Free Republic

It was enough to make a blogger in mom's basement spit out his Cheetos in surprise. On today's Morning Joe income redistributionist and global climate kvetcher Prof. Jeffrey Sachs praised the UK Conservatives for creating jobs via an austerity budget. In a second surprise, Sachs criticized fellow lefty traveler Paul Krugman. Said Sachs of the Conservatives: "they governed well . . . they got the economy going again. They got it stabilized, they got the debt crisis Britain was facing under control and they created a lot of jobs and they got rewarded last night." And a bit later, the...

Gordon Brown's Tory appeal ignites poll fever By Andrew Porter, Political Editor  Last Updated: 2:34am BST 03/09/2007       Gordon Brown today heightens election fever with a direct pledge to Conservative Party supporters that he intends to be a prime minister who includes them in his government and acts on their behalf. In the clearest sign yet that Mr Brown is preparing the ground for a poll next month, he said Labour would also have to get used to the move away from old-style factional politics and towards a government that unifies the country.     Gordon Brown lays...

The Liberal Democrats put their leadership woes behind them and won a startling by-election victory early today in the constituency where Gordon Brown has his family home. In a personal humiliation for the Chancellor, the Lib Dems overturned an 11,500 Labour majority to capture Dunfermline and West Fife. Their 1,800 majority represented a swing of 16.24 per cent. Willie Rennie celebrates with his wife and party members Willie Rennie celebrates with his wife and party members The Scottish National Party finished third but in David Cameron's first by-election since becoming Tory leader his candidate failed to improve on fourth place....

LONDON -- In a reshuffle aimed at broadening its appeal, the opposition Conservative Party appointed its first female chairman Tuesday, firing an incumbent who had reportedly clashed with party leader Iain Duncan Smith. The promotion of Theresa May, 45, the Tories' transport spokeswoman, continued her rapid rise in the party which began when she was elected to the House of Commons in 1997. David Davis, the current party chairman, was shifted to another position in the Conservative front ranks. News reports said he had been ousted for failing to push through reforms, including recruit more women and minority candidates to...