Understanding the lives of others
The New York Review of Books has a fantastic piece by Tim Garton Ash on the Stasi, pegged to The Lives of Others, which is one of the best explorations of Germany’s “paradoxical achievement” I have ever read.
The Spectator
Monday
Rudy’s rock
If you want to understand Rudy Giuliani do read this gripping piece from New York magazine on his relationship with his third wife, Judith. Considering how much of a vulnerability his personal life is among socially conservative Republicans, it is bizarre how keen Giuliani is push her forward—volunteering that she’d be allowed to attend cabinet
Sunday
Breakfast with Brown
On Sunday-AM this morning Helena Kennedy and I were the warm up act for Rufus Wainwright and Gordon Brown. Both men are on tour at the moment so it was interesting to compare their respective acts. Gordon mustered the best performance of his campaign so far, not least because he had a good story to
Saturday
Letters to the Editor | 12 May 2007
Britain should come first Sir: Reading Clemency Burton-Hill’s ‘Cameron is taking on Brown — in Rwanda’ (5 May) I felt my blood boil. I have every sympathy with the people of Rwanda but surely Conservative MPs’ time would be much better spent grappling with the issues facing ordinary people in Britain? As Andrew Mitchell, Hugo
Harry Potter and the amazing royalties
Simon Hoggart’s always excellent Saturday column in the Guardian has this great snippet about the publishing phenomenon that is Harry Potter: The other day a friend of mine signed up with a new literary agency, which also handles the author of Harry Potter. The chap who looks after him took him on a tour round
Goodbye to all that
It ends, as it began, with a political conjuring trick. The splicing together of Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness must, by any standards, rank as one of the most extraordinary achievements in recent politics, and reflects, among other things, the sleepless kinetic force that was Tony Blair’s greatest asset. It was the same force that
Friday
‘I have nothing offer you except sweat, tax credits and child poverty targets’
I’ve never seen Gordon Brown smile for so long as he did throughout his speech today. Well-groomed, hair under control, red tip swapped for a blue one (shame about the media handling disaster) but he has raised his game. And here are his rules. There will be constitutional reform: a binding vote on going
The devil has all the best tunes
There’s an article in The Guardian today on Sir Simon Rattle, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, that’s well worth reading. The thesis of the piece is: “What Rattle is attempting is a musical form of multiculturalism, in which the orchestra’s brilliance lies not so much in their competence in one repertoire, but how the musicians
Remembering Frank Johnson
I spent the first half of today at Gordon Brown’s leadership launch and then Frank Johnson’s memorial service. One was a magnificent, vibrant showcasing of a man’s national reach, achievement, intellect and wide support, a glittering gathering. The other was a sombre assembly of the bereft, gloomy and sepulchral. But, then, such events never were
The first casualty of the Brown era
Will be the unfortunate flunky whose placement of the autocue guaranteed that Brown’s face was partially obscured as he launched his leadership bid.
Coffee House Debate: Round 3
Matthew d’Ancona and Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home debate what the Tories can–and should–learn from Blair. Read Matt’s opener here, Tim’s response here and the second round. Tim The trouble with “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” is that it embodies the worst of Blair: the Vickie Pollard aspect of New Labour, which
Thursday
Coffee House Debate: Round Two
Matthew d’Ancona and Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home debate what the Tories can–and should–learn from Blair. Read Matt’s opener here. Tim Anarcho-syndicalism? Well, that’s what some of the wilder Tory rhetoric about dismantling the state resembles. But moving swiftly on…. On crime: hug-a-hoodie was a disaster. In my view, no party can be too tough
Tim Montgomerie responds
Thanks Matt and for suggesting this exchange. But what’s this reference to “anarcho-syndicalism”? Have you been to the Oliver Letwin school of political communication? I agree with nearly all of what you write – particularly the fact that Conservatives cannot rely upon unhappiness with Labour to guarantee victory. At the moment the Tories aren’t really
The first act of Tony’s long goodbye
The Spectator’s theatre critic Lloyd Evans has done a very funny review of Blair’s performance for us. Do give it a read.
Tony and Clio
Blair has achieved what all successful British Prime Ministers achieve: he has changed both his own party and the opposition. David Cameron would not exist politically without Tony Blair, in the same way that Blair would not without Thatcher. Yet there’s no single achievement of the Blair years that transcends everything else—which is why it is
The showman leaves the stage
Dogs bark, cats miaow, Blair gives superb speeches. His latest farewell remarks were no exception, and there were a few misty eyes here in 22 Old Queen Street. Not mine, I’m afraid to say. Fat lot of good his speeches have done of us over the years. But here’s what I made of his remarks. This
The view from across the pond
Richard Perle, neo-con policy intellectual, sends in his thoughts on Blair and British ingratitude: I’m sorry to see him go as I was sorry to see the departures of Thatcher and Reagan before him. Conviction politicians, all. It may be a while before you get another–they’re rare on both sides of the Atlantic. Its ironic
Was that the long awaited Iraq apology?
The stage was set for a high-energy celebration this afternoon. There was clapping, music, and a woman in black and white dancing near the podium. But by the standards of this most theatrical of public speakers, the Prime Minister’s farewell address today was personal and pensive. Compared to the shouted list of Labour’s achievements that
Coming up on the site today
We’ll have lots more coming up on Coffee House today. Highlights include a review of Blair’s performance by The Spectator’s theatre critic Lloyd Evans and a debate on what the Tories can—and should—learn from Blair between our editor Matthew d’Ancona and Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home that will be going online after 4PM.. So, stay
The PM of the middle classes
Tony Blair possessed many of the qualities of a good – perhaps even great – Prime Minister. He was clever, brave and held deep convictions. My complaint against him – which amounted to a fundamental and continual criticism of his ten-year premiership – was that his convictions were not those of a social democrat. He