UK politics
The NHS needs the politics of envy
‘Let’s make the rich pay more.’ Does that sound so right-wing? To me it has a positively socialist ring. It…
With one push of a button, political interviews have become interesting again
The other night on Channel 4, I watched the best political interview I’ve seen all year. It was with Nick…
Unwanted consequences: will cheap oil lead to a Labour election victory?
BP’s profits are down, and the oil giant is slashing up to $6 billion out of its investment plan for…
Green for danger
The Green party has been likened to a watermelon: green on the outside and red on the inside. But that…
Diary
Dry January is tougher than it sounds. Well, for me anyway. It’s now been some 28 days since I’ve had…
The great European revolt
For Angela Merkel, it’s a crisis. For David Cameron, it’s an opportunity
The silent victory
Schools are the one area where this government has made a real, positive difference – but it’s scared stiff of saying so
The proof is in the league tables, Mr Hunt
For a brief moment earlier this week, I thought education might become an issue in the general election campaign. The…
Can the Tories pass George’s 13 tests?
These days George Osborne is rarely seen in public without a hard hat and a hi-vis jacket. But he used…
Why are volunteers so mean to one another?
I watched the video with some trepidation. Stonewall (the campaigning gay and lesbian equality organisation) had just sent me the…
Gagging order
Why has politics turned into stand-up?
Tony’s toxic legacy
Labour's attitude to wealth is sliding back into the 1970s - and Tony Blair's new career is one reason why
Cameron vs Charlie
Last Sunday, David Cameron marched through Paris in solidarity, so it seemed, with those who stand up for free speech.…
How Greek voters will decide Britain’s general election
Before the eurozone crisis, Greek elections didn’t receive much attention in Westminster. At the moment, however, the polls from Athens…
The big loud voice
Archbishop John Sentamu is not scared to tell off politicians, across the spectrum
An unhealthy consensus
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 blights lives
Whether the high-speed rail line is built or not, it is destroying the retirements of people like my parents
Respect
‘Respect!’ cried my husband, drop-kicking a cushion with a picture of the Queen Mother holding a pint of beer on…
Sturgeon the unstoppable
‘She sold out the Hydro arena faster than Kylie Minogue,’ said one awestruck unionist of Nicola Sturgeon this week. Scotland’s…
What Merkel wants
The German Chancellor has a lot in common with David Cameron – which is why she can’t afford to help him very much
Dicing with debt
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…
Calling Cameron’s bluff
I don’t think the PM will really campaign for an EU exit. But he still has the best chance of getting one
Why counties still count
If you want real local identity to thrive in England, put the old county boundaries back on the map
Learning compromise the hard way
I’m often asked by other free school proposers what lessons I’ve learnt over the past five years. Any pearls of…
