The commentators                    25-09-14

...on the Labour conference

Britain’s public finances remain in an appalling state, partly because the coalition has acted like a Labour government in protecting so much spending from both the axe and, just as importantly, from reform. Deep cuts are coming whoever is elected, but do any of the party leaders respect voters enough to tell us how they’ll make those cuts? 
- Tim Montgomerie, The Times
For all the chorus of sceptics and Miliband’s dire personal polling, Labour could clearly still be propelled into government next year on the back of falling living standards and revulsion at Cameron’s Tories. Which only makes it more urgent that the Labour leader brings his corporate guard to heel – and offers his party’s lost supporters change on the scale they desperately need.
- Seumas Milne, The Guardian
Jenni Russell
The English question was a largely hidden fracture running through the Labour conference. The leadership didn’t want to address it, the main hall didn’t debate it and only a handful of fringe meetings brought it up at all. The UK’s constitution had just been thrown up in the air by the promise of greater powers for Scotland but Ed Miliband’s inner circle were convinced that discussing the impact on England would give unnecessary oxygen to a Tory plot.
- Jenni Russell, The Times
The politics of envy are back. So is soaking the rich. And the class war is stirring. It’s all down to Red Ed, who evidently thinks we are living in the Seventies — or should be. God knows, Tony Blair had multiple faults, but he did at least change Labour from being the party that wanted to ‘squeeze the rich until the pips squeaked’ into a party that realised persecuting the better-off with ever higher taxes has the effect of depressing economic growth and making everyone poorer.
- Stephen Glover, Daily Mail
Miliband's attack on house purchase is a good reason he doesn't deserve to be prime minister
- Clive Aslet, Daily Telegraph
Thursday 25 September Judges for the Editorial Intelligence comment awards announced their shortlists today, with ten nominations for the FT, nine for the Times, five each for the Guardian and Independent, four for the Independent - and two for SubScribe. 
The Times and Sunday Times scored a clean sweep in nominations for the main award of commentariat of the year, which will be decided between David Aaronovitch, Camilla Cavendish, Daniel Finkelstein and last year's winner Caitlin Moran.
Guardian's Jay Rayner was shortlisted in the food writer category, but said that he did not wish to be considered as that award is sponsored by Tesco. 
The awards will be presented on November 25. See the full shortlists here
Apart from the twelve referendum splashes of the past two days, the subject has made a front-page lead on only five occasions this year:Yes, it's been busy with Iraq, Gaza, Ukraine, the rise of Ukip, sex scandals, the hacking trial, Mr Cameron's holidays, floods and heatwaves. But one would still expect the potential break-up of the UK  - or the liberation of Scotland, depending on your point of view - to be able to put up a better fight against the 30 house price splashes, the 25 on migrants and the 26 on Madeleine McCann. I stopped counting when I got to 60 soap opera and "reality TV" offerings.
- Wake us up before they go-go
A referendum miscellany Odds and ends from the campaign trail
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Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
September 24
Miliband's speech
September 23
Labour conference
September 22
Referendum fallout
September 19
Scottish referendum
September 18
Scottish referendum
September 17
Scottish referendum
September 16
Scottish referendum
September 15
Scottish referendum
September 12
Scottish referendum
September 11
Scottish referendum
September 10
Scottish referendum
September 9
Scottish referendum
September 8
Scottish referendum
September 5
Scottish referendum
September 4
Nato and Isis
September 3
Scottish independence
September 2
Hacked photographs
September 1
British politics
August 29
Carswell defection
August 28
Rotherham scandal
August 27
Islamic militants
August 26
Middle East
August 22
James Foley
August 21
James Foley
August 20
British politics
August 19
Iraq
August 18
Iraq
August 15
A levels
August 14
Iraq
August 13
Robin Williams
August 12
Iraq
August 11
Iraq
August 8
Boris Johnson
August 7
Boris Johnson
August 6
Baroness Warsi
August 5
First World War centenary
August 4
Gaza