Politics

Ok, so it turns out that Brown’s article today wasn’t an apology of any sort.  But there’s still some speculation that he’s going to use his conference speech to more or less say “sorry”.  With that in mind, the Tories have just launched ‘Brown’s Big Apology’, a corner of their website where – from now until the speech – there’ll be daily suggestions of what Brown should apologise for.  The first is the 10p tax debacle.  What would CoffeeHousers add to the list? Hat-tip: Jonathan Isaby @ Three Line Whip  

Could it be? Has Brown admitted that he needs to rethink his approach, that he needs to change?  Has he – in a roundabout way – apologised?  It was starting to look that way earlier today, with the publication of an article by the PM in the Parliamentary Monitor.  The subhead of that article: “The world has changed so much since New Labour came to power that it makes sense at this conference to rethink the way we govern Britain, writes prime minister Gordon Brown.”  And it contains such calls to change as: “I believe that Britain is well placed to withstand the shocks that these transformations bring, but if we

One of the major recent debates within the Labour party has been over how best to attack David Cameron and the Tories.  Well – if a briefing obtained by the Guardian is anything to go by – that debate has pretty much resolved itself.  It suggests that Labour should portray the Tories as a wolf in sheep’s clothing – as a nasty party lurking beneath a veneer of compassionate conservatism.  This passage should give you a taste of what it’s about: “Occasionally the mask slips [from Cameron’s Tories] and we see the dangerous, old- fashioned Tory rightwing instincts hidden underneath. They believe in unfettered free markets, cuts in public services to fund tax cuts for the

David Cameron’s recent visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan received relatively little press attention; showing just how exceptional the amount of coverage that Cameron’s statements on Georgia and trip there garnered were. In his address in Pakistan, Cameron once more set out his ‘liberal conservative’ agenda. Here’s the key passage of the speech: “A liberal Conservative approach…recognises that democracy must be built around the institutions, habits and culture of each country. Democracy should be the work of patient craftsmanship and not of a uniform mass production line, if the final product is to be of a quality that endures.” In other words, states are not built; they develop over time. The

Two analyses of the economy today, one fanciful and one spot-on. Gordon Brown says “I am confident that we can get through these difficult times and meet these challenges a stronger, more secure and fairer country then ever before.” Why is he confident? The cure for this will require the precise opposite to his policies – and this is what he shows no sign of beginning to grasp. The UK economy has buckled under the weight of the debt Brown has rung up. The speech of recovery will be dictated by how debt-burdened countries are going into recession. Britain starts – starts – with a 3% deficit, and this may

Just to point out Iain Dale’s post suggesting that Brown will be holding a snap reshuffle on Monday.  The feeling around Westminster is increasingly that one’s coming sooner rather than later.  But aside from whether and when it might be, the other major question is what’s going to happen with Alistair Darling and David Miliband.  The speculation that they’d be swapped with each other has died away, and the safest bet now is probably that they’ll remain where they are.  As I wrote the other day, it’s certainly problematic for Brown – if he doesn’t make some drastic changes, then there’s the chance a reshuffle will be greeted with a collective shrug from the general public.  But is

Here are Dominic Grieve’s answers to the questions put forward by Coffeehousers: Alex R “Do you understand that your views on the ECHR are in contradiction to those of the huge majority of conservative supporters and potential conservative supporters. Do you understand why many people believe this should disqualify you from ever being Home Secretary in the next conservative government?” I disagree on both counts. I fully support the protections set out in the European Convention on Human Rights as does the Conservative Party. But, I also believe that the government’s approach to human rights – including the Human Rights Act – has created unnecessary uncertainty in Britain, whilst failing

Have Labour become the new nasty party?  Ross Clark certainly thinks so, and he outlines his reasons why in this week’s Spectator cover piece.  You can read his article here, but – as a taster of what to expect – here’s an extract: “It used to be backbench Tory MPs who made up the ‘hang ’em and flog ’em’ brigade. Watching the crime debate at Conservative conferences used to be an excruciating business as one spotty activist after another tried to trump all who had gone before him by devising a still crueller and more unusual punishment. I have yet to hear Jacqui Smith or Jack Straw demand the return