Barack Obama, January 21st 2013 -
“Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people”
Ed Miliband, October 2nd 2012 -
“One nation: a country for all, with everyone playing their part. A Britain we rebuild together.”
There’s a saying in American politics that was popularised by Chris Matthews in his seminal book “Hardball” – hang a lantern on your problem. The theory goes that if you have a problem, especially an image problem, then the best way to deal with it is to draw attention to it, and turn it to your advantage. Matthews uses the examples of Jimmy Carter (an outsider) and Ronald Reagan (old) as his key examples. Perhaps the most memorable example of […]
Read more →
I want to begin by saying something about the horrifying situation in Israel and Gaza. I speak as a friend of Israel and a friend of the Palestinian people. The murder of the three Israeli teenagers at the start of this cycle of violence was an appalling and brutal act. The rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza are unjustifiable, outrageous and an act of terror. I defend Israel’s right to defend itself and its people against these attacks. But I […]
Read more →
Being the biggest party but falling short of a majority might not get Ed Miliband into Downing Street. The Mail today suggests that the Lib Dems might pair up with the Tories in such a situation: Senior Liberal Democrats are plotting a second coalition with the Conservatives even if Labour wins more Commons seats in next year’s general election…Another senior MP said there was a strong possibility that the Tories could gain more votes than Labour, but fewer seats, while […]
Read more →
Good news this morning from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), who confirm economic growth for the last quarter was 0.8% – bringing the UK economy back to pre-crash levels. The news has been met with all-round approval, with George Osborne proclaiming the GDP figures a “major milestone” on his path to recovery. But is it job done? Well, no. And Osborne’s use of “milestone” shows he knows it too. We’re a long way off yet. While these figures are […]
Read more →
Last year the Labour leadership – and the Shadow Cabinet in particular – were accused of taking their foot off the gas over the summer recess. Both party and leadership have been clear for months that won’t be the case this year. It was mooted by Newsnight’s Allegra Stratton earlier this week that Labour’s summer offensive was about to be unveiled. Initially rumours swirled around Westminster that every single member of the Shadow Cabinet would be making a speech over […]
Read more →
Twitter
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Stumble
Reddit