Well Done to Norman Lamb!
- 19 Jul 2006
Now there's a sentence you never thought you'd see on this blog. Norman has written to the Cabinet Office today to ask on what basis Lord Levy's secretary was given an MBE in 2002. The full story is HERE and you can watch the Channel 4 News report HERE. I bumped into Norman...
Guardian: Tim Montgomerie is Wrong on David Cameron's Red Meat
- 18 Jul 2006
The waiting game Tim Montgomerie wants David Cameron to throw some red meat to the right. He needs to be more patient. Tim Montgomerie is a man the Cameron leadership listens to. His ConservativeHome blog has established itself as the pre-eminent British Conservative web...
Guardian: Israel Action Sad But Necessary
- 14 Jul 2006
Sad, but necessary Israel had to make its point. It should now listen to George Bush, and exercise restraint. I have no doubt that Israel was right to react to the kidnapping of two of its soldiers. For some time now, the Israelis have acted with great self-restraint in ...
When I Visited Lebanon
- 14 Jul 2006
I have no doubt that Israel was right to react to the kidnapping of two of its soldiers. For some time now the Israelis have acted with great self restraint under huge provocation from various groups allied to the Palestinian cause. In the end, something was bound to give and ...
For an English Parliament
- 12 Jul 2006
On the eve of the 1997 election John Major foresaw the acts of constitutional vandalism Labour would enact if it won the election. He warned Tony Blair would “do our Union to death”. That may have been a rather lurid description but Major was one of the few...
Rick Stein & Me: A Personal Statement
- 12 Jul 2006
Following allegations on this blog and others that Rick Stein and I are one and the same person and share the same voice box I would like to make it clear that the fact that we have never been seen in the same radio studio together is entirely coincidental. And I hate fish. ...
Yorkshire Post: Bloggers Don't Wear Pyjamas
- 7 Jul 2006
There was a time in the not so dim and distant past when mainstream journalists viewed bloggers as the media equivalent of trainspotters. We were people who reputedly sat in our bedrooms, wearing an anorak and typing furiously on a laptop because we had nothing better to do wi...
Fisking Mary Dejesky Attack on Blogging
- 29 Jun 2006
Last week I wrote a PIECE asking for your views on Why Don't Women Blog?. Mary Dejevsky, a columnist who up to now has fallen way below my radar screen, seems to have taken great exception to it - and indeed to my blog as a whole. She has written a column in The Independenttod...
Guardian: The West Lothian Answer
- 21 Jun 2006
The West Lothian answer If the Tories were to back a referendum on English devolution, they would be doing the right thing as well as embarrassing Labour. Whether we like it or not, the genie of English devolution has been let out of the bottle. When a Labour dominated S...
My Sister, My Hero
- 19 Jun 2006
My sister Sheena is a sports instructor at a leisure centre in Saffron Walden. A few days ago some one rushed in and screamed for someone with first aid experience to come and help at a scene of an accident. It turned out this was no ordinary accident. A cyclist had been hit -...
Tribune: Blogging for Everyone
- 15 Jun 2006
Oppositions tend to be successful when they stimulate political debate and discussion. The Thatcher opposition in the late 1970s and the Blair opposition in the mid 1990s both took their inspiration from a whole host of rejuvenated think tanks. The balance of power o...
Why the Left Must Up its Blogging Game
- 9 Jun 2006
Oppositions tend to be successful when they stimulate political debate and discussion. The Thatcher opposition in the late 1970s and the Blair opposition in the mid 1990s both took their inspiration from a whole host of rejuvenated think tanks. The balance of power o...
Why We Must Have an English Parliament
- 6 Jun 2006
Whether we like it or not, the genie of English devolution has been let out of the bottle. When a Labour dominated Scottish Affairs Select Committee publishes a report recognising the growing sense of injustice felt in England, you know that it’s an issue which all political p...
In Defence of Adam Rickitt
- 1 Jun 2006
The hounding of Adam Rickett, both by the media and disdainful Conservatives, has gone far enough. It's time to stop. It's a disgrace that he has been villified in such a disgusting manner by people who should know better. He has become the lightning rod for the whole 'A' List...
Guardian Diary: The End of British Bookselling is Nigh
- 31 May 2006
Waterstone's is about to take over Ottakars in a deal which is bound to see the closure of a number of 'doubled up' stores in market towns throughout Britain. Despite the fact that the deal puts Waterstone's in a highly dominant market position the competition authorities have...
Guardian Column: Is Lord Saatchi In Touch?
- 30 May 2006
Lord Saatchi is without doubt a man with an enormous creative mind. His pamphlets for the Centre for Policy Studies are invariably well-written, entertaining and provocative. The latest one, published this week, asserts that a political party needs to retain a sense of ideolog...
Meteorite Fell on the Dale Homestead in 1923
- 27 May 2006
I've just found a story from The Times from 7 June 1923 which relates the tale of a meteorite falling on my father's farm in Ashdon, near Saffron Walden in Essex. According to the website there have only been twelve such instances in the last 100 years. The Natural...
My Tribute to Eric Forth
- 18 May 2006
Eric Forth, who died last night, was someone I am proud to call a friend. Indeed, if you were a friend of Eric's he was the most loyal friend you could wish for. And the mark of a loyal friend is that he will tell you the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. I am sure his car...
Why I Feared a Writ From Lady Falkender
- 18 May 2006
The Daily Telegraph reports today that Marcia Falkender is considering taking the BBC to court over their portrayal of her in the BBC4 drama The Lavender List. I would be most surprised if she carried through her threat, for the drama was based upon allegations made in two boo...
TRG Article: The Challenges of Setting Up a New Business
- 18 May 2006
Iain Dale, Managing Director of Politico’s Bookstore in Westminster explains the pitfalls faced by those starting new businesses. Since Politico’s first opened its doors in February 1997 we like to think it has firmly established itself on the Westminster scene. ...