Politics

The Daily Briefing: Friday 20 September

The McPoison papers, op-ed diplomacy and German ordoliberalism

September 20, 2013
Gordon Brown says there could be "a constitutional crisis in the making"
Gordon Brown says there could be "a constitutional crisis in the making"
The McPoison papers: Confessions of rogue Labour spin doctor laid bare (Independent) James Cusick on a preview of the tell-all memoir from Gordon Brown’s communication chief, Damian McBride, that drags New Labour’s reputation to new lows.

My advice to Labour: be of good cheer, be bold, stop jumping at shadows (Guardian) Leaders are the embodiments of their policies, says Polly Toynbee. Voicing bold, clear policies could win Labour the election.

Merkel is gambling away Germany's intellectual heritage (FT, £) Angela Merkel might be on course to win this weekend's election, but Germany's intellectual heritage is being gambled away in a bid to save the euro, writes Lüder Gerken.

Why Iran seeks constructive engagement (Washington Post) Hassan Rouhani has become the latest member of state to voice his opinion on foreign policy, bolstering his charm offensive.

Fed gets it right but says it wrong (FT, £) FT editorial: The Fed’s bungling deliberation on whether to “taper” qualitative easing will make it harder for investors to trust the central bank going forward.

Cameron has an inspiring message, so let’s hear it (Telegraph) With the rise of Ukip, writes Fraser Nelson, it is imperative that the PM makes a strong argument for a Tory-only government.

Why Greece is not Weimar (New York Times, £) The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party is on the rise, but the EU saves Greece from the worst, writes Roger Cohen.

The state of Libya must be built (Guardian) The Libyans who defied Gaddafi deserve our attention, writes Ian Martin, in their their bid to overcome his legacy.

Big-saving Germany spurred the global crisis (Times, £) Sponsoring huge surpluses in the eurozone, Stephen King writes, has also damaged the global economy.

Labour’s salvation? The hated Lib Dems (Times, £) Labour cannot afford to let their deep-set fear and loathing of the Liberal Democrats stop them from wooing them ahead of the next election says Philip Collins.