James Forsyth

Anyone wanting proof of the contempt in which Ken Livinsgtone holds the London taxpayer need only read this item on Guido’s blog. Not content with deluging Londonders with dubious, public information announcements that have an uncanny tendency to reflect well on the Mayor he is also posting his Londonder newsletter to the constituency offices of MPs around the country. I've contacted the Mayor's office for a comment and I'll let you know what there justification is for this. Also watch out for more on Livingstone and his unsuitability for the job in the next few days.

David Cameron turned in a strong performance on the Andrew Marr show this morning pushing back firmly and effectively against Marr’s suggestion that there was somehow equivalence between Peter Hain and George Osborne’s funding issues. However, as always, the questions about Lord Ashcroft’s status haunt the Tories. The key message that Cameron wanted to communicate was that Brown is a ditherer, he used the word at every available opportunity, and that the Tories have the policy heft to govern. He was generally effective but he still seems slightly unsure of himself when talking about the economy. One has to wonder whether this is why Gordon Brown and Cameron are effectively tied for who would be the best PM.

Fraser wrote the other day about how public attitudes seemed to be moving decisively in favour of welfare reform and new poll numbers,flagged up by Conservative Home, back up this argument.  82% back the new Tory policy that those who have been on unemployment benefits for two years should have to do work in the community if they are to continue receiving benefits.  While more than three quarters of voters, 77%, thinks that unemployed people who live where they do could get work if they really wanted it. It looks like the Tories have a new powerful weapon in their armoury. The key, now, is not to overreach in terms of language. David Cameron and Chris Grayling must strive to sound both compassionate and calm on this issue.

After Hillary’s remarkable come from behind victory in New Hampshire there have been a lot of jokes about how we can now expect Gordon Brown, and every other ambitious politician, to start choking up in public. Somehow, I can’t see Brown doing this or pulling it off if he tried. However, there is one thing that Brown should learn from Hillary. When her campaign was at its lowest ebb, Hillary embarked on a new strategy of making herself as available as possible. In the last few days in New Hampshire she took questions from the audience, which she hadn’t in Iowa, and allowed the press to talk to her far more freely. Hillary’s continuing this new approach with an hour long appearance on Meet The Press, the premier US political show, and a new web based QandA.

Sam Coates, over at his splendid new blog, writes that the Tories have been indulging in some clothes stealing by adopting the Lib Dem idea for a pupil premium for poorer children. I’ve no doubt that Sam is right about what motivated the timing of the announcement, but it is my understanding that this has always been part of Tory thinking on the issue. James O'Shaughnessy, the Tory head of policy, was an enthusiastic advocate of such a scheme when he was at Policy Exchange and Michael Gove has long been supportive of the idea.  As Comment Central points out, the Tories haven't yet explained how large the premium would be or how they would pay for it. But this announcement is more proof that education is the area where Tory thinking is most developed and most radical.