Tag: “David Cameron”

The tone surrounding the public spending debate has shifted up, or rather down, a few gears as ministers move from general direction to specific changes. Though there remains a honeymoon feel to a lot of the coverage of the coalition, the dominant developing theme of the political narrative is the cuts now expected, and coming [...]

Michael Gove cut a rather sad figure with Apology Number 1, in the House of Commons, and an even sadder one with Apology Number 2, at a local government conference where he looked lonely on stage, and the normal liveliness had vanished from his effervescent Scottish tones. The conference was just unlucky timing, coming directly after [...]

I was surprised during the election that the parties did not get pushed harder to define what they meant by ‘frontline services.’ As the election fall-out continues, it would seem from Michael Gove yesterday that in relation to education, it means paying teachers and classroom assistants. If, however, they are operating in makeshift portakabins and [...]

This coalition malarkey is proving to be even more consensual than we thought. It now appears that whatever immigration policy people voted for, what they are probably going to get is neither the one the Tories campaigned on, nor the Lib Dems’, but Labour’s. Business appears to have won the argument that the Tories’ idea [...]

Breakfast in London, lunch in Berlin, so a chance to read the Fussball-mood now that England and Germany are drawn together in the last 16 of the World Cup. On yesterday’s outings, you would have to give it to Germany if football was the only judgement. Their win over  Ghana was one of the fastest, [...]

You may remember during the election that I was somewhat dubious about Labour targeting George Osborne as the Tories’ ‘weakest link’. What you saw today was a right-wing Tory Chancellor setting out, with considerable confidence, a major package of measures that fit with his right-wing Tory view of the world. Nick Clegg may be deputy [...]

Even though he was a bit grudging in his review of Prelude to Power (aka ‘perfect Father’s Day gift’ according to some publicist via some twitterer called @campbellclaret) George Parker of the FT remains a political journalist I don’t mind reading (this is high praise in my lexicon of judgements on political journalists). In his [...]

I have only seen the The Guardian and the FT today, but it is evidence of the effectiveness of the Government’s softening up process that the front page of the former carries not a single word on David Cameron’s cuts plan, whilst the FT has a single sentence proclaiming Alistair Darling’s rejection of the PM’s [...]

There are a few grumbles online about David Cameron and Teresa May hotfooting it to Cumbria to meet victims and emergency services who dealt with the terrible tragedy there. But I think the visit is both understandable and right. Yes, some police resources will have to be diverted to look after them, but not much. [...]

Am about to leave for the Beeb to do my first broadcast interview on Prelude to Power, with Jon Sopel on The Politics Show. So just a quick word or two on the David Laws fallout. As I tweeted last night, I feel some personal sympathy for Laws, (which didn’t go down well with my [...]