UK politics
Fury and loathing in the New Labour gang
There is a little vignette in the first volume of Alastair Campbell’s diaries that makes it abundantly clear that, at…
Diary
The looming centenary of the outbreak of the first world war offers an opportunity to break away from the Blackadder/Oh!…
Nick Clegg should stick with the devil he knows
I write this in Glasgow, at the Lib Dem conference. Nick Clegg has invented a constitutional doctrine. The doctrine teaches…
Why I want my schools to ban the burka (and the miniskirt)
For most people, the question of whether to ban the burka is a purely theoretical one. Not for me. As…
Name of shame
The importance of not being Nigel
The revenge of Parliament
Today’s MPs are no longer scared of the whips. Instead, they are scared of their constituents. That’s a good thing
Self-whipping
Isabel Hardman of this parish explained after last week’s government defeat that a deluded theory among the party leadership had…
The line to nowhere
The government’s high-speed rail plans will never be implemented
Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me
So farewell then £80,000 salary, £150,000 expense account, secretary, team of assistants, constituency office, first-class travel, immunity from prosecution, Brussels…
The EU’s new army of diplomats
The Prime Minister recently professed himself shocked at waste in the European Union. In particular, he was incensed by an…
Socrates on TV debates
Lord Hennessy has been arguing that, as a result of TV debates between party leaders prior to elections, ‘the plausible…
Columnists are still partisan. Our readers aren’t
An email exchange with a Conservative-leaning friend this week left me feeling sheepish. But if shameful my behaviour be, I’m…
What business is it of the taxman whether I’m married or not?
The Conservative party is trying to redefine marriage. I can’t believe they think they’re going to get away with this.…
