Mehdi's Morning Memo: Mansion Mischief

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The ten thing you need to know on Tuesday 12 March 2013...

1) MANSION MISCHIEF

"Playing parliamentary silly buggers" is how one Lib Dem MP described the Labour motion on the mansion tax to us, as Nick Clegg and David Cameron agreed a government amendment that both coalition parties could sign up to. The deal, which makes it clear the Lib Dems support a new levy on homes over £2m while the Tories do not, saves the PM and DPM the awkwardness of a coalition split over the issue.

Labour had mischievously tabled today's debate in an attempt to either divide the coalition, or force Lib Dem MPs to vote against their own policy. Both of which would be a good laugh for Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. Expect Opposition MPs to have a lot of fun at the Lib Dems expense during this afternoon's Commons debate. Or rather, more so than usual.

Today's Memo is edited by Ned Simons as Mehdi Hasan is in Rome helping to choose the new Pope.

2) THE (OTHER SORT OF) BIG HOUSE

Chris Huhne meanwhile is swapping his mansion for the other sort of big house today, after being sentenced to eight months in jail. "Well, I certainly lied and lied again," the former energy secretary told Channel 4 News. "I think my political career is very clearly over but I think that I have other things to offer, doing other things, and I will."

It's not all bad for Huhne, his former colleague on the Lib Dem benches, Lembit Opik, has offered to visit him in prison – perhaps seeking a captive audience for his stand-up routine. Surely Huhne has suffered enough?

3) WHO ARE THE 0.2%?

A total of 1,513 votes were cast in the Falklands referendum, with 98.8% of the islanders declaring themselves in favour of remaining British. Just three votes, or 0.2% of the ballot, voted against. There will no doubt be a witch-hunt to find out who the hell those three people were.

William Hague welcomed the utterly unsurprising vote, saying: "We have always been clear that we believe in the rights of the Falklands people to determine their own futures and to decide on the path they wish to take. It is only right that, in the twenty-first century, these rights are respected.

"All countries should accept the results of this referendum and support the Falkland Islanders as they continue to develop their home and their economy. I wish them every success in doing so."

This morning David Cameron said Argentina should "should take careful note of this result". No word on which way all the penguins voted.

4) THE RYAN PLAN

WASHINGTON - Under the splash headline 'Austerity Now' (that pun is so 2010 guys, we've used it at least five times, keep up) our American colleagues report that former Republican vice-presidential candidate and chairman of the House Budget Committee Chairman, Paul Ryan, said on Monday he can balance the US federal budget in 10 years without raising taxes any further by achieving $4.6 trillion in additional government spending cuts.

5) CAMERON 'QUIZZED'

David Cameron will be at the liaison committee at 4pm this afternoon for 90 (it will seem longer) minutes. The format of the sessions, where the chairman of the different Commons select committees each get to question the prime minister means they are about as forensic as yesterday's PM Direct event where Cameron had to resort to asking himself questions as none were forthcoming from the audience.

Pity the poor aides and journalists who get stuck in camera shot behind the prime minister and have to avoid nodding off live on Sky News (for as long as the broadcasters can bare to cover it that is).

6) POLL 'BOOSTS' TORY RIGHT

A Guardian/ICM poll has found that public "overwhelmingly believes a hard line on Europe, immigration and traditional families would make the party more appealing".

According to the paper by a majority of 67%-25%, voters say, "the Conservatives would be more appealing if they took a tougher line with Europe". Some 75%-21% believe the same about the party taking a "a tougher line on immigration. And voters judge by 69%-24% that the Tories' appeal could be boosted by keeping "themselves on the side of traditional families" – in what will be read as a rejection of gay marriage.

The findings will be seized upon by Tory MPs who believe the key to electoral success in 2015 is to abandon Cameron's modernising agenda and move to the right to take-on Ukip.

7) TAXI!

The Evening Standard reports that Lutfur Rahman, the mayor of Tower Hamlets in East London, has charged a series of mysteriously expensive taxi journeys to the public. One trip is said to have cost £71 despite the cab only travelling a distance of 400 metres. Another cost £121 when the same journey taken on the capital's Docklands Light Railway would have cost just £2.10.

8) IRISH ASK UK TO STAY

Irish premier Enda Kenny has become the latest European leader to urge Britain to remain within the European Union. The Taoiseach, in London for a series of engagements including talks with Cameron, insisted Britain has much to gain from its membership.

"We see the British relationship with the EU as being a two-way relationship - Britain benefits from its membership of the EU, and the EU is better off with Britain as a leading member making a valued contribution," Kenny said.

9) NEW POPE TIME

From the BBC: "Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect a new pope will begin voting later on Tuesday, with no clear frontrunner in sight. The 115 cardinal-electors will attend a special Mass in the morning before processing into the Sistine Chapel to begin their deliberations in the afternoon. They will vote four times daily until two-thirds can agree on a candidate."

10) DRONE WARS

WASHINGTON - A new medal that would honor drone pilots and cyber warriors and outrank battlefield combat medals such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star is facing backlash from veterans organizations and members of Congress, with a bipartisan group of 22 senators pressing the Pentagon to change the designation. As HuffPost reports, the backlash to the medal centers around the fact that it will take precedence over traditional several combat awards, which require that the recipient risk his or her life in order to receive them.

140 CHARACTERS OR LESS

@Queen_UK Queen of the Falklands. By popular consent. #YourQueenLovesYou #DontCryForOneArgentina

@Mike_Fabricant At the request of a Minister in charge of the legislation last night, I have changed my photo back to the pony.

900 WORDS OR MORE

Steve Richards in The Independent: "Labour and the Tories both think they'll lose 2015 and they can't both be right."

Benedict Brogan in the Daily Telegraph:"If Cameron wants his troops to rally, he must act like a general."

Mehdi Hasan in The Huffington Post UK: "Get Rid Of Dave? How Exactly Would That Help the Tories?"

Got something you want to share? Please send any stories/tips/quotes/pix/plugs/gossip to Mehdi Hasan (mehdi.hasan@huffingtonpost.com) or Ned Simons (ned.simons@huffingtonpost.com). You can also follow us on Twitter: @mehdirhasan, @nedsimons and @huffpostukpol

	'FALLEN FROM A GREAT HEIGHT'
	Falkland Islanders Vote To Stay British
	Lib Dems Avoid Red Faces Over Mansion Tax
	Female Tory MPs Tell Cameron To 'Get On With It' And Appoint More Women
	Archbishop Seeks To Defuse Welfare Row

BLOG POSTS

	Mehdi Hasan: Get Rid Of Dave? How Exactly Would That Help the Tories? Has the Tory right gone mad? Taken collective leave of its senses? The non-stop chatter about whether or not David Cameron will survive until 2015 and the endless speculation about whether it'll be Theresa May or Boris Johnson who succeeds him is bizarre. In fact, I find myself, weirdly, unusually and unexpectedly, coming to the defence of our poor prime minister.
	Peter Kellner: Immigrants, Welfare and the NHS All the main parties are nervous about the politics of immigration, and figures in YouGov's latest poll for the Sunday Times suggest why. Few of us think that immigrants generally play a positive role in British life. The incessant, and often badly-informed stories, year after year, about crimes committed by black offenders, migrant families who 'jump the housing list' and 'welfare tourists' who come here to hoover up generous benefits - they have taken their toll.
	Lord Andrew Adonis: Our Compelling Need for More - And Better - Apprenticeships There is a compelling need for more - and better - youth apprenticeships. Long-term youth unemployment is rising as fast as university tuition fees, yet employers are complaining of a lack of skilled labour. It is because there is a black hole of no education and no work-related training into which over a quarter of a million young people are falling every year.
	Peter G Tatchell: Queen Supports Gay Rights in the Commonwealth? While The Queen has spoken approvingly of the UK's many races and faiths, for six decades she has ignored LGBT Britons. If she treated black and Asian Britons in the same way, she'd be denounced as a racist. Why the double standards? The monarchy is homophobic - if not by conscious intent, then certainly by default.
	Maria Miller: A Day to Celebrate Women in All Walks of Life Friday is International Women's Day. And it is an opportunity for us to celebrate women in all walks of life. It is a chance to look at where we are now, how far we have come, and what needs still to be done. It is also a time to reflect on the work which is improving the lives of women across the world. It is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the vital role women are playing in our own society, be it in business, education, entertainment, public service or in the home.