Our party leaders are racing to jump on board the Obama bandwagon.

David Cameron taunted Gordon Brown in the Commons by asking whether he still believed it was "no time for a novice" - a reference to Brown's speech to Labour's annual conference.

The Tory leader sees the election of Barack Obama as proof that change can be a good thing.

From his point of view, it shows that what people want is a fresh face, like the US President-elect or, indeed, Mr Cameron.

The Prime Minister draws a different lesson. Writing in the Observer, he argues that Obama's victory reflects "the collapse of a failed laissez-faire dogma" and what he calls "the old free market fundamentalism".

In other words, it's a victory for the left.

We also read in the Sunday Mirror that Labour is planning massive tax cuts, apparently costing the Treasury £15 billion.

This is in keeping with Mr Brown's admiration for Obama, who also promised tax cuts during his election campaign.

At the same time, Labour is boasting about its plans to continue massive levels of public spending.

There's been a lot of speculation about what Barack Obama's victory will mean Britain.

But it looks like the immediate effect will be to give the Government an excuse to borrow even more.

Bookmark This:
                                       

Lots of people like to bash the Daily Mail for being a scurrilous right-wing rag, but all credit to them for uncovering the way councils are using legislation nominally aimed at terrorists to spy on ordinary residents.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act allows public bodies to use "investigatory powers" such as "the interception of communications" and "covert surveillance" to gather information. In practice, this means things like opening people's mail and putting up hidden cameras to record their movements.

Officially, the Act is there to help "the security and intelligence agencies, law enforcement and other public authorities" do their job. Which sounds reasonable enough.

Even in these cynical times, most of us would assume the security and intelligence agencies focus their efforts on fighting terrorism or serious organised crime, and if a little phone tapping or secret filming is going to help then all power to them.

Bookmark This:
                                       

Mr J, our correspondent from the US of A, explains what's what in the race for the White House:

It seems as if everyone in the world is watching the American Presidential election. It's become the biggest most expensive and highest rated reality TV show in history.

It all came to crystal clarity just how important this election is to the rest of the world as I was sitting in a bar with a lady friend, a platonic friend mind you. As she's quite the looker it was no surprise when a randy Englishman, who was old enough to be my grandfather's younger brother, proceeded to chat up my non-date.

As the old man, let's call him "Randy", held court with my non-date while I received sympathetic looks from the wait staff, I couldn't help but marvel at how well versed he was with American politics - and how he missed many of the subtle nuances. I know what you're thinking: American and subtle is like Merlot and Ice, it just doesn't go together. Believe me we can be subtle. So let's talk details and get a better understanding of what's going on here in the States.

Bookmark This:
                                       

You may think our beloved Mayor is the most powerful politician in London, but he has a rival - a chap by the name of Tony McNulty.

Mr McNulty (Lab Harrow East), a welfare minister, doubles up as "The Minister for London", supposedly giving the capital a larger voice in the machinery of Government.

Last week he attended the first meeting of the Council of Regional Ministers, a new body set up by Gordon Brown as part of the Prime Minister's efforts to steer Britain through the financial crisis.

It includes the other Ministers of the English regions (London is considered a region) as well as Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Ministers.

A press release issued by the Government's News Distribution Service states: "Helping savers, small businesses and homeowners in London through the worldwide economic problems was top of the agenda."

But what is Mr McNulty going to do about it? As Minister for London he has no powers whatsoever.

As blogger Dizzy points out, the clue comes later on in the release, when it states that the council's remit includes: "[to] disseminate key messages for Regional Ministers to use in their discussions in the regions. This will include the narrative agreed by the NEC."

The NEC in this case is the National Economic Council - another of Mr Brown's new committees - which includes senior Cabinet members but not Mr McNulty.

In other words, his role is not actually to tell the Government what we think, but to tell us what the Government thinks.

It gets worse. He has two assistants - Labour MPs Karen Buck (Regents Park and Kensington North) and Clive Efford (Eltham).

Another press release, this time from the Labour Party, states that these two will "will liaise with and support the work of regional ministers and national ministers."

Oh yes, and they will also "help coordinate the Labour Party's campaigns in regions and nations, with a special emphasis on economic issues".

So their role is actually to pump out party propaganda.

Of course, Labour is entitled to campaign, and to appoint people to lead its campaigns in London. That's part of democracy.

But dressing it up as an attempt to help us pay our mortgages is wretched.

If anyone can prove me wrong with real examples of anything useful Mr McNulty has done for the capital, do let me know.

Bookmark This:
                                       

A Mori poll recently commissioned by English Partnerships and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment shows that around half of all residents living in new housing in London and the south east are dissatisfied with the amount of space in their home.

Purchasers are not getting what they want - they are putting up with what they get, it concluded.
Mayor, Boris Johnston, appalled at 'shameful space standards in both private and public housing', says he will from now on take a personal interest in planning decisions. Speaking to architects at the London Festival of Architecture earlier this year, Boris likened new homes to rabbit hutches.

Let us hope that Boris indeed finds the time and maintains the enthusiasm for his cause and does not, like his predecessor, succumb to pressure from the Home Builders' Federation and abandon his good intentions.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone shelved a report recommending the re-introduction of space standards in line with the acclaimed Parker Morris Standard following lobbying by the HBF, whose head of planning, Andrew Whitaker, declared the report 'extremely unhelpful at a time when we are all fighting hard to get housing numbers up'.

Well, he would say that wouldn't he? Not many planners, architects or executives of home building companies live in properties where people have to queue for the loo and fall over one another's feet getting from the sitting room to the dining room.

Take it from someone who has. It's no fun and not conducive to happy family existence to live in a pre-Parker Morris house in a new town with only one living room, a kichen and a lobby downstairs and three tiny bedrooms and a bathroom and lavatory upstairs. There was only one fireplace in the whole house and no central heating.

Bookmark This: