At a dinner for political journalists on Thursday night, Ed got up and made a speech about cynicism within the political press and how awful it all is. “One of the biggest enemies of politics is cynicism, the belief that we are all in it for base motives. Agree with us or disagree with us, […]
Archives for January 2015
Is the Daily Mail correct in asserting that Tim Farron is “unstoppable” in his bid to be next leader of the Liberal Democrats?
I should begin this piece by saying that if you are looking for reliable information on what’s going inside of the Lib Dems, the Daily Mail is not the best place to initiate your search. However, yesterday there was an article in said publication that declared the next leadership contest within the party done and […]
Could a grand coalition emerge under the following circumstances?
I wrote an article about a Tory-Labour coalition after the next election a little while back. Most of it was a bit tongue in cheek, well aware as I am of the things repelling both of the two main parties from such a possibility. However, there is one set of circumstances under which I could […]
The general election as seen through the prism of the original “Star Wars” trilogy
Given that watching the first Star Wars movie in the cinema when I was a wee lad had a defining influence on all of my future thought, it’s probably not all that surprising that I have the ability to see almost anything through the lens of George Lucas’ most prosperous creation. Take British politics: […]
The Greens are learning the hard way how ugly politics can be
Last Sunday’s appearance by Natalie Bennett on the Daily Politics, an interview in which she was thoroughly dismantled by Andrew Neil, has already become semi-legendary. For those of you yet to witness it, Bennett becomes completely unstuck. She has to fall back on the ultimate no-no for a politician: “All of the details are on […]
The continuing debate about the debates means they are on the verge of happening – but in a format that favours the Tories
Grant Shapps, chairman of the Conservative Party, has hinted that Cameron may have to participate in the TV debates after all. Asked whether the prime minister would turn up if they happened, yes or no, Shapps gave an unequivocal answer: “It’s a yes.” I use the words “have to” as it’s the worst kept secret […]
What I like (and don’t like) about Morrissey
Morrissey, the former lead singer of the Smiths, is perhaps the ultimate love him or hate him character in the history of popular music. He inspires terrifying devotion and pathological dislike in equal measure. I recall Morrissey appearing on a talk show, Jonathan Ross I think, and my wife having to leave the room within […]
Why I can’t see how Cameron could ever campaign for “Get Out” in an EU referendum
I’ve been stressing about just how likely a Tory majority is come May. I realise they have a large hill to climb in terms of getting additional seats having been in government for the last five years, particularly as it feels like all of the constituencies they could possibly grab they got last time out. […]
We do not have a proportional voting system, something a lot of people find strangely hard to fathom
There was an article in the Guardian yesterday which extrapolated that, based on some recent Scottish polling, the SNP would get 55 seats and Labour would get 4. This is classic Westminster reporting; the whole thing based on a misunderstanding about how the voting system actually operates. For instance, there are two seats in Scotland […]
Who are these so called “silent Tories” anyway?
I was at a Westminster function last night and a Labour supporter and I got into a discussion about who would win the general election. I told him that, with a heavy heart, I thought the Tories would be the largest party in a hung parliament. He was adamant that I was wrong. “Look at […]