Peter Hoskin

Wednesday

Peter Hoskin

Riding into a storm

From our UK edition

If I had to pick one word to describe the culmination of the US Presidential race it would be “electric”. From the 240,000 who gathered to hear Obama’s address in Grant Park, to the parties that are still going on in Washington, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Wherever, there is – and has been – an electricity about this campaign that current British politics can only dream of replicating. As Fraser and James have noted, that America has elected its first black President is a point for celebration.  But tomorrow – tomorrow America needs to concentrate on the challenges facing the 44th President. I’m reminded of the final shot of John Ford’s magisterial Young Mr.

Tuesday

Peter Hoskin

Changing the tune

From our UK edition

A good spot by Ben Brogan over at his essential blog - here's how Peter Mandelson described Gordon Brown to a group of journos earlier: "I see a man who is really in his stride. He has risen to this challenge. He has grasped the essentials of the crisis, he has understood it. People are crying for change, for leadership. The fact that we in Britain can now be universally recognised as advocates of change and have been recognised as advocating it for a long time ... it's worth its weight in gold." As Brogan notes, it's a little bit odd that Mandy should be pushing the "change" line quite so forcefully - especially given that Brown's set himself up as the "experience" candidate.  Either the ennobled one's accidentally gone off message.

Peter Hoskin

A welcome development

From our UK edition

Today is a landmark day for the NHS. The widely-expected decision to allow top-up payments is a welcome move - for all the reasons outlined by my former colleague Helen Rainbow, of Reform, in a blog post for Centre Right last week. The key victory here is for patient choice. Whereas before, in some cases, a patient would have been forced to go private if they wanted the very best and most up-to-the-minute treatments, now they can access them within the NHS - provided, of course, that they stump up the extra cash.  Sure, there's an argument that we should expect the best treatment on the NHS anyway - given the amount of taxpayers' money it hoovers up. But the fact remains that - at the moment - that's often not available. Better a system in which it is.

Peter Hoskin

The extent of the Labour bounce

From our UK edition

An incisive article on recent opinion polls in today's Independent: "Labour's rating rose from 26 per cent before the party conference season to 31 per cent after its gathering in Manchester in September. But its overall level of support did not climb any higher after the banks bailout last month, said John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, who looked at the results of nine surveys. The weighted average of the polls taken in October shows the Tories on 43 per cent (down one percentage point on September), Labour on 31 per cent (up four points), the Liberal Democrats on 16 per cent (down one point) and other parties 10 per cent (down two points). These figures would give David Cameron a majority of 62 at a general election.

Monday

Peter Hoskin

Recommended viewing

From our UK edition

A reminder tonight that - for all its sins - the BBC still produces some top drawer television. I have in mind the episode of Panorama which screened at 2030, on the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. For the most part balanced, informative and beautifully shot, it set out what our armed forces have accomplished so far, and the challenges they will face in the future. There were powerful 'talking head' contributions from Hamid Karzai and Brigadier Mark Carleton Smith. Whilst disturbing footage of the Taleban making - and detonating - roadside bombs was a stark reminder of the enemy that our troops, and the West, face. If there was a sour note to the programme, it was a "things are worse than ever" conclusion that seemed to fly in the face of much that had preceded it.

Peter Hoskin

Beware a confused message

From our UK edition

The Tories have followed their dawn raid against the BBC with broadcast interviews this afternoon.  It's all a natural part of pushing the message.  But what is that message?  The headlines on Politics Home's invaluble 'Green Box' tell a seemingly contradictory story: 13:14 Cameron: BBC bosses should be paid less and regulated by Ofcom 13:41 "Politicians should not dictate BBC salaries" says Jeremy Hunt They don't quite chime together, do they? Clicking through to the stories that the headlines link to (here and here) reveals two things:  1) This isn't misrepresentation of the Tory arguments by Politics Home.  The given headlines do summarise the main points of Cameron's and Hunt's interviews.

Peter Hoskin

Trouble for Mandelson?

From our UK edition

Mandrake asks a sensible question in today's Telegraph: "The last thing "Mandy" Mandrake would want to do is to cause any trouble for my near namesake Lord "Mandy" Mandelson, but when the Business Secretary appears before the House of Lords on Thursday to answer questions about his links to the Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, there is one matter I would like to see cleared up. Why, when I broke the story on October 6 of how Mandelson and George Osborne had been entertained aboard Deripaska's yacht the Queen K, did the Business Secretary's spokesman Peter Power tell me categorically that the social gathering was the "only contact" that he had ever had with Deripaska?

Peter Hoskin

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 3 November – 9 November

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 Tories vs the Beeb

From our UK edition

In the wake of BrandRossGate, the Tories have sensed a political opportunity, and - to some extent - they're making something of it.  How so?  Well, David Cameron attacks the BBC in a piece for today's Sun.  Whilst the shadow culture minister, Jeremy Hunt, does similar in a post for Centre Right. By-and-large, the articles touch on the same issues - "decency" and "bloated salaries", for instance - although it's striking that Cameron dwells on a topic that the Tories have tended to shy away from in the past: namely, the "political bias" of the Beeb.  Here's the relevant passage: "But, I can hear the cry, what about the left-wing bias?

Sunday

Peter Hoskin

The Old Crowd

From our UK edition

After the headline-grabbing returns of Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell, it's looking increasingly likely that David Blunkett will be the next New Labour veteran to be welcomed back into the governmental fold.  According to today's Mail on Sunday, he's already discussed taking on a "party troubleshooter" role, although he's said to be holding out for a Cabinet position.  Word is: he just might get one, too. You can see the thinking behind this redraft for The Old Crowd - experienced hands in a time of trouble; dogged war-horses who can take the fight to the Tories, and all that.  But it's a risky approach.  The fact remains that Mandelson, Campbell, Blunkett et al departed Tony Blair's government under numerous clouds.

Peter Hoskin

Lewis Hamilton, World Champion

From our UK edition

Lewis Hamilton, 23, becomes the youngest-ever winner of the Formula One drivers' world championship.  And in dramatic style.  He achieved the fifth place he needed in today's Brazilian Grand Prix only on the very last corner of the race.  Great stuff.

Peter Hoskin

Licence fee under fire

From our UK edition

The BPIX poll in today's Mail on Sunday gives the following headline voting-intention figures: Tories on 45 percent (down 1); Labour on 31 percent (up one); and the Lib Dems on 13 percent (no change).  Political Betting's Mike Smithson  outlines the reasons to be wary of those numbers - but some of the poll's below-headline findings on the BBC remain striking.  They suggest that around 73 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds - the so-called 'yoof' audience that the BBC targets with hosts like Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand - think that the current licence fee is unjustified.  Across all age ranges, that figure rises to 74 percent.

Peter Hoskin

Heaven & Hell

From our UK edition

The term "video installation" normally sets my cultural alarm bells off.  But, on my Sunday stroll around the internet, I've come across one such video installation that's actually quite effective - so effective, in fact, that I thought I'd share it with CoffeeHousers.  Entitled Civilisation - and put together by Marco Brambilla - it's a three-minute long depiction of Hell, Earth and Heaven, which meshes together hundreds of pre-existing video clips to form a busy and intricate collage.  In other words: Hieronymus Bosch for the 21st Century.  It's currently being screened at the Christopher Grimes gallery in Los Angeles - where its 26-foot dimensions must make playing the 'What Film Does That Clip Come From?' game irresistible.

Saturday

Peter Hoskin

A damning indictment

From our UK edition

Aside from the tragic deaths incurred, there are few more damning indictments of the Government's failure to properly equip the armed forces than the resignation of Major Sebastian Morley, the commander of SAS forces in Afghanistan.  According to the Telegraph, he's quitting in protest - and disgust - at the "gross negligence" and "chronic underinvestment" which allowed British troops to be transported around Afghanistan in vulnerable Snatch Land Rovers, despite repeated warnings from Major Morley that continued use of the vehicles would contribute towards British fatalities.  And contribute it did.  On 17 June this year, four of Major Morley's colleagues were killed when their Snatch Land Rover hit a landmine in Helmand Province.

Peter Hoskin

Neck-and-neck in Glenrothes?

From our UK edition

This just in from Ladbrokes; the latest odds for the Glenrothes by-election: SNP --- 5/6 Labour --- 5/6 Conservatives --- 100/1 Liberal Democrats --- 100/1 Back in August, the SNP were at 1/4 and Labour at 5/2.

Peter Hoskin

The Ingmar Bergman Archives

From our UK edition

Like the crusader knight in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957), we all eventually lose our chess game with Death. And that includes Bergman himself, who passed away only last year, leaving an immense cinematic void as he did so. He bequeathed us 62 films, a good proportion of which are among the greatest and most enigmatic art works of the 20th century.  We will, quite simply, never see their like again. Taschen’s immense book, The Ingmar Bergman Archives, feels, then, like something of a final eulogy to the man and his art. If so, what an elegant and loving one it is. Each of Bergman’s films receives due attention, with essays, still photographs and new material from the director’s own archives.

Friday

Peter Hoskin

The question the Tories must answer

From our UK edition

Before George Osborne gave his speech at LSE today, I just coudn't get a handle on what his message would be.  In his interview on the Today programme, he was making positive noises about reducing the tax burden.  "The best way to help people is through targeted, funded tax-help ... certainly not increasing taxes like the government are planning to do," he told listeners.  But the FT seemed to have a different take.  Their preview of the Shadow Chancellor's speech began: "George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, will pave the way for tax rises under a Conservative government while warning against a 'tax con' short-term cut by Gordon Brown." Thing is - as Fraser noted earlier - Osborne's speech didn't clear up the confusion.

Peter Hoskin

The call for cuts

From our UK edition

The pressure on the Bank of England to slash interest rates is mounting - if, indeed, pressure can be exerted on an independent body.  The list of politicians who have near-enough called for a dramatic reduction in rates includes Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and George Osborne.  And today, in a persuasive article for the FT, Martin Wolf also states the case for a hefty cut.  The whole thing's worth reading, but here's the crux of Wolf's argument: "So what is to be done? The starting point has to be monetary policy. My increasingly strong view is that the MPC must, at this juncture, rethink its stance from scratch. It cannot make sense for US rates to be at 1 per cent, while the UK’s are 4.5 per cent. In present circumstances, I would like to see UK rates down to 2.

Peter Hoskin

Another poll; a similar story

From our UK edition

Today's You Gov poll in the Telegraph tells a similiar story to the ComRes poll from a few days ago - that the Tory lead has more than halved over the past few weeks, but they're still 9 points clear of Labour.  Here are the headline figures in full: the Tories are on 42 percent (no change from a YouGov poll two weeks ago); Labour on 33 percent (down 1); and the Lib Dems on 15 percent (up 1).  The unchanged Tory position leads Political Betting's Mike Smithson to deduce that the polls have reached a "new normality" - by which Cameron & Co would achieve only a "bare majority".