Politics

William Hague was on Steve Richards’ GMTV show at 6am this morning (amazing what baby care does to your viewing habits) and asked The Question ahead of tomorrow’s debate: what would a Tory government do about a ratified EU Reform Treaty/constitution? He answered in almost the exact same words Cameron used on Marr last week. “In our view too much power would have been transferred from Westminster to Brussels, that it would lack democratic legitimacy for the reasons we have discussed, and that we would not let matters rest there and that is a position that Conservative MPs, as far as I can see, are very, very supportive of.” The

On Tuesday, the Spectator’s Clemency Burton-Hill wrote an impassioned post on how the Arts Council of England’s recent funding settlement could spell death for numerous theatrical companies across the country.  Many media outlets have run similar pieces – pleading the case for this theatre or that – but few have been as persuasive as Richard Morrison’s excellent article in this weekend’s Times ‘What’s On’ section. Morrison reveals that the funding settlement will almost certainly put an end to the Birmingham Opera Company.  Under the direction of Graham Vick, this company has become a major critical darling but, more importantly, it defies the argument that opera – or even art more

In last week’s Spectator, I disclosed, that Indian’s government was stuck for ideas as to what to give Gordon Brown as a present for his visit and ordered Delhi University to deliver an honorary PhD – for “Public services and academia.” When I spoke to No10 before that piece, they were unable to confirm that the award would go ahead. I speculated that this was because it may invite awkward questions such as “what as Brown ever achieved in the public services?” But the true controversy, according to The Hindu newspaper, is that the University academics are strongly against the plan – and of the 280 people present, just 15

Brown’s been in China only a few hours and already I can’t take any more. Unable to match Blair’s slick statesman act, he gabbles on like an over-promoted finance minister – regurgitating the same type of statistic-riddled declarations he gave as Chancellor.  His “response” to China is to lay out his own central targets, committing to treble trade to £30bn, we’re told. Come again? Brown has 20 business leaders with him on the trip. One should take him aside and quietly explain that Britain is a free economy – so its trading preferences are outside his control. He is a mere spectator in what is a mutually-beneficial relationship between the

In an excellent post over at Comment Central, Daniel Finkelstein lists the reasons why he thinks John McCain will win the Republican nomination.  Finkelstein’s second point is the most persuasive: “Second, I think that [John McCain] and Rudy Giuliani are the only Republicans with the remotest chance of winning in a general election.  I don’t think serious parties choose candidates who they know will lose.  Even though the conservative party establishment distrusts McCain I think they would be with him if things got tight and he was the only winner still available.”

How disciplined Conservative MPs are in responding to two issues coming up in the next few weeks will tell us a lot about how determined they really are to return to government. First, there’s the question of Parliamentarians pay. With Gordon Brown taking a tough-line, the Tories are obliged to do the same or open themselves up to a politically damaging line of attack. Iain Martin reports that the leadership has made the vote for a below inflation raise a three line whip and if a sizable number of MPs rebel then it will be a major embarrassment. Remember that it was the issue of MPs pay that gave Tony