In the latest post on his excellent blog, Benedict Brogan characterises Cameron as “Teflon Dave” – the man to whom no slurs will stick. Brogan’s claim relates to the media’s apparent reluctance to report an inconsistency in Cameron’s PMQs performance this week. As Brogan writes: “If IDS had been caught out like this, we would have had a field day. But Dave is
The three main parties are tripping over each other in the race for transparency over MPs’ expenses. As Fraser reported earlier, David Cameron lead the way by confirming that he’ll tell his MPs to formally declare whether they employ any relatives. Labour and the Lib Dems have subsequently moved to identical positions. Cameron’s actions – and the catch-up politics of the other two parties – will have
During his time at 10 Downing St, there were few better than Alastair Campbell at sparring with the press. But now the sparring’s become a full-blooded assault. He writes a forceful piece in the Times on the media’s involvement in Britney Spears’ downfall: “The question is whether there is any room within media judgements about what is
Last night, David Cameron presented Margaret Thatcher with a lifetime achievement award, and he follows it up with an article on the Iron Lady in today’s Telegraph. The article begins boldly: “Those who say that the modern Conservative Party is breaking with the legacy of Margaret Thatcher are wrong.” And mixes praise for Thatcher with
“Too soon!” went the outcry when the films United 93 and World Trade Center were released, some 5 years after the events they depicted. Now – as Peter Bradshaw points out in today’s Guardian – filmmakers aren’t even waiting for the “dust to settle” on a news-story before moving-in with their cameras. A production deal
In a speech today, Liam Fox spelt-out what the Lisbon Treaty means for defence alliances. As he sees it, the treaty would cause greater integration of European security forces, to the detriment of NATO: “The Lisbon Treaty should be viewed as a warning to the British public and Atlanticists across Europe. On a recent trip
Robert Winnett – the Telegraph journalist who first broke the Derek Conway scandal – is thankfully not retracting his claws just yet. His latest, essential post over at Three Line Whip attacks the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) which audits MPs’ pay and allowances: “Earlier this month, the latest SSRB tome was published – an 83 page
With Fraser heralding the BoJo revolution, here’s the footage of Boris attacking Brown for “inadvertently” misleading the House (you’ll have to sit through an advert first):
In today’s Times, Peter Riddell looks ahead to the Budget in March. He hits the fiscal nail on its rusty head: “The economic outlook for the next few years is worse than for some time and Mr Darling has no freedom for manoeuvre on taxes and spending. Not only is there no room for preelection
As Andrew stressed earlier, the European response to the credit crunch has been anaemic (How anaemic? Check out the footage below of Gordon Brown and his EU compatriots agreeing the “way forward for [the] global economy”). By contrast, the Americans have been the very model of proactivity – introducing sharp interest cuts and proposing massive tax relief programmes. What’s holding the British Government back? I
David Cameron’s interviewed in today’s Sun, and he outlines new Tory plans to increase the stop-and-search capabilities of policemen: “We are never going to deal with [violent crime] unless we free the police to do far more stopping and far more searching. I am quite clear the current rules have to go. In the British
I’ve been tipped off to the following Press Association story, and figured it would make for a perfect end-of-the-working-day respite from MPs and their expenses. Do make sure to read to the last paragraph – that’s where the punch-line is, so to speak: Man jailed for Tesco blackmail plot Press Association Monday January 28, 2008 12:48 PM A
Please head here to read Martin Vander Weyer’s website exclusive article on the extraordinary £274 million losses recently incurred by Mitchell & Butlers (that’s Mitchell & Butlers the former brewers). Martin’s scathing analysis is unmissable. And you may have noticed that we’ve had a couple of America-related posts on Coffee House today. They’re on issues – the
In the headline to my earlier post on the Conway scandal, I wrote: “Conway row to escalate” – and my how it’s escalating. The latest news is that a Lib Dem candidate has reported Conway to the Metropolitan Police. If this leads anywhere, then David Cameron will certainly live to rue the statement that the Tories issued last night: “Derek Conway has
Following yesterday’s initial revelations, it’s since emerged that Derek Conway employed another of his sons using taxpayers’ money. The news is like manna to the Government, and has spurred the Labour MP John Mann to call for another formal investigation into Conway’s actions. All this is backgrounded by another poll showing decreased Tory leads. Today’s Independent
After ten days behind the counter here at CoffeeHouse, I have at last had my inaugural kicking – for my earlier piece on the Conservatives and their current “negative politics”. So it is with a rather sadomasochistic spirit that I enter the fray again. Numerous commentators are slating the Tories for failing to capitalise on
Just a very brief post to say: you should check out Robert Winnet’s important post on MPs’ expenses over at Three Line Whip. There’s clearly something very wrong with the system when, as Winnet puts it: “[Derek Conway] hired his son – a full time university student – as a researcher, who received about £50,000 in taxpayer-funded salary,
Please check out Dan Collings’ new, web-exclusive article on what the American Presidential race means for British policymakers. And for further coverage of the US elections head over to the Spectator’s new blog – Americano.
On the day that Gordon Brown’s set to back a raft of new welfare proposals, Melanie Phillips launches an incisive attack on the Government’s past attempts at reform in this area: “Today is supposed to prove that the pure flame of Blairism has been re-lit in Downing Street with the publication of the Government’s latest wheeze for reforming
After the findings of the latest Guardian/ICM poll – which placed Labour on 35 percent (up one point) and the Tories on 37 percent (down two points) – there’s a hard-hitting article by Trevor Kavanagh in the pages of today’s Sun. Kavanagh laments the Tories’ inability to capitalise on recent political events: “Maybe Gordon Brown is