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| It's happening at an almost glacial pace, but the Conservative party are finally starting to wake up to the likelihood that Ed Miliband will be prime minister after the next election. You could hear it dawning on them during prime ministers' questions this week. Once utterly dismissive of the Labour leader, Tory backbenchers are becoming increasingly and audibly scared of him. With every relatively good week that the Labour leader has, the noise from the government benches goes up another few decibels. On Wednesday the din reached migraine-inducing levels. So why is this? It's not that the polls have changed much in recent months. Ed Miliband's price freeze has probably increased Labour's average vote share by as little as one per cent. His personal ratings, although much better than they were, are also still pretty awful. Nor is it that the Tories' vote share has dipped. If anything, the party has recovered their position slightly in recent months. It's just that the scale of the task facing the party is finally becoming clear to them and the conceits they have used to avoid this realisation are finally beginning to crumble. The crux of those conceits is the belief that the public will simply never vote for Ed Miliband to be prime minister. For years now this has been an almost religious belief on the Conservative benches. But like most religious beliefs it is based on blind faith and scripture, rather than evidence. Miliband may not be the nation's favourite politician, but then neither is David Cameron or Nick Clegg. A poll this week found that faith in politicians is at all time lows with only energy bosses viewed less favourably. All three party leaders have suffered in this environment. But while the public may not like or even vote for any of them, one of the three men will still be prime minister after the next general election. All the polls show that man is most likely to be Ed Miliband. And in the past month, this fact has looked less and less remarkable. The Labour leader has dominated the political agenda ever since his pledge to freeze energy prices last month. And he has done so, despite and perhaps even because of some pretty vicious attacks from the Daily Mail and others. His response has revealed a stronger and more human side to the Labour leader than we have seen before. And if all that wasn't enough, he even managed to be funnier than Boris Johnson at the Spectator awards this week. Bit by bit, Tory MPs are beginning to realise that Miliband may not be quite the liability they had hoped for. And yet this realisation has not yet led to any change in their behaviour. Faced with their dreams of a Tory majority slipping away, the party is instead withdrawing into its comfort zone. This is the same comfort zone which comfortably lost them three general elections in a row. Obsessed with Europe, immigration and the unions, the Tories are increasingly looking like a poor man's Ukip, with David Cameron in the role of Godfrey Bloom. Yet there are a few Conservative MPs who both realise their predicament and also the way out of it. The call earlier this week from a group of Tory backbenchers for David Cameron to embrace the living wage and do more to tackle living costs was both timely and sensible. It was also entirely ignored. The scale of the difficulties facing the Conservative party are finally beginning to dawn on them. The realisation of what to do about those difficulties could take a lot longer still. Best of newsImmigration bill a 'bonanza' for dodgy landlords The government's new immigration bill will lead to a "bonanza" for unscrupulous landlords and the widespread discrimination against foreign tenants, MPs have warned. Catastrophic Commons report dismantles IDS' universal credit scheme Iain Duncan Smith's universal credit scheme has been so badly managed it is about to to write-off up to £425 million, according to a devastating Commons report. Equal pay: women 'working for free' until the New Year Women in full-time work earn on average 15% less than their male counterparts, according to Office of National statistics figures. Barred: Home Office prevents drone victims visiting parliament The Home Office has prevented a parliamentary meeting on drone strikes going ahead after it refused visas to victims. Big Brother: British citizens more watched than under Stasi The British government now has more information on its citizens than the Stasi, former conservative shadow home secretary David Davis said last night. Study: Immigrants are net contributors to the economy Immigrants pay more tax into the British economy than native Brits and claim less in benefits, according to a new study. Miliband under pressure to make living wage compulsory Ed Miliband's plans to encourage businesses to pay the living wage will "not significantly" tackle lower pay, members of his party warned him today. Best of Comment and AnalysisThe Political Week Online: Conservatives, cows, and Christmas The House of Commons debates bringing forward the proposed EU in-out referendum. The Taxpayers' Alliance debates replacing them all with chickens to cut costs. (Okay we made that up.) MPs quiz spy chiefs as-it-happened All the exchanges from MPs' first ever televised meeting with the heads of GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. Comment: Iain Duncan Smith is no longer fit-for-work The personal flaws of the work and pensions secretary are replicated with uncanny precision at the department which he runs. Comment: Miliband is frightening energy companies into raising prices Miliband claims to be on the side of consumers, but his energy price freeze will up costing them dear. 'Replace gardeners with cows' and four other stupid suggestions from the Taxpayers' Alliance Five of the most idiotic ideas for councils to save money. Comment: Don't be fooled by GDP – we're seeing a fake boom The coalition has printed £350 billion and borrowed another £120 billion last year alone. So forgive me if I'm unimpressed by 0.8% growth. Comment: How meat eaters can support animal welfare Meat eaters can help create a food industry which pays proper respect for animal welfare – but don’t ask us to become vegans. Interview: Jenny Jones Politics.co.uk talks to the House of Lords' first green peer as she prepares to enter the Chamber for the first time. | BSA: September mortgage lending by mutual sector shows 50% riseLending by building societies and other mutuals was 50% higher in September 2013 than 2012. RSPCA welcomes new European Commission study into puppy tradeThe RSPCA has welcomed the launch of a new study into the puppy trade across Europe. CIOB: Identifying the construction leaders of tomorrowCIOB challenges universities to compete in Global Student Challenge initiative. North-South new rail link: HS2, more than a railway [Opinion Former Infographic]An infographic depicting the economic benefits, both direct and indirect, of the proposed north-south rail link. ESRC: Rude Britannia – what our politeness says about our nationBritain is still a nation of polite people, and fears that social media makes us ruder is a myth. BSA: September mortgage lending by mutual sector shows 50% riseLending by building societies and other mutuals was 50% higher in September 2013 than 2012. RSPCA welcomes new European Commission study into puppy tradeThe RSPCA has welcomed the launch of a new study into the puppy trade across Europe. ESRC: Climate change action "a matter of life and death"Infrastructure a matter of life and death for people in countries most affected by climate change. NASUWT: "Nick Clegg fools no-one"“Does Nick Clegg honestly think that either the teaching profession or parents will be impressed?" RSPCA: Trust in ready meals declines as demand for ethical food risesBritain - ready meal capital of Western Europe - loses trust in pre-prepared food and demand for higher welfare food rises. |
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