Fraser Nelson is a Times columnist and a former editor of The Spectator.
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In last week’s Spectator, I disclosed, that Indian’s government was stuck for ideas as to what to give Gordon Brown as a present for his visit and ordered Delhi University to deliver an honorary PhD – for “Public services and academia.” When I spoke to No10 before that piece, they were unable to confirm that
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Both The Sun and The Daily Mail are today offering low-energy light bulbs for free. Neither newspaper mentions that they contain mercury, and neither reprints the advice which Defra gives to anyone who breaks these lights: “Vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean
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Both Brown and Cameron face separate backbench mutinies as the revived EU Constitution — now called the Lisbon Treaty — comes before the Commons, says Fraser Nelson. Which of them will end up looking like John Major in the ghastly Maastricht era? Only one thought has consoled Gordon Brown throughout the horrors of the European
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Brown’s been in China only a few hours and already I can’t take any more. Unable to match Blair’s slick statesman act, he gabbles on like an over-promoted finance minister – regurgitating the same type of statistic-riddled declarations he gave as Chancellor. His “response” to China is to lay out his own central targets, committing
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Great fireworks today over Northern Rock. Cameron started with sombre questions about taxpayers’ money involved – Can Brown guarantee the safe return of the taxpayers’ money given Northern Rock? Was he advised the liability could rise so high? Could it rise higher than £55bn? No answer. Brown tried his trick of last week of asking
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PMQs opened with perhaps the most worst planted question I have ever heard in the Commons and it’s worth a blog on its own. Robert Flello claimed his constituents “concerned about how economic…” (stumbles, looks at sheet) “em, how global economic issues… affect them. How does my Rt Hon Friend feel these events compare with
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Ed Balls was on the World at One, taking a bow for the teachers’ pay deal. He again referred to low inflation and falling interest rates – which will not sound at all right to those reading the Telegraph’s splash about food prices rising at the highest rates in history or the 1.6m poor souls
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About the only thing we learned at his press conference today is that David Cameron has mastered the art of not answering awkward questions. He dodged several this morning, but in a way that sounded as if he had given answers. Nick Robinson asked it first. Why didn’t George Osborne personally declare to parliament the cash
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Of all the reasons why Peter Hain should go, here’s my top one. Right now a quarter of British families are caught up in Labour’s hideously complicated means-tested benefits – tax credits, etc. If they “forget” to declare income, it’s called benefit fraud – an offence for which Hain’s department successfully prosecuted 28,800 people in
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The price of gold broke $900 an ounce on Friday. So this gives us another chance to reflect on Brown’s calamitous decision to sell British gold reserves at $275 an ounce five years ago. By my calculations his disastrous foray into asset management has cost the British taxpayer £3.1bn so far. Tackled about this on
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What do you give a Prime Minister who wants nothing? The Indian government has been asking itself this for some time, ahead of Gordon Brown’s official visit later this month. The famously frugal Prime Minister would have little interest in any trinket. Presenting him with some casual clothing could be misinterpreted as an impolite sartorial
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A sound objection to David Cameron’s welfare reform policy is raised today by Richard Littlejohn. Norman Fowler took him out to Washington and Baltimore in the 1980s when he was a Labour Correspondent to show him workfare, and pledged to introduce workfare to Britain. Nothing happened. “If Thatch couldn’t force it through, it’s not going
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Is Gordon Brown running for the world record on the number of times a story is announced? His “revelation” that Britain will continue with nuclear power is something this government announces almost on a quarterly basis, to show how it is taking tough decisions. No serious policy analyst ever thought Britain would go nuclear-free –
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An angrier Brown was in front of us today, holding handwritten notes for his exchanges with Cameron rather than anything given to him by No10. He would scribble furiously, and went on the offensive – asking Cameron whether he supports ID cards for foreign nationals. It seemed a bit daft at PMQs to hear the
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Ladbrokes is calling it “one of the largest shocks in political betting history” – along with journalists and pollsters the money had also predicted an Obama win. Yesterday, Ladbrokes had him even to be the next US president. Now he’s on 2/1 with Hillary again favourite at 5/4. The Republicans come some distance behind: McCain
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I’ve just finished a 45-minute BBC Five Live phone-in with Richard Bacon about Cameron’s welfare reform – me in favour and Lisa Harker from the IPPR (ex DWP) against. I had expected it to be a flak-taking exercise, and perhaps it would have been had it been a Westminster discussion. But most of the callers
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Is Brown right on inflation? TGF UKIP appeals for help: is it correct to say as he did in the Observer and on Marr that inflation is 4% in America, 3% in Eurozone and 2% in Britain? I was thinking of Fisking the interview – but soon worked out it would be longer than the
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A well-connected CoffeeHouse reader kindly informs me that Brown is due in China next week, goes to India for two days and back in time for PMQs on the Wed. But here’s my favourite bit: the talks in India are not scheduled to include protests about plans to demand a cash bond for visitors as
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Even on Saturday afternoon, I couldn’t find a bookmaker who made Barack Obama favourite to be the next us president. People’s money was still on Hillary, suggesting Iowa was a minor setback. But after the recent debates, it seems Obama will take new Hampshire tomorrow – and Ladbrokes has changed its odds. It now has
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Don’t mention the relaunch! That will be the motto today as Gordon Brown embarks on his, ahem, new year initiative kicking off with a big speech on health . Cameron is ahead of him: he made his health speech last week. Also Brown is off to India and China later this month (or so they