Fraser is right that Quentin Davies is where he should always have been. But – as he acknowledges in his update – defections matter because of their symbolism; and, symbolically, it is truly remarkable that the traffic (at Westminster, rather than local level) is still from the Tories to Labour. It is almost 12 years
Busted: that is the word that springs to mind reading this morning’s Independent on Sunday splash, which provides, for the first time, documentary evidence that Blair was hoping to move Brown from the Treasury after the 2005 election. Hope, of course, is the word, because as John Rentoul explains in his Sindy column, the weakened
“A flagrant breach of a solemn promise”: that’s how William Hague just described Gordon Brown’s declaration (on the BBC’s Politics Show) that no referendum is necessary on the new EU deal. The experts will argue over the precise extent of jurisprudential overlap between the 2004 Constitution and the freshly-minted 2007 “Reform” agreement. But this will
Don’t miss Andrew Rawnsley’s outstanding documentary on the Blair years, The Rise and Fall of Tony Blair, the first part of which is on Channel 4 at 7pm tonight, with the second part on Monday at 8pm. Some of the revelations have been trailed in the press, but by no means all, and Rawnsley’s access
Just back from taking part in a fascinating BBC seminar on climate change, led off by Al Gore. The event was held under Chatham House rules, but (since he has made the joke elsewhere) I don’t think it is out of place to pass on Frank Luntz’s fascinating insight that exactly nine months after the
Power to the People! Or not? The unmissable Steve Richards has a good piece in today’s Indy about “people power”. Every politician says he is in favour it: how could they say otherwise? But what does it actually mean in practice? An important question, as both Brown and Cameron are fighting for control of the
Back from Interesting 2007, a daylong festival of creativity in the Web 2.0 world at the Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, and organised by the peerless Russell Davies (check out his always stimulating blog). Amongst the many ideas and concepts given an airing: the links between the Muppets and Ibsen; ‘foot candy’ for those
The descent of the Palestinian territories into hideous internecine conflict makes an understanding of the complex dynamics of the region all the more imperative and Clemmie’s interview with a senior Hamas figure in today’s magazine all the more revealing.
My column in this month’s GQ is on politics and the web – timely, as Joe Trippi, Howard Dean’s online guru, is in town this week. And do have a look at the GQ website: one of the best and liveliest around.
During the grammar schools row – now in recess – The Spectator argued that policy-makers should focus more aggressively upon primary education if social mobility was to have a chance. This alarming report in today’s Guardian shows how urgent the task is. By three, the class divide has already translated into educational attainment, as the
The proposed anti-terror laws, as I write in today’s Sunday Telegraph, are an example of how Brown will, to an extent many will find surprising, persist with Blair’s policies. This particular area, as is clear from the Observer’s coverage, is fraught with difficulty. Cameron knows that Brown cannot afford to be defeated in the Commons,
Thought for the weekend: what if the racist Tourette syndrome rampaging through the nation’s reality shows hits Lewis, Keith or Lee tomorrow night as they battle it out to decide who will play Joseph? Let us hope that the unbelievably camp trio do not follow the lead of the expelled Big Brother housemate, Emily, and
A worrying poll for Dave in today’s Sunday Telegraph. It’s not all bad news for the Tories: they still have a five point lead on voting intention (though it should be much wider), and Dave is seen as more forward-looking, more caring and (by an impressive margin) more inspiring. He also trounces Brown as a
Well, well. As James posted earlier, the Tory Party has now admitted that it would consider the building of new grammar schools “on a case-by-case basis, if the demographics required it.” The apparently dramatic shift has been forced by Dominic Grieve, the MP for Beaconsfield and Shadow Attorney General, who wanted assurance that the supply
The great Google debate shows no sign of abating (see my earlier post). Some of the comparisons between the search engine company and Big Brother have been plain daft (can we please ration the use of the word “Orwellian”?). But the ever-readable Maurice Saatchi has a very interesting piece in the FT today in which
I said we would stand our ground on grammar schools – on all fronts. See my piece in today’s Sunday Telegraph, which discloses Tory plans to select by race, but not brains. The Tories are doing their best to close down the row: Liam Fox also has a piece in the Sunday Telegraph, as does
Tim Montgomerie has a piece in today’s Daily Telegraph which should cause anxiety in Conservative Party HQ. Tim – reasonable and eloquent as ever – explains why the grammar school row was not the triumph of party management we are assured it was by the Cameroons. A warning to be noted.
Tomorrow, I am taking part in the launch of Pass on a Poem, a terrific campaign to encourage the reading and enjoyment of poetry at the Oxfam Bookshop, 170 Portobello Road, London W11. Lots of other readings are set to take place around the country, but this one will feature such luminaries as P.D.James, Jon
Just back from Google Zeitgeist Europe 2007 in Hertfordshire, as dazzling an assembly of those shaping the destiny of the web as you could hope to behold. The cast list reads like a who’s who of the media-political class: Sir Martin Sorrell, James Murdoch, David Miliband, Mark Thompson, Peter Bazalgette, Chad Hurley, Sanjiv Ahuja, Matthias
Janet Daley is spot on in today’s Telegraph: the grammar schools row was a coronation gift to Gordon Brown. What were the Tories thinking of? According to the always excellent John Rentoul in the Independent on Sunday, this was – by accident or design – Cameron’s Clause Four moment when he shed an old party