“There was one issue where the other two did turn on him: over his policy of an amnesty for long-standing illegal immigrants. And Mr Brown uttered the immortal and long-awaited phrase: “I agree with David.” It may or may not be coincidence that this is an issue where both men are almost certainly aware that [...]
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
24 Apr
‘Killing the Labour party’
I doubt I will make many friends here by linking with some measured approval to this Matthew Parris column, which may be partly wishful, but surely contains some true insights. Discussing Brown’s ‘moronic’ remark about Clegg being ‘Anti American’, Parris writes: The expression that briefly stalked the Liberal Democrat leader’s normally bland face, however, betrayed [...]
23 Apr
Favourite post debate analyses
Phil Stephens video (FT): Gordon Brown becoming irrelevant, which is extraordinary; Clegg keeping post 1st debate position, also extraordinary Robert Shrimsley (FT Blog): One of the most LibDem positive things I’ve ever read: David Cameron is not in trouble because he lost the first debate. He lost the first debate because he was already in [...]
23 Apr
The Telegraph tries to find worse and worse ways to scare us about a Hung Parliament
Ian Cowie really is plumbing the depths here. I should not read such stuff on so much caffeine. Imagine a starving Jack Russell being electroprodded by a toddler and you are nowhere near the level of irritation. Here is Cowie’s thinking, to put it kindly: The last time a British election failed to produce [...]
22 Apr
Disturbing picture of the day …
is here. No, it is not Nick Clegg viciously attacking a pensioner with a walking stick (hattip James MacKintosh of the FT). But it may explain why even cardcarrying members of the NeoClassical School of Economics may be starting to make these kinds of argument: In general, I am opposed to state-run, nationalized industries: managing [...]
22 Apr
In praise of Iain Dale
No, I’m not stalking him. Two posts in two days is not stalking, alright? But this is fine.
21 Apr
Guest Post: from a young swing voter
Tom Gibson has been lending invaluable support to CentreForum in the last few days, so I thought I’d ask him what he thought of events since the Debate. Note: he’s supported Labour in the past, and is now that most precious of things, a Floating Voter. For a tenner, you can have his phone number. [...]
21 Apr
Iain Dale’s Misleading Fact of the Day
He says in his title: ‘Unemployment is always higher under Labour’ Well, no. Let’s look at the Claimant Count as a simple measure: My rough averages say: Conservatives since the War have averaged a claimant count of 1.56 million. The Labour party: 900 thousand. Clearly you have to interpret Iain’s post differently from the obvious [...]
20 Apr
So I get things wrong sometimes …
… or at least, that may be how things look soon if inflation continues doing what it has just done – rise faster than expected. Because while my original points about base effects and so on are correct, it is no good if the actual index rises 0.6 points in a month like this. Perhaps [...]
20 Apr
Kant and Airbrushing
I am taking time out today to familiarise myself with the Liberal Democrat manifesto, in preparation for a podcast later. One of the things that bothers me as a reader of all the manifestos, from the point of view of someone unused to Westminster’s interfering ways, is how they deal with everything. And in this [...]
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