UK politics
Why cheap oil could mean a Labour victory
BP’s profits are down, and the oil giant is slashing up to $6 billion out of its investment plan for…
Calling the Green party socialist is an insult to socialists
The Green party has been likened to a watermelon: green on the outside and red on the inside. But that…
Nigel Farage’s diary: How I survived Dry January
Dry January is tougher than it sounds. Well, for me anyway. It’s now been some 28 days since I’ve had…
Europe’s crisis is Cameron’s opportunity
For Angela Merkel, it’s a crisis. For David Cameron, it’s an opportunity
The Tories have one real success in government – and they’re scared to talk about it
Schools are the one area where this government has made a real, positive difference – but it’s scared stiff of saying so
Come on, Tristram Hunt, if you think you’re hard enough
For a brief moment earlier this week, I thought education might become an issue in the general election campaign. The…
George Osborne’s 13 tests for an election victory (and how many he’s passed)
These days George Osborne is rarely seen in public without a hard hat and a hi-vis jacket. But he used…
The Stonewall dinner left me with one question: why are volunteers so horrible to one another?
I watched the video with some trepidation. Stonewall (the campaigning gay and lesbian equality organisation) had just sent me the…
Send in the clowns - how comedy ate British politics
Why has politics turned into stand-up?
Blame Tony Blair for Labour’s new stupidity about wealth
Labour's attitude to wealth is sliding back into the 1970s - and Tony Blair's new career is one reason why
David Cameron has a very strange idea of freedom
Last Sunday, David Cameron marched through Paris in solidarity, so it seemed, with those who stand up for free speech.…
Why the Greek election could decide Britain's next government
Before the eurozone crisis, Greek elections didn’t receive much attention in Westminster. At the moment, however, the polls from Athens…
Archbishop John Sentamu on why politicians are like men arguing at a urinal
Archbishop John Sentamu is not scared to tell off politicians, across the spectrum
Even Ukip don't dare break the unhealthy consensus on the NHS
There’s an irony about Ukip’s rise. Nigel Farage party’s popularity is driven by a widespread sense that the main parties…
How HS2 has blighted my parents’ lives
Whether the high-speed rail line is built or not, it is destroying the retirements of people like my parents
Why ‘respect’ is the last thing we should want from politicians
‘Respect!’ cried my husband, drop-kicking a cushion with a picture of the Queen Mother holding a pint of beer on…
Meet the new Queen of Scots: Nicola Sturgeon’s unstoppable rise
‘She sold out the Hydro arena faster than Kylie Minogue,’ said one awestruck unionist of Nicola Sturgeon this week. Scotland’s…
What Angela Merkel really wants (it's not good news for Dave)
The German Chancellor has a lot in common with David Cameron – which is why she can’t afford to help him very much
Deal with the debt, George Osborne? You’ve hardly started
George Osborne has declared victory over Ed Balls, the IMF and all the others who warned that his austerity measures…
It’s not just Ukip that’s changing Cameron’s mind about immigration
It is easy to mock David Cameron on immigration. Under pressure from the public and from Ukip, he’s having to…
How Cameron could make the EU a winning issue (and why he won’t)
I don’t think the PM will really campaign for an EU exit. But he still has the best chance of getting one
Escape from Omnishambleshire: the case for the old county boundaries
If you want real local identity to thrive in England, put the old county boundaries back on the map
Russell Brand and Nigel Farage remind me of myself five years ago
I’m often asked by other free school proposers what lessons I’ve learnt over the past five years. Any pearls of…
Ukip is in the middle of the most cynical political repositioning ever
I think I’ve cracked it. If you want to springboard your minor political party into the mainstream and take British…
Brighton has become an object lesson in why it is a disaster to vote Green
Brighton council’s disastrous experiments should serve as a warning to the whole country against voting Green
