010-04-19T08:27:00.001+01:00

Sun/YouGov poll:
Liberal Democrat 33
Conservative 32
Labour 26

The latest YouGov poll provides fascinating reading, and gives both sides need for ammunition against the Liberal Democrats.
The Tories, who need to swipe 10 Lib-Dem seats in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, are playing up the idea that a vote for the Lib-Dems would deprive them of an overall majority, giving us five more years of Brown. Vote yellow, get red, is the message.
Lib-Dem enthusiasm for Europe has also often been played down in the Westcountry, where UKIP traditionally do well. The Tories will be highlighting it more, along with Lib-Dem policies on an asylum seeker amnesty and scrapping tuition fees.
The Sun/YouGov poll puts the Lib-Dems in first place, for the first time since records began (an odd phrase, better suited to snow in August or donkeys winning the Grand National).
But the electoral maths means this Lib-Dem lead would actually make the Tories the biggest party, with 245 sears, Labour on 242 and Lib-Dem on 134.
As some in the Labour party are already saying, "vote yellow, get blue".
And the Lib-Dem party in Exeter said last night: "We hope Ben Bradshaw will agree that best thing for Exeter voters to do is vote Lib-Dem to stop a Conservative government."
Confused? You're not alone. Thousands, maybe millions of people - normal people, not political anoraks - who are justing starting to take an interest in this election, impressed with Clegg's debate performance, will have thought a vote for the Lib-Dems was just that, and no more.
Both Labour and Tories will want to muddy this, claiming the Lib-Dems are secretly in cahoots with the other side.
The dual temptations to demonise and lovebomb the third party will be strong. Both could actually help the Lib-Dems.
Labour launch their South West manifesto in Exeter today, knowing their best hope of winning the election is the Lib-Dems performing strongly in the region.
But there are two and a half weeks of campaigning left to go - the last fornight has proven anything could yet happen.

Now Harman cosies up to the Lib-Dems

2010-04-17T10:45:00.001+01:00

Alan Johnson is at it in The Times. Gordon Brown has tried it. The Tories want to play it up, thinking it will affect their support.
Now Harriet Harman in today's Western Morning News tries to cosy up to the Lib-Dems. She urges
Westcountry voters to basically do whatever they can to keep David Cameron out of Number 10, which in most of the region's seats means voting Lib-Dem.

The key quotes:

"It will be either David Cameron or Gordon Brown in Number 10 after the election.
"People have seen Gordon Brown and they know what he is doing on the economy and his concern about unemployment and jobs."
Ms Harman said there are "a lot of areas of agreement" between the two parties, including calls for reform of the voting system and the House of Lords.
"The Lib-Dems have supported a number of quite important steps Gordon Brown has taken to blunt the impact of the global recession."

Although space meant it didn't make the cut in the paper, she added that voters "will be thinking 'is my vote going to mean David Cameron might end up in Number 10'?".

So don't vote for Labour but just stop Cameron.
She said Cameron was "supposed to be the one to watch" in the TV debates, but "didn't win it".
Interestingly, she refused several opportunities to say Gordon Brown did win the debate - and did not mention Nick Clegg by name at all.

Lib-Dem defection latest

2010-04-16T17:29:00.001+01:00

It seems I am a little ahead of the game.
An official announcement on the two Westcountry Lib-Den councillors defecting to the Tories is not now expected until Monday.
A joint statement will be prepared over the weekend, going into some detail about the attraction of David Cameron's Liberal Conservative pitch.
It will prove a boost for Tory high command ahead of high profile visits by both parties leaders expected to the region next week.

After Clegg's victory, two Lib-Dems defect

2010-04-16T14:52:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. Leader comes out on top in TV debate. Polls swing in your favour. Things are on the up for the Lib-Dems.

Er, so not a good day for two Westcountry Lib-Dem councillors to defect to the Tories.

I understand an announcement will be made in the next few hours.

4.45pm UPDATE: Tory HQ seem understandably excited about this, but am still awaiting confirmation of names. Will post when I have them.

Calm down Lib-Dem dears

2010-04-16T13:57:00.001+01:00

Put away the tapemeasures, Lib-Dems. No need to size up the curtains just yet.
Before Taunton's Jeremy Browne turns up at the Treasury with his pocket calculator or SE Cornwall PPC Karen Gillard ponders what to do at the Home Office, the Lib-Dems - particularly the uber-excitable ones on Twitter and the blogs - need to chill out.
Nick Clegg is not - NOT - going to be Prime Minister. If the Tories have a mountain to climb to return to power, the Lib-Dems are stood at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, wondering where Everest even is.
Putting in a good turn on the telly is a vital - but single - skill for a wannabe PM.
But winning a juggling contest just makes you a good juggler, not somone able to run the whole circus.
In the Westcountry, a strong Lib-Dem showing could cost the Tories a majority, plunging us into hung parliament territory: which remains the Lib-Dems' best hope.
On a separate note, all the hype over Clegg's strong performance and Cameron's faltering outing, overlooks the fact that Brown was as uninspiring and wooden as everyone expected, which is why no-one is bothering to comment on it today.

Harriet Harman refuses to say Brown won

2010-04-16T09:22:00.000+01:00

Just had a quick chat with Harriet Harman about last night's debate.
Despite repeated attempts, she refused to say that Gordon Brown won.
The odd exchange was typified by my first question

MC: I think I know what your answer is going to be, but who do you think won last night?
HH: I am going to answer a different question: Who lost. I think it was David Cameron’s to lose and he lost it.

Hmm. Lots of wooing of Lib-Dems as well. This appears to be the strategy in the Westcountry. Labour know they can't make gains down here, and need Nick Clegg to help hold back a rising Tory tide in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.