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Politics live: readers' edition - Friday 5 October

Share breaking news, leave links to interesting articles online and chat about the week's events in this open thread Share 0 inShare0 Email What's caught your eye today? Share your views, links and news in our open thread Photograph: Alamy I'm not writing my Politics Live blog today but, as an alternative, here's Politics Live: the readers' edition. It's intended to be a place where you can catch up with the latest news and find links to good politics blogs and articles on the web. Please feel free to use this as somewhere you can comment on any of the day's political stories - just as you do when I'm writing the daily blog. But it would be particularly useful for readers to flag up new material in the comments – breaking news or blogposts or tweets that are worth passing on because someone is going to find them interesting. A lot of what I do on my blog is aggregation – finding the good stuff and passing it on - and you can do this, too (as

Labour in Manchester didn't cut it for working people. In Birmingham, we Conservatives can

The Conservative MP for Hexham, Guy Opperman, argues ahead of the conference that it is his party, and not Ed Miliband's, whose message is going down well on local doorsteps Share 7 inShare0 Email Hexham races: the blue jockey is making the running, says local MP Guy Opperman. Photograph: Julian Herbert/Getty Images I must confess I didn't catch much of Labour's conference. However, I did welcome Ed Miliband's focus on where he went to school. I hope my party will use our conference to remind the country that it is the Conservatives who are closing the gap between the richest and poorest pupils by providing schools with an extra £600 for each pupil from a poorer family. That's alongside establishing a £110 million Education Endowment Fund for innovative proposals to help struggling schools, the march of academies, and the increase in the number of 'superheads' who can transform schools. It was also very generous of Miliband to highlight the import

David Cameron's scattergun approach on EU risks UK national interest

Prime minister risks handing initiative to Britain's EU opponents by unveiling potpourri of proposals Share 6 inShare1 Email David Cameron told Andrew Marr he was prepared to veto the next EU budget. Photograph: BBC via Getty Images In reaching out to eurosceptics will David Cameron end up undermining British interests? In a series of television and newspaper interviews, the prime minister and other minsters moved on Sunday to neutralise UKIP by promising to adopt a tough approach to the EU. Cameron told The Sun he was prepared to veto the next seven year EU budget if the EU does not follow the example of most nation states and agree to slash spending. Theresa May told the Sunday Times that Britain is interested in imposing restrictions on the free movement of people around the EU. That is a wonderful menu for eurosceptics. The problem is that these proposals appear not to relate to the two vital national interests Britain needs to protect in all EU negotiations over th

Open thread: Why do you keep your blinds down?

George Osborne has commented on the unfairness of those on benefits keeping their 'blinds down' while others head out to work. Can you suggest other reasons why your curtains may be closed? Join our open thread Share 48 inShare0 Email Guardian readers guardian.co.uk, Monday 8 October 2012 11.13 BST Jump to comments (204) Do you keep your blinds down? Photograph: Frank Baron/Guardian On Monday morning the chancellor George Osborne said it was unfair those on benefits keep their "blinds down" while the working man starts his day. Speaking in an interview on the Today programme, Osborne said: "The rich will be asked to pay a greater share. But it is a "delusion" to think that taxes on the rich will solve the problem. It is unfair that people listening to this programme going out to work see the neighbour next door with the blinds down because they are on benefits." The welfare community on guardian.co.uk and on Twitter have responded in f

Work for a day in my Rochdale boutique, Mr Miliband

Labour needs to get out more to understand the problems on the high street. argues High Street campaigner Paul Turner-Mitchell Share 4 inShare0 Email Britain's high streets: one nation which isn't as bustling as it should be. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA As any copywriter worth their salt will tell you, great slogans are catchy, memorable and instantly understood. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband's conference speech about creating a 'one nation business model' ticks none of these boxes. The response I've seen on the high street is the same wherever I go; a brow furrowing look of puzzlement. This is not so much branding as bewildering. If a 'one nation business model' is seen as the answer to the high street's problems then it makes you wonder what our political leaders think the question is. During the conference, I hesitantly made my way to a 'meet the public' event with the Labour leader. Getting the high street on to politicians

Jimmy Savile: why didn't the tough tabloids nail him?

Those who should have acted didn't, kids who dared complain weren't believed, and all in a pre-internet age Share 72 inShare0 Email Jimmy Savile's charity work helped build him a 24/7 alibi. Photograph: Michael Putland/Getty Images It is now a week since the trickle of allegations against Jimmy Savile turned into a torrent and the BBC is still taking a ferocious kicking from the tabloids and other envious commercial rivals who can see the Beeb's privileged vices more clearly than its many virtues. But what about their own failure here? On this occasion the BBC's critics make a powerful case that senior management turned a blind eye to Savile's alleged abuse of young people. It's not hard to see why, but its explanations have been unpersuasive. Adults then had more unquestioned authority over children; the public and (especially) police were less bothered. Savile was a star; rich, famous and – we can now see – brutally cunning. Those who should ha

Britannia Unhinged - young Tory right set out their stall

MPs Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and Chris Skidmore explain their vision for the British workforce: work harder and work longer Share 38 inShare0 Email Paul Owen guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 October 2012 16.49 BST Jump to comments (312) Dominic Raab: 'The average number of hours worked by Britons has fallen by a third.' Photograph: Sutton-Hibbert/Rex Features The young authors of Britannia Unchained - a manifesto for the new Tory right - set out their stall on the Conservative conference fringe this afternoon. In their book MPs Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Elizabeth Truss (who was absent) call for a Britain of extreme economic liberalism in which, in the words of Labour's Jon Cruddas, "their ideal worker is one prepared to work long hours, commute long distances and expect no employment protection and low pay". The Financial Times called it "shock therapy for the country", a quote the publishers

Ten things we've learned from the Conservative party conference

The 2012 gathering revealed much about the party's dominant ideology, its fears and the popularity of Boris Johnson Share 6 inShare0 Email The Conservatives spent all week trying to assert their own 'one nation' credentials. Photograph: Jon Super/AP 1. 'White van' Conservatism is now the dominant ideology in the party The phrase comes from Robert Halfon, the Harlow MP, but other Tories talk about blue collar Conservatism or helping the "strivers", and Eric Pickles puts it in terms of Essex values. Alternatively, you could call it Tabloid Toryism, or just Thatcherism. It's the thread that binds together all the main announcements at the conference, such as curbs on benefit claimants, the "stab-a-burglar" law, tougher punishments for offenders and the council-tax freeze. Individually, these policies may be quite popular, but collectively they depict a grim picture of Britain, which is why the "nasty party" label has been h

David Cameron makes a flat speech for flat times

A competent address to the Tory conference shows he has substance, but tells us little we didn't already know Share 9 inShare0 Email David Cameron's speech was not one for the history books. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA It was a competent leader's speech, one that reminded his listeners that David Cameron has more substance to him than the effervescent Boris Johnson, but also a flat speech for pretty flat times. This summer's Olympics and Paralympics are a warm glow in the national consciousness, but winter is drawing in and the economic spring seems as far away as ever. Actually, Cameron went one worse than that, as his friend and ally George Osborne did on Monday. If the old "sclerotic" economies of the west, the world's dominant powers for 500 years, don't get their act together to match the resurgent power of Asia – and Latin America, Africa even – we are all in trouble. He wants Britain to be buccaneering again, "an aspiration nati

Five things that were left out of David Cameron's speech

There were a few notable omissions from the prime minister's address – including the Lib Dems and the police Share 19 inShare0 Email David Cameron addresses the Tory conference in Birmingham. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images 1. The police. With Andrew Mitchell's alleged "pleb" rant at Downing Street police officers still rather too fresh in everyone's minds, and police reforms, budget cuts and pay cuts exercising officers up and down the country, maybe it was no surprise that David Cameron steered clear of mentioning this particular group of public servants. A poster outside the conference centre said: "Say hello to Dave, wave goodbye to your police service." 2. An EU referendum. There was no mention either of a referendum on Europe, which had been clearly signalled by the prime minister in a round of interviews this week. But Cameron knows it's not just about holding a vote, but what question you are actually asking. 3. The Lib Dems.

Who claimed most credit for the Olympics?

London 2012 has had more than a few mentions during party conference season, but who gets the gold for glory grabbing? Share 0 inShare0 Email Mo Farah got several name-checks at the party conferences. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian David Cameron Glory-snatching rating: 6/10 What he said: I was trying to think of my favourite moment. Was it telling President Hollande that, no, we hadn't cheated at the cycling, we didn't have rounder wheels, it was just that we pedalled faster than the French? No … for me it was seeing that young woman who swam her heart out for years … nine training sessions a week, two hours a time. My best moment was putting that gold medal around the neck of Ellie Simmonds. And I am so grateful for what all those Paralympians did. When I used to push my son Ivan around in his wheelchair, I always thought that some people saw the wheelchair, not the boy. Today more people would see the boy and not the wheelchair – and that's because of w

Camerons dress for austerity at Tory conference

David and Samantha's Boden catalogue look has been replaced by a more severe style Share 0 inShare0 Email David and Samantha Cameron after his speech at the Tory conference. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Austerity begins at home. This is the message from the Cameron wardrobe. Even allowing for the rise of minimalism in fashion over the past few years, the shift in sartorial tone from the Camerons is noticeable. Funny to think that once upon a time, the easy Cameron joke was that the couple looked as if they had walked out of a Boden catalogue, all breezy open-necked shirts (him) and jaunty colour blocking (her). The look now is much more severe. David Cameron wore an almost identical outfit to last year – down to the purple tie, which now appears to be regulation issue across the political spectrum – but his shirt collar looked tighter and brighter white, his hair flatter and more solid. This was a starch-and-Brylcreem riposte to those back-of-an-envelope-gover

David Cameron's 'aspiration nation' neglects underlying issues

The Prime Minister's rhetoric needs the backing of healthy public services and measures such as Manchester's new £7.15 minimum wage, argues Dan Silver Share 103 inShare1 Email Reaching out in his speech. But how many people is the Prime Minister missing? Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian A central message that the Prime Minister wished to communicate in his speech to the Conservative party conference was that 'Britain is on the rise.' To guarantee this success, David Cameron highlighted the need to create an 'aspiration nation.' To achieve that, he declared war on the great evils of 'unfairness and injustice' with the aim of addressing poverty and stimulating economic recovery. The 'aspiration nation' is to be built upon 'hard work, strong families and taking responsibility.' However, thanks to the divisive manner in which current government policy is being designed and implemented, these statements look more like

Votes at 16? Why invite the kids to a party most don't want to attend?

I've never been persuaded that steadily lowering the voting age has done much, either for politics or for young people Share 8 inShare0 Email 'The evidence is that teenagers have little experience on which to base exercise of their civic duty.' Photograph: Jon Super/AP As the conference season ends and real life resumes for the political class, I see that votes at 16 are back on the agenda because David Cameron is reported to have conceded Alex Salmond's demand that Scottish 16- and 17-year-olds should get their say on Scotland's future in the promised independence referendum of 2014. I assume the first minister has concluded he will benefit because young people are always keener than their boring elders to try something new and exciting – sky-diving, veganism, crack cocaine. I hope Cameron has made a similar study, it would be careless if he hadn't, because the evidence is mixed. The SNP has a lot of young support, but some polls I've seen sugge

Politics live: readers' edition - Friday 12 October

Share breaking news, leave links to interesting articles online and chat about the week's events in this open thread Share 1 inShare0 Email It was the Conservative party conference this week - what caught your eye in the political news? Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian I'm not writing my Politics Live blog today but, as an alternative, here's Politics Live: the readers' edition. It's intended to be a place where you can catch up with the latest news and find links to good politics blogs and articles on the web. Please feel free to use this as somewhere you can comment on any of the day's political stories - just as you do when I'm writing the daily blog. But it would be particularly useful for readers to flag up new material in the comments – breaking news or blogposts or tweets that are worth passing on because someone is going to find them interesting. A lot of what I do on my blog is aggregation – finding the good stuff and passing i

Conference season: has your view of the parties changed?

Have the speeches, themes and announcements of this year's conference season altered your perception of the main parties and their leaders? Share 4 inShare0 Email Ed Miliband addressing Labour conference 2012 Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian Conference season is over for another year. But how well did the leaders get their message across to their own parties and - increasingly - to the wider electorate? Ed Miliband reintroduced himself to the country, and attempted to claim the centre ground. David Cameron and George Osborne told the country (and Boris) there was no alternative. Nick Clegg was sorry for his pledge on tuition fees but unapologetic about the Lib Dems' record in power. Has conference season changed your opinion on the three main parties or their leaders? Vote in our poll and share your views below. Has your view of the Conservative party changed? 7% I view them more favourably 56% I view them less favourably 37% My view ha

The Conservative 'northern problem' shows no sign of abating

But the party is at last showing signs of recognising what a mountain it has to climb, up here. Ed Jacobs, the Guardian Northerner's political commentor, reflects Share Tweet this inShare0 Email Failing to big up the northern challenge. Even heavyweights such as Eric Pickles - seen here at the party conference in Birmingham - have yet to get the urgency of the message across. Photograph: Ray Tang/Rex Features It is perhaps a sign of a party that was rattled by Ed Miliband's speech that led to Cabinet ministers meeting at the Conservative conference in Birmingham this week to consider ways of stealing the 'One Nation' mantra back from Labour. Where did it start? With the beginnings of a long-overdue debate over how the party regains the trust and confidence of the north, particularly urban seats, in much the same way as Margaret Thatcher did. The facts speak for themselves. Of the 158 constituencies in the North, at the last General Election, the Conservatives

The scars that divide nations: do the English have one too?

Story of Jean Moulin is a reminder of profound divisions that linger in French society. Do we have comparable fissures? Share 6 inShare0 Email Eric Lomax, a former British prisoner of war, whose book The Railway Man is a story of reconciliation. Photograph: Joe Payne/AP Did you register the death at 93 this week of Eric Lomax whose harrowing experiences as a Japanese prisoner of war on the Burma railway evolved into a quite remarkable story of reconciliation which he told in his late-life (1996) memoir, The Railway Man? If you didn't, you probably will because the story has been turned into a soon-to-be-released film starring no less a figure than Colin Firth. By a further coincidence I read the book this summer at the suggestion of my older brother who was staying on holiday with us. I did so after finishing a very different book with a more disturbing message to which I will return. The Burmese story is striking, not least by virtue of Lomax's powerfully plain and

Europe's Nobel peace prize: bad timing all round

Given the EU's current crises, both existential and economic, the Nobel committee could have chosen a better moment Share 67 inShare0 Email Why give the EU the Nobel peace prize now, rather than when it successfully expanded into the former Soviet Union? Photograph: EPA Is it right of the Nobel committee to award this year's peace prize to the European Union at a time when the EU is facing the gravest existential crisis of its 55-year history, and when the continent's elected leaders have repeatedly failed to resolve an economic conundrum which is largely of its own devising? No, I don't think it is. It smacks of bad timing, just as the committee's award of the same prize to Barack Obama in 2009 – when he'd barely sat down in the Oval Office – was toe-curlingly premature. It damaged the new president's standing at home (where plenty of US voters mistrust do-gooding foreigners) and was deemed sufficiently misjudged to make Obama stay away from Oslo