Cheryl Brumley, Danielle Moran and Joel Suss round up the week in political blogging
Andrew Lansley and health reform
Three cabinet ministers tell the Tory Diary that Andrew Lansley and his health reforms must go and Labour List writes that this is a big moment for political blogging. Liberal Conspiracy notes that Conservative Home has effectively taken Lansley out and shot him, and argues that the NHS bill could represent a Waterloo moment for government.
Liberal Democrat Voice add that the bulk of the bill must now be scrapped. Political Scrapbook report that senior Tories told Cameron to drop the controversial bill over six weeks ago and Politicalbetting.com write that the odds for Lansley to make the next cabinet next are now 2/1.
Welfare reform
Liberal Conspiracy investigates how the government’s own advisor has condemned the benefits cap as “populist” policy that is in effect a poverty trap. Indeed the JRF blog notes that the welfare reform debate ignores the facts about poverty.
The economy
The Coffee House expresses unease at the latest announcement of quantitative easing, a move that is welcomed by the TUC’s Touchstone blog. Faisal Islam wonders if more years of quantitative easing really should be the way forward and Robert Peston talks RBS, Barclays and bonuses. The Tory Diary surveys its readers on how to stimulate economic growth and the FT’s Westminster Blog wonders why David Cameron doesn’t introduce his board gender proposals.
Syria
Mehdi Hasan at the New Statesman argues that intervention in Syria wont work, but Assad needs to be stopped somehow.
The parties
The Green Benches thinks people should make like Daniel Radcliffe and jump the Lib Dem ship, while shipmates at Liberal Democrat Voice think the party can woo Blairite defectees away from the Tories. Paul Crowe, writing for Labour List, argues that the party shouldn’t be attacking bankers, and The Green Benches looks at why Cameron keeps losing PMQs.
Trevor Smith at openDemocracy wonders what consequence for Britain if being Prime Minister is now seen as a mid-career job.
And finally…
Michael White at the Guardian’s Politics Blog urges David Cameron to steer away from the debate on whom the next England manager should be.
