Friday, 18 April, 2008
- 18 Apr 08, 06:14 PM
Brown in the US
'Who's That Man?' cries the Drudge report website - pasting a picture of Gordon Brown against a stars and stripes background.
Tonight, the prime minister means to answer it. Emboldened by successful meetings yesterday with each of the presidential candidates, he has given a speech about Global Challenges in Boston. The world stage may be a scary place. But it's infinitely preferable, in many ways, to what he faces at home. The 10p tax revolt seems to be gathering steam. He may have stopped one if his MPs, Angela Smith, from resigning yesterday. But there are more emerging from the woodwork as we speak. We'll ask just how comfortable Gordon Brown is looking within his own party.
RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland is about to stage the biggest rights issue in UK corporate history, asking shareholders for some £10bn to shore up its financial position. It will be part of an effort to write down its exposure to US sub prime - and any other skeletons still lurking in the cupboard. And in doing so, it marks a recognition - that all has not been well but can now get better. The move has been compared by some to a confessional, others to a ruthless spring clean.
How many other banks will follow suit once the taboo is broken? And does this signal that the worst is now over?
Gwyneth Dunwoody
Also tonight we pay tribute to who has died aged 77. In the words of one parliamentarian and friend, she was the essential 'debunker of humbug'. She will be remembered for her stubbornly principled stance, her commitment to the Labour Party, and for her formidable chairmanship of the transport select committee. A woman, who shone through an age of spin to tirelessly speak her mind.
