Nick Clegg says that, by failing to support a PR-elected Lords, the Conservative Party has broken the Coalition "contract". To show that deal-breaking has consequences, he is instructing the Lib Dems to vote against the boundary review. Now I'm not fussed much about the boundary review (mildly opposed, if anything). But let's be clear, here. There […]
A great sporting event such as the Olympics reminds us of some key truths, which are of cultural and political importance. 1) Having victors and losers is much better than equality. We love to cheer the victors, to celebrate their triumph and excellence. Competition is a wonderful thing, and the process of struggle and overcoming […]
Not being a Muslim or Jew, I do not believe food needs to be Halal or Kosher. Indeed, I actively disapprove of some aspects of these ritual requirements of food – for example the requirement that animals be slaughtered in the name of Allah. (That does not, of course, prevent me from eating meat so […]
In recent weeks the state of relations in the Coalition has led some Lib Dems to express the fear (and some Conservatives to express the hope) that the public is turning against the whole notion of coalition. Perhaps the thought is that some commentators and voters might have initially believed that coalitions between parties would […]
The Conservative Party has a reputation for union-bashing, even amongst Conservatives. People too easily forget that Norman Tebbit used to boast about how he was a member of a union. The union movement is not something that, intrinsically, Conservatives should fear or oppose. Rather, we should embrace it and make it our own. Here's a start. […]
Along with the Editor and most Conservative Party members, I was sceptical about the Coalition with the Liberal Democrats formed after we unaccountably failed to win the 2010 General Election. As it happens, unlike some I was not opposed to the formation of just any coalition. I would not have minded a coalition with Labour […]
The first of the really key votes on Nick Clegg's proposals for an elected Lords are due this evening. Here are ten points to note. 1) Its proponents say there were commitments in the major party manifestos to legislate for an elected upper chamber. That is simply untrue. The Conservative 2010 Manifesto, for example, states (p67): "We will […]
Over the years, I have written many times about the integral role that Christianity played in the evolution of English liberalism, arguing that English liberalism is in fact a specifically Christian doctrine, an application of broad Church Protestant Episcopalian doctrine to the political realm, and arguing that we should not expect classical English liberalism to be able […]
Following the recent debacle of the RBS IT "glitch" and the Barclays LIBOR-fixing scandal, there have been a number of calls for a wide-ranging public inquiry into the banking crisis and its causes. I think that would be a bad idea. The reason is that, by its nature, such an inquiry would focus on personalities, […]
One of the most remarkable features of David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party to this point has been that although he is personally very unpopular and ill-trusted amongst hard-core activists and backbench MPs, he has always been protected by his personal bodyguard: TINA – There Is No Alternative. Mrs Thatcher faced the threat of […]
Here's a little thought experiment for consideration by those tempted by the notion that the Upper Chamber should be elected. At the moment, a bill gets through the Commons if there is a majority in favour. But that's not the only way to do things. We could for example spilt the Commons into two halves. We […]
It is perfectly proper to argue that some things that are legal are immoral – e.g. sloth, adultery, envy, greed. But sometimes, there is no wedge between the law and morality; that is to say, some behaviours are morally required precisely and only because they are legally required (e.g. driving on the right). What about […]
Until very recently I thought a total collapse of the euro pretty unlikely. To be sure, Greece and Cyprus would leave, and perhaps even Portugal, Finland and Slovakia. But there would still be a currency union between France, Germany and Italy, and everyone else was only a rounding error anyway. I now think there is a […]
I've never advocated withdrawal from the EU. I've always hoped we could secure a relationship with our EU partners within the Single Market but outside the Single European State, a position that would require a significant renegotiation of our position within the EU. Unfortunately, I think that's now not going to happen. Probably our last […]
I'm angry. And when I'm angry I sometimes struggle to express myself, in writing, moderately and temperately and coherently. That Spain should choose to bankrupt itself bailing out banks that are too large for the state to afford, that it should do so having seen the example of Ireland before it, and that it should […]