Politics Archives

Thursday

18 Feb 2016

Will the big political beasts throw their weight behind Cameron?

David Cameron heads to Brussels today still not knowing which Tory big beasts he will have supporting him in the referendum campaign. The Cameron circle had always been confident that Boris Johnson would ultimately back staying In. But that confidence has been shaken by yesterday’s meeting between Boris and the PM. Part of the problem is that what Boris has always said that he wants on sovereignty is very hard, if not impossible, to actually deliver. If the Cameron circle is worried about Boris, it seems increasingly resigned to losing Michael Gove to the Out side. As I say in the column this week, an immense amount of emotional energy

Alex Massie

David Cameron’s greatest strength is that he doesn’t believe in anything

You would think that spending time in America and thereby enjoying a ringside seat as the Republican party leaps off a cliff would give any British conservative cause to give thanks for the Tory party’s essential moderation. Not so with dear old Tim Montgomerie, however, who appears to have gone off his rocker and resigned from the party. Now there is something to be said for hacks not being members of any party and in that respect Tim’s decision to abandon the Tory ship is a case of better-late-than-never. On the other hand, this is a man who once served as Iain Duncan Smith’s chief-of-staff and there is something quixotic

Isabel Hardman

It’s here: David Cameron’s long-awaited EU deal D-day arrives

David Cameron – and the travelling circus of officials and journalists around him – is in Brussels today for that long-awaited European Council summit at which the Prime Minister hopes he can get his EU deal. Bearing in mind that Cameron never really wanted a referendum, let alone to spend months banging on about Europe when he’s interested in so many other things, he must be rather relieved that the renegotiation may be drawing to a close. But these next few hours are, in the Prime Minister’s mind, a ‘very sensitive point’ in the negotiations. He is likely to encounter attempts from some quarters to water down what is already

Nick Cohen

‘We told you so, you fools’: the Euston Manifesto 10 years on

The Euston Manifesto appears a noble failure. It was clear in 2006 that the attempt to revive left-wing support for internationalism, democracy and universal human rights did not have a strong chance of success. Looking back a decade on, it seems doomed from the start. The tyrannical habits of mind it condemned were breaking out across the left in 2006. They are everywhere now. They define the Labour Party and most of what passes for intellectual left-wing life in the 21st century. To take the manifesto’s first statement of principle: the left should be ‘committed to democratic norms, procedures and structures’. An easy statement to agree with, I hear you

Steerpike

June Sarpong misses the mark on Question Time

It’s not been a great week for the In campaign in terms of ‘celebrity’ endorsements. On Tuesday Emma Thompson unexpectedly got the remain camp in the news when the Nanny McPhee actress explained that she was pro-EU because Britain alone is just ‘a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island’. They then seemed to have a royal endorsement after hacks thought Prince William hinted that he was a Europhile in a speech to the Foreign Office. Alas Kensington Palace were quick to put out a statement denying this was the case. So the In campaign must have been hoping it would be a case of third time lucky on Question Time. June Sarpong — the Britain

James Forsyth

Cameron’s first EU referendum battle: shutting up his own MPs

[audioplayer src=”http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/putinsendgameinsyria/media.mp3″ title=”James Forsyth and Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform discuss the EU referendum battle” startat=743] Listen [/audioplayer] On the day that David Cameron delivered his Bloomberg speech, the 2013 address in which he committed himself to a referendum on Britain’s EU membership, I asked a close ally of his how he would avoid splitting the Tory party over the issue, given that even quiet ‘outers’ might feel obliged to vote to leave. The ally paused before replying: ‘That would be a good problem to have, as it would mean we had won the election.’ That ‘good problem’ is now here. The Tory leadership is currently involved

Matthew Parris

From Rhexit to Brexit

We are all of us to some degree prisoners of our own experience. Experience may teach, of course — may counsel or illuminate. But it is also capable of trapping us. We make connections in our imagination between what we saw then and what we see now, and when these memories are of a personal kind and unavailable to others, we’re inclined to treat them as something special: our private mentors. Sometimes that mentoring will be inspired, sometimes mistaken. I once (in the months before last year’s general election) decided to block my ears to opinion pollsters warning that the Tories were hopelessly bogged down, and instead followed my own

James Bartholomew

Left without pleasures

At a party recently I started talking to a friendly, charming woman and we established early on that she was left-wing. We chatted about this and that and for some reason I asked her if she played golf. ‘Oh no,’ she replied. ‘As I’m left-wing, I am not allowed to play golf.’ I was taken aback. Here was a soul who would go to her grave without ever experiencing the thrill of watching her drive soar into the air and race more than 200 yards down the middle of a fairway. A feeling akin to pity brushed across my mind. Concerned, I asked if there was anything else she was not allowed

Matt Ridley

For EU but not for US

So the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, thinks his country has a ‘profound interest… in a very strong United Kingdom staying in a strong EU’, and President Obama is planning to join in campaigning for the Remainders too. They say this not because they think it is good for us, but because it is in their interests that we influence Europe in a free-trading, Atlanticist direction. Well, two can play at that game. How would Americans like it if we argued that it is in our interests that the United States should forthwith be united with all the countries in their continent north of the Panama Canal — Canada,

Wednesday

17 Feb 2016

James Forsyth

What kind of Out campaign will David Cameron be faced with?

If all goes according to David Cameron’s plan, then the EU referendum campaign will be under way very shortly. Cameron himself will be the main figure on the In side of the argument. The Home Secretary Theresa May will also throw herself into the campaign, as Rachel Sylvester wrote this week. Another face of the effort to keep Britain in the EU will be Alan Johnson, the former Home Secretary, who is running the Labour IN campaign. The Remain side of the argument will, as the above list shows, be able to call upon a formidable amount of political firepower. But what is not yet clear is what kind of

Steerpike

Godfrey Bloom puts his foot in it over Emma Thompson row

Yesterday saw a turn in fortune for the Out campaign after Emma Thompson declared her intention to vote to remain in the EU. The Nanny McPhee actress managed to upset those on both sides of the debate when she explained that without Europe, Britain is simply ‘a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island‘. Quite rightly a number of Brexit activists called her out on her negative comments, while even supporters of the In campaign seemed less than thrilled by the declaration. Alas, one Eurosceptic appears to have gone a step too far. Godfrey Bloom — the former Ukip MEP who had to resign from the party after he called female Ukip activists

Fraser Nelson

Employment at a new high, borrowing costs at a record low. So who’s afraid of Brexit?

The Chancellor certainly will have plenty to boast about in his next Budget. Today’s figures show an employment rate of 74.1pc, the highest ever recorded in Britain – better than Nigel Lawson’s record, better than anyone’s. Tax cuts and welfare reform have proved a potent combination. This makes it harder for Osborne to sustain his narrative about a scary “cocktail of risk”, part of the general strategy of keeping voters fearful ahead of the EU referendum. With record employment and zero inflation – a striking contrast with the Eurozone – things really could be a lot worse. Against such a backdrop, voters might well wonder what else Britain could achieve by striking out on its

Tom Goodenough

It’s ridiculous to say Jeremy Corbyn is the biggest threat to the Falklands

Michael Fallon has used his visit to the Falklands to pinpoint Jeremy Corbyn – not Argentina – as the biggest threat to islanders. During his trip to the Falklands, the Defence Secretary insisted that Argentina wasn’t the main worry for the Falklands – it was actually the Labour leader and his party. He said: ‘The biggest threat at the moment isn’t Argentina, actually it is Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party who seem determined to override the wishes of the Islanders. That is the immediate threat.’ His comments are a clear attempt to politicise both his visit to the Falklands and the islands themselves. It’s hard not to blame Fallon

Tuesday

16 Feb 2016

Steerpike

Kensington Palace in a flap over Prince William’s ‘pro-EU’ speech

The Duke of Cambridge caused much excitement today with a speech he gave to British diplomats at the Foreign Office. In the speech, Prince William spoke about the importance of uniting with other nations: ‘In an increasingly turbulent world, our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential. It is the bedrock of our security and prosperity and is central to your work. Right now, the big questions with which you wrestle – in the UN, Nato, the Middle East and elsewhere – are predicated on your commitment to working in partnership with others.’ Story hungry hacks took his words as a hint that the royal is backing the In campaign in the

Steerpike

Lib Dem rising star quits party in ‘gendered abuse’ row

The Liberal Democrats’ track record with female party activists has suffered in recent years after Lord Rennard was accused of sexual harassment. While the party have done their best since then to deal with the claims against the Lib Dem peer, they now face accusations of ‘gendered abuse’. Steerpike understands that one of the party’s rising stars has stepped down from her role on the Federal Executive — the governing board of the Liberal Democrats — claiming that the party is not currently a safe place for women of colour. Kavya Kaushik has written a post on her personal blog explaining her reasons for quitting the party. In this she criticises the Lib Dems, accusing

Isabel Hardman

Could the European Parliament block Cameron’s bid to seal the deal?

David Cameron is having more meetings today to seal his EU deal ready for Thursday and Friday’s EU summit. Though he had ‘constructive discussions’ with President Hollande last night, the Prime Minister hasn’t had as much luck this morning, with European Parliament President Martin Schulz saying this morning that there was ‘no guarantee’ the European Parliament would pass the necessary legislation on the deal. After his meeting with Cameron this morning, Schulz said: ‘I can give you a guarantee that the European Parliament will deal immediately after the referendum to stay in to legislate on the proposal of the Commission. ‘But to be quite clear, no government can go to

Alex Massie

In the Age of Hurt Feelings there is no such thing as ‘free speech’

Despite what Emma Thompson may say, this ‘cake-filled, misery-laden, grey old island’ is actually a more than half-decent place to live. Most of the time, anyway. That it remains so is remarkable, given the provocations inflicted upon us by our political overlords. Here are three stories to make you weep. (And as you know, three stories constitute a sodding trend.) First, the Independent reports that the government (in England and Wales) plans to make it illegal for publicly-funded bodies – including councils – to boycott goods produced in areas of the world, or by industries, they deplore. According to a ‘senior’ government source quoted by the paper, a crackdown on town-hall boycotts is overdue because

Freddy Gray

The Jeb Bush family nostalgia tour isn’t working

Remember when Tony Blair begged Labour supporters not to go for Jeremy Corbyn? Remember how well that turned out? Yesterday in South Carolina, USA, George W. Bush did something not too dissimilar. He didn’t copy Blair’s ‘even if you hate me’ line. Instead, Dubya urged his party, which is seemingly hellbent on destroying itself, to go back to the future. He encouraged them to pick another Bush, namely his brother Jeb. It seems like madness. Everybody knows that Jeb Bush’s candidacy has from the start been crippled by his name. Americans don’t want another Bush in the White House. Republicans may not be quite as hostile towards George W. as Labour grassroots

Steerpike

Emma Thompson backs the In campaign: ‘Britain is a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island’

David Cameron has been accused of adopting a ‘Project Fear‘ approach as he tries to convince members of the public to remain in the EU. While this tactic has attracted criticism, take heart that the Prime Minister has at least refrained from adopting the Emma Thompson approach of being plain rude. During a press conference for her new film Alone in Berlin, Thompson was asked about the upcoming referendum. At which point the Nanny McPhee actress took a swipe at old Blighty for being a ‘cake-filled misery-laden grey old island’: ‘A tiny little cloud-bolted, rainy corner of sort-of Europe, a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island.’ As for the right approach to remaining in

Tom Goodenough

Household incomes are rising – but are Londoners really reaping the benefits?

Household incomes have finally topped the levels they were at just after the financial crash. The average household in Britain now earns £24,300 a year, above the last peak in 2009. The picture looks rosy, with rising employment and low inflation helping income growth rise. But is there more to it than meets the eye? It certainly seems that way if you live in London. Although those in the capital have enjoyed a healthy rise of nearly three per cent in their household incomes since the downturn, when you factor in housing costs, most Londoners are actually still losing out, according to the figures put out today by the Resolution