Mitchell - 'All MP's at risk of expenses breach'

Andrew Mitchell, Shadow International Development Secretary has told Sky News that a lack of clarity on expenses rules meant that all MP's were vulnerable to accusations of failing them;

"I don't think its particularly party political members of parliament and MEPs across the political spectrum are at risk of this partly because of the lack of clarity in the rules."

"I think David Cameron has actually led the way of all the party leader in trying to bring clarity and transparency to this area," he said.

Funny how all those recently implicated just happen to have been Conservatives then isn't it??

Tories to 'let companies run schools'

Today's Daily Telegraph reports that David Cameron "emboldened" by the Conservatives poll lead is to propose that private companies be allowed to take over state schools. The measures will borrow elements from Sweden's system of 'free schools' where companies run more than 900 primary and secondary schools. Parents are given vouchers that are redeemable with the school of their choice. The companies that run the schools compete for pupils and receive funding in proportion to the number they attract.

This strikes me as inherently grotesque. Already we have the problems with over-testing and 'league tables' and the Conservatives are actually proposing to make it much worse by introducing corporate competition into the mix, we can expect to see the focus of education moving further and further away from educating to a 'production-line' 'results factory' ethos.

The Tories scheme would also give companies the freedom to determine teacher salaries and more control over the curriculum. However, they would have to abide by the admissions code and would have no powers to select pupils beyond those already enjoyed by maintained schools, which can choose 10 per cent of their intake on the basis of aptitude in a particular specialism.

Class war and scepticism on Conservative Home

Euroscepticism is dead, that is at least according to Richard North on the EU Referendum blog. However, do not despair (or indeed break out the bubbly) say the posters on C0nservative Home. Sally Roberts says;

"Euroscepticism is not dead, its just waiting for the platform of government to re-emerge. Eventually the UK is going to have to decide whether to adopt the Euro or not."

Clearly the posters are waiting for David Cameron to perform the role of knight-in-shining armour. Donal Blaney puts it thus;

"'hush now our little skeptics, all in good time, all in good time."

Littletwo also sees the role of a Cameron government as actively promoting euroscepticism;

"Assuming that an incoming Cameron Government remains broadly Eurosceptical, they would do well to expose, pointedly, every EU law which they have to enact......Honesty is what the public craves from its politicians. The measure would be popular and public opinion would swing, inexorably, to more active Euroscepticism."

Meanwhile, while the Conservatives made much of Labour's 'class war' tactics in Crewe but are busy fighting the class war for their own 'side' - against so-called 'liberal elites'. Conservative Home gives prominence to an article by Melanie Phillips' entitled 'Overclass values created the underclass'. Replying to a Sunday Times article by India Knight Phillips said;

"It was the champagne socialist intelligentsia which destroyed the traditional family, demonised men, incentivised mass fatherlessness and declared never-married motherhood an inalienable human right, emptied education of content and cut off the escape routes out of disadvantage by withering the grammar schools, declared morality to be a dirty word, paralysed the police through political correctness, enslaved the poor through dependency on the state and then finally destroyed their brains by telling them to eat cannabis cake while themselves showing the way by snorting cocaine on the Square Mile or in recording studios, or getting legless on Crackdaddy cocktails at Boujis nightclub."

So, on-top of contempt for lesbians, 'villain' bad parents, 'scruffy' teachers we have the carefully concealed attempt for Europe and the hatred of 'political correctness'. people who 'destroyed traditional family values' and so on; not much new about Cameron's Conservatives is there??

No Johnson dynasty in Henley

Keeping it in the family didn't work for Labour in Crewe and Nantwich and it looks like the Conservatives have decided that a Johnson political dynasty in Henley wouldn't work either. The Daily Mail reports that Stanley Johnson, Boris's father, hopes of inheriting his son's seat have been dashed by David Cameron.

Following Boris's victory in the London mayoral race Stanley had expressed some hopes of being put forward for the seat. However, Tory strategists feel that Johnson senior entering parliament would be a 'complete disaster' and only serve to remind voters of Johnson juniors huge gaffe potential.

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson was in the frame but according to the report Cameron 'charmed' the local party into shortlisting three local councillors. A decision is expected next week with the writ for the election expected to be issued as soon as MP's return from their Whitsun break next week.

Conservatives leak voter data in Crewe and Nantwich

Gordon Brown has certainly had plenty of trouble when it comes to data leakages and the Conservatives were quick to capitalise however it is now their turn to be under the spotlight for the blundering release of information. The Information Commissioner is launching an investigation after the Conservatives accidentally sent an e-mail containing the names, addresses, telephone numbers and intentions of voters in Crewe and Nantwich.

Manx radio station received the e-mail at lunchtime on Wednesday. It sent it on to the local newspaper in Crewe, although it is understood that both emails have now been deleted.

Deputy Information Commissioner, David Smith told the BBC:

"It is a serious concern if people's personal details and voting intentions have got into the public domain.

"Voting information is particularly sensitive. We will be launching an investigation to establish the full facts and see where responsibility lies."

A Conservative spokesman said:

"The email shouldn't have been sent but we have done all that we can to ensure that it remains confidential.

"The email - which was based on information from the electoral register - was sent in error to a journalist.

"An internal investigation has already discovered that it was due to human error but an internal inquiry has begun to ensure that it does not happen again."