My Two Cents...on the prison officers' strike
Today
History's hooligans
Apparently, young people are responsible for anarchy in the
Young Thugs
Look at the list of acts deemed to be anti-social, and you will see a dizzying range, including many things that you and I would classify as crimes - straightforward crimes. Joy-riding, raiding cars, taking drugs, smashing phone boxes: why are these lumped in with playing loud music or failing to curb the dog or playing games of football in inappropriate areas? Why do we need to call the police every time we see someone swearing loudly or scratching graffiti? The answer is simple. We call the police, because disapproval no longer works, and for very good reasons we have mainly lost the confidence to intervene ourselves.
Cameron’s intelligence crisis - part 1
This is the first of a series of posts over the next few days in which Ill be dismantling the Tory’s ‘mini manifesto’ on Law and Order, piece by piece, starting with its specific proposals and then finishing up with the proposed ‘Social Covenant’.
So lets kick things off with
Goldsmith-Gummer report is headed for the recycling bin
I have a bit of good news for James (and Iain Dale). Zac won’t be listened to. I understand that of the six policy review groups, the favourites of the
Strong Cameron on Newsnight
This could just be the effects of holiday-lag on my first full day back, but I thought David Cameron looked strong and in control during his appearance on Newsnight tonight (helpfully previewed on News 24 earlier).
Last night's Newsnight Special with David Cameron
being interviewed four-to-one by Gavin Esler, Michael Crick, Stephanie Flanders and, who was the fourth one? Oh yes, Mark Urban, was an underwhelming experience all round. Gavin Esler was typically tedious as he repeatedly tried to put the word 'swamping' into Cameron's mouth when discussing the record high levels of immigration, legal and illegal, into the UK over the last ten years.
Cameron triangulates Labour on immigration
Lots of people are talking about the 45-minute interview with David Cameron on Newsnight which can be watched here. I watched it yesterday and I was quite impressed with the way he handled himself, and when Stephanie Flanders asked him about the married tax allowance thing his response was well handled.
Cameron on Newsnight : The farce of the Conservative part-time shadow cabinet exposed
David Cameron was showing his gift of the gab at its most elegant. However, each of the four journalists hit home with individual points which, although Cameron gave a smooth line of defence in each case, actually exposed serious weaknesses in his position.
Can Cameron hold onto the centre-ground while talking about immigration?
Has Cameron done enough to ditch the Tory's 'nasty party' image that he can talk about core-vote issues without it scaring away the centrist voters?
When are Gord and Dave going to face Paxo?
Judging by the comments thread here last night most people thought that the Tory leader performed reasonably well in the first big set piece of the new political year - a long interview on Newsnight. He seems to have adjusted his style to reflect the new more sombre mood created by Gordon Brown and is looking a lot more formal.
David Cameron is indicating right but this is no lurch back to 2005
As I said on this morning's Today programme (at 7.13am if you want to listen), there has most certainly been a rebalancing of the Cameron project in recent days. The Conservative leadership has started talking again about all of the core vote issues - crime (particularly), immigration,
It is rocket science
Each year, it gets harder to keep up with developments in physics, chemistry and biology, so we won't get better scientists by setting easier GCSEs.
Political parties – good or bad?
…. or why mavericks – even odious ones – make good MPs and bad mayors.
If one thing illustrates the potential benefits as well as the hazards of having strong political parties, it’s this whole Ken v Boris thing. It certainly illustrates the wrong-headedness of the concept of strong political mayors.
The start of the Ministry of Justice's downfall?
It may not have been around for long but sadly the downfall of the Justice Department in the public's mind can start to be seen. Whilst it did not receive perhaps the coverage that it deserved, the release of a large number of prisoners in the first few days of Brown's Premiership signalled the start of the problems and today's strike action adds to the issues which surround public safely and law and order in the UK.
Brown and the Union Movement
The prime minister said he would "do nothing to put" economic stability or low interest rates at risk.
This is now the biggest test for Brown since taking the premiership. The Prime Minister will know what happened to Jim Callaghan's administration in 1979. Unions have the potential to break a government.
Should we have an extra bank holiday (British national day) in November?
The influential think tank ippr is suggesting that Gordon Brown establish a British national day as an extra bank holiday on the Monday immediately after Remembrance Sunday in November.
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