Miliband Whips Cameron at PMQs
- 16 Jan 2013
Well I hope the Prime Minister is on better form than that when he makes his big European speech on Friday. Ed Miliband whipped his sorry pink ass at PMQs today. He was funny, fluent and seemed in command of the House, which even his biggest supporters would acknowledge has n...
We're to Blame for HMV, Not the Government
- 16 Jan 2013
A lot has been written about the demise of HMV and yes, it is indeed very sad whenever a well known name like HMV goes into administration. But people need to remember that administration does not necessarily mean bankruptcy. Nipper hasn’t barked his last bark quite yet. It w...
The LibDem Flip-Flop on a European Referendum
- 15 Jan 2013
The hypocrisy of the LibDems can be truly astonishing. I suppose that is a statement of the bleeding obvious, but on Europe it is simply breathtaking. The way they are talking about David Cameron’s as yet unnannounced plans for a European referendum, you’d think he was announ...
Ignorance About Transsexualism Breeds Fear
- 15 Jan 2013
I was astonished to learn just before my programme went on air last night that The Observer had deleted Julie Burchill’s article (see previous post) from its website. Whatever one thought about it, it didn’t deserve that fate. By doing that The Observer has not only made a foo...
Suzanne Moore, Julie Burchill, Lynne Featherstone & Transsexuals - Time For Some Perspective
- 13 Jan 2013
Let me say from the start, that I have never been a fan of Julie Burchill. I started one of her books once but didn’t last long. Puerile rubbish. I’ve always thought her writing to be ordinary in the extreme, and have struggled to understand why she appears to be so popular. T...
Book Review by Alex Marsh - An Encounter With The Blogfather
- 12 Jan 2013
Excuse the self indulgence, but I’ve never read a book review of any of my books which “gets” what I was I was trying to achieve with a book like this one. It’s written by Alex Marsh, Professor or Public Policy at the University of Bristol, and originally appeared on his blog,...
Tory MEP Slags Off Cameron Euro Speech Before He Knows What's In It
- 11 Jan 2013
I first met David Campbell-Bannerman when he was head of the Bow Group, and an aspiring Conservative MP. He then defected to UKIP and became a UKIP MEP. Not that long ago he left UKIP and re-defected to the Conservatives, and now sits as a Tory Euro MP for East Anglia. Having...
Have I Joined the Establishment?
- 11 Jan 2013
Earlier this year I got a letter from A & C Black, the publishers of Who’s Who to say they wanted to include me in their 2013 edition. To be honest I had mixed feelings about it. Why? because there’s an assumption that if you’re in Who’s Who, you’re definitely part of the...
Call Clegg - Did It Work?
- 10 Jan 2013
If you missed Call Clegg on LBC 97.3 this morning, I’m going to repeat it from 7pm on my evening show Those of you who don’t listen to talk radio much may well wonder what all the fuss is about. But for a Deputy Prime Minister to commit to doing a half hour radio phone in eve...
Why It's My Final Sky News Paper Review Tonight
- 9 Jan 2013
Twelve or so years ago I started doing late night paper reviews on Sky and the BBC News Channel. I gave up doing the BBC ones two years ago, when I started doing my LBC show because the timings didn’t work. Earlier I tweeted that tonight, at 11.30pm, I will be doing my final ...
UKIP Youth Leader Fired
- 8 Jan 2013
Twitter was abuzz with rumour and counter rumour about the sacking of UKIP’s youth wing leader Oliver Neville tonight. The story was apparently that he had been sacked because he dared to oppose the official UKIP line on gay marriage. In other words he was being the true liber...
Look, I Just Don't Like David Bowie
- 8 Jan 2013
Look, I just don’t like him, OK? It’s a free country. We’re all entitled to our opinion. I thought I’d get that out of the way before I come to my main point. Cue the drum roll… I really don’t like David Bowie. I’m sure he is a very nice man but I can’t stand his music and n...
Mark Pack v Iain Dale on Sky News
- 7 Jan 2013
This is the video of a discussion I had with Mark Pack this afternoon on Sky News, reacting to the Coalition mid-term review. courtesy of @liarpoliticians
A Bit Of a Do In Downing Street
- 7 Jan 2013
There was something a little underwhelming about the event at Downing Street this afternoon. There they were, the bride and groom (I’ll let you decide who’s screwing who) renewing their vows after only two and a half years, both leaving the impression that they had very few t...
A Face Value Resignation?
- 7 Jan 2013
It’s rather sad to see Lord Strathclyde stepping down from the government. He’s a very charming, likeable and affable character and he’s done good job since he took over the leadership of the Tories in the Lords from Lord Salisbury. Inevitably there will be speculation about ...
Instead of Insulting UKIP Voters, Cameron Needs to Hug Them Close
- 6 Jan 2013
He’s like someone with an itch who just can’t stop scratching it. Why is it that the Prime Minister just can’t help himself? You’d think he would be trying to attract support from as many people as possible, yet he delights in insulting UKIP members and supporters. A few year...
Will Britain Lose It AAA Rating & Does It Matter?
- 6 Jan 2013
This morning on Andrew Marr David Cameron sidestepped a question on the likelihood of Britain losing its AAA credit rating this year, almost as if he was accepting the inevitability. An hour later I interviewed Ed Balls on my LBC show and much to my surprise he failed to make...
Sunday Morning From 10am...
- 5 Jan 2013
A new feature on this blog will go live tomorrow at 9.59am. Instead of the book banner above, you’ll see a banner which tells you what is on my LBC show and a LISTEN LIVE button, so you can read the blog and listen to me live. For those of you who don’t know I present a radio...
That Labour Health Policy Making Process In Full...
- 5 Jan 2013
You can just imagine the scenario around the table in Portcullis House… Andy Burnham: Right guys, Ed’s said we have to come up with an eye-catching policy to grab the headlines in the new year. Let’s have a brainstorm. Researcher 1: Increase spending on the NHS by 10%? Re...