The ShortList – November 22nd

From @LabourList

Catch up with the highlights from LabourList this week, with the ShortList, below…

First, check out this week’s PPC Profile, of Reading East’s Anneliese Dodds.

Until Christmas, there’s also the welcome return of the LabourList interview. The first is with Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, Glenis Willmott.

And read Labour’s new media tsarina, Kerry McCarthy’s support of the Party Political Broadcast Against the Odds, as well as Ellie Gellard’s proud celebration of her campaign to put the video (and the Scottish Labour version) to the nation.

News
Polls: Labour were up four points on the Tories in this week’s ICM poll…

Polls: But even better news could be the Observer’s Ipsos-Mori poll, showing the gap has fallen tp six points and a hung Parliament is on the cards.

A good day: Gordon Brown changed his mind on withdrawing relief through childcare vouchers for parents.

On Monday, the PM called for a timetable for the withdrawal of tBritish troops from Afghanistan to be set in 2010.

Queen’s Speech: Read about each of the Bills and Draft Bills and also the full text of the last legislative agenda of this Parliament.

Queen’s Speech: Mathew Hulbert says the speech was no saving grace – but it does kick off a winnable debate.

And in his Speech Bubble column, Richard Robinson says there are some gold nuggets in the speech that can galvanise the Labour Party.

And in the House this week, Ed Balls stood up for Labour’s education policies – and results. Watch this amusing clip from that debate…

Campaigns
They might be a bit different or a bit of fun, but will you be laughing if the Tories win?

But Paul Burgin says negative campaigning like the Jedward video is both childish and counter-productive.

34 Labour PPCs this week piled pressure on the Prime Minister to accept the case for a referendum on electoral reform on the same day as the general election.

But Tom Harris says the chatterers and electoral reformers do not hold the key to Labour’s election success.

Party, Policy and People
Two years a PPC, and Ruth Smeeth says it’s never been clearer what we’re fighting for.

Education columnist Oli De Botton stands up for big government, saying it is vital for the three Rs.

In his NHS column, Amanjit Jhund says we should offer MBAs to medics to improve the management of the Health Service,

Stephen Cowan rejects and rebutts the Tory leader of Hammersmith and Fulham’s damaging policies on homelessness.

Economist Duncan Weldon on the national debt, governmentt borrowing and gilts: not as scary as Osborne would make out…

Opinion
The hidden wiring: Paul Richards on why the Queen’s Speech shows that our democracy still has a lot of growing up to do.

The poorest 25% of people own just 1% of our wealth – Labour must take a new approach to ownsership, says Anthony Painter.

Red Toryism: a lesson for the left?

Where is the next generation of truly inspiring leaders?

For those both in and outside the Labour Party, we must support the PM’s moral authority, says the Reverend Arun Arora.

Twitterers are amongst the most political and liberal people in the UK. Why?

“We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals”: Ed Williams on why Labour must develop a new approach to civil liberties.

The Labour movement is still buzzing, but Number 10 is increasingly the refuge of the electorally damned, writes Martin Bright in his first posting on LabourList.

Mr Caine, we don’t want to “soak the rich”, but we do want you to “pay your taxes”!

Previous editions of the ShortList
Glasgow North East by-election – November 14th, 2009

Blair and Miliband to Europe? – November 8th, 2009.

Europe and the Primary debate – November 1st, 2009

Griffin on Question Time – October 25th, 2009

Tory numbers – October 17th, 2009

Conseravtive conference – October 10, 2009.

Labour conference – October 3rd, 2009.

A Britain where everyone has a stake and a say – September 5th, 2009.

Teddy Kennedy: a good and decent man – August 29th, 2009.

Election strategy – August 22nd, 2009.

We Love the NHS – August 15th, 2009.

Green shoots are not enough – August 8th, 2009.

Debating ConservativeHome – August 1st, 2009.

Cruddas and Purnell – July 23rd, 2009.

The Ken Livingstone interview – July 18th, 2009