Category: “Media”

As I said yesterday, I spent Monday driving down from Scotland, listening to hour upon hour of coverage about Mrs Thatcher’s death. When the news was announced that David Cameron was cutting short his meetings with European leaders to return to London, I thought ‘why?’ The answer is perhaps becoming clearer. What would he, as [...]

If there is one thing Margaret Thatcher liked it was a good argument; and if there was one place where she felt those arguments should be held, it was in the House of Commons. So whilst it is right and proper that MPs pay genuine respect to her strengths and achievements in Parliament today, and [...]

You know how hard I find it to be overly nice about Tories, but I must salute the indefatigable Norman Fowler for his attempt to make sure the government does not wriggle out of doing the right thing on press regulation. While David Cameron has acted only when he has had no choice, and at [...]

I was lucky enough to go last night to a preview of Lincoln, the new film about America’s greatest President. Immediate thoughts – Daniel Day Lewis nailed on for an Oscar, great decision by Spielberg to focus on a relatively short period of his political life, climaxing with the vote to abolish slavery, pleased it [...]

You did not have to be a genius to imagine there might have been a statutory element to the proposals brought forward by Lord Justice Leveson. Indeed, the longer the inquiry went on, the more his tone of questioning suggested such a move might happen. Certainly, by the time David Cameron gave evidence, it was [...]

In Lord Leveson’s introduction to his report, in the very first paragraph, he states that his work ‘carries with it authority provided personally by the Prime Minister.’ He must have been a little shocked when the PM withdrew that authority as soon as he spoke in the Commons, when he rejected the main proposals for [...]

I was out last night raising cash for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research at the Midtown Business Club dinner, to whom thanks for your cash and your support. In my speech, I talked a bit about the Boris phenomenon and said his appeal was rooted in his positivity, which is why it was odd that he [...]

It is not often that I give over this space to a Tory MP, let alone one who was closely involved in David Cameron’s failed efforts to secure a Parliamentary majority. However, as the bulk of the press seeks to shape the pre-Leveson debate in a way that suits their own political and commercial interests, [...]

The government has rightly been criticised for the lacklustre nature of their campaign to promote the need for their ‘flagship’ policy of Police Crime Commissioners. Likewise the media has been criticised – including by me – for making apathy and ignorance the story all the way through the campaign, rather than seeing their role as [...]

Chris Patten, the son of a jazzman, and a Catholic, is not a traditional Establishment figure. But one of the powers of our Establishment is its ability to allow in certain outsiders, provided they then follow the rules of the game. Baron Patten of Barnes, CH PC, former Tory MP and Cabinet minister, former Governor [...]