Commentariat

Media Blogs from Puffbox Combined Feed

So Jacqui Smith told the Matthew d’Ancona at the Spectator that “West Midlands housewives” are probably better judges of the threat of terrorism than some Labour MPs. An interesting turn of phrase considering Nick Robinson’s blog is touting her as…

Downing Street officials ensured that Tony Blair did not personally have to sign official records stating the financial contributions to Labour made by people he was nominating for peerages. This was partly on the basis that it would be ‘helpful’…

I see that the Conservative candidate in the Henley by-election, John Howell, is describing himself on his early campaign literature as “Previously a presenter for BBC World Service”. My BBC World colleagues here at Millbank had never heard of him,…

Don’t believe politicians who say there is no plan “B” if Ireland votes No to the Lisbon Treaty. There is, and it is being kept under wraps in Prague. The Czechs take over the rolling European Union presidency on 1…

Jeremy Seabrook: The leader of the opposition has a bold vision for society. Great, except it conflicts with everything he tells us about the economy

Stephen Kidd: International aid must be focused on helping developing countries set up social protection systems for their citizens

It is good news that the subject of religion, scorned for so long, can at last be discussed. But the problem is that so many atheists just don’t grasp some of the most basic points in the debate. Here’s the…

Most of you will, I hope, recognise the words above from the end of ‘Animal Farm’, where the poor beasts look through the farmhouse window and can no longer tell the difference between the visiting men ( whom they have…

Joss Garman: The prime minister’s conversion to nuclear power doesn’t make sense, unless you read it as a desperate attempt to assert his authority

Now that Boris Johnson has announced he is standing down as MP for Henley, precipitating a by-election, he now has a new title. Under one of the more wonderful of our anachronistic parliamentary conventions, MPs cannot simply resign their seats,…

If a court takes a decision you don’t like, what should you do about it? One possible response is to tell everyone to ignore it, although that’s probably not the reaction you’d expect from the Ministry of Justice, the government…

Daniel Johnson: There’s nothing rightwing or imperialist about defending out values - and arguing that they should apply universally

If you had a moment to read my column in this morning’s paper you might recall the story I told of David Ifshin. Ifshin was a radical student who broadcast on Radio Hanoi during the Vietnam War. His broadcasts were…

John Hilary: Free market economics are the problem, not the solution. They have exposed poor countries to the full force of the food crisis

The insurers and pension funds may be revolting. A number have contacted me to express concerns that the £179m being paid by the private equity giant Texas Pacific for a 23 per cent stake in Bradford & Bingley is far…

The insurers and pension funds may be revolting. A number have contacted me to express concerns that the £179m being paid by the private equity giant Texas Pacific for a 23 per cent stake in Bradford & Bingley is far…

“I detest the cultural vandalism that contaminates New Labour. I hope they go - and soon.” (David Hockney, letter to the Guardian today). “You can see why democracy and individualism got going in western Europe rather than in East Asia.”…

Mary Kenny: If the BBC wants to spend vast sums paying the market rate for talent, it should go the whole hog and live by the market alone

Jakob Illeborg: The reaction to this week’s attack in Islamabad shows how far Denmark has moved away from the liberal values it once prided itself upon

Jakob Illeborg: The reaction to this week’s attack in Islamabad shows how far Denmark has moved away from the liberal values it once prided itself upon