Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Friday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Scotland, Britain and Beijing

My old cobber, Iain Martin, wrote an interesting column for the Telegraph yesterday arguing that the success of the British Olympic team in Beijing demonstrates that there’s life in the old Union yet. There may be something to that. At least there may be right now, this week, this month. Certainly, he is right to argue that: Too often of late, Unionists have made their case in cold and exclusively economic terms, as though this were simply a matter of totting up various columns of pounds, shillings and pence, until a definitive answer on the constitution is arrived at. It is not always just the “economy, stupid”. Indeed so. A

The Spectator

The week that was | 22 August 2008

Dominic Grieve wants your questions Fraser Nelson outlines Brown’s Bubble, and describes Boris’s gift to Labour. James Forsyth wonders who the PM’s siding with in the Brown-Miliband dispute, and reports on another poor poll for Labour. Peter Hoskin reflects on the lessons of history, and gives his take on the latest economic growth figures. Brian Cullen thinks Russia’s aggression shows weakness as much as strength, and spells out the deceit of protectionism.  Sean Martin says school isn’t for everyone, and claims it’s time to stand up to the RMT. Daniel Korski dishes out the award for worst foreign policy. Stephen Pollard wonders whether England can beat Andorra. Trading Floor writes on Britishness. And

Peter Hoskin

The fingers-in-ears school of government

The subhead to this Telegraph story sums it up: “Gordon Brown has defied expert forecasts, the Bank of England and even his own Treasury to predict privately that the economy will start recovering within the next few months.”

Peter Hoskin

The government of all the talents starts to break up

So, Sir Digby Jones – the trade minister, and the first non-politician to be appointed to Brown’s ‘government of all the talents’ – has told the BBC that he’s going to quit his role before the end of this year.  It’s hardly surprising news – he was alleged to have confirmed the same to a private meeting of business leaders back in April, although he played down those reports.  But it’s still bad news for our Prime Minister.  After all, the public will surely see it as further evidence that HMS Brown is sinking, and that the crew would rather jump overboard than stick by the captain.

Peter Hoskin

Learning the lessons of history

I popped along to the History Channel debate ’50 Things You Need to Know About British History’ last night. ‘Twas an excellent event – more than capably chaired by Iain Dale, and with an engaging panel consisting of Diane Abbot, Douglas Murray, Dominic Sandbrook and Polly Toynbee.  The catalyst for discussion was the list I’ve included at the bottom of this post, and which will form the basis of a forthcoming TV series.  But things swiftly moved onto the topic of how history should be taught in schools – whether issues are more important than personalities, and whether pupils have a good enough all-round knowledge of British history. The exchange

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Bursting Brown’s Bubble

Brown’s Bubble: these two words should come to sum up the last seven years of British economy. Today, George Osborne used the phrase. But it should become more than a soundbite, it should be a forceful and coherent analysis explaining how and why the economy has got to this point. That the “prosperity” of the Brown years was not real, but an avalanche of funny money, borrowed against made-up house prices. The pain Britain feels now is that of a bubble bursting. My brief analysis: Brown kept to Tory spending plans at first, giving Labour cover to win a second term. Magicians refer to this stage as “the pledge” when

Peter Hoskin

Put your questions to Dominic Grieve

Dominic Grieve has kindly agreed to a Q&A session with Coffee House.  So, post your questions for him in the comments section below.  And, in a week-or-so’s time, we’ll pick out the best ten and put them to the shadow home secretary.  He’ll get back to us all a few days later.  And the commenters whose questions are chosen will all win Coffee House t-shirts and copies of the special 180th Anniversary issue of The Spectator.  

Peter Hoskin

Growth no more

The latest economic growth statistics – which show that growth in the second quarter of 2008 stood at a less-than-impressive 0 percent – deny Brown one of his proudest boasts; that the UK economy’s enjoyed “63 quarters of successive growth”.  Annual growth remains positive at 1.4 percent, though, so I expect he’ll replace it with something like “Year-on-year, this country’s enjoyed continuous growth under New Labour.”  That is if he’s still using the New Labour epithet. But quite aside from constraining our Prime Minister at the dispatch box, the figures are worrying in themselves.  Now a recession is looking near-certain, and it seems as though it’s coming sooner rather than later.  Indeed, the industrial economy is

Daniel Korski

Brown’s crass Olympics comparison

So Britain’s soldiers, risking life and limb, fighting in the treacherous Hindu Kush, defending our freedoms and the safety of ordinary Afghans are like our Olympics athletes? Heh? That’s what the Prime Minister seems to think. On his visit to Helmand, Gordon Brown said that British soldiers “have showed exactly the same courage, professionalism and dedication” as the British Olympians.  Sure, the achievements and medals of Britain’s Olympians should be celebrated. But it is absurd, insulting and inappropriate to compare their courage, professionalism and dedication to that of our men and women fighting in Afghanistan. After all, 116 British troops have lost their lives in Helmand and our forces there

Thursday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

No escape for Brown

Hamid Karzai, wag: Gordon Brown had to suffer the indignity of a joke about his leadership from Afghan president Hamid Karzai during a press conference in Kabul. Mr Karzai, who faces numerous challenges to his own leadership, made the quip as reporters pressed the British Prime Minister over his relationship with David Miliband. “Cabinet ministers plotting is nothing new. We have it in Afghanistan – although not my foreign minister,” Mr Karzai remarked. Brown of course also pledged to continue the futile drug war. We’ve been in Afghanistan for six years now. To what end? Or, to put it another way, what will we achieve in ten years that we

Daniel Korski

And the award for worst foreign policy goes to…

In Hollywood, there is an award called the Golden Raspberry or Razzies. The opposite of the much-desired Oscar, the Razzies go to those who have most dishonoured the acting, screenwriting or song-writing profession in the past year. If European foreign policy had a version of the Razzies, this year’s award would go to Greece for it attempts at destabilising neighbouring Macedonia and countering the EU’s Balkan policy. Since the break-up of Yugoslavia and the founding of Macedonia, Greece has had an uneasy relationship with its neighbour. At NATO’s Bucharest Summit, Greece vetoed Macedonia’s bid to join the Alliance, because of an unresolved dispute over its name. The Greek government objects

Daniel Korski

Opposition foreign policy

Normally foreign policy is the refuge of poll-losing leaders, who have tired of the slow pace of domestic reform and launch themselves unto the international stage in the hope of a restoration. Even if electoral rehabilitation is unlikely, the Club of Leaders is a more collegial place than the domestic political scene. Think Bill Clinton in 2000. Or the world-strutting Tony Blair. Even Gordon Brown, whose interest in foreign affairs is clearly limited, has sought to build an international profile, in part to help him at home. He hasn’t done it like Tony Blair, who would be jetting round the world trying to solve the Russian-Georgian War. But the PM

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

It’s still war between Brown and Miliband

David Miliband should remember: it is still war between him and Gordon Brown. Thinks he’s Foreign Secretary? Thinks he can go around talking up Nato protection to former Soviet states in speeches like these? Well, Team Brown has something to say about it. Here is Nick Brown, deputy chief whip and Brownite muscleman in a Guardian article: “Cameron urges Nato to admit Georgia. Nato is a mutual defence pact… .Do we really mean to commit ourselves to all-out war against the Russian Federation if something like this happens again?” And this government member goes on: “If western hawks really are advocating Nato membership for every small country that borders the

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Labour’s unfunded spending commitments

Yvette Cooper on Monday revealed two parts of George Osborne’s policy of which I was unaware. The first was his secret plan for swingeing tax cuts. Next, she informs us, “by my tally, the Tories have commitments of an extra £11bn of unfunded promises”. Well by the ONS tally, revealed this morning, Labour’s unfunded spending commitments total £19.1 billion, and that’s just since the start of the financial year in April. This time last year it was £8.1 billion. This is one for ConservativeHome’s Scorched Earth Alert – vandalisation of the public finances, driving down the pound which is in turn pumping up inflation.  Of course, the money will have

Dennis Sewell

Poles are the fall guys of the immigration debate

When, back in 2005, Michael Howard said, ‘it’s not racist to talk about immigration’, his words sounded less like a statement of the obvious than a plea for the political and media classes to cut him some slack. They didn’t, of course. The then Conservative leader was roundly chided for playing the race card, accused of giving aid and comfort to the BNP, and warned that his focus on immigration would lead to an increase in racial assaults. These days, however, everyone is thinking what Michael Howard was thinking three years ago. Gordon Brown talks about ‘British jobs for British workers’; Labour has no qualms about blowing the dog-whistle on

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Georgia sheds light on the mind of Cameron

The final phase of preparing the country for Prime Minister Cameron is under way. Having decontaminated the brand and marched ahead of Labour in the polls, the Tories are now introducing the country to Statesman Cameron. Politics abhors a vacuum. So with Gordon Brown hunkered down planning his autumn ‘relaunch’ and David Miliband practising looking like an innocent flower while being the serpent underneath, Cameron had the opportunity to act the statesman during the Georgia crisis. He did so, even going to Tbilisi to convey Britain’s solidarity with Georgia. As one top Tory purred to me, ‘He’s combined the toughness of a Thatcher, with the tactical acumen of a Blair.’

Martin Vander Weyer Martin Vander Weyer

Economic recovery plan? Forget it, Gordon

The Prime Minister’s survival is pinned on a September ‘relaunch’ to ease the voters’ economic woes. But, says Martin Vander Weyer, each door through which Brown tries to escape his predicament slams in his face. His room for manoeuvre is negligible All this talk of Gordon Brown’s ‘economic recovery plan’ calls to mind the unhappy day, many years ago on a junior bankers’ training course, when I took part in a competitive team game which involved managing a computer model of the British economy. We were told it was a version of the Treasury’s own model. In successive rounds, each team would have the opportunity to alter tax rates, interest

Tuesday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Boris’s gift to Labour

Might Labour’s attack machine have come back from the dead? They have today seized – and quite rightly – on this comment in Boris Johnson’s Daily Telegraph column: “If you believe the politicians, we have a broken society, in which the courage and morals of young people have been sapped by welfarism and political correctness.  And if you look at what is happening at the Beijing Olympics, you can see what piffle that is” Quite apart from Boris talking about “the politicians” as if he’s forgotten he is now one of them, there is only one party talking about a “broken society” and that’s the Conservatives. It was a theme

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The middle-class rip-off

Great moment on the Today programme this morning when John Major – without irony – told James Naughtie how great the National Lottery was because an opera lover like him could benefit from the money poured into the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. That deal was perhaps the most egregious example of cash transferred from poor people to rich people, but sadly typical of the regressive nature of arts funding. I can understand the logic behind supporting indigenous arts lest they die out, but why have British taxpayers subsidise the singing of songs written a hundred years ago in Italian or German? If the usually-rich people who tend to watch opera

Monday

Daniel Korski

McCain and Cameron, close for now

It is common knowledge that John McCain and David Cameron get on. By convention, politicians do not enter into electoral politics in other countries, but the Conservative leader has made clear how McCain impressed him when he spoke at the 2006 Conservative Party Conference while McCain has described Cameron as a Kennedyesque figure. Their staffs are said to be in regular touch and the two men talk on the phone.   At first blush, the Russo-Georgian War show how close they really are. Looking at their respective statements, it is hard to distinguish between the views of the two politicians. In response to the invasion, it was McCain who struck a