Archive: 19 July – 25 July 2010
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Friday 23 July 2010
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Stephen Crabb, the Conservative MP, is leading Project Umubano as it enters its fourth year in Rwanda
The French will not be happy. A group of Conservatives will tomorrow start distributing 2,000 English language dictionaries to teachers in the former Francophone colony of Rwanda.
The dictionaries, provided by Penguin, are another sign of how the former Belgian colony is turning its back on the Francophone world in favour of greater ties with English speaking countries. Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009.
Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, blames France for aiding and abetting the Hutu genocide of 1994 in which 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred. Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and the killing came to an end in July 1994.
The dictionaries, whose arrival shows how Rwanda has been transformed under Kagame, will be distributed by Conservative volunteers who will tomorrow embark on their fourth mission to the country. It will last until 7 August.
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Thursday 22 July 2010
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George Monbiot: The decision to stop funding the Sustainable Development Commission is the definitive false economy
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Nick Griffin had his invitation to a Buckingham Palace garden party withdrawn today. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
Join Andrew Sparrow for rolling coverage of today's events at Westminster
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Wednesday 21 July 2010
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The House of Commons. Photograph: PA
Join Andrew Sparrow for rolling coverage of the day's events at Westminster including prime minister's questions at midday
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Tuesday 20 July 2010
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David Miliband, announcing in his South Shields constituency that he would contest the Labour leadership, delivered some home truths to his party today. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters
Michael Settle, the softly spoken UK political editor of the Herald, had one of the best political scoops of the day.
David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, told Settle in an interview that the Scottish government had been wrong to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing:
It was clearly wrong because it was done on the basis he had less than three months to live and it's now 11 months on.
The remarks by Miliband were picked up on both sides of the Atlantic as David Cameron responded to US anger by announcing that the cabinet secretary would review the relevant papers. Patrick Wintour has filed a report from Washington on the prime minister's announcement.
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Gordon Brown was a fan of slogans, Labour pollster Deborah Mattinson reveals in her new book. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
The Times reportedly paid £350,000 to serialise Lord Mandelson's book. My budget for book serialisations is rather more modest – but I did manage to wangle a copy of Deborah Mattinson's book, Talking to a Brick Wall, and it's definitely worth a blog.
Mattinson was involved in polling and focus group research for Labour for 25 years, and describes herself on the dustjacket as "chief pollster to Gordon Brown", although the book reveals that they fell out before the 2010 election.
It's not the best book on New Labour, but it contains more insight and less bile than many memoirs and probably deserves more attention than it has received. Continue reading...
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File picture of Eliza Manningham-Buller, who was director general of MI5 between 2002 and 2007 Photograph: Home Office/PA
Rolliing coverage as the former director general of MI5 gives evidence to the Chilcot panel
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Monday 19 July 2010
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Rory Stewart, who talks to constituents during long walks across his constituency in Cumbria, says the Big Society will help to deliver broadband. Photograph: Christopher Thomond
So just how ambitious and realistic is David Cameron's 'big society'?
Labour was today quick to dismiss the prime minister's pledge to deliver the "most dramatic redistribution of power from elites in Whitehall to the man and woman on the street".
This is what Ed Miliband told Radio 4:
This is essentially a 19th century or US-style view of our welfare state which is cut back the welfare state and somehow civic society will thrive.
The Tories insist that their "Big Society" is not about forcing citizens to run public services along the lines of Labour's witty election video which depicted a harassed mother having to hold a raffle to raise her local GPs' wages. They say that boosting local communities can make a real difference.
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Screengrab of the Treasury's Spending Challenge website.
Innovations such as the Treasury's Spending Challenge are struggling with their plans to let the public suggest policy ideas
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Schools which want to become academies, mapped by education authority. Click image to get graphic. Illustration: Paul Scruton for the Guardian
How many schools are interested in becoming Academies where you live? This is the full list - and map
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• Get the data -
School building projects stopped. Click image for full graphic. Photograph: Paul Scruton for the Guardian
The list of school building projects scrapped and saved has got the government into trouble. Get the full revised list - and find out how your constituency is affected
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David Cameron. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/PA
Join Andrew Sparrow for live coverage of all the day's developments at Westminster as they happen, including David Cameron's 'big society' speech
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