By Jonathan Isaby It has just been announced that Gordon Brown is to take on a new role as an adviser to the World Economic Forum, for whom he will chair a new policy and initiatives coordination board. According to the WEF, this will be "an informal group bringing together heads of international organizations and […]
By Jonathan Isaby Peter Oborne has written a piece for today's Daily Telegraph asserting that that there has been a seismic shift in Labour's attitudes towards the European Union in recent weeks, leading it to take "a new and potent position". He points in particular to two recent interventions: Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls' demand that […]
Matthew Barrett Vince Cable has been notable throughout his time in government for causing problems. He seems unable to respect Cabinet collective responsibility. Whilst some have hailed the coalition as "the return of cabinet government", that would mean robust discussion within Cabinet, not off-message comments in public. The newspapers this morning had several new Cable […]
Tim Montgomerie Looking at the front page of this Unison magazine it appears that political correctness is a ‘do as we say, not as we do’ thing for the union movement. I imagine Eric Pickles will laugh at it. Knowing his sense of humour it might even end up on his wall.
By Jonathan Isaby During the course of the AV referendum campaign over the last couple of months, numerous supporters of the Yes campaign have variously claimed that polls which give a cursory explanation of the system before asking the voter whether they support AV – which have generally shown larger numbers opposing the change – […]
By Jonathan Isaby I am only just catching up with a story from yesterday's Evening Standard about Jenny Jones, the Green London Assembly Member who was recently selected as her party's candidate to challenge Boris Johnson for the mayoralty next year. I have written before about the Green Party's dangerous far Left credentials but Miss […]
By Jonathan Isaby If ever reassurance were required that the teaching unions do not speak up for the rank-and-file teachers and and down the country, here's a little more evidence. Today's TES reports a survey of more than 2,100 teachers commissioned by the Sutton Trust which carries the following findings: 73% of school leaders and […]
By Jonathan Isaby Labour have still had to scrabble around to find candidates to stand in a number of seats at this year's local elections. Figures which I will share later this afternoon show that Miliband's party are still failing to field candidates for nearly three in ten available seats. But for the time being, […]
By Jonathan Isaby It would appear that Ken Livingstone thinks he will have a chance of being returning as London Mayor next year if he manages to spout entirely contradictory policy positions to different audiences over the next thirteen months. His official transport policy document – still available on his campaign website as a pdf […]
by Paul Goodman Charming illustration, isn't it? It's published on Left Futures, which is edited by someone called Jon Lansman. It is splendidly denounced on Harry's Place, itself a left-wing site, under the headline "This shames Labour". As the H.P denunication says – "I shouldn’t have to explain what is wrong with this sort of […]
By Jonathan Isaby RMT boss Bob Crow is the subject of a revealing story in today's Sunday Times (£): "The rail union firebrand Bob Crow has saved up to £80,000 in rent by living in a housing association home intended for less well-off people, despite enjoying a six-figure pay package. "Crow’s family is estimated to […]
By Jonathan Isaby The Labour Party yesterday published a consultation document, Refounding Labour, raising many questions about the party's future structure, organisation, and policy-making processes, amongst many other things. It was written by Peter Hain, shadow Welsh Secretary and chair of Labour's National Policy Forum, at the invitation of Ed Miliband, and he includes the following […]
Tim Montgomerie The nation may not have quite decided but I get a sense that the commentariat have decided that Ed Miliband isn't up to the job. There have been some devastating pieces about the Labour leader recently. Iain Martin in today's Mail (scroll down this link) wonders if Saturday's rally was Ed Miliband's William […]
Tim Montgomerie Quotes from Ed Miliband's historic speech yesterday, comparing his anti-cuts crusade to the struggle of women for votes, black Americans for equality and South Africans against apartheid… "We come in the traditions that have marched in peaceful but powerful protest for justice, fairness and political change. The suffragettes who fought for votes for […]
Tim Montgomerie Ed Miliband used his speech to today's TUC march to compare the struggle of public sector workers to the campaigns against apartheid, for women's votes and for equality in segregated America. The man has no judgment or sense of history. Sky and BBC didn't stick with his speech for long but offered split […]