Welcome to Casting the net, Liberal Conspiracy’s daily blog review.

More woes for the government
Gordon Brown would have hoped that the funding scandals that marred the latter days of Blair’s tenure would be over. Sadly for the brooding Scot, this is not the case. Peter Watt resigned as the party’s General Secretary last night [Guardian], after admitting that he knew a millionaire was using intermediaries to secretly funnel cash to the party. This is the latest blow to land on a government fighting desperately to retain its credibility.

Labour blogger Jon Worth asks if it can “get any worse?”, adding: “It feels like there is some sort of tornado blowing through the corridors of Westminster, relentlessly tearing into the conventions and traditions.” Paul Burgin is depressed. But the Herts-based Labour activist says we shouldn’t forget “the good work we have done and the hard work of many decent MP’s who could lose their seats over this fiasco.”

Peter Kenyon, another Labour blogger, believes that plans for the state-funding of political parties are “being dusted down by Jack Straw MP in the wake of yet another momumental Labour Party blunder over party funding.” This will delight councillor Cllr Andrew Burns who believes that unless some ‘enhanced’ form of public funding is established, the situation “will only get worse, not better.”

Steve Webb MP thinks it’s “time for a severe cap on donations – people should indeed be able to support a party of their choice if they wish, but no-one should be in a position either to buy influence or to appear to buy influence.” Other Lib Dem’rs have some questions: Duncan Borrowman asks if Peter Watt is an “idiot or liar?” and Mike Smithson wants to know just “How dangerous is the ’sleaze’ tag for Labour?”

Blogs on the BNP/David Irving Oxford Union Debate
Antonia Bance – Frontline
Hug A Hoodie – BNP debate at the Oxford Union: an eyewitness account
Andy Mayer – Hate-campaigners in Oxford
Mike’s Little Red Page – Fascists – and facists’ pandars – out of Oxford!

Elsewhere…
The Poor Mouth – Oh so she was an adulterer, well that’s alright then…
bowblog – Cynical? Moi?
Disgruntled Radical – Annapolis – the long view
Spy Blog – Biometrics – Labour Government are still clueless about the technology

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