James Forsyth is former political editor of The Spectator.
James Forsyth reviews the week in politics The Tories go on holiday this summer knowing that it may be the last proper break they get for five years, or possibly longer. Once in government, taking the whole of August off won’t be a possibility for either ministers or special advisers: the pace of events won’t
It seems that the new US Commander in Afghanistan, General McChrystal, and the Obama administration might be on a collision course. The Washington Post reports today that an advisory group McChrystal set up will say that the US needs more troops on the ground in Afghanistan, something Obama’s National Security Advisor has made it quite
Peggy Noonan has a clever device in her column this week, she imagines what FDR and Nixon would tell their respective parties if they could come back to this earth and advise them. She has FDR offering Obama his take on healthcare, the first major issue on which Obama has ended up on the wrong side
Mark Lawson inveighs against the influence of the West Wing in his Guardian column today, arguing that the whole desire for TV debates between the party leaders comes from the British political class’s obsession with the show. Lawson is right that the show has had a huge influence on British politicos; on a small level,
Sir Bobby Robson not only the best English manager of the post-war era but also a man of immense warmth and compassion.
My old friend Allister Heath has just sent me over some stats which show that the poor pay more of their income in tax than the rich. Allister reports that “the bottom fifth of earners pay 38.7 of their gross income in total tax, the next fifth 32.7 per cent, then 34.6 per cent, 35.4
The Tories are pushing the TV debate line. They’ve just press-released a letter from David Cameron to Gordon Brown asking for a clarification on Labour’s position on the issue. It is understandable that the Tories are keen to capitalise on what appears to be a split in Labour’s high command over whether Brown would be
If you haven’t already, do watch Peter Mandelson’s Newsnight interview with Nick Robinson from last night. In it, we see, Mandelson previewing what I expect will be two key Labour lines between now and the next election. First, Mandelson repeatedly criticises the Tories for, what he calls, their “undisguised glee” at the need for spending
Kevin Maguire, one of the few journalists to have remained loyal to Gordon Brown, takes on the talk that Brown throws mobiles phones when he gets angry in his column today: “For the record, Brown doesn’t throw mobile phones. No. 10 officials say he’s more of a sweeper, clearing tables with a swing of his
The FT’s excellent Westminster Blog is getting rather excited by a leaked version of the Tory conference agenda which has the session on the economy featuring an ‘appearance by “Hammond and Osborne”. (Or perhaps, it is just entering into the spirit of the silly season) Jim Pickard connects this to the speculation that Osborne might
Successful counter-insurgency requires an army to be able to clear an area of insurgents and hold it. Only then will the population believe that it is safe both to resume something approaching normal life and — crucially — to co-operate against the insurgents, offering intelligence on their whereabouts and the like. If you try and
As Tim Montgomerie points out, David Davis’s article in The Times today, which Pete flagged up earlier, is just the latest in a string of public disagreements Davis has had with the Tory leadership. A couple of these disagreements seem to have been designed specifically to rock the boat; I’m thinking of the comments on
The next Conservative government will face an unprecedented level of scrutiny. The rise of the internet means that every statement made by David Cameron and the rest of the Shadow Cabinet is on-line; any back-sliding can be easily and instantly highlighted. By contrast, you can only find Tony Blair’s 1996 conference speech via subscription-only cutting
In private, many Tories have whispered that the debt crisis is an opportunity to get the size of the state—which has grown faster here than in any other OECD country in recent years—back under control. Today on the Andrew Marr Show, David Cameron endorsed this analysis: “I think you know we mustn’t see this effort
Tom Friedman’s analysis of where the war on terror stands in the New York Times today is well worth reading. Here’s the crux of his argument: “it is obvious that everywhere they have won or seized power, the Islamists — in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon or Gaza — have overplayed their hands, dragged
Toby Helm reports in The Observer that Downing Street is considering the idea of holding a referendum on a move from first past the post to alternative vote on the same day as the general election. (Alan Johnson proposed a referendum on PR on the same day as the election a few months back). Downing
Charles Moore pays David Cameron quite a compliment in his Telegraph column today, calling him the most skilful Tory leader of the opposition since Disraeli. This is high praise indeed, especially as it comes from Margaret Thatcher’s official biographer. But, as Charles goes on to say, there are still significant gaps on policy: “In 1978/9,
Matthew Parris has some typically sound advice for the Tories in his column. He proposes that over the next few months: “They should declare and emphasise as much as they dare of what may be unwelcome in their plans. If there are big and controversial ideas to float–as in health policy, for instance there
The polling of the Pew Global Attitudes Project is probably the most comprehensive guide we have to global public opinion. This year’s survey is mostly attracting headlines because of the way in which Obama has transformed views of the United States; 86 percent of Brits are now confident that the US President will do the
The Tories are, understandably, crowing about the result in Norwich North. Getting another half a percent of the vote to break through the psychologically important 40 percent mark would have been the icing on the cake for them. I thought one possible fly in the ointment for them could be the size of the UKIP