John Longworth, the director general of the Chambers of Commerce, has decided to weigh in on the European debate. Good, you might think – about time the business community spoke up about an issue they tend to remain silent on. Unfortunately, but probably rather predictably, the comments offered were not in any way helpful. “We […]
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 […]
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. […]
In order to win the 2014 Euro elections, Nigel Farage sabotaged his grand project
The history of UKIP is a fascinating one, and I urge all of you who have not yet read Revolt on the Right by Rob Ford and Matthew Goodwin to do so. It recalls UKIP’s beginnings as a sort of techy, academic bunch founded by LSE history professor Alan Sked and follows its evolution towards […]
What is a liberal reaction to the Charlie Hebdo shooting?
First off, this is so obvious it shouldn’t need saying, but in such shocking times it is best to be clear about as much possible: condemn the atrocity with no equivocation whatsoever. As no one really is offering an unequivocal response, that shouldn’t need saying. But like I say, when a shock to the system […]
David Cameron’s European People’s Party problem
When David Cameron ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2005, he had a two pronged approach towards Europe: he would tell his party to shut up about it, and as a sweetener style adjunct to this request, would pull the Tories out of the European People’s Party and place them into a […]
The Tories still don’t get it: short of a majority, the only way to get an EU referendum is through another coalition
There was a fascinating article in the Daily Mail yesterday. The top line was Cameron saying he won’t do a deal with UKIP under any circumstances after the next election, no matter what. Well, Cameron didn’t exactly say it; rather a “Downing Street aid” did. Anyhow, it all seems to have been done with the […]
The aftermath of the Scottish referendum should act as a warning to the Tories over an EU vote
On September 18th, 2014, the Scottish people voted by ten points to reject independence and remain part of the United Kingdom. You would have thought that this would have taken the wind out of the SNP’s sails. After all, independence is their raison d’etre – surely now that the Scots had rejected it, the party […]
Why are the two main parties seemingly trying to lose the next election?
The Prime Minister is due to give a speech this week on immigration and the European Union. In terms of what constitutes sensitive fault lines within the Tory brand, it would be hard to get touchier than these two topics (unless of course, UKIP style, you wish to roll them into one). And yet, former […]
How the Tories are unwittingly pitting themselves against a large portion of the British business community
When David Cameron ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party, he famous pledged that his party would henceforth “stop banging on about Europe”. Unfortunately for him, his party had other ideas. Eurosceptism has become the norm within the Conservative Party. I once overheard a conversation between two Tory backbenchers at Conservative Party conference who […]