Politics

Matthew d’Ancona reflects on the death of Ivan Cameron and the transformative impact this little boy had upon the man who will probably be our next Prime Minister When people ask me about David Cameron’s character, and what sort of man he is, I always cite a very clear memory I have of sitting in the Commons with him in late 2003. He had been tasked by the then Tory leader, Michael Howard, to prepare the opposition’s response to the Hutton Report on the death of Dr David Kelly — a massive forensic undertaking, as well as a thorny political challenge. It was a mark of Howard’s confidence in the

Matthew d’Ancona looks forward to the return of Blur. Fraser Nelson reveals the Spectator Inquiry’s questions for Lord Lawson, and watches Mervyn King’s blame game. James Forsyth picks up on an embarrassment for Gordon Brown, and reports on the British civil war in Afghanistan. Peter Hoskin gives his take on the Fred Goodwin pension controversy, and analyses the Government’s decision to have Northern Rock lending again. Martin Bright writes on the RBS bailout. Clive Davis raises the universal question. Alex Massie describes the danger of wanting to be Californian. Melanie Phillips outlines a less than engaging strategy. Faith Based laments the Vatican’s misogynistic slant on sin. Trading Floor analyses the

The tragic news of Ivan Cameron’s death broke this morning, and all of us at The Spectator offer our deepest, heartfelt condolences to David and Samantha. It is impossible to imagine what they have come through so far, and what they are feeling now. It one of those moments where there is nothing more to say, apart from to offer our sympathy and prayers.

The Conservative Party’s reliance on Michael Ashcroft has always mystified me. How a once great political party has allowed itself to become quite so dependent on one man, I will never know? The conventional wisdom is that his money rescued the Tories from the abyss. It is certainly true that Ashcroft’s pamphlet, Smell the Coffee, was a cogent analysis of the reasons behind the Tories’ defeat in the 2005 election. But his continued position at the heart of the Conservative Party machine can only really be explained by a nagging feeling of insecurity within an organisation that has grown used to defeat. Now the Electoral Commission has finally decided that donations made

It’s not been a great couple of weeks for Alex Salmond, has it? First there was the budget hullabaloo, then the SNP was compelled to abandon (at least for the time being) its plans to replace the council tax with a local income tax and now the leaders of the opposition parties have each confirmed that they will vote against the nationalists’ referendum bill. As matters stand, then, there will be no independence referendum next year. The Tories, Lib Dems and Labour all say it would be “inappropriate” to have an independence debate in the midst of an economic downturn. Well perhaps it would and perhaps it would be a