Peter Hoskin

Thursday

Peter Hoskin

What will 2018 look like?

From our UK edition

Hugo Rifkind's got a superb article in the latest issue of the magazine, outlining what Britain's political scene might look like ten years from now.  It's all a little tongue-in-cheek, but I've noted some of his predictions down, for reference.  Here they are: --- George Osborne will be Prime Minister --- Davina McCall will be presenting the Today programme --- Boris will be Lord Johnson of Henley --- Oil will be at $600 a barrel --- Ruth Kelly will have been Labour leader --- David Miliband will have been Labour leader --- Ed Balls will have been Labour leader --- David Davis will have defected to UKIP --- Ken Livingstone will be Mayor of London Which ones, if any, do CoffeeHousers think will come true?

Peter Hoskin

Daniel Kawczynski MP apologises to Melanie Phillips

From our UK edition

Daniel Kawczynski has written a web exclusive article for The Spectator, apologising for his recent online quarrel with Melanie Phillips.  You can read it here. To catch up on the original debate, read Melanie's posts here and here, and Daniel's post on Centre Right.

Peter Hoskin

The plot thickens…

From our UK edition

And so the Labour leadership struggle rumbles on, with claims by Team Miliband that the Milburn for Chancellor story was "fictional" - an effort by the Brownites to smear their man as an uber-Blairite, and thereby alienate him from the left of the party.  But Rosa Prince of the Telegraph has since claimed, in no uncertain terms, that the Milburn story came from "friends of Miliband".  And a new article on the Telegraph website suggests that the Team Miliband denials are an attempt, on their part, to quell criticism from other Labour MPs. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the speculation.  And I can currently see only one winner emerging from it all: The Conservatives.

Wednesday

Peter Hoskin

The Spectator summer reading list

From our UK edition

You may have seen the summer reading list that Tory MPs have been issued with. But here’s an alternative set of book recommendations for you, this time from Spectator staff. Not all the books will be newly-published. But they’re generally books that we’ve read – and enjoyed – recently. Hopefully, we’ll unearth a few gems for you. If so, please do return the favour by making your own recommendations in the comments section. Right, I’ll get the ball rolling with my suggestions… Tim O’Brien’s If I Die in a Combat Zone is up there with Michael Herr’s Dispatches as the best piece of reportage to come out of the Vietnam War.

Peter Hoskin

Gordon Brown’s got a question for you

From our UK edition

I've just re-read this Q&A that the Independent conducted with Gordon Brown on 27 June, 2007.  One of our Dear Leader's responses jumped out at me.  Here it is, with the question that prompted it: How will life be different under a Brown government? JOHN BROOKS, by email I will let you answer that question in a year's time. I hope you'll say you feel safer on the streets and more prosperous, more confident in your local schools and hospitals, and you'll have a bit more trust in the political system. Generally, I hope you'll say you think the Government's on your side and listening to you. Well, it's over a year later now.  So I guess Brown wants to hear responses to that question - how is life different under a Brown government?  Any answers, CoffeeHousers?

Peter Hoskin

Andy Warhol was born 80 years ago today

From our UK edition

It's 80 years since the birth of Andy Warhol - an occasion which I feel shouldn't go unmarked.  To be honest, though, my reaction to his work oscillates wildly.  Sometimes it seems warm and inclusive, and I enjoy it.  At others, it's too arch and mechanstic, and I don't.  But I guess that's Warhol's allure.  His very indeterminateness is an artform in itself. P.S. What better occasion to dust off this article from the Spectator archives?  It's the incomparable Taki, with his personal recollections of Warhol's Studio 54 scene. P.P.S. One recommendation: Warhol's 1966 film Chelsea Girls.  It's quite hard to get hold of, on DVD or otherwise.  But well worth it.

Peter Hoskin

Put your questions to Eric Pickles

From our UK edition

Eric Pickles - the mastermind behind the Tory success in Crewe & Nantwich - has kindly agreed to a Q&A session with Coffee House.  So, post your questions for him in the comments sections below.  And, on Sunday, we'll pick out the best ten and put them to the shadow communities secretary. He'll get back to us all a few days later.  And the commenters whose questions are chosen will all win Coffee House t-shirts and copies of the special 180th Anniversary issue of The Spectator.

Peter Hoskin

Riddled with vermin

From our UK edition

There are few blunter indictments of this Government’s mismanagement of the health service than the news that numerous hospitals are ‘infested with vermin’. Over £90 billion of public money has been splashed on the health service in the past year alone – in real terms, that’s double what was spent on it in 1999. For all that so-called investment, you’d think we’d get cleanliness and hygiene in our hospitals. Instead, we’ve had rats, maggots and superbugs. The NHS is 60 this year. As a birthday present, Labour’s dragged it through the muck.

Peter Hoskin

Is Milburn just the ticket for Miliband?

From our UK edition

Today's Telegraph reports that David Miliband has lined up Alan Milburn to be his Chancellor, should he manage to oust Gordon Brown from office.  A good move by Team Miliband?  Well, Milburn is certainly a capable political performer, and his presence will help solidify Blairite support.  But two potential problems spring to mind. The first is that, whilst Milburn is popular with the Blairites, he is anathema to the Brownites and to the left of the party (remember the unions' response when he was appointed as Labour's general election co-ordinator for 2005?).  In a struggle that is rapidly reducing into a Blairite vs Brownite feud, the received wisdom is that Miliband needs to look for support beyond his usual ideological base.

Tuesday

Peter Hoskin

Grayling responds

From our UK edition

Here are Chris Grayling's answers to the questions put forward by CoffeeHousers: Marcus Cotswell "What are your plans for reducing the incidence of means-testing in the benefit system, with particular reference to the impact on incentives to save?" None of us would have wanted to see means testing spread as far as it has throughout our benefits and tax credits system under Gordon Brown. However once a system is in place, it's much more difficult to change things without creating losers amongst the most vulnerable in our society. So initially our focus will be on simplification. I am, for example, extremely concerned about the number of elderly pensioners who are finding it too difficult to apply for help, at a time when the cost of living pressures on them are acute.

Peter Hoskin

Thoughts on the Ian Oakley case 

From our UK edition

There's little to say about the Ian Oakley case that Iain Dale didn't write in his excellent post on the matter earlier.  In which case, I'll echo Iain by saying that Oakley-style campaigns of intimidation have absolutely no place in politics; that the Tories should investigate why their former candidate for Watford could get away with it for so long; and that the other parties should not try and make political capital out of this. But I would add one other point.  Iain writes that he hopes Oakley "gets what is undoubtedly coming to him".  Perhaps he's right to think that.

Peter Hoskin

Has Harman got it right?

From our UK edition

Harriet Harman's spotted the obvious answer to the problem of MPs employing their children, Derek Conway-style – her consultation document recommends banning the practice altogether.  Of course, any effort to slow the gravy train should be welcomed, but Harman's proposal is only the smallest of speed bumps.  MPs would still be able to employ their spouses and partners.  And that's before the honourable members start thinking creatively.  How long, I wonder, before they'd hit on the idea of employing each other's kids?

Peter Hoskin

Does “improvement” mean improvement?

From our UK edition

The Sats results have finally been released, and - as the BBC puts it - there has been "a slight improvement" in level 4 results - the level that will be used in creating the school league tables later this year. Meanwhile, here are some findings from a survey of teachers by the think-tank Civitas, released today: --- Just 10% of teachers think that Year 7 pupil levels this last school year have been consistent with their Key Stage 2 Sats test results.  --- 79% of teachers surveyed think that up to a third of Year 7 pupils’ abilities this last school year have been either ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ lower than their Key Stage 2 Sats test results.

Peter Hoskin

Thanks, Gordon

From our UK edition

“Don’t worry,”  the Government told us when Northern Rock was nationalised, “the £100 billion debt is secured against the bank’s assets.” And what assets might they be? As Guido points out in an excellent post this morning, there’s not a whole lot there. And what is there is rapidly being sold off to get government debt levels down.  Hardly the kind of security that taxpayers want. And the picture’s looking even worse now the bank’s announced it lost £500 million in the first half of this year. This is far from being a profitable company. And things can only get worse for them as the credit crunch bites even deeper. The likely result?

Peter Hoskin

Will Cameron and Osborne divorce over marriage?

From our UK edition

I’d recommend you read Rachel Sylvester’s column in today’s Times. In it, she identifies a split between David Cameron and George Osborne on recognising marriage in the tax system. Cameron’s extremely keen on the idea, and wants to reintroduce the married couple’s allowance. Osborne, on the other hand, isn’t and doesn’t. Here’s the key passage: "Mr Osborne disagrees. For him, it is not the State's job to tell people how to live their lives. He would prefer to use scarce Treasury resources to support parents, whatever family structure they are in, than to reward a childless millionaire hedge fund manager who happens to be married to a lady who likes to lunch.

Monday

Peter Hoskin

More Kremlinology

From our UK edition

Those readers who are tiring of the constant stream of Labour leadership speculation would be best advised to look away now. For the rest of you, here’s a quote from Andy Burnham, the culture secretary, speaking on Sky News earlier: "I'm fully behind the Prime Minister. Actually, what I'm talking about today [investment in British sport] was Gordon Brown's own decision in one of his last budgets as Chancellor. Gordon has a record of taking far-sighted and long term decisions that were good for this country." Of course, this may be nothing more than yet another (meaningless?) message of support from yet another minister. But it might reveal something else as well. You see, Burnham is frequently cited as one of the more Blairite Blairites in the Government.

Peter Hoskin

Old habits die hard

From our UK edition

We all know about Brown's control-freakery when he was at the Treasury.  And that he maintains a tight grip on matters economic from No.10 is equally common knowledge.  But I still find stories like this one in today's Standard grimly amusing.  This quote from a "Whitehall official" just about sums it up: "Is there an economic plan [coming from Gordon Brown]? We keep reading about it in the press but, if there is one, we have not been told about it or shown it. Frankly, nobody seems to be very sure what is going on. Presumably the Chancellor is involved but even that is not absolutely clear."At the risk of sounding like an armchair psychologist, this clam-up-and-talk-to-no-one approach to policymaking is hardly advisable for our embattled Prime Minister.

Peter Hoskin

The Sunday Essay: a reminder to send in your submissions

From our UK edition

We're introducing a new feature to Coffee House - the Sunday Essay.   Each Sunday, we'll post an essay by one of our readers, on any political, cultural or sporting topic.  The first essay will appear on Sunday, 10 August. If you'd like your writing to be considered, just e-mail an article of between 500 and 1500 words to me at phoskin @ spectator.co.uk  - the Coffee House team will pick out the best submission each week, and post it on the website the following Sunday.  It doesn't matter whether you're an MP, a member of the policy wonk world, or have nothing to do with politics whatsoever - all submissions will be read and evaluated. So, get writing.  And remember to look out for the first Sunday Essay next week.

Peter Hoskin

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 4 August – 10 August 

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.