Pick of the Week: How the Green surge ground to a halt
Our top five most read articles this week.
5. The 'Boris effect' will not save Tory election hopes
The Conservatives believe the so-called "Boris effect" is crucial to the party winning the general election. Senior figures in the party are pushing for Johnson to play a bigger role, single-handedly 'rescuing' their election campaign. But how much of an asset to the party really is he? After all, If Boris really is capable of winning over voters to the Tories, how comes the party's support has collapsed in London?
4. Preventing another Savile: the next child abuse scandal is in our prisons
The abuse of children behind bars is a scandal that is little talked about. Part of the reason for this is beause we have been permitted to know so little about it. This important piece by the author of a new book investigating the abuse of imprisoned children, reveals how the authorities have fought to keep the scandal from the public.
3. Chris Grayling has lit a powder keg under British justice
Chris Grayling's reforms to legal aid have been heavily criticised both inside and outside the legal profession. This piece by chair of the Criminal Law Solicitor's Association, Bill Waddington, outlines how the reforms have hit both the legal profession and those who need their representation. "The reforms so far though have merely moved the cost of legal aid to the court system while creating an almighty mess that is bad for victims, bad for defendants and bad for justice," he writes.
2. Cash for access: Rifkind and Straw's actions are the norm
The cash for access scandal rumbled over into this week as both Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind were suspended from their parties following the Dispatches documentary at the weekend. Both men were stretched out on the rack for their involvement in the scandal, but far from being extreme examples, Rifkind and Straw's behaviour is actually fairly commonplace in Parliament. Labour this week announced plans to outlaw MPs from working as paid consultants for companies, but as things stand, Straw and Rifkind's actions were not out of the ordinary, they are the norm.
1. The day the Green party surge hit a cliff
Our most read story this week was our report of the Green party's disastrous campaign launch on Tuesday. Green leader Natalie Bennett started the day with a truly excruciating radio interview on LBC. By the time she'd turned up at her party's campaign launch in central London things had gone from bad to worse. Our reporter Adam Bienkov was in the room to see what happened next.
