Looking at the news and opinion out of London each day.
5-21-13
It feels like the Right has split irrevocably
Prime Minister David Cameron’s carelessness has mixed with public contempt for politicians to create a toxic brew
Europe: The tail that’s wagging the dog
Are we really as eurosceptic as Farage suggests, or are perceptions just being driven by his vocal minority?
5-20-13
It’s time to admit it: the NHS is unable to look after our elderly
Encounters with the NHS’s most despised class
Swivel-eyed, or seeing clearly?
The latest row between leadership and base shows that the Tories can no longer rely on unquestioning loyalty, argues party historian Tim Bale
Cameron had the chance to defy the ‘swivel-eyed loons’ and remake his party. He failed
This week he’s been exposed. There was little thinking on what modern Conservatism might be like. Now he can only busk it
The Liberal Democrats, the natural party of government?
If four years ago, a Liberal Democrat politician had attempted to portray the Lib Dems as the natural party of government we all would have laughed. But that is just what Danny Alexander tried to do on The Sunday Politics. Being interviewed by Andrew Neil, he implicitly contrasted Lib Dem steadiness with Tory in-fighting.
5-19-13
The Conservatives are becoming mired in arguments with themselves
Taking a cavalier approach to party management may be David Cameron’s biggest mistake
Don’t be fooled by Google’s Prius-driving babyfacery
Young tech firms would have us believe they represent a new model of business. Too often, their tax affairs tell a different story
5-18-13
David Cameron isn’t a disaster, yet I long for a radical new leader
At his best, the PM has brought firmness and clarity – but not to the big issue of our age
People are told EU migrants steal jobs – in truth bosses want cheap labour
The Conservatives are determined to be seen as the anti-Europe party, but an EU referendum that took Britain out of the union would be a disaster for the party
Nadine Dorries interview: why I want to run as a UKIP-Tory joint candidate
Nadine Dorries is back in the Conservative party fold – but will she be the first Tory/Ukip candidate?
On masculinity: My father’s generation were better at being men
Diane Abbott says the UK is facing a ‘crisis of masculinity’, with young men brought up on a diet of drugs and pornography, but it’s a lack of love that really separates the generations
How Jeremy Hunt plans to improve the NHS (and boost his own standing)
The Financial Times this morning reports the conduct of a Cabinet Minister who arrived at his Department in a position of strength. Philip Hammond is digging in over cuts to his budget.
5-17-13
Nigel Farage condemns ‘fascist scum’ who forced him to take refuge in Edinburgh pub
The Ukip leader Nigel Farage has condemned “fascist scum” for haranguing him in Edinburgh and hung up on a BBC interview in outrage at its tone of “hatred”.
The truth is that we can’t afford a shiny new transport system like HS2
History is littered with failed projects that appealed to politicians in thrall to modernity
The Tory Blame Game
Who is to blame for last night’s Tory uprising on Europe? It’s more entertaining to pin the blame on everyone, rather than one person, and in this case, it’s wrong to insist that the leadership is entirely to blame for the confusing fiasco of the past week.
5-16-13
We need to talk about masculinity
The crisis facing men and boys cannot be solved by reviving the tired stereotypes that oppress and constrain them
An improving economy may rescue Cameron and Osborne, but it won’t deliver them from some tricky questions
Back in the early days of this Government, there was an easy consensus, among many commentators and politicians, about David Cameron chances in 2015. They would rise or fall, it went, on the strength of the economy. If the Coalition had delivered us from downturn, the Tory part of it would be rather difficult to defeat. If not, then even the Sons of Brown might be given another chance.
The PM grasps the realities of governing by coalition but that isn’t saving him from the self-indulgence of his party
5-15-13
Do Conservative MPs really want to win the next election?
The main argument for the Baron/Bone amendment to the Queen’s Speech, which regrets the absence of an EU bill, is either that a mandate referendum bill, which aims to give David Cameron a mandate for EU renegotiation, or an In/Out bill, which seeks to write his promised referendum into law (or both), are essential if the Conservatives are to win voters back in 2015. This is simply wrong.
5-14-13
We must be ready to leave the EU if we don’t get what we want
There are pros and cons to staying in Europe – and it’s time to talk about them, says Boris Johnson
Blue collar Tory: Oxymoron or obvious choice?
At last night’s Blue Collar Conservatism event ‘Perceptions, Policies and Victory in 2015’ Tory aficionados weighed in on how the party can reclaim the working class vote in 2015
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