BP Gulf spill: the end of the phoney war
We are at the beginning of the end of the phoney war on the BP oil spill. We seem to be in sight of beginning the real shooting. Here's why... Read more...
Politics & campaigns.
This is not a party political site and not very partisan in any way. My emphasis has tended to be on the quality of debate and campaigning, and especially on the need to appreciate represtentative democracy (government through elected representatives whose own views matter), and to be sceptical of the claims of vox pop, "the people", social media, Crowd Wisdom, and "direct action".Page 13
RDN, BP, the FT… and crossed fingers
Obviously we all need to cross our fingers for BP. The oil giant needs the same luck as the seashores its oil may yet severely damage. This may, after all, be the worst such accident we have yet seen, as I said on the BBC's Today programme. I hope I wasn't premature in a later FT letter in suggesting that the oil giant, and its industry, will flourish however awful the outcome of this accident, and deserves to. Read more...
Three (Tory) reasons to be fearful
Just before I get too sunny, here are three areas where the country's politicians, and the Tories not least, face real problems. They all centre on the country's habit of self-deception. Read more...
Gordon Brown’s great good fortune
I was often depressed and irritated by Gordon Brown, but he made a good departure (that matters in political life). Better still, substantial people are fighting for his reputation. Irwin Stelzer (the Spectator), Anthony Seldon (the Guardian) and Martin Wolf (the Financial Times) have all mounted defences of his record. This is… Read more...
Three Tory reasons to be cheerful
This is a golden period for Conservatives. Their party is a natural vehicle for the politics and government of the early 21st Century. Who'd a thunk it? Read more...
The best political day for years
One ought to take some risks at such a time. Mine is to say that this is the best political period for decades. Read more...
Tory politics after 2010
This is still a country which is socially conservative, sexually permissive, economically entrepreneurial and obstinately attached to a statist welfare system. But we are less inclined to disenfranchise the fence-sitting Lib-Dem voters. What now for the Tories? Read more...
Note to the 2010 MPs: “Grow a couple”
In previous posts I have remarked what a great political and constitutional opportunity the UK now has. But it depends far more on individual MPs than on their leaders, constitutional historians, greybeard commentators or anyone else. Read more...
Ghost: Creepily excellent in so many ways
Roman Polanski's movie is an excellent account of Robert Harris's book. But it is even more of a post-modern experience. Read more...
Three reasons to celebrate this election…
This is perhaps the most exciting election of my lifetime, and I don't care who wins..... Read more...