Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Wednesday

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

It’s hardly surprising that most politicians are mentally ill

I suppose it is largely our fault that most politicians are mentally ill. We eviscerate them daily and one assumes that some of the poison eventually seeps through and begins to affect their central nervous systems. Being held up to ridicule for their incompetences, being dependent for their livelihoods upon the whims of idiots, and being forced to speak in a language from which all real meaning has been excised obviously takes its toll. I have been reading the diaries of that strange former minister Edwina Currie — a woman with whom I share virtually no political conviction but who I have nonetheless always rather liked as a person. She

Tuesday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Danny Alexander fires shot in fairer taxes battle

Danny Alexander is clearly super-keen to remind everyone of what the Lib Dem slogan is for their party conference, which begins on Saturday. ‘We need fairer taxes in these tough times,’ he told the Evening Standard today as he revealed that he will use his speech at the ‘fairer tax in tough times’ conference to call for the income tax threshold to rise to £10,000. The rise that George Osborne announced in this year’s Budget was largely claimed by the Lib Dems as their own policy, and was a diamond in the rough of a deeply unpopular budget. That the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is tabling a motion to

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

David Cameron should take a leaf from Andy Flower’s book

Kevin Pietersen might be lurking in India while England start their test series in the country, but as of today, the batsman and part-time off-spinner knows the only starring role he’ll be playing will be in a commentary box. He was left out of the squad by head coach Andy Flower and the England and Wales Cricket Board after sending friends on the South African team allegedly derogatory text messages about his then captain, Andrew Strauss. The South African team have refused to disclose what those messages said, but their spirit is not dissimilar to some of the insults that members of David Cameron’s squad have been broadcasting over the

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Grayling shows his mettle as Justice Secretary

Chris Grayling’s appointment as Justice Secretary in the reshuffle was the move that pleased Conservative MPs almost above anything else. Today he showed the House of Commons why his is a popular appointment. Announcing the government’s intention to appeal against the European Court of Human Right’s ruling that indefinite sentences breach human rights, Grayling said this: ‘Of course the ECHR ruling this morning was very much about the issue of rehabilitation, something I feel very strongly about, something that needs to be clear and present within prisons as well as after prisons. ‘However, I’m very disappointed by the ECHR decision this morning. I have to say it is not an

Steerpike Steerpike

Is Ed Miliband living through his own episode of the Thick of It?

True to form of life imitating art, this week’s episode of Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Thick of It’ featured a government policy of ending breakfast clubs in schools. Just hours after the episode went out on Saturday night, the Sunday papers reported that the real government was mooting the very same idea. While the government remains the main target of the show – and we can all recognise a little bit of Roger Allam’s brilliant Peter Mannion in various Tory ministers – should Ed Miliband be worried about the new series? The simple answer is yes, the easy answer is no. It’s just satire, right? Obviously Ed is landing far more

Steerpike Steerpike

Hugh Grant threatens Tory MP

Hugh Grant graced Parliament with his presence last night for the ever tedious Brian Cathcart’s book launch. Cashing in on his involvement with the Leveson Inquiry, the journalism professor’s ‘Everybody’s Hacked Off’ was less of a crowd puller than the A-list stars that included Steve Coogan and Max Mosley. Not everyone was enamoured though. Tory MP Gavin Barwell clearly did not take too kindly to being threatened by the hard done-by Hugh: ‘Met Hugh Grant tonight. Interesting that when trying to persuade me re regulation of press he used tactic he criticises media proprietors for using — “If you don’t do what I want you to do I’ll attack you

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

The annihilation of the Lib Dems

I see that Labour is now fifteen points ahead in the latest opinion poll, a Populus poll for the Times. While the Tories have dropped four points on the previous month, it still seems to me that the bulk of that Labour lead is rightly disaffected Liberal Democrats: they are down to ten per cent. There was a meticulous Peter Kellner piece in Prospect recently which laid out a desperate scenario for the Lib Dems. It certainly looks as if they will be down to the sorts of numbers of MPs they had when Jo Grimond was their leader, and confined to far flung places where they may well still

Jonathan Jones

Democrats pull ahead in key US Senate races

When I looked at the battle for the United States Senate back in July, I said it’d be tough for the Democrats to retain control. But since then — and particularly since the party conventions — things have begun to look up for their candidates in a number of key races. In Missouri, where incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill is vulnerable, the Republicans nominated their least electable option from a close three-way primary. Congressman Todd Akin is firmly on the Tea Party wing of the GOP, and didn’t help himself with his comments about ‘legitimate rape’. It therefore looks like McCaskill may scrape her way to re-election: despite poor approval ratings,

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Lib Dems play whac-a-mole on welfare cuts

The Liberal Democrats are playing a game of whac-a-mole on welfare at the moment: each time they think they’ve blocked one cut they don’t like, another one pops up. Last night a mole they’d already whacked a year ago appeared again: decoupling benefits from inflation. The Newsnight scoop is that Whitehall is considering ending inflation-linked rises for many benefit payments – although the word is that this would not include payments to those with disabilities. This would be part of efforts to cut a further £10 billion from the welfare bill, which the Lib Dems oppose overall. Last winter the Lib Dems blocked a similar move from the Treasury, which

Monday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Who would vote for a vampire squid named Mitt Romney? – Spectator Blogs

In politics – especially Presidential politics – message reinforcement is a risky business. You hope that, if reminded often enough, the electorate gets and keeps an idea of your guy’s good qualities; there’s always a nagging fear they may grasp and hold and take to heart the negative stuff instead. This is Mitt Romney’s problem today. David Corn has published video of Romney addressing a fundraising dinner. If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound promising news for the Romney people you’re correct. Here’s what Mitt told his benefactors: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who

Sebastian Payne

Scottish independence referendum will be a single-question affair

‘I don’t think we can have a referendum on independence unless we have a single question’. Michael Moore was unequivocal this afternoon: the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence will be a single-question vote, or it won’t happen at all. The Scottish Secretary made his determination quite clear when he appeared before the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, bandying about phrases such as the referendum is of ‘huge political importance’, it has to be ‘fair and clear’ and both sides are ‘willing and able to come to an agreement’. He was upbeat about the progress of initial talks with Alex Salmond’s administration, telling the MPs that he believed a deal on the

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The English Baccalaureate Certificate is coming regardless of what happens in 2015

There’s much speculation today that Labour’s decision to oppose the coalition’s GCSE replacement the EBC means that the new exams will never happen. The argument goes that if the Tories aren’t in government, Labour — or a Labour-led coalition — would simply keep GCSEs going. (This depends on Labour continuing to oppose the new exams which they may not if they prove to be as popular as some pollsters expect them to be). But keeping GCSEs going is nowhere near as simple as it sounds. The exam boards will now turn nearly all of their attention to winning the one available English Baccalaureate Certificate contract for each subject. Those boards

Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Britain should call for reform of existing blasphemy laws

Around the time that speculation was mounting about Tony Blair’s possible return to British politics last month, I went to a public discussion about faith and public life by the man himself and Rowan Williams in which Charles Moore was both participant — or should I say, combatant — and moderator. It was, as you’d expect, a lively affair in which the two Catholic converts took radically dissimilar views on most things, and Islam in particular. In retrospect, one of the remarks that strikes me as remarkable was Mr Blair’s throwaway contention that inter-faith discussion should be conducted on terms agreeable to the faiths in question. The implication was, though

Kaldor Carlos

Keeping it simple: getting the Universal Credit back on track

Universal Credit, a giant effort to weave together all the fraying strands of welfare policy, is now unravelling fast. It all seemed so simple and intuitive when the idea was floated. Pay people more when in work than when on benefits, roll the myriad of benefits and tax credits into a single benefit, reduce the colossal claims process for individuals; and unearth some administrative efficiencies to boot. So intuitive, in fact, that the Opposition supported the underlying principles of the Universal Credit. Recent debate suggests that achieving this simplicity is proving ferociously complex. However, new Social Market Foundation research with low income families has found that while the Universal Credit

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Justine Greening is a reluctant contestant on Mitchell’s Millions

The reshuffle allowed David Cameron to place what many ministers (and sacked ministers in particular) are calling ‘Osborne’s spies’ in each government department to help the Chancellor rein in spending. Justine Greening wasn’t a typical spy when she arrived at the International Development department in a huff after being forced out of the Transport department, but as an ex-accountant, she was certainly appealing. Shortly after her appointment, Fraser speculated as to whether she would be quite so enthusiastic about playing ‘Mitchell’s Millions’, the game of spending £30 million a day on aid, regardless of how well-targeted that money is. Greening is clearly keen to show that she’s not as eager

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Will Labour accept Gove-levels?

Nick Clegg and Michael Gove will announce their joint plans to reform GCSEs today, a day earlier than they had originally intended. The Deputy Prime Minister appeared alongside the Education Secretary this morning on a school visit, while Gove will make a statement in the Commons this afternoon to announce the changes, which Liberal Democrats are claiming as a victory after the initial row over a possible return to a two-tier system. Clegg told reporters this morning: ‘I think you can raise standards, increase rigour and confidence in our exam system, but still do so in a way which is a single-tier, which covers the vast majority of children in

Sunday

David Blackburn

Iain Duncan Smith versus Jeremy Heywood

There’s war in Whitehall. The Sunday Times devotes its p2 lead (£) to the fact that Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, is ‘sceptical’ of the Universal Credit, the key to Iain Duncan Smith’s revolutionary welfare reforms. The newspaper has gathered its intelligence by reading the leading article of this week’s Spectator, and repeats our point that civil servants will interpret Heywood’s reservations as a ‘go-slow order’. Here is what our leader column says: ‘Treasury officials have been against Duncan Smith from the start, due to the threat which Universal Credit posed to their beloved tax credits. Ambition in itself is looked down upon by ministers who deride ‘IDS’s grand projet’. Sir Jeremy

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Michael Gove and the return to rigour

The news that the coalition will announce on Tuesday that it is scrapping GCSEs is welcome. GSCEs are a devalued qualification and replacing them with a far more rigorous exam should boost England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s global competiveness as well as preparing pupils better for A-Levels. (Simon Walters’ scoop has the details on how the new qualification will differ from GCSEs). That this change is going ahead is a sign that the coalition is now functioning far better than it was a few months ago. When the idea of getting rid of GSCEs was originally floated back in June, Clegg reacted with unthinking fury. But in talks that have

David Blackburn

Sir John Major glimpses the sunny uplands

The standard joke is that Sir John Major is the ultimate grey man, as if Charles Pooter had been painted by Wilhelm Hammershoi in particularly pallid light. But the pea-eating caricature of yesteryear was not in evidence on the Andrew Marr Show this morning. There was something calm and old-fashioned about Major during his interview; even his platitudes carried an air of wisdom. The former Disability Minister praised the Olympic and Paralympic Games, revelling in the fact that the games had revived aspects of our national character which he had assumed dead. The conversation was about old times: his father’s career in Music Halls during the early years of the

Saturday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Clegg mulls airport expansion

This country’s willingness to fritter away London’s hub airport status is an act of economic self-harm as the Conservative side of the government finally seems to have realised. But there’ll be no progress this side of the election as long as the Liberal Democrats remain wedded to their opposition to any new runways in the south east. So, the news in today’s Times that the Liberal Democrats are considering backing a new hub airport in exchange for the closure of other runways is to be welcomed. I understand that things may be even further on than the conference motion suggests. I’m informed that Nick Clegg has seen a Cabinet Office