Graeme Archer: Who will win the Labour leadership election? Patricia Hewitt.
Modern Labourites fret about the purpose of the Left. It’s perfectly obvious, though – it’s all about control.
Henry Hill: Villiers backs DUP ‘phantom budget’ as Ulster crisis drags on
Also: Jones allies with Sturgeon on EU; SNP set to storm Scottish elections; opposition grows to Welsh e-cig ban; and SDLP leader to resign Stormont seat.
Daniel Hannan MEP: “Centuries of sorrow in a mingled melody.” The Merchant of Venice at the Globe.
It has always struck me as among the most problematic of all Shakespeare’s plays. But the director, Jonathan Munby, found a way to deal brilliantly with the difficulties.
From Reggie to Dessie: Soames’s latest wheeze. Nominating Philip Davies to chair the Women and Equalities Committee
Plus: Colonel Simpson tells the tearoom that the Bavarian schloss in which the G7 was held was “an SS Officer Training School during the late hostilities”.
Garvan Walshe: The Turkish election shows that Muslim democracy is here to stay
Erdogan planned a constitutional coup. He was defeated not by an army or a revolution but by the votes of the people.
Lord Flight: What must be done now that we’ve won
The current entrepreneurial spirit and endeavour are the strongest I have experienced in my career.
Iain Dale: The Left thinks the voters are stupid. No wonder Labour lost.
Plus: ComRes – waving. Harris-Quinney – drowning. Bring on Zac Goldsmith. Welcome, Paul Abbott. Jeremy Corbyn, my part in his rise. And: I will miss Charles Kennedy.
Graeme Archer: Hatred, and after
The Left’s hate-bombs harm their own cause. As they harm every cause which tries to dehumanise in order to win.
Syed Kamall MEP: It’s been a good month for Tories, and our allies, in the European Parliament
We won in the UK, entered government in Finland, welcomed a new Italian party, won the Polish Presidency and are optimistic about the Danish election.
Henry Hill: Outlook bleak for Stormont as talks collapse
Also: ‘Self-financing’ Yes campaign bankrolled by the SNP; and Welsh Labour minister uninterested in ‘English Labour’ leadership contest.
Rebecca Coulson: Why can’t politicians speak in clear, interesting English?
Going forward, we need to roll out a long-term grammatical plan for hardworking speechmakers.
Nadhim Zahawi MP: In this new Parliament and amidst an uncertain world, we need a well-supported Foreign Office
To do the job effectively, our diplomatic staff need to supply the best possible advice to government. Yet lack of manpower and lack of time are making that job harder.
Iain Dale: These bloodsucker lawyers are scum
Plus: Ivan Massow – a joke. Greenhalgh and Boff – no charisma. Tulip Siddiq and Stephen Kinnock – impressive. And: Ben Harris-Quinney (for it is he)
Daniel Hannan MEP: Why Cameron should introduce a Sovereignty Act to reassert the supremacy of Parliament
Some ultra-federalist lawyers might protest at such an interpretation. But do you really imagine that anyone would seek to push Britain out over a technicality?
From Reggie to Dessie: The toils of Sarah Newton. Pigswill for Rory Stewart. And is Kris Hopkins the Caring Whip?
Plus: The SNP take over a bar, a rumpus at Women to Win, no booze at Steve Hilton’s book launch…and from Russia with Love to Soames.