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Joining the Cabinet
Today's full council meeting was the culmination of two and a half weeks of negotiations and discussions on the shape of the new administration to run Cornwall. And it means I have a new role as one of ten cabinet members.Ever sinceShow More Summary
Evening Briefing: Political Casualties
The following is from our new briefing email, available to anyone who wants it. Just email james.kirkup@telegraph.co.uk with "signup" in the subject line to be added to our mailing list. The day today Political casualty 1 Sir David Nicholson succumbed to the inevitable and announced that he will step down as Chief Executive of NHS [...]
Labour claims credit for gay marriage bill
Some might say it was rather audacious of Yvette Cooper to send an email to Labour activists this evening urging them to tweet something along these lines: I’m proud to… Continue reading The post Labour claims credit for gay marriage bill appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
David Cameron has caused a crisis in conservatism
David Cameron’s letter to party members added insult to injury after a week of headlines about ‘Loongate’ and the Tory leadership’s decision to bulldoze through the Same Sex Marriage Bill… Continue reading The post David Cameron has caused a crisis in conservatism appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Cameron has reached the tipping point
The combination of complacency and incompetence that seems to have afflicted the Conservative Party is a wonder to behold. Janet Daley wrote at the weekend of her frustration at David… Continue reading The post Cameron has reached the tipping point appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Sir David Nicholson to go: but will it change the culture at the top of the NHS?
Health Service Journal has a great scoop this afternoon that NHS boss Sir David Nicholson will retire in March 2014. The man who was in charge of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS… Continue reading The post Sir David Nicholson to go: but will it change the culture at the top of the NHS? appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Scottish independence: it’s still (almost) all about oil.
The Scottish government published a paper on the national economy today that, according to Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, makes the case for independence. You can read the pamphlet here… Continue reading The post Scottish independence: it’s still (almost) all about oil. appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Tories hold talks to plan legislation if Nick Clegg is forced out and they go it alone
Nick Clegg is giving a speech tomorrow in which we gather he will address the question of the Coalition's ability to go the distance to 2015. I suspect he will use it to assert his commitment to making it work, whatever stresses the Tories might place on it. Events of recent weeks have cast a [...]
The Tory grassroots were feeling neglected long before ‘swivel-eyed loons’ claims
Whether or not Lord Feldman made his ‘mad, swivel-eyed loons’ comments, the story has given the Conservative grassroots the perfect opportunity to tell David Cameron, via the media, how unhappy… Continue reading The post The Tory grassroots were feeling neglected long before ‘swivel-eyed loons’ claims appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Blathering on about 5 days in May
On Sunday I took part in an enjoyable discussion for the House of Comments podcast on coalitions, Andrew Adonis’s ’5 days in May’, which you can listen to here, if you so choose. This also reminds me that I haven’t … Continued
Calm down, dears. Cameron's going nowhere and he'll lead the Conservatives to victory in 2015
Some of my colleagues have become more than usually over-excited by the events of the last few days, predicting irrevocable splits in the Conservative Party, the demise of David Cameron, the triumph of Ukip and the permanent transformation of British politics. I think they're wrong on all four counts. The Tory Party won't split, David [...]
A response to Lord Tebbit, on the subject of gay marriage and lesbian queens
The internet is having one of its periodic spasms of outrage-hilarity over some comments my colleague Lord Tebbit made to The Guardian this morning. On the subject of gay marriage, he said: When we have a queen who is a lesbian and she marries another lady and then decides she would like to have a [...]
One by-product of the UKIP surge – smaller parties like National Health Action have been swamped
UKIP’s surge has swamped parties like National Health Action. 14 mths ago Ashcroft polling had them at 18% to this twitter.com/MSmithsonPB/st… — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) May 21, 2013 Above is from some polling carried out for Michael Ashcroft in March 2012 on the possible impact that a NHS party could have on the next election. [...]
Swivel-eyed loons are a feature of British democracy
I’d just like to point out, having been a journalist for many years and having met these people, and also having been a member of the Labour Party for more… Continue reading The post Swivel-eyed loons are a feature of British democracy appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Jeremy Hunt attacks Labour for A&E crisis
Andy Burnham summoned Jeremy Hunt to the Commons this afternoon for a shouty hour about who loves the NHS more. The Health Secretary’s answer to Labour’s urgent question on the… Continue reading The post Jeremy Hunt attacks Labour for A&E crisis appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Inflation falls: but will voters notice?
Today’s drop in inflation is good news for the government. The Consumer Prices Index grew by 2.4 per cent in the year to April 2013, down from March’s 2.8 per… Continue reading The post Inflation falls: but will voters notice? appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Rows over gay marriage and Europe can hurt the Conservatives. The NHS can kill them
Dear reader, may I beg a moment of your time? I'd like you to complete a quick survey — just two questions. 1. When was the last time you did the following: A) Went to a doctor or a hospital for medical treatment? B) Entered into a lifelong sexual partnership with someone of the same [...]
The Tory Right's humiliation over gay marriage should remind it that it can't simply opt out of the 21st century
Looking out across the blood-soaked battlefield at Asculum in 280BC, the victorious Greek, King Pyrrhus, turned to one of his generals and remarked: “One more such victory, and we shall be undone." Sitting in Downing Street, reflecting on last night’s successful passage of his same-sex marriage bill, David Cameron could be forgiven for entertaining similar [...]
Writers in a state of fear
A State of Fear, Joseph Clyde’s new thriller, stands out for many reasons. Thrillers only work if they are thrilling, and Clyde’s description of the search for the terrorist who… Continue reading The post Writers in a state of fear appeared first on Spectator Blogs.
Ukip are poised to out-poll the Tories. Is this the tipping point?
Now that the same-sex marriage bill has been passed, the Cameroons will be breathing a sigh of relief. They will be hoping to put the whole issue behind them, at least for a while. What they fail to recognise, however, is that yesterday's farcical events have continued to hand political capital to Ukip. From the [...]
