Here’s what ConservativeHome have to say: “Based on a wide range of conversations we’ve had throughout the day with people in the field and with Tory and other insiders we are confident that on the basis of patterns of turnout, postal votes and canvass returns Boris Johnson has been elected Mayor of London.” Fingers crossed
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … and polls are now closed. Exit poll data should be filtering through soon. We’ll keep you informed.
Hm, I’m not sure about this. But according to Harry’s Place, Ken may once have been a Young Conservative. Discuss…
Over at the Spectator 180th blog, we’ve just posted The Spectator’s initial reaction to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. You can check it out here. If you’ve got any requests for other archive articles you’d like to see, then do head over to this thread and have your say.
I’ve just returned from Israel, but the issues have followed me to London. Tomorrow the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee convenes in the capital, to discuss the Palestinian situation. Gordon Brown’s expected to speak at the event, but – as I understand it – Tony Blair will be hovering around as well, in his capacity as
It’s local and London election time, and Coffee House will be bringing you frequent news and analysis throughout today and tomorrow. For now, though, an overview of what the papers are saying… Are the local elections a dress rehearsal for the general election? Not so, says Peter Riddell in the Times: “The joy of local
Yesterday, I visited the Southern Israeli town of Sderot. Being perched on the border with Gaza, it’s subjected to a constant barrage of rockets from Hamas and their associates. A few stream-of-consciousness observations and thoughts below – all lifted from my notebook and from conversations with Sderot locals – as well as some photographs and
Jerusalem, Israel Forget Scotland – the fuel crisis we’ve really got to keep our eyes on is in the Gaza Strip. Israel stopped supplying fuel to the Hamas-controlled region a few days ago, in retaliation to an attack by Palestinian militants. The resultant shortages are causing many Gazan services – including bakeries and farms –
Jerusalem, Israel Syria received top-billing in our meeting with the Israeli prime minster’s spokesman – Mark Regev – in Jerusalem this morning. Sadly, though, he was tight-lipped about that intriguing Israeli strike on a Syrian nuclear facility. How much did the Americans know? “No comment”. Was there a risk of wider conflict? “No comment”. Wha…? “No
I’ve just touched down in Jerusalem, ahead of the sixtieth anniversary of Israeli independence next week. Over the next three days, I and a few other journos will be ferried around Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Sderot – meeting with various political and military types along the way. It’s a timely visit. Quite aside from the anniversary celebrations, a number of
Over at the 180th Anniversary blog, we’re asking which historic events you’d like to see The Spectator’s take on. Just head over there to post your suggestions. As part of the anniversary celebrations, we’ve also posted a recent photo of the current Spectator team. If you really want to know what we all look like, now’s your chance…
Another issue of PR Week, another scoop for David Singleton. Today, he’s used his Downing Street sources to reveal that Brown’s “obsessed” with the Tories’ press man, Andy Coulson. So obsessed, in fact, that our Prime Minister can talk about little else. Brown may try to convince us that he wakes up thinking only of how
Matthew Norman’s article in the Independent today is among the liveliest, and most condemnatory, accounts of the Government’s 10p tax U-turn. The whole thing’s well worth reading, although I thought I’d pull out the last couple of paragraphs – if recent comments are anything to go by, they should chime with CoffeeHousers: “Perhaps with hindsight this
Iain Martin is right to highlight Yvette Cooper’s dreadful performance on Newsnight yesterday evening. She personified the Government’s actions over the 10p tax rate – confused and unconvincing. Here’s footage, for your viewing pleasure:
Hm. The latest post (entitled ‘Secrets’) over at Nadine Dorries’ blog is very intriguing. Do CoffeeHousers have any ideas what she might be getting at? UPDATE: It seems to have been taken down. Curiouser and curiouser…
Is Ken getting worried? Until now he’s been tight-lipped about the prospect of defeat – but that changed this morning at the launch of his full manifesto. He told the assembled journos how Boris should take on the role: “My advice would be don’t rush to make rapid change, try to take your time to people and
As Fraser said yesterday – and as Peter Riddell writes in today’s Times – we may be entering a phase in which Labour rebellion and dissent become commonplace. “After all” – Labour MPs might be thinking – “we turned Brown over the 10p tax issue, so let’s use the same tactics again-and-again until we get exactly
Can Boris run London? That’s the question that Matthew answers with a resounding “Yes!” in the latest issue of the Spectator. His article’s just been uploaded to the website, so check it out here. Do you agree with Matthew? Have your say – and discuss all matters mayoral – in the comments section.
We’ve just launched a blog celebrating the 180th anniversary of the Spectator. You can check it out here. At the moment, there are two posts up – an introduction and a look back at the 1711 Spectator – and there’s plenty more to come over the next few weeks.
For those who want to know what a U-turn looks like, the Guardian has a scanned copy (pdf) of Alistair Darling’s 10p tax letter to John McFall.