Fraser Nelson is a Times columnist and a former editor of The Spectator.
Given that Harriet Harman is the bookies favourite to be Labour leader, it was actually worth tuning in to PMQs today. The Labour leadership contest is well underway, and these few moments at the dispatch box will be crucial for the Flower of the Aristocracy* to set out her stall, with David Miliband sat next
Well, after all that, it’s over. Brown looked like a groupie that had just been invited on stage as he sat in the Oval Office beaming from ear to ear beside the Messiah. It was a very different outcome to that he imagined: there was no podium to speak at, no formal press conference, no
Oh dear. Gordon Brown has landed in Washington to discover that there is to be no joint press conference with Barack Obama, none of the treatment that Bush, Clinton and Bush routinely gave visiting British Prime Ministers. Just a 30-minute chat and a couple of questions probably sitting on some chairs. To the frustration of
After Lord Lawson (whom I interviewed last week – answers to your questions will be posted soon) the next ‘expert witness’ for The Spectator’s wiki-inquiry into the recession is William White. His name is spoken with reverential tones by those who know of him, because he was for years warning about precisely this kind of
There is a great deal of wisdom in Trainspotting (the book, much more so than the film) not least in its points about the dangers of leverage. When Renton comes to London he is deeply suspicious at the supposed wealth of those he meets. “Ah’ve known schemie-junkies in Edinburgh wi a healthier asset-tae-debt ratio then
Brace yourselves. For the next few weeks, we will be witnessing Gordon Brown’s attempt to have us believe he is saving the world again, brokering a new global deal for the recession. As Chancellor, he loved to promote global plans. Two are worth mentioning. One was to persuade the IMF to sell its gold as
Once every fortnight or so, David Cameron’s chief strategist lands at San Francisco airport and returns to his own version of Paradise. Steve Hilton has spent just six months living in this self-imposed exile — but his friends joke that, inside his head, he has always been in California. Look at it this way: this
The name Michael Ashcroft is spat out like a curse whenever it is uttered on the Labour benches. David Cameron may be an annoyingly effective enemy, George Osborne a tricksy strategist — but there is something about Lord Ashcroft that has earned him a special place in Labour demonology. This is why last week’s decision
And what, exactly, is the point of this mind-blowingly large bank insurance scheme? I haven’t blogged on this so far as it just leaves you numb: as Charles Moore says in his Notebook in this week’s magazine, you just stop reacting. Another £300bn? A £10bn loss from Lloyds/HBOS – and that’s our problem now? Or
Mervyn King was doling out blame at the Treasury Select Committee today – while insisting there was nothing, at all, anywhere that the Bank of England could have done differently. He dumped on Brown, saying that Britain entered the recession “with a pubic deficit that was too high” so leaving less room for a meaningful
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
Thanks for your suggestions on what to ask Lord Lawson, who will be the first ‘expert witness’ on our wiki-inquiry into the recession. The premise behind this whole exercise is that we can, with the internet, harness your collective wisdom – and take this inquiry in directions it couldn’t go on its own (or if
It is a great pleasure to say that Lord Lawson of Blaby will be our first ‘expert witness’ for The Spectator’s wiki-inquiry into the recession. As a former Chancellor and editor of the magazine, it’s a tremendous way to start and we’d like your thoughts on what to ask him. Our inquiry is not intended
Jade Goody got married today, and I can well imagine what CoffeeHousers think of the hullabaloo. In her defence, I’d say that she’s done more to promote awareness of cervical cancer than the last ten years of government initiatives put together – screening is up 20%. And the cash she’s getting? Sure – but this
Might David Cameron be a one-term wonder? The pendulum of British politics does tend to move slowly and as little as 18 months ago the Tories could expect two terms at least. But the economic stars are aligning in a way that will make sensible Conservatives shudder. Cuts – real ones, not the type Gordon
It is, of course, lunacy to have £2,500 of taxpayers’ money sent to Abu Qatada as per the instructions of the European Court of Human Rights. But what would a Conservative government do about this? It is crucial to remember that David Cameron’s proposed Bill of Rights would itself enact the ECHR and, therefore, not
We’ve had a great response to our call for help in The Spectator’s wiki-inquiry into the causes of the recession. Our hope is to draw on the collective wisdom of our readers – and we’ve received plenty of it already. So here is the second draft of our inquiry. Please bend it, shape it, any
It’s the anniversary of the Northern Rock nationalisation today, and I’ve just done a discussion on Simon Mayo’s R5 programme arguing why the occasion is not to be celebrated. Rosie Winterton, the pensions minister, was saying nationalisation was a great success. Her argument is worth recording here because it gives a clue why Labour’s poll
There is a problem hanging over British politics so big and ugly that no party wants to acknowledge it, far less discuss it: how far do we cut state spending? Cameron’s plan to outspend what he’ll inherit from Brown is no longer viable. Since those decisions were taken, the UK tax base has collapsed. We
As we wait for the next nationalisation – probably Lloyds Banking Group – a horrible thought occurs. Something has gone badly wrong. It is as if there has been a silent coup d’état – instead of the taxpayers owning the banks, the banks now seem to own the taxpayers. They have been given access to