Panic-stricken MPs at the epicentre of the Expenses Scandal put out a range of “constitutional reforms” that would be able to fix parliament despite not having anything to do with the problem. Fixed Term Parliaments have been shelved for a long time now; it was Labour Policy in 1992, but since they didn’t win nothing [...]
Yesterday was the first official day a cut in VAT (TVA) came into effect. Having criticised Gordon Brown not so long ago over his handling of the British economy, President Sarkozy decided to follow suit an implement his own temporary tax cut. Neoliberal Sarko is now nowhere to be found, but then again, it IS [...]
Brown lives to fight another day following the top secret meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday as Labour MPs chose to back him rather than sack him. This was a mistake in my opinion, as I wrote on LabourList, but although I didn’t get my way, at least I generated 65 comments worth of [...]
Health Secretary Andy Burnham wore a black tie to the funeral of several careers last night, calling the election of two BNP MEPs “a sad day for British politics”. The Twitterati and Facebookers were the first to console themselves with the notion that the BNP actually had fewer votes than in 2004, and that the [...]
I am absolutely furious at the disgraceful PPB released last week. There was no mention of Europe for the European Parliament Elections, there was no mention of councils for the Local Elections, and there was barely any mention of Labour either. The broadcast was 2:40 of pure negative embarrassment. It is an obviously testing time [...]
Labour could still win the next General Election. Despite poll woes, party troubles and policy mistakes, a Tory Government is no forgone conclusion. Though many are acting as if failure is inevitable, it is still possible for Labour to snatch victory from the (silver-spooned) jaws of defeat. Putting politics aside for the time being, statistics [...]
Obamamania will end in disappointment for all. Barack Obama’s media portrayal, persona and reception really are too good to be true, and the result will be hubris on his part and disillusionment on ours. While there is a feeling of inevitability (a word used advisedly) that Obama is the president-in-waiting, his image is also built [...]
Gordon Brown is stepping down. The internet and newspapers have been buzzing with the new that the Prime Minister will fight only one election. “Friends” and “Senior Cabinet Colleagues” have sent out this brief, which is therefore not official in any way. Nevertheless, while Labourites can calm down slightly and not worry so much about [...]
[THUNDER BROWN: The Former Iron Chancellor starts the year all guns blazing.] The Prime Minister is back in Stalin-mode. In fact, based on his message over the New Year and his performance at Prime Minister’s Questions on Jan 9th, calling him ‘Stalin’ may have been an understatement; this time the Clunking Fist is showing no [...]
Gordon Brown has literally not stopped since moving into Number 10. Rumour has it that while most of us are asleep, he is grinding his way through a mountainous in-tray and calling ministers at 6am to demand action. While he has yet to set about changing the country, it is evident that he has changed [...]
