Ed’s inbox – April 26th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

If Ed Miliband could only read five blogposts each day, he’d read these ones…

A snap election is no longer unthinkable – but it won’t happen – Labour Uncut
By Sunder Katwala

An election this year is no longer unthinkable, writes Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley. ConservativeHome’s Tim Montgomerie, influential champion of the Tory netroots, advises Cameron to prepare his troops. Perhaps the prime minister’s most unlikely adviser, Tom Watson, was ahead of the game.

Except that it won’t happen. (Just as economists have successfully predicted six of the last three recessions, commentators and bloggers promoting snap elections should have to declare their previous kite-flying efforts). – Read more.

Lansley blames snow for NHS waiting times! – Liberal Conspiracy
By Sunny Hundal

This is just staggering.

Last week we highlighted how the report from King’s Fund last week showed rising NHS waiting times.

Today Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was asked about those rising figures.

He said:

“Waiting times in the NHS are stable. For patients who are admitted to the NHS, an average of nine weeks’ waiting time. For patients who are outpatients, three and a half weeks. I think people in the NHS might reasonably say that to choose February 2011, in the immediate wake of a severe winter, with the largest snow outbreak since 1999 – with critical care beds being occupied meaning that patients for elective operations could not be admitted – was not a fair comparison to be made.” – Read more.

Top columnist spreads “voter confusion” over AV – Tory Troll
By Adam Bienkov

City Hall’s election managers have written to journalists asking them to stop making the false claim that the Mayor of London is elected under the Alternative Vote system.

CLARIFICATION

We have noticed that there have been some inaccuracies recently regarding the election of the Mayor of London. For any editorial stories you are writing, I wanted to clarify the voting system used in London to ensure there is no voter confusion ahead of the 2012 Mayoral elections. – Read more.

I agree with Zac – Shot by both sides
By Kerry McCarthy

While doing a bit of research on something else I stumbled across this Daily Mail article by Tory MP Zac Goldsmith on meat from cloned animals. Interesting article, particularly his conclusion:

“After forming a government in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, David Cameron further emphasised his environmental credentials as Prime Minister, promising that his administration would be ‘the greenest government ever’. Instead, we have a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which seems to have yielded absolutely to the minority interests of big agribusiness, and is taking food and farming in a direction no one welcomes.” – Read more.

Cruddas: Big Society failing the “all in this together” test as safety nets go – Left Foot Forward
By Daisy Blacklock

Here’s a familiar question: What is the Big Society? A moral code? Unpaid volunteers running public services? A revival of community relations? The dismantling of the state?

With definitions of the Big Society spanning the sweepingly general to the comically reductive, and as the blows to public spending begin to strike thick and fast, the feeling that the Big Society is nothing more than a “Trojan Horse” for pushing through cuts will not be easing any time soon. – Read more.

Our suggestions for Ed’s inbox are limited by what we read – so if you’ve seen a blogpost that should be in Ed’s inbox, let us know.