Politics

Edie G. Lush explains why we’re rarely asked to pay for online news and entertainment these days Amid the shockwaves caused by Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, one significant policy shift attracted relatively little attention. When the ink finally dries on the deal, one of Murdoch’s first moves will be to remove the ‘pay wall’ from the Journal’s website. The news that WSJ.com will henceforth be free may come as a pleasant surprise to its many loyal users, but it isn’t so great for other entrepreneurs who are trying to make money via online subscriptions. Whether web-based or not, businesses like subscription models

Any Tory feeling almost light-headed about the speed with which things are collapsing around Gordon Brown, should read this typically intelligent posting from John Rentoul on the danger of the Tories thinking they can just coast to victory. Another sobering thought comes from Martin Bright, who writes “In terms of the loss of trust in the political class I really don’t think it could get any worse. But then I thought that last week too.” If the Tories do win the next election, as looks increasingly likely, restoring people’s faith in politics will be one of the biggest challenges that faces them.

The new YouGov poll for the Telegraph puts the Tories 11 points ahead, which is the first time the pollsters have found the Tories to have a double digit advantage. Add to this the fact that Labour’s funding practises are now to be investigated by the police (again) and the worsening economic conditions and it is clear that Gordon Brown faces a long, hard winter. If there was a credible Labour challenger Westminster would be buzzing with leadership speculation right now—but there’s not, so it’s all quiet on that front. Meanwhile, Tony Blair carries on trying to solve the problems of the Middle East. How Labour MPs must miss him

Jackie Ashley, a commentator who is generally seen as on side with the Brown project, has written a piece on how the Prime Minister can begin to recover. She spends most of the article explaining why the green shoots of recovery were already popping up at PMQs but there is a real sting in the tale. After explaining the importance of Labour backbenchers getting behind the PM, she then says: “It doesn’t help, if Brown wants loyalty from his MPs, that he’s unwilling to give it back. Yesterday’s shameful reluctance to support Harriet Harman was not Brown’s finest hour. Harman’s team insist she did nothing wrong, and unless it is

Yeah, so Megan can’t find New York style pizza in Washington. Well, I can’t find Scottish pizza here either. I forgot to ask earlier if any readers know of anywhere on the eastern seaboard that does a good, proper deep-fried pizza*? *Photos from a fine chippie I used to frequent regularly: Piccante on Broughton Street in Edinburgh.  We were spoilt for choice, in fact, since we also had the Rapido 100 yards down the road. Their traditional – that is, only cooked once – pizzas were better but Piccante took the palm for deep-frying. It’s also one of the few places I know where, honoring the spirit of Scottish invention,