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Um that isn't at all what I wrote, Dawn. You have quoted six words I did use and then put them into a completely different sentence!
Peter Cuthbertson: Review - How to Use Politicians To Get What You Want by Scott Colvin
Reading Scott Colvin’s excellent new book reminded me of one of the first occasions I ever read a political book: it was Rupert Morris’ The Tories. At this point I hadn’t yet joined my local association in Darlington, so this account of the party and its membership was entirely new to me. Some ...
I'd approve of this strongly.
Peter Cuthbertson: Review - How to Use Politicians To Get What You Want by Scott Colvin
Reading Scott Colvin’s excellent new book reminded me of one of the first occasions I ever read a political book: it was Rupert Morris’ The Tories. At this point I hadn’t yet joined my local association in Darlington, so this account of the party and its membership was entirely new to me. Some ...
Excellent comments.
Respublica proposes that supermarkets should be taxed to subsidise traditional high street shops
By Jonathan Isaby Today's Observer contains a preview of a new paper from ResPublica, Philip Blond's think-tank, entitled Right to Retail: Can Localism Save Britain's Small Retailers? It is not yet online - it is now - but the Observer states that the report - which it is quick to note was co...
Ken Clarke is very often wrong as well.
Jonathan Isaby: The questionable political judgement of Eddie Izzard
By Jonathan Isaby Yesterday saw the official launch of the Yes to AV campaign, fronted by comedian Eddie Izzard (because, lest we forget, the country's two leading Yes campaigners, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg refuse to share a platform with each other). I'll put to one side the fact that celebr...
I heard Colin speak on Friday evening and was very impressed. The very best of luck to him and to CCF!
Conservative Christian Fellowship appoints new Director
by Paul Goodman Colin Bloom is to replace the indefatigable Elizabeth Berridge, who was recently (and rightly) ennobled. His political CV reveals that he been an elected Councillor in a large London unitary authority, and for seven of those years was a Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, and...
Elaine, you say I have used rose-tinted specs but I actually agree with you on both counts. Tebbit is indeed less relenting towards the IRA in my chapter than Thatcher's successors.
And yes, because of Nigel Lawson's policy of shadowing the Mark inflation went above 8% by mid 1989. But the 1990s recession wasn't so bad because high inflation persisted until late 1992. It was so bad because we persisted in pegging sterling to the Mark until late 1992. As I wrote above:
"A policy of freely floating exchange rates would not necessarily have prevented the recession of the early 1990s. After all, Nigel Lawson’s policy of shadowing the Deutschmark had led to high inflation, which the government rightly fought with higher interest rates. But the insanity of the ERM policy was the way it forced Britain to retain those higher interest rates long after both inflation and economic growth rates had tanked. A much more brutal recession than necessary ensued."
Peter Cuthbertson: How would the 1990s have been different if Thatcherism had continued under a Tebbit premiership?
Peter Cuthbertson wrote the Prime Minister Tebbit chapter for the book The Prime Ministers Who Never Were, released by Biteback today (RRP £15). The book is available for ConservativeHome readers for the special price of £12 plus free UK P&P. Please contact [email protected]
The Blair government used the army to run fire engines during the 2002 fireman's strike. Was it totalitarian? Much as I opposed Blair, I think not.
It's one thing to say workers have the right to withdraw their labour. It's quite another to say - as you appear to be saying - that it shouldn't be permissible to bring in temporary replacements, especially when they are bringing the London economy to a halt.
Peter Cuthbertson: Should we begin training our reservists to drive tube trains?
Walking through London during this week's tube strike got me thinking. According to the Daily Telegraph last year, there are 3,500 London tube drivers. Of course, that's not 3,500 all driving trains at once. Only a fraction will be needed at any one time to keep the Underground running. This f...
Thanks, very helpful - two thoughts:
As I say above, Bercow is simply misunderstanding his role if he thinks it is to impose the preferences of the majority of voters on MPs.
Second, what a stupidly leading thing to ask: "Would you like to see Prime Ministers' Questions become less noisy and more calm and reasoned?". This entirely begs the question and simply asserts that noisy debate is the antonym to reasoned debate. Given this, it's more surprising that 21% said they didn't want more reasoned discussion than that 57% said they did!
Can someone please tell the Speaker to stop sounding off?
The BBC reported yesterday on John Bercow's latest fulminations against those of us who have called into question his wife's very personal attacks on David Cameron: Commons Speaker John Bercow has attacked critics of his wife's decision to run for office as "old-fashioned, cowardly and downmarke...
The notion that Nixon is synonymous with Watergate that is itself an editorial slant. I don't complain about this - it's a great film - but I don't share this view.
Allan, you're almost confessing that you
think what is objectively true about the man matters less than popular perceptions and misconceptions. Is it wrong to use a blog post to disagree with that notion? How many seats have I lost the Tories at the next election by doing so?
Frost/Nixon
Last night I caught an advance screening of the film Frost/Nixon - a two hour dramatisation of the famous interviews between Sir David Frost and President Nixon, shortly after the latter left office. Rather than pretend at any length to be a film critic, I will say that Universal Pictures - and ...
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