David Ignatius has an intriguing piece in the Washington Post today saying that the Bush administration made a big mistake by not interfering in the Iraqi elections back in 2005. Back then it was viewed as crucial that America did not try and rig the process. Indeed, the conventional wisdom was that the defeat of America’s favoured
I have been mulling over Dave’s Newsnight performance, which was mostly very impressive. I think, however, that his choice of words on immigration was a mistake. The problem with suggesting that there is an acceptable quantum of immigrants, however politely that proposition is expressed, is that it chimes with all that is worst in the
David Cameron has for some time been wanting to do one of these Newsnight panel-style interviews. Watching it, I can see why. He excels at answering rapid fire questions, and easily recalls all his main slogans and sound bites. Here are my thoughts… 1. He could have been more robust rebutting Michael Crick when he questioned
You can watch the Newsnight special with David Cameron here. In it, Cameron confirms Fraser’s earlier report that the Tories will not, thankfully, be stopping all airport expansion. Cameron put in a fairly strong performance. He handled Stephanie Flanders line of questions about whether he felt that she, an unwed mother, should get married or not
Irwin Stelzer has a typically sharp piece in today’s Telegraph in which he makes a crucial point about a rather overlooked political consequence of the recent market turbulence. As Stelzer writes, “The former chancellor surely knows that tax receipts have been sustained largely by payments from high-earners in the City. He knows, too, that it
Earlier today, the great and the good were gathered a stone’s throw from the Spectator offices for the unveiling of a statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square. Journalists thrive on disagreement, controversy and dissent, but this statue of a historic figure strikes me as one of those rare things: An Undeniable and Incontrovertible Good.
There is something more than usually grotesque about the slow-motion downfall of Amy Winehouse being played out daily in the media. As the singer and her appalling husband holiday in St Lucia, their respective parents are fighting a shameful proxy battle at home, with her father-in-law, Giles, calling on Amy’s fans to boycott her records
President Bush’s statement to the American Legion that “I have authorized our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran’s murderous activities” is understandably getting a lot of ink this morning. But this is far from the first time that Bush has warned Iran of the consequences of its actions in Iraq. Back in January, he told the
APEC–the group which brings together the countries of the Pacific Rim including the US, Russia, Japan and China–is meeting in Sydney next week and to mark the occasion former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating, one of the organisation’s creators, gave a speech and an interview lamenting its failure over the last ten years to turn
As Matt, Fraser and Tim Montgomerie have all argued things are looking up for Project Cameron. Peter Riddell in Wednesday’s Times is more cautious but he still thinks that “Cameron and the Tories are no longer retreating” which is progress considering how Brown has swept all before him these past few months. But if this momentum is to be
Was the Rhys Jones murder just a crime, or the result of a new phenomenon? The answer splits left and right. We’ve heard strikingly little from Gordon Brown – and little wonder. The idea of there being a “broken society” undermines his credo. Has Britain not benefited from ten years of a Labour government dedicated
If you want to know what’s coming up in the arts this autumn a good place to look is today’s G2, where critics have chosen the ‘50 hottest acts’. The film Atonement, based on Ian McEwan’s novel, with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, opens on 7 September (I’ve seen a preview and loved it). Other
Conservative Home’s monthly survey of members reveals that Boris is well ahead of the pack in the race to become Mayor of London. Amongst London members, Boris has 70 percent support while his nearest challenger Andrew Boff is on 10 percent. Of course, the primary is open to non-Tories too. But one has to assume
John Rentoul points out in a typically sharp column in today’s Independent that Gordon Brown has benefited from the low expectation surrounding his arrival at Number 10. There had been so much said about Brown’s weaknesses that the commentariat had almost forgotten about his strengths and totally underestimated how adept Brown would prove at turning
Newsweek’s investigation into the hunt for bin Laden makes for excellent reading. It gives you a real sense of the trade-offs involving in trying to capture him while not losing large numbers of US troops or destabilising Pakistan. It is a surprise to find Don Rumsfeld who was so gung-ho in his Iraq war planning,
David Cameron will surely be relieved by the finding in today’s Guardian/ICM poll that Gordon Brown’s lead has narrowed already to five points. But the much more significant figures are the Tories’ leads on crime and health. Turn to this morning’s Daily Mail, where a survey conducted for Hillary Benn’s Environment Department shows that crime
The more you read about the murder of Rhys Jones, the more shocking it becomes. The combination of a BMX—a symbol of childhood fun—and a brutal shooting brings home just how brutalised our society has become. Jon Swain’s piece in The Sunday Times comparing Liverpool to the war zones he has reported from painfully details
In my Sunday Telegraph column today, I argue that statistics cannot reflect cultural sensibilities, especially in the wake of a horror such as Rhys Jones’s murder. But if crime statistics are to be brandished at such a time let them at least be accurate. The Sunday Times reports that – contrary to Jacqui Smith’s claim
Sir: Jeremy Clarke’s interpretation of J.S. Mill (‘Can working men’s clubs survive the smoking ban?’, 18 August) is, I fear, pretty ropey. His first point, that a non-smoker forced to breath in tobacco fumes is in effect under attack and legislation may be needed to defend him, is easily disposed of. Run of the Mill
V.S. Naipaul’s essay on Derek Walcott, the great St. Lucian poet, in today’s Guardian review is as eloquent and insightful as one would expect. What caught my eye is a point that Naipaul makes about the whole idea of the Caribbean as an island paradise. As he writes, that idea of the beauty of the islands