Tag: “Barack Obama”

I suppose our leaders have to do that smiling thing as they arrive at summits (though I can’t think they and we would all be happier if a lot of the ceremonials were scrapped, the trumpeteers confined to barracks, and the leaders just got on with the business of trying to rescue the world economy). [...]

To a posh Knightsbridge hotel last night, and the launch of the Harvard Business Review in London, which they chose to celebrate with a discussion between me and BT chairman Sir Michael Rake. Nice guy, and very smart. At one point the moderator, the splendidly named Adi Ignatius, chastised us gently for ‘agreeing too much’. [...]

I had really wanted to see the ‘My Resignation’ documentary on BBC4 last night. It is an interesting theme and the people making it seemed a cut above your average instant docmaker. Having interviewed me on a rainy day like today, they were also polite enough to tell me when the programme was on. But [...]

By far the most significant UK political event yesterday was the speech by outgoing US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. His warning to European allies that they risked military irrelevance, and that the US could not perpetually be relied upon to fund European security was blunt and timely. Of the many surprises about the way the [...]

I am hoping the sound of helicopters above means the President is on his way to France, able to escape Britain before he and the Prime Minister get asked about what Cheryl Cole’s exit from American X Factor says about the special-essential relationship. Be in no doubt – had the departure of the People’s Panellist [...]

Barack Obama will have weighed every word carefully as he announced the successful operation to kill Osama Bin Laden. He will know that his statement in the White House will be played again and again on news bulletins around the world today. It was an announcement with one major fact in it – Bin Laden’s [...]

Papers wise I have only seen The Guardian and the Financial Times today and my eye was particularly drawn to three photos. One of Nick Clegg (FT). One of Julian Assange (Guardian). One of Barack Obama (FT). And they made me think of conventional wisdom. I can find none of the pictures online so you [...]

Once a newsworthy event becomes a full-blown media frenzy, there comes a point where separating fact from fantasy, comment from conspiracy, and hard information from spin becomes virtually impossible. That is the point we reached with the WikiLeaks circus yesterday. The central character, Julian Assange, some of yesterday’s walk-on parts, like John Pilger and Ken [...]

Well, we’re having a right old book day are we not. Bad Sex Awards pitch this morning (I liked the line from journalist John Rentoul that it was ‘triple bluff’) and now I offer you the article I penned for the latest issue of The Bookseller, on the subject of political books. Though it is [...]

So there I was, tapping away at the computer, and it just went dead. Kaput. Bye-bye. In our household, I know not how to deal with these things, but Fiona does and she has now got someone in who is sorting it, but in the meantime I thought well maybe it’s someone or something telling [...]