Leading Muslim scholars give their backing to a campaign to try to get more people from their community to vote in the general...

Hundreds of demonstrators wearing red shirts have blood taken to be spilled at Government House in call for new electionsAnti-government protesters in Thailand today began donating blood to be spilled at the Thai government headquarters in a protest calling for new elections.Hundreds of demonstrators, wearing red shirts, formed long queues to have their blood taken by nurses after protest leaders pledged to collect enough blood to fill 1,000 standard soft drink bottles for the protest at Government House.As many as 100,000 protesters converged on the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Sunday to demand that the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, dissolved parliament by midday yesterday.Abhisit refused and blanketed the capital in security, but said his government would listen to what else...

Liam Byrne says European Commission proposals were 'too aggressive' and could cause 'irreparable damage' to public servicesThe government today rejected a warning from the European commission that Britain will fail to cut its deficit in accordance with EU rules.According to leaks of a report last night, the commission will warn that the UK will not meet the 2014-15 deadline for reducing its budget deficit to below 3% of national output.But Liam Byrne, the chief secretary to the Treasury, insisted today that the EU assessment was "wrong".The suggestion that Britain had to find another £20bn of cuts by 2014-15 was "too aggressive" and could cause "irreparable damage" to public services, Byrne added.The draft EU report, due to be approved by the commission but leaked to the news agency...

Anyone wishing to partake in the life of a lord could be running out of time to do so. Plans have been announced to abolish the House of Lords in its current form, should Labour win the coming election. In a democracy it’s hard to argue for the continuation of a system where people are appointed to make decisions on the future of the country without ever having been elected, or even likely to ever face such a scenario. That being said, the House of Lords does still play an important role. Having a second chamber to scrutinise and suggest changes to legislation is a valuable one which should be maintained. So bearing all this in mind this blog should presumably be all for a directly elected second chamber. Except this is not the case. Well possibly not, for the simple reason that full...

Dr Sam Moss has emerged as the South Devon Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Torbay. The Greens have high hopes of making a breakthrough in the marginal seat of Torbay, and they reckon Dr Sam is the man to do it. Sam, who lives in Paignton and has lived in and around Torbay most of his life, is a chiropractor who served in the Royal Marines for nine years. He told the PRSD: “The Green Party has a strong commitment to social justice, civil liberties and putting public services back in public hands. We are fundamentally opposed to the Afghan war and our undemocratic mayoral system of local government. That is why I am proud to stand as the Green Party candidate, to give the people of Torbay the chance to vote for a fairer, more sustainable society.” “The...

In another 5 years they'll have control of the police tooOnce upon a time you knew where you were with Labour. They spent shedloads of your dosh on half-baked social engineering projects undermining the social fabric, they wrecked the economy, and they were hostage to the unions.Then Old Labour got replaced by New Labour. They spent shedloads of your dosh on half-baked social engineering projects undermining the social fabric, they wrecked the economy, and they were hostage to the unions.Very confusing. So it's good to see New Labour replaced by Same Old Labour. They spend shedloads of your dosh on half-baked, etc etc.Labour's financial dependency on the unions stinks. The unions fund the party, and the party gives the unions millions of your money in the form of various...

Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, Charlotte MacKenzie, today said that environmental issues are of prime importance to some people in Truro and Falmouth, and called for a fresh approach to Cornwall’s waste management. Charlotte MacKenzie said: “Many people think Cornwall Council has got it’s waste strategy wrong. In 2005 local elections, my local Party called for more consultation before the Council issued a 30 year contract for Cornwall’s waste services. The incoming Liberal Democrat Council instead ploughed on with plans which included incineration as their preferred option, and contracted with SITA. “The unitary authority brought together waste collection (previously a District responsibility) and waste disposal (previously a County...

A play manuscript, recently found in a skip around the back of Downing Street in London, has now been credited to William Shakespeare. The play, MacBrown: Thief of Pensions, tells the tale of a insane Scotsman, who through devious manipulation, ends up ruling the whole of the British Isles, without having a mandate. The play tells how the MacBrown wages a ruthless campaign against all those he feels are against him, both within his government and outside it, whilst – ignored - the country goes to ruin as his lieutenants, the rude mechanicals, are left to think up more ways to tax the people and find more and more ways to bind them up in petty rules and regulations. As the play progresses the delusions of the MacBrown become more and more obvious, even to those around him. They...

I am on the verge of exhibiting a smidgeon of sympathy for Gordon Brown. Stop me, please! He is starting to resemble the tagged chav on an inner city council estate who won a fortune on the lottery, afraid to answer the phone, putting letters unopened into the fire, scared to walk out of the door...

ToryDiary: This election is a choice between a party leader who is honest about the tough economic choices facing Britain and one who is fundamentally dishonestTim Clark on Platform: Freedom with support and guidance (rather than dictation, strangulation and bureaucracy) is the way to improve educationLocal government: Sutton Conservatives push for Council Tax cutInternational: Battered by voters, Sarkozy is set to become another French leader to retreat from reformIf Conservatives do win, says Melanchthon on CentreRight, it will be because of "Brown's epic errors" and "not the modernisers' good judgement"Tories ahead by 5%, 9% and 11% in three new polls - Yesterday evening's ToryDiaryThe EU is preparing to demand tougher government action to rein in the UK's record peacetime deficit "In...

• Kidnappers left Sahil Saeed 40km away from Jhelum• High commission describes his recovery as 'fantastic news'The five-year-old British boy kidnapped on holiday in Pakistan nearly two weeks ago has been found, British officials and his family confirmed today.Sahil Saeed was snatched from a house in the Punjab region of the country on 4 March, after robbers held his family hostage at gunpoint.He is believed to have been recovered by police after being dumped by kidnappers in Kharian, about 40km from Jhelum the town in the Punjab province where he was taken."Sahil is in police custody," said the boy's grandfather Raja Basharat, speaking to Pakistani media. "God willing, they will bring him to our house. The whole family has gathered here waiting."Sahil, from Oldham, was on holiday with...

I was very sad to read this morning of the death of Ashok Kumar, MP.  He had been in Korea just last year for the annual meeting of the UK/Korea Forum for the Future, in which he had played a leading role for some years.  He was also Vice-Chair of the Britain/Republic of Korea Parliamentary Group in London and was very proud to be, almost certainly, the only UK MP to have worked in Korea, using his expertise as a chemical engineer in the 1980s.  I found him a very congenial politician and always eager to develop scientific links between Korea and the UK.  He will be sorely...

On 15 March, Lord Davies, the Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business, unveiled our plans to help UK business take advantage of the EU/Korea Free Trade Agreement.  UKTI, the governmental body which assists UK business overseas, has commissioned a study of the entire agreement to be sure that British businesses are aware of the opportunities that the agreement will bring when it comes into force - planned for later this year.  Overall, it is reckoned that UK business could profit by some £500 million per year (and of course other European and Korean businesses will benefit too) as a result of the removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers.  But to take full advantage and allow consumers in both the EU and Korea enjoy the advantages that lower costs will bring, we...

Good morning, and welcome to Daily View. I’m standing in for your usual Tuesday host because Sara was rushed into hospital yesterday. Get well soon, Sara. March 16th in history saw the resignation of Harold Wilson in 1976; in 1995, Mississippi finally ratified the 13th Amendment and officially outlawed slavery in US. Today is the birthday of Isabelle Huppert and Jimmy Nail. 2 Big Stories Police investigate Labour MP Ashok Kumar’s death Police and doctors are investigating the death of a Labour MP whose body was found at his home yesterday. Dr Ashok Kumar, 53, had been working as normal, with major commitments as parliamentary private secretary to Hilary Benn, the environment secretary. He was also campaigning for Corus steelworkers’ jobs in his Middlesbrough South and...

I got home from work today, fired up the PC, and the first thing that caught my eye on Twitter was news that Crawley’s MP, Laura Moffat, is standing down.  I have very mixed views about this.On the one hand I will be sad to see her go.  She has been a fixture on the local political scene ever since I moved out this way.  Since her predecessor was very much the invisible man in Crawley she is really the only MP I have known here.  On the other hand I am glad for her to be getting a well-deserved break after those years of hard work. After the nerve-wracking count and multiple recounts in 2005 Laura did seem to be determined to make it her last election, so I am not totally surprised.  No doubt there will be plenty of rejoicing amongst people who have not seen just how much she...

Obama's authority on the line over...

Magyárország on szépén ország > Hungary is a fine country > excuse my rusty Magyár, it’s been a long time since I’ve been there, 6 years, and my Finnish is much better now than my Hungarian ever was. I’ve emerged from my purdah to give a hat tip to Political Betting (I’m not a punter, but it’s interesting to follow the opinion polls) for the following information> It’s from Angus Reid originally: The former Comomies, the MSZP, Magyar Szocialiszt Partie, is being clobbered by the next PM, Viktor Orbán’s, wonderful Fidesz party, by 61 per cent to 22 per cent - that’s X3 the support and a 39 point lead. The Socialists in Hungary are finished because of the mess they’ve made of the economy, jobs etc and because their awful...

Mandelson to announce £170m funding for nuclear manufacturer that could lead low-carbon industrial strategyThe government's much-vaunted "low-carbon industrial strategy" is set to receive a boost on Wednesday with the announcement of a long-awaited £170m funding package for the British nuclear manufacturer, Sheffield Forgemasters.The company, which has been in funding negotiations for more than six months, has secured the last remaining £20m from bank loans, the Guardian has learnt.It means Sheffield Forgemasters will be able to build a 15,000-tonne press to make large forgings used in modern reactors being built in the UK and overseas.The business secretary, Lord Mandelson, and the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, will travel to Sheffield, along with the business minister, Pat McFadden,...

Labour figures past and present among those mourning former leader at funeral...

The number of ministers should be cut by up to a third to reduce costs and make Parliament more independent, MPs...

President Obama 'outraged' as drug violence claims three workers with connections to US consulateThere was growing pressure on the Mexican government today to prove that it has not completely lost control of the drug wars raging around the country, after three people associated with the US consulate in the border city of Ciudad Juárez were murdered.A White House statement said Barack Obama was "outraged" by the murders, which took place in two separate incidents on Saturday afternoon.A pregnant consulate worker, Leslie Enriquez, and her husband, Arthur Redelfs, were shot in their car after leaving a children's birthday party at a colleague's house. Their seven-month-old baby was found unharmed in the back seat.Almost simultaneously, assassins in a different part of the city killed Jorge...

Almost a third of council chief executives who leave their jobs are paid off, the local government spending watchdog...

James Sikes made a panicky call to emergency services, saying his Toyota Prius was speeding out of control on a San Diego freeway. His account is now increasingly under scrutinyIt sounded like a motorist's worst nightmare: a Californian estate agent, James Sikes, made headlines around the world last week when he recounted how his Toyota Prius went out of control on a San Diego freeway, reaching a speed of up to 94mph until a highway patrol officer guided him to safety.Sikes's account is now under scrutiny as experts puzzle over technical discrepancies and details emerge of his colourful financial history.Sikes became the face of Toyota's safety crisis as a flustered, white-haired 61-year-old, when he went public with his story and a recording was released of his panicky voice telling an...

More than half a million UK pensioners living overseas will find if they have won an appeal against freezing of their...

Nursery food is poor and could be subjected to new nutritional guidelines, a government-commissioned report...

Research into people's reactions to emergencies aims to make sure there are more survivors in futureImagine you're stuck in a burning building, trying desperately to escape. After stumbling to the end of a smoke-filled corridor, you have to choose whether to turn left or right. The decision could determine whether you live or die – but the way you make it is not as random as you might think, according to Ed Galea, professor of mathematical modelling at the University of Greenwich.Galea has forged a career out of working out the science and psychology behind how people's brains function in disaster zones. He has interviewed thousands of survivors, from 300 people who escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 to plane crash and Paddington rail disaster survivors. The results of his research...

Leaked report reveals European doubts over Britain's finances and questions 'ambition' of Labour's plans to cut debtLabour's strategy for controlling Britain's spending was tonight under fresh challenge when it emerged that the European commission is preparing to demand tougher government action to rein in the UK's record peacetime deficit. In findings which were seized upon by the Conservatives, Brussels warned that the current plans for repairing the black hole in the budget left by a deep and long recession needed to be more ambitious."A credible time frame for restoring public finances to a sustainable position requires additional fiscal tightening measures beyond those currently planned," said a draft report, due to be approved by the commission , but leaked to the news agency...

Original Home Page Current Latest Page All Contents of Site – Index All Links to ‘The Trial of Tony Blair’ posts Sign the Ban Blair-Baiting petition here. “He’s not a war criminal. He’s not evil. He didn’t lie. He didn’t sell out Britain or commit treason. He wasn’t Bush’s poodle. He hasn’t got blood on his hands. The anti-war nutters must not be allowed to damage Blair’s reputation further. He was a great PM, a great statesman and a great leader.” Comment at end Ban Blair-Baiting 16th March 2010 The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted the normally cool Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, an academic-turned diplomat, as saying: “Israel’s ties with the United States are in their worst crisis since 1975 … a crisis...

Dear Jack Straw, It never fails to amaze me how Labour can reinvigorate their interest in a topic when faced with electoral defeat after almost completing ignoring it for 13 years.  After the hilarious decision to keenly introduce Alternative Vote into our democracy, having completely ignored the issue for 13 years, you have now been struck down by policy amnesia yet again with your firm commitment to reforming the entire House of Lords in one go, despite almost completely ignoring this issue for 13 years. Your plan, set to unveiled before the general election, is to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a 300-strong, wholly elected second chamber.  The proposals, which were leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, would clearly sweep away centuries of tradition and set you on a...

“If you are hinting now that you are ready to sign up to a cosy deal with the Tories, you might as well shut up shop and be another Conservative Party, and be done with it” - agony aunt Claire Rayner, accusing Nick Clegg of “flirting” with the Conservatives...