Politics Archives

Wednesday

19 Sep 2012

Mitt Romney’s ‘gaffe’ is nothing of the sort

The papers today are full of the latest alleged ‘gaffe’ by Mitt Romney. It has become a staple of US election coverage that any Democrat’s foreign policy fumble is a ‘mis-speak’ while any Republican saying something even mildly contentious – as opposed to wrong – is a world-class clanger which shows them to be unfit for office. Today’s Romney ‘gaffe’ relates to his reported comments on the Middle East. This is not exactly a region in which the Obama administration has covered itself in glory. But even as Obama’s policy failings are being felt, it is Romney who is being lambasted for, among other things, his claim that ‘the Palestinians

The Spectator

Sacked minister spills the reshuffle beans

In tomorrow’s Spectator, an anonymous former minister recounts their experiences of David Cameron’s reshuffle. They describe the walk in to see the Prime Minister – through the back entrance where the cameras cannot see ministers arrive – and the way the Prime Minister tries to placate them by explaining that there are ‘303 someone elses’ that he needs to keep happy. You can read the full copy below, or in the magazine from tomorrow: Divorce is something I have yet to experience personally but Dave’s reshuffle has set me up nicely for any future threat to my own nuptial bliss. Out of the blue comes the call. It’s Dave’s office.

Jonathon Porritt

James Brokenshire’s assurances on the snooping bill only raise further concerns

What do you do if a regulator has failed? Leave them unreformed and instead give them greater powers? That is the line Home Office Minister James Brokenshire is arguing. The regulator in question is the Interception of Communications Commissioner and the powers relate to online monitoring. For the Draft Communications Data Bill would not only give the government far more scope to monitor what we do online, but Brokenshire also argues we should be reassured that a large part of these new powers would be monitored by that Commissioner. However, take a look at the record and what you see is a failed regulator. Most damningly, in 2011 the New

Isabel Hardman

Re-arranging the desk chairs on the Titanic

New Tory Chairman Grant Shapps has taken the dramatic step of reinstalling the general election countdown clock in CCHQ to remind staffers that there are only 959 days until voters deliver their verdict on the Conservatives’ time in government. Shapps has also got something else planned, which is to rearrange the desks. I understand that he told the 1922 committee last week that he wants to make Tory party press officers sit next to the researchers who cover each specific policy area so that they can feed one another information effectively. Currently they sit on different banks of desks. One CCHQ veteran points out to me that Shapps’ exciting desk

Isabel Hardman

Boris continues to push Heathrow campaign

As much as conference planners would wish it otherwise, one of the biggest stories from the Tory conference will be Boris Johnson’s speech and fringe appearance. It would be a surprise if he didn’t take at least one opportunity while in Birmingham to flag up his ongoing campaign against a government U-turn on Heathrow expansion, even if it were an apparently spontaneous answer to a question from a member of the fringe audience. As I reported last week, he has been looking for a Conservative MP to lead that campaign, and the Standard’s Peter Dominiczak then revealed that the Mayor has also approached MPs from other parties. Today the Mayor

James Forsyth

The coalition’s tax trade-off

James Kirkup has an intriguing story today about how the Liberal Democrats are prepared to see inheritance tax scrapped, or the threshold raised, in exchange for the introduction of higher council tax bands. This suggests a way in which the Liberal Democrats could claim to have got a ‘mansion tax’ while the Tories could say they had made progress on their commitment to raise the inheritance tax threshold to a million pounds. In the run up to the Budget, the Chancellor was prepared to accept higher council tax bands in exchange for scrapping the 50p rate. However, the Prime Minister and the local government secretary Eric Pickles were both opposed

Chris Skidmore

Richard III: a ceremony fit for a king?

Chris Skidmore, Conservative MP and historian, explains the plans already in place for the burial of Richard III. I, here, whom the earth encloses under ostentatious marble, Was justly called Richard the Third. I was Protector of my country, an uncle ruling on behalf of his nephew. I held the British kingdoms in trust, although they were disunited. Then for just sixty days less two, And two summers, I held my sceptres. Fighting bravely in war, deserted by the English, I succumbed to you, King Henry VII. But you yourself, piteously, at your expense, thus honoured my bones And caused a former king to be revered with the honour of

Isabel Hardman

Gove develops interim GCSE plan

One of the biggest gripes about Michael Gove’s GCSE reforms from those on board with the changes is that they won’t come into effect until after the 2015 election. Supporters wonder why there is such a lag between ministers reaching agreement about scrapping an exam that they currently believe is not fit for purpose, and pupils sitting down to take the new qualification. The answer is that it was part of the deal that was reached with Nick Clegg, who was initially upset about the direction of the changes. The Independent reports today that Gove does have an interim plan, though. To underline the fact that he has little faith

James Forsyth

The passion of Nick Clegg

In the days before conference, a party leader is usually up to his ears in drafts of his speech, worrying how best to please the crowd. But last Monday, Nick Clegg wasn’t slaving away at his speech. He was at Chequers with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, discussing, according to one participant, a new set of coalition commitments on the economy, education, welfare, childcare and social mobility. It will not please Clegg’s people to hear this. Lib Dems don’t like Tories or mansions, and that their leader was making policy with Dave and George on the brink of conference will cause anxiety. But that Clegg, Danny Alexander and David

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

18 Sep 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17 Sep 2012

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