ConHome Diary: The Green Manifesto Will Make UKIP's Look Sane
- 23 Jan 2015
I’m not really sure how any politician can introduce plain paper packaging on cigarette packets and still maintain with a straight face that they are Conservatives. What’s next? Plain packaging on cans of lager? Mars Bars? Packets of crisps? It’s the nanny state writ large. If...
Surely QE in the Eurozone Is BAD News for the UK Economy, Not Good? Eh, Chancellor?
- 22 Jan 2015
So the European Central Bank has injected one trillion euros into the Eurozone economies, despite the articles of the Eurozone expressly forbidding it. I imagine this was at the insistence of the Germans originally. Needless to say the ECB has found a way around this, as is th...
Attitude Column: Why Would Anyone Go on a 'Gays Only' Holiday?
- 20 Jan 2015
Nowadays, I would no more think of going on a gay-only holiday than I would think of going on a beach holiday to North Korea. But then again, perhaps those types of trips aren’t aimed at me. What put me off this type of holiday was a boat trip in Florida I took in 1993. I had ...
Chuka Umunna Was Right to Walk Out of Murnaghan Interview
- 19 Jan 2015
I have never understood why politicians allow themselves to be walked all over by smart-arse interviewers. They are far more in control of the interview than the interviewer. This morning Dermot Murnaghan was interviewing Chuka Umunna about David Cameron’s economy speech. Ne...
Nick Clegg Takes Me To Task For My LibDem Seat Prediction
- 18 Jan 2015
Oh Nick, Nick Nick. Much to my surprise Andrew Marr quoted my prediction from the Independent on Sunday that… The one prediction I am 100% confident in making is that the Liberal Democrats will lose more than half of their seats. Now, I do have form on getting LibDem s...
General Election Predictions: The Final Results - We're Heading For a Three Party Coalition or a Second Election
- 18 Jan 2015
This is the final result of my seat by seat predictions, which I have been posting on here over the last month… Conservative 278 (-29) Labour 301 (43) Liberal Democrats 24 (-33) SNP 18 (12) UKIP 5 (5) Plaid Cymru 3 (-) Green 1 (-) Respect 1 (-) DUP 9 (1) Sinn Fein 5 (-) SD...
General Election Predictions 75: Teesside
- 18 Jan 2015
This is the seventy-fifth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each ...
General Election Predictions 74: Tyne & Wear
- 17 Jan 2015
This is the seventy-fourth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each...
WATCH: An Hour With MND Campaigners Gordon Aikman & Joe Pike
- 16 Jan 2015
This evening I interviewed Gordon Aikman and his partner Joe Pike. Gordon was Director of Policy for the Better Together Campaign when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease seven months ago. Motor Neurone Disease is a rare, debilitating and progressive disease. It atta...
ConHome Diary: Discover Who my 'Tosser of the Week' Is! (Clue: It's Not Russell Brand)
- 16 Jan 2015
I’ve read some daft diary stories in my time – indeed, I’ve written quite a few of them – but the Londoner’s Diary took the biscuit on Thursday when they reckoned Nigel Farage’s new book THE PURPLE REVOLUTION (which I am publishing on 5 March) could count as a UKIP election ex...
General Election Predictions 73: Northern Ireland (Part 2)
- 16 Jan 2015
This is the seventy-third in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each ...
General Election Predictions 72: Northern Ireland (Part 1)
- 16 Jan 2015
This is the seventy-second in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each...
General Election Predictions 71: Merseyside (Part 2)
- 15 Jan 2015
This is the seventy-first in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each ...
General Election Predictions 70: Merseyside (Part 1)
- 15 Jan 2015
This is the seventieth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each sea...
Sky's Job is to Broadcast the News, Not Censor It
- 15 Jan 2015
This was from last night’s paper review on Sky News, where Jenny Kleeman and I made clear our views on Sky’s apology for showing the front cover of the new issue of Charlie Hebdu. Hattip for video to @Liarpoliticians
General Election Predictions 69: Cheshire
- 15 Jan 2015
This is the sixty-ninth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each se...
Independent Column: Who Will Win the General Election?
- 15 Jan 2015
So what’s the election result going to be? That’s the question I am asked most often nowadays, and I am sure it’s the one my fellow political commentators also find the most difficult to answer. “Oh, it’s going to be very exciting,” we all say, laughing nervously because nobod...
General Election Predictions 68: Greater Manchester N-Z
- 14 Jan 2015
This is the sixty-eighth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each s...
General Election Predictions 67: Greater Manchester F-M
- 14 Jan 2015
This is the sixty-seventh in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each ...
General Election Predictions 66: Greater Manchester A-E
- 14 Jan 2015
This is the sixty-sixth in a series of blogposts (scroll to the bottom of the article for the others) which will seek to predict the outcome of every seat in the run-up to the next general election. The notion of a universal swing in May 2015 can be totally discounted. Each se...