Peter Hoskin

Wednesday

Peter Hoskin

Bare-knuckle rhetoric from Mandy

From our UK edition

Peter Mandelson's performance on Sky earlier was remarkably venomous.  Here's the main thrust of it: "I also have to say I think that for many Conservatives, it is a self-serving smokescreen, behind which to hide their own apparent collusion with a Home Office official who was allegedly systematically leaking Home Office papers to the Conservative Party, in order to pursue his own personal political ambition... ...I would like to know from the Conservatives whether their frontbench and their leader knowingly colluded with that civil servant in riding a coach and horses not only through the Civil Service code but also through the law." Putting aside the strength (or weakness) of Mandelson's position here, this fresh outburst should serve as a warning to the Tories.

Peter Hoskin

The Queen’s Speech: what to expect

From our UK edition

What can we expect from the Queen's Speech; the centrepiece of today's State Opening of Parliament?  So far as policy is concerned, it's doubtful whether there'll be any surprises.  The Times has a great round-up of the measures likely to be contained in what's being spun as a "fairness" programme, and most have been trailed weeks and months in advance of today.  Perhaps one thing to look out for is the emphasis that's placed on welfare reform.  It's top of the Times's list of measures, but there has been some rumbling on the Westminster grapevine that Brown would play it down - or perhaps even jettison it - because it's a difficult sell to make during the downturn. But we're expecting more than just policy announcements and pomp today.

Tuesday

Peter Hoskin

In a spirit of cooperation

From our UK edition

One of the more striking aspects of the Damian Green affair is how it's angered MPs from every side, corner and alcove of the House.  And quite right too - this is something that could have hefty implications for Parliament as a whole.  The Tories and Lib Dems, in particular, have been singing from an almost identical hymn-sheet when condemning the heavy-handedness of the arrest, and now it's emerged that they've taken the cooperation a stage further.  According to the Beeb, Cameron and Clegg are going to meet to "discuss tactics" ahead of the Queen's Speech tomorrow.  Their aim is to secure a debate on the Green arrest; although one can't help but wonder whether they'll also discuss the plan to force out Michael Martin said to be brewing among certain Tory MPs.

Peter Hoskin

Shapps responds

From our UK edition

Here are Grant Shapps' answers to the questions put forward by CoffeeHousers: Colin "What advice do you have for the individuals who are now deep in debt, after a decade long credit bubble; especially now that the safety net of massive house price rises is not there to save them?" The first thing to say is that someone who finds themselves in debt should seek urgent debt counseling advice, ideally before things get completely out of control. Either way, seeking professional help from an organisation like the Citizens Advice Bureau is an absolute must because all creditors will prefer to be in discussion and negotiation with their debtor. Tempting as it can be, burying your head in the sand is just about the worst approach to take.

Peter Hoskin

Jumping off a cliff?

From our UK edition

The Standard's Paul Waugh got there first, but it's still worth highlighting the comments of Peer Steinbrück, Germany's finance minister, in an interview with Der Spiegel.  He echoes Angela Merkel's scepticism of Brown-style, debt-funded fiscal stimuli, but does so with a bit a rhetorical pizazz.  A case in point: "Just because all the lemmings have chosen the same path, it doesn't automatically make that path the right one." For more, head over to Paul's blog.

Peter Hoskin

Investigating the investigators

From our UK edition

The decision by the Met to hold a review into the Damian Green arrest can only be welcomed - and is perhaps the clearest indication yet that the police feel something's gone wrong somewhere down the line.  But what will come out of it?  One imagines that the conclusions will necessarily - and perhaps rightly - be limited to matters of police procedure.  Chances are it won't answer some of the more pertinent questions swirling around the Westminster washbowl: such as which government figures knew what, and when; whether parliamentary figures have failed in their duties; and how Parliament can recover from any damage incurred by this matter.  As James stressed last week, Parliament itself has a duty to address these issues.

Peter Hoskin

As transparent as possible?

From our UK edition

An important article by Rachel Sylvester today, on the implications of the Damian Green arrest.  She sees it as a sympton of wider dissatisfaction with the way government information is disseminated: "The Freedom of Information Act, designed to open up the workings of the political elite to the masses, has, they believe, turned into a huge distraction. Last week, the Cabinet Secretary made clear his irritation when he gave evidence to a tribunal considering whether the minutes of Cabinet meetings in the run-up to the war in Iraq should be released. Other senior civil servants moan about the time they spend on freedom of information requests. 'The whole thing has become a nightmare,' says one permanent secretary. 'It is starting to hamper the way in which Government works.

Monday

Peter Hoskin

The mole speaks

From our UK edition

Nothing surprising in Christopher Galley's statement just now, but it does support the general idea that Damian Green hasn't acted in a particularly improper way, and that the police response was disproportionate to the supposed offence.  Here are the key quotes: "If ever there was a case of don't shoot the messenger, this is surely it... ...Most would describe it as embarrassment material and material that is part of the public interest. It's really not national security, terrorism, financial jeopardy, loss-gain to others.  Nothing remotely like that."As I see it, the key questions that need answering are still about who in Parliament knew what, and when.

Peter Hoskin

Heads roll in Haringey

From our UK edition

It's taken longer than many may have reasonably expected - and it's hardly edifying that those involved effectively needed to be pushed - but Haringey officials have now lost their jobs over the tragic death of Baby P.  Following the release of what Ed Balls has called a "devastating" report into the matter, the Head of Children's Services, Sharon Shoesmith, has been sacked.  While both the council leader, George Meehan, and cabinet member for children and young people, Liz Santry, have resigned.  Given the early warnings that were received by the Government, one wonders whether punitive measures are being felt higher up the political ladder.

Peter Hoskin

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 1 December – 7 December 

From our UK edition

Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers' Wall. For those who haven't come across the Wall before, it's a post we put up each Monday, on which – provided your writing isn’t libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency – you’ll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no topic, so there’s no need to stay ‘on topic’ – which means you’ll be able to debate with each other more freely and extensively. There’s also no constraint on the length of what you write – so, in effect, you can become Coffee House bloggers. Anything’s fair game – from political stories in your local paper, to chat about the latest football results.

Peter Hoskin

The Home Secretary’s role

From our UK edition

Although I don't agree with her contention that Boris's involvement in the sacking of Ian Blair was some sort of high water mark in the politicisation of policing, Jackie Ashley does write forcefully on Jacqui Smith this morning.  Ashley idenitifies the key question hovering above the Home Secretary right now: is she lying about what she knew or just plain incompetent?  Here's the key passage: "You can't separate politics from policing, and you never have been able to: political judgments are so often behind what the police do. In this case, it is simply risible to push off the responsibility for the invasion of Green's home and offices by anti-terrorist officers on to the police and nameless "officials". If the home secretary did not know, she should have done.

Peter Hoskin

A question of grooming

From our UK edition

This morning's newspapers throw up the next round of questions in the Damian Green affair. The latest is that the Tory MP is accused of "grooming" his source in the Home Office to provide a series of leaks. Now, if this accusation is anything like a plank in the case against Green, then clear dividing lines need to be spelt out. How does this "grooming" differ from an MPs' traditional methods of cultivating a relationship with a source? Is it because of the number of leaks? Is it because the source hadn't leaked before? Is it because the source was relatively young? Is it because the source was given instructions as to what to leak? Now, I'm not trying to make a case one way or the other, here. I'm genuinely interested in the answers.

Sunday

Peter Hoskin

Just how much do we have to pay, Mr Darling?

From our UK edition

After the events of the past week, the Pre-Budget Report seems more than only six days old.  But six days old it is, and already Alistair Darling is suggesting that the much-vaunted "fiscal stimulus" may need to be supplemented in the near-future.  In his interview in today's Observer, the Chancellor admits that "we're almost certainly going to be doing additional things".  Of course, you could say that this isn't a surprise; that the Government has to respond continuously to the changing circumstances of the downturn.  But, to my mind, this just raises more questions about how effective the Government's spendthrift approach is, and whether it's worth the increased borrowing and increased taxation that lie in wait for us.

Peter Hoskin

Political shrapnel rips through the Government

From our UK edition

The theme of Jacqui Smith's interview with Andrew Marr this morning?  Responsibility-dodging.  Not once did the Home Secretary apologise for the disgraceful arrest of Damian Green, but she took every opportunity to stress the "operational independence" of those investigating the Tory MP.  In other words: not my fault, guv. Thing is, Dominic Grieve has since suggested that Smith knew more about the arrest of Green that she's letting on.  He told Sky News that: "I think she knew there was an MP involved in this investigation and she decided to simply sit back on her hands..." And that's only one entry in this morning's catalogue of charges aimed at the Government and the police over the Green arrest.

Friday

Peter Hoskin

Your questions for Grant Shapps

From our UK edition

It's been a few days now since we asked CoffeeHousers to put forward their questions for Grant Shapps.  We've since picked out the best, which have now been put to the shadow housing minister.  He'll get back to us at the start of next week. Colin "What advice do you have for the individuals who are now deep in debt, after a decade long credit bubble; especially now that the safety net of massive house price rises is not there to save them?" David Preiser "The people who are losing their homes due to mortgage problems can no longer afford to be home owners in the current climate, so would need to find "affordable housing". Would you authorize and fund the construction of new, "affordable housing" units to provide accommodation for these people?

Peter Hoskin

A cameo from the Speaker in the Green arrest?

From our UK edition

I think it's fair to say that Michael Martin is not a particularly popular figure among Tories.  He's probably even less popular now, if Ben Brogan's latest blog post is anything to go by: "An MP has been spitting with rage at the suggestion that Michael Martin knew about this and authorised detectives to search Damian Green's Commons offices. When was the last time heavies came looking for MPs? Expect to hear a lot today about Speaker Lenthall and the Five Members...

Peter Hoskin

Either insidious or incompetent

From our UK edition

Phil Woollas, the Immigration Minister, spoke on Today earlier about the Damian Green arrest.  Here's what he had to say: "I can assure you that ministers had no knowledge whatsoever of this. The wise thing for everyone to do is wait to see what happens... ...The police are independent from the Home Office. I can only say that I have no knowledge. As far as I’m aware no Ministers had any knowledge. This was a matter instigated by Home Office officials, and the Police were called." Now, part of me hopes he's right that no ministers were aware of this.  If they were somehow involved in this heavy-handed arrest of an Opposition member, then it's an insidious form of government.

Peter Hoskin

What the borrowing numbers mean

From our UK edition

A great article by Martin Wolf in today's FT, analysing what the upwards-revised borrowing figures in the PBR mean for the public finances.  Here are his key observations: "First, the Treasury’s view that the last cycle ended in 2006 seems quite ridiculous. The correct view is that the UK has been caught in an unsustainable supercycle, with a once-in-a-lifetime bubble in global finance and domestic housing. It is only now in the downswing. The cyclically adjusted fiscal deficit, properly measured, was far larger than believed for at least a decade. So fiscal policy should have been much tighter. If it had been, the UK would be in far better shape today. Second, the UK cannot afford the spending it once hoped for.