James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
This poll, if it is accurate, is big news: Barack Obama has drawn level with Hillary Clinton in national polls. If the numbers are to be believed, he’s up by seven points in the last month while she’s dropped by nine. Before we all get too excited, though, it is worth noting that this poll
This New York Times report on the progress of the surge is sobering reading. Despite the current push, two-thirds of Baghdad’s neighbourhoods remain outside of the control of US forces. But contrary to the way that these stories feed into the political process, this is not actually an argument for leaving. Indeed, until things improve
This piece by the investigative journalist Tom Bower on Gordon Brown’s relationship with the civil service is well worth a click. According to Bower’s assessment of Brown’s record at the Treasury, there’s little chance that Brown will restore spin-free government.
We all know a friend with an embarrassing second initial but Barack Obama’s H is particularly problematic. Hussein isn’t the pollster approved middle name for a US presidential candidate but amazingly 57% of the electorate think that this will be a problem for him in the campaign, that’s 13% percentage points more than the number who
James Forsyth talks to insiders in Washington and London about the biggest dilemma facing the next Prime Minister — and finds that, as much as Brown might like to break free of an unpopular conflict, his options are severely limited Gordon Brown could administer the coup de grâce to George W. Bush’s presidency. If, following
The news that 256 schools are now failing to give their pupils an adequate education, even by our currently low standards, is as damning an indictment as anything of Blair’s decade. How on earth are these 3 million pupils to succeed in the knowledge economy’ without an education? Despite all the money that Blair has
“Do we want to be a divided society where some people struggle and others spend £10,000 on a handbag?” Harriet Harman asked last night during the Labour deputy leadership debate. Comment Central and ConservativeHome both have good critiques of her remarks. I can’t help but wonder if Harman was hoping that we’d all think of
For an interesting take on how Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is doing read this interview with David Axelrod, Obama’s political mastermind, by the veteran US political reporter Al Hunt. Hunt’s striking conclusion: “It’s now only an even proposition that this “freak show” of scrutiny will do [Obama] in.If it doesn’t, he has a better chance
This interview by Bibi Netanyahu with the Wall Street Journal is well worth reading. In it, Netanyahu sets out a third way between diplomacy and military action that could stop Iran going nuclear: divestment. He argues that if Western firms got out of Iran then the Iranian economy would fall even further, hitting the economic
Well, after his innings of 226 today, there’s only one player who has scored more runs than him in their first twenty five tests and that’s Don Bradman. Pietersen might actually be as good as he thinks he is.
Despairing about how to get on the property ladder in London? Then you might want to talk to a 70 year old tramp called Harry Hallowes who’s ended up with a £3 million Hampstead property for squat all.
Iain Dale is running a rather cheeky competition to name the most incompetent Labour minister. As his comments section demonstrates, there’s no shortage of candidates. The question is will things get better when Gordon take over? The stereotype of the Brownites has them down as competent if colourless Roundheads—think Alistair Darling, Douglas Alexander—in contrast to
ABC News has an interesting report on the CIA’s new covert Iran strategy which is designed to get the Iranians to stop enriching uranium and arming elements of the insurgency in Iraq. As the report note, this new covert strategy means that the Bush administration has decided against military action for the time being. Yet
Over at Comment is Free, Martin Kettle has an interesting post on which 20th Century British Prime Ministers deserve to be classified as outstanding. Kettle thinks that 11 deserve the accolade with Asquith, Churchill, Attlee and Thatcher in the first rank of those who did great things in great times, Baldwin, Macmillan and Heath in
Do read this alarming story from the New York Times about Iran’s nuclear programme and their new found ability to “enrich uranium on a far larger scale than before.” This quote from an anonymous diplomat pithily sums up the situation we find ourselves in: “The key decision you have to make right now,” the diplomat
Sadly direct talks between Iran and the United States won’t persuade Tehran to stop causing trouble in Iraq or halt work on its nuclear programme. Indeed, I think the mantra that Iran and the West share interests in Iraq is rather naïve. If the Iranians want a stable Iraq, as we are so often reassured,
I’ve heard the Iraq war blamed for many things but this one takes the biscuit. According to an analyst on the Today Programme, our abject failure in the Eurovision Song Contest is a consequence of the ill-feeling created by the invasion of Iraq. Have a listen here, the clip starts at 7.48am.
Do read this charming Washington Post story about the small Irish village which records suggest Barack Obama’s ancestors hailed from.
The BBC is reporting that in a rather unconvincing effort to foster the impression of party unity Blairite ultras Alan Milburn and Stephen Byers will nominate Brown for the Labour leadership. Who said the era of spin was dead? Some, though, aren’t so keen to ignore the past. Conservative Home has produced a video to rain
The most striking thing about that speech was its unabashed patriotism. What started with the bulldog in the party political broadcast in 1997, finished with those words about Britain being a blessed nation, the best on earth.