Politics

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

Wednesday

The Spectator

Official: Spectator backs Boris

   No more than a formality, of course, and the least I can do as the great man’s successor in the Editor’s chair. As a Londoner, I know he would do a brilliant job, and the awesome city state that is 21st Century London needs a man of his stature at the helm, not a newt-loving, Mullah-appeasing, nasally-challenged whiner like Red Ken. I hereby declare Boris to be the official candidate of The Spectator for the position of London Mayor. To adapt the greatest of all city statesmen, Pericles: Boris does not imitate, but he is a model to others.

The Spectator

Will Boris run?

Nick Robinson doesn’t take fliers. The more calls I make on this Boris for London story, the more true it seems: wheels are indeed in motion. Perhaps what he needs is encouragement. He’d certainly have my full support – no prizes who’d win a Red Ken v Steve bleeding Norris contest. So what do Coffee House readers think? Should we start a petition?

The Spectator

Boris for Mayor?

Nick Robinson is suggesting that Boris Johnson may run for London mayor. I can tell you that Boris was unofficially sounded out at the Tory summer party last year, and resolved he didn’t want to give up his superb, safe and beautiful Henley seat (which they told him he’d have to do). As of last month, he was asked again and hadn’t changed his mind. But in light of the tragic news of Nick Boles’ illness, might things have moved on? I doubt it. But I’ll keep you posted.

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Brown’s first PMQs

A packed house and full of entertainment. Ming Campbell spent ages trying to make his way to his seat: people didn’t seem to notice him. Brown was wearing a pastel blue tie, Cameron a red one – just one sign of the switched agendas going on. Brown is still being cautious on terror “I’ve only been in this job five days” he said. The House let out a horse laugh to that, and soon people were shouting “ten years” when he asked for patience.  Brown’s been doing his homework and teased Cameron over Pauline Neville Jones, the new Tory security adviser, being in favour of ID cards. Cameron’s response, an

The Spectator

Flagging up a problem

Strange to see Gordon Brown dropping the phrase “war on terror” while asking (through today’s Sun) that we all fly Union Flags to show war-style defiance against terrorism. I admire his spirit, but he can’t have it both ways. Flags grew out of the walls in America post 9/11, and it is this spirit which Mr Brown wants to inculcate in Britain. The problem is that the flag in the drawers of The Sun‘s readers is white with a red cross on it. Thanks to Labour’s policy of Scottish devolution, English identity is clearer now in England than ever before. It’s not something I welcome: like many expatriate Scots I’m

The Spectator

Brown, constitutional conservative or radical?

Gordon Brown’s constitutional proposals receive a generally good press this morning. Interestingly, everyone has decided to concentrate on the bits they like rather than the bits they don’t: The Sun fronts Brown’s call for the flag to be flown from public buildings, Jonathan Freedland praises the radicalism of the proposals while Simon Heffer is impressed by their conservative emphasis on the primacy of Parliament. Freedland explains the thinking behind the changes thus “Brown reckons that the surest way for a politician to win back the public trust is to give away power…If people can be persuaded to believe once more in the legitimacy of government, then Brown can get on

The Spectator

The portfolio of all the talents

Much has been said, and rightly, about the battle of the titans over schools and children’s policy which will now ensue between Ed Balls and Michael Gove, elevated to the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet respectively in the past week. Ed, as well as being Gordon’s right-hand man, is an impressive act himself with a serious intellect and a greater sense of humour than has yet been realised. He will need it against Michael, who was a star of my years at Oxford, and has remained at the top of whatever game he has chosen since then: he is also right about the war on terror, which comforts those of us

Tuesday

The Spectator

Measuring up the campaign teams

My apologies to George Osborne. Daniel Finkelstein’s blog points out that young Gideon does have election experience from his days in the 2001 campaign, not none as I unkindly said. I still think Douglas Alexander is a formidable counterpart as election maestro: I’ve never had a conversation with wee Dougie that hasn’t involved election mechanics. But perhaps the Tories can buy in expertise from outside? I hear Lynton Crosby is in town tonight. Maybe he’s for hire again….

The Spectator

Cheap radicalism

Gordon Brown’s justification for his constitutional meddling is that “the best answer to disengagement from our democracy is to strengthen our democracy.” Which begs the question of why are people disengaged from politics? If I had to take a stab at explaining why, I’d say it is some combination of the following: the lack of ideological distance between the parties, campaign techniques that ignore all but the swingiest of swing voters and politicians denying what they just said and MPs being used as lobby fodder. Now, there is nothing in these proposals to deal with any of these problems. Admittedly, you can’t mandate clear blue water between the parties. While,

The Spectator

Follow the talent

If anyone was wondering what the political parties think the key battleground of the next few years will be, just look at the people taking on the children, schools and families brief. Gordon Brown has placed his right-hand man Ed Balls in charge of this new department. Shadowing him will be Michael Gove, the pick of the political talent in the shadow cabinet. And today, Ming Campbell passed the portfolio to the Lib Dems’ deepest thinker, and the man the Tories are desparately keen to poach, David Laws  

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Brown v. Cameron: Round one

Some thoughts on the Brown statement… 1. Cameron’s response was very good. He had varied intonation and passion – while Brown’s stutter got steadily worse as he read his constitutional proposals out like a Budget-style shopping list. I fancied I saw Cameron’s hands shake a little as he faced Prime Minister Brown for the first time – but his face showed no sign of nerves. For the many Conservatives with their head in their hands right now, this is a cause for optimism. 2. Cameron played the Scottish card straight away. He can’t vote on schools in Brown’s constituency, so why should Brown and Scottish MPS decide English policy (Scots swung the

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Brown’s constitutional | 3 July 2007

Brown’s statement on the Constitution can be read here. Interestingly, he’s shot Cameron’s fox on both a national security council and giving Parliament the power to declare war—both bad ideas in my opinion. Overall, he’s been radical enough to win plaudits from Charter 88 et al but not radical enough to cost Labour any votes. So he’ll give up the right to appoint Bishops, but won’t disestablish the Church of England. 

Monday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

What to make of the Tory reshuffle

Some thoughts on the Tory reshuffle… 1. This was described to me as an “election footing” reshuffle. It’s the explanation why Maude has gone – he represented the pre-election phase, apparently. 2. George Osborne is given powers for election co-ordinator. He has no experience in the field, and will face a formidable challenge from Douglas Alexander who does the same role for Labour but has been obsessing over the mechanics of elections for years. 3. Pauline Neville Jones has been appointed to Shadow Cabinet, pending her nomination for a peerage. So Cameron, too, can assemble team of all the talents (but you can perhaps say he started it) 4. Sayeeda Warsi, deputy chairman and

The Spectator

A new tack for the Tories?

David Cameron’s choice of Sayeeda Warsi to shadow Hazel Blears, further illustrates how far the Tories are moving away from a hawkish position on the war on terror. Here is what she said soon after 7/7: “We must start engaging with, not agreeing with, the radical groups who we have said in the past are complete nutters,” she said, suggesting a process akin to the Northern Ireland peace process that brought Sinn Fein into peaceful negotiations. “We need to bring these groups into the fold of the democratic process. As long as we exclude them and don’t hear them out, we will allow them to continue their hate,” said Ms

The Spectator

Tories turn ever further away from neo-conservatism

Dame Pauline Neville Jones recently gave evidence to Paddy Ashdown’s Iraq Commission. With today’s news, her testimony makes for fascinating reading. Here’s the key section of her remarks: “I think liberal intervention jolly difficult, jolly difficult, and we should be careful I think about being terribly gung-ho about the duty to protect, though the duty to protect is an important concept. There are other ways of protecting and undertaking your duty to do it without getting to the reaches of liberal intervention. I think you have to take into account the tolerance of democracies, you know, for the use of their armed forces too. And I think one of the

The Spectator

Cameron’s answer to Sir Alan West

Dame Pauline Neville Jones is apparently joining the shadow cabinet in a security role. She’s a very establishment figure with very establishment views. Her record over Bosnia suggests that she has fairly realist views.  

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Maude moved

Francis Maude has been sacked as Tory chairman, party sources confirm. He’ll be taking up another job, though. More soon.

The Spectator

Team Brown’s psychological warfare

Gordon Brown has spent a large part of his honeymoon trying to destabilise the other two parties. As Jackie Ashley, whose columns will be essential reading in this new Brown era, writes today: “The offers to Paddy Ashdown and Shirley Williams, and the roles for Julia Neuberger and Anthony Lester, may not have been the final deadly daggers in Menzies Campbell’s back (there were too many worried Lib Dems already), but it looks as if a plot to oust him is gathering force. If it produces a new leader, such as Nick Clegg, who will give the Conservatives a tougher time in their marginals, Brown will be delighted.” Brown is