John Rentoul



Profile:
Full name: John Rentoul

Area of interest: Politics

Journals/Organisation: The Independent on Sunday | The Independent

Email: [mailto:j.rentoul@independent.co.uk j.rentoul@independent.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul

Blog: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/author/johnrentoul | http://johnrentoul.independentminds.livejournal.com

Representation:

Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/johnrentoul



Biography:
About:

Education: Attended schools in Bangalore, Bristol and Wolverhampton; King's College, Cambridge

Career: Accountancy Age: journalist; New Statesman: deputy editor; BBC: political reporter; The Independent: political correspondent, chief leader writer; The Independent on Sunday: chief political commentator

Current position/role: Chief Political Commentator


 * also writes/has written for:

Other roles/Main role: Visiting fellow at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches contemporary history

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

Broadcast media:

Video:
 * IMDb

Controversy/Criticism:
 * Lenin's Tomb blog: John Rentoul denies reality, 10th December, 2004
 * Ian Dale's Diary: John Rentoul Needs to Get Out More, 25th March 2007

Awards/Honours:

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * The Rich Get Richer: The Growth of Inequality in Britain in the 1980s (1987) OCLC 17240400
 * Tony Blair: Prime Minister (2001) OCLC 48418436

Latest work: The Banned List: A manifesto against jargon and cliche, Elliott & Thompson, October 2011

Speaking/Appearances:

Debate: 

The Independent/IoS:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Politics

Section: Comment

Role: Chief Political Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:j.rentoul@independent.co.uk j.rentoul@independent.co.uk]

Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Sunday, and occasional weekdays

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2015

 * General Election 2015: If you want to save the Union, vote... er...? - Make sure Scotland becomes independent would be for England to vote to leave the EU - 19th April
 * General Election 2105: David Cameron's main hope is the return of the 'shy Tories' - They tell pollsters they agree with liberal policies – but in the privacy of the polling booth, vote differently - 12th April
 * The Tories are on to a loser if the election comes down to horse trading - Ladbrokes are the only ones who give the Conservatives a hope of cobbling together a government - 22nd March
 * Keeping an open mind on Ed Miliband isn't easy - A politician who makes such superficially popular promises will be found out - 14th March
 * Uh oh... the galloping GNU is loose once more (that's the Government of National Unity - not the wildebeest) - That Ed Miliband is more unpopular in Scotland than David Cameron is remarkable - 8th March
 * Why Cameron needs to tame the big beast Boris - If the PM could harness the qualities of London's Mayor he would. But a Tory defeat would actually suit Johnson - 22nd February
 * Tax avoidance row: Who needs enemies if you have Lord Fink? - Because David Cameron is seen as a Tory toff, he can't win on facts. Only symbols count in this debate - 15th February
 * Only Ed Miliband believes he can win the election by taking on big businesses - including the ones that own Tory newspapers - Business people hear the Labour leader's rhetoric as hostile to them and to creating jobs - 8th February
 * Why the Treasury backed the ‘No’ vote in the Scottish referendum: its top mandarin speaks - Treasury permanent secretary Sir Nicholas Macpherson at the Strand Group last night - 20th January
 * The wrong people were voting Labour’: an exchange with Neal Lawson - A debate about Tony Blair’s legacy and Labour’s future - 18th January
 * I agree with David Cameron – there will be no TV debates - Labour and the Lib Dems are desperate not to have Natalie Bennett on the stage - 11th January



Articles: 2014

 * Who needs special advisers? We all do - The main problem is that the job has become a conveyor belt to selection as an MP - 21st December
 * The spirit of the Thirties lends Ed Miliband a withered hand - Labour's fragile lead teeters on one, toxic word, and that may not be enough to put the party into power - 14th December
 * The BBC IS biased – against power of all kinds - When criticised, the broadcaster's reaction is to assume it is being bullied - 7th December
 * David Cameron's third way on immigration is a very difficult sell - But on Europe he yielded nothing to Ukip and the Better Off Outers - 30th November
 * David Cameron’s immigration speech: I broke my promise; this time will be different - The Prime Minister’s speech was brilliantly balanced, but suffered from fundamental flaws - 29th November
 * America and Britain shaped the world after World War II, and ought to be proud of their work - A new history of the Anglo-American relationship is sane, balanced and insightful - 26th November
 * The Green Party is a growing threat to Labour — could its surge be the next big political story? - The party does not even pretend that it is trying to take votes from the two main parties - 16th November
 * Labour leadership: There are several in the shadow Cabinet who would be better than Ed Miliband - With the party now in opposition, it ought to be easier to organise a change of leader than five years ago. But I doubt that it will happen - 9th November
 * Norman Baker has made a noise over leaving a largely symbolic role - Baker's resignation was done with next year's election in mind - 5th November
 * The threat to Labour in Scotland may not be Ukip, but a 'Braveheart' tendency - A vote for the SNP next year would cause more trouble in Westminster than voting Labour ever could - 2nd November
 * Why David Cameron can't speak up for migration - A leadership challenge has been mooted, with Owen Paterson cast as stalking badger - 19th October
 * Wrong again, but – like Ukip – I'm learning - It might win three seats in next year's general election, but I still don't see where it goes from there - 12th October
 * Lib Dem conference: It's dark and lonely work, but I agree with Nick Clegg - On this occasion, the Lib Dems are right and the Home Secretary is wrong - 5th October
 * General election 2015: There is no trust in this contest of negatives - As our ComRes poll shows, the voters have a low opinion of both potential prime ministers - 28th September
 * Let me list everything and anything that was positive about Ed Miliband's speech - Our political commentator tries to give the Labour leader the benefit of the doubt - 24th September
 * Scottish referendum: To the victor, the carping and the criticism - ‘If you want to know who won the referendum, look at who resigned afterwards’ - 21st September
 * Scottish independence vote: The fun has gone out of my referendum sweepstake - Why I plead guilty to being no good at election predictions, and living in the Westminster bubble - 14th September
 * If Scots vote for independence, next year’s UK election should go ahead - It would be undemocratic to delay the election just because Scottish MPs wouldn’t be in the Commons long - 10th September
 * Farewell to Scotland: it looks as if the break-up really might happen - 8th September
 * Scottish independence: D-Day would spell ‘Disaster’ for us Rowlingites - There may be a last-minute surge for doing the disruptive thing - 7th September
 * Tony Blair had every right to win the GQ award for philanthropy, but try telling that to the haters - Even in ‘1984’, the Two Minutes Hate lasted only two minutes. This goes on and on - 4th September
 * I'll happily lose cheerio, but no fortnight? Absolutely impossible! - The English language is a preposterous uninflected pidgin of immense richness. Let’s keep it changing - 27th August
 * On tuition fees, we ain't seen nothing yet - More people are going to university, and a greater proportion of them are from poor families - 17th August
 * Boris standing as an MP is the silliest story of the silly season - Although that's not to say that it won't help Cameron's chances in the next election... - 13th August 2014
 * Nick Clegg's paradox: the policies are fine, he's not - Demiation is a word I've invented. It means to be cut by half, the likely fate of Lib Dem MPs - 27th July
 * Two decades on, what is Tony Blair's legacy worth? - Perhaps now would be a good time to remind young people about his record - 20th July
 * The daily catch-up: world's end, reshuffle sidelines and "acceptable" deaths - Pebbles picked from the seaside of the world-wide web by our beachcomber - 17th July
 * The daily catch-up: farewell, Two-Brains, Welby on assisted dying and intellectual property is theft - Curios and notables collected from the verges of the information superhighway - 15th July
 * General election latest: computer model predicts the Lib Dems might have even more influence - My view is that when the voters come to make their choice they will shy away from Ed Miliband - 13th July
 * What is seven times eight, Mr Osborne? When the cleverest response is to say nothing - Above all, the Chancellor has learnt from other people's mistakes - 6th July
 * Ed Balls's Jedi speech: reality strikes back - Shadow Chancellor does his credibility no good by describing UK economy as returning to First World War levels of inequality - 1st July
 * David Cameron's defeat by Jean-Claude Juncker has set Britain up for an EU referendum win - The Europeans – led by Germany – who don't want the UK to leave, ought to be more accommodating next time - 29th June
 * Our monarchy has a lot in common with Game of Thrones - Who would want to be born into the make-believe of the royal family? - 25th June
 * Commission impossible: breaking the grip of Brussels - David Cameron’s cunning plan to prevent the eurozone countries controlling the EU seems destined to fail - 22nd June
 * Paxman's style was entertaining - but not always enlightening - Tonight the Newsnight presenter will step down after 25 years. What is astonishing is how few politicians managed a good counter-attack in all that time - 18th June
 * Home truths: What George Osborne can't say about house prices... - The Chancellor can't turn the clock back to a time when people could buy a London property on a salary alone - 15th June
 * The trolls who insulted JK Rowling over her Better Together support only strengthened the unionist cause - How Scottish do you have to be to hold an opinion on the subject of independence? - 11th June
 * Does the result in Newark confirm Ed Miliband as a Neil Kinnock? - Polls carried out before the by-election had the Tory vote too low and Labour's vote too high - 8th June
 * Recall Bill: This is not democracy, it's an incitement to malice and short-termism - We already have a recall power in the British constitution. It is called a general election - 5th June
 * The Scottish independence referendum will decide David Cameron’s place in history - The Prime Minister will be recognised as an astute judge of high politics, which he hasn’t always been - 1st June
 * If only Lord Oakeshott knew how to carry out a coup... - The Lib Dems would be better off with a new leader - 29th May
 * Labour has turned into a party at war with itself - The way it conducted last week's election campaign showed deep divisions and poisonous rivalries - 25th May
 * Blog post provides a rare insight into what goes on in a coalition - It is a remarkable document... setting out - 18th Mayhow the war between Michael Gove and Nick Clegg was fought
 * Chuka Umunna, the heir to Mandeltine and Heselson - He is better than Miliband and Balls at presenting Labour as pro-business and aspirational - 4th May
 * Nigel Farage has bottled his by-election chance, and Ukip is over - In three weeks’ time the Great Ukip Flying Circus will be in decline - 1st May
 * Boris Johnson may be stymied by his own star quality - Pettifogging proceduralists have tried to scatter tacks on the route of his triumphal return to the Commons - 27th April
 * With no EU reform, will David Cameron ditch the vote on membership? - Even if Angela Merkel wanted to, she cannot rewrite an EU treaty if Malta says no - 13th April
 * Maria Miller resigns: By behaving gracelessly Miller has paid a much heavier price than she needed to - The Culture Secretary's reluctance to accept culpability meant the resignation had become inevitable - 10th April
 * Maria Miller's as mimsy as a borogove with 'attitude' - Even if the Culture Secretary thinks she did no wrong, she should know the import of a show of contrition - 6th April
 * Clegg vs Farage: Both leaders achieved what they set out to do - But this put paid to TV debates ahead of the general election - 27th March
 * Two Eds are far worse than one - Miliband would not want Balls on his team for coalition talks with the Lib Dems - 23rd March
 * Tory Bingo: This depressing display of all-round political incompetence not only patronised the working-class — it let Labour off the hook - Ed Miliband’s response to the Budget was disastrously bad - 21st March
 * George Osborne's on the up, but there's a flaw in his plan - His standing with the public is dismal, but his reputation grows as the economy does - 16th March
 * The trouble with Brokenshire Britain - The three main party leaders agree on policy, but posture on small measures - 9th March
 * Why Tony Blair should keep his money - It has come to something when not just profit is a dirty word but raising money for charity has become an unethical activity - 6th March
 * Ed Miliband’s Labour Party reforms are good news for all - If Ed Miliband’s reform has cut the power of the union bosses in the Labour Party, why have they ..... - 2nd March
 * A leaders' debate is out of the question - I agree with Nick Clegg that he has done well to trap Nigel Farage into signing up for a face-off - 23rd February
 * Ukip has a sell-by date... and it's May 2015 - After the election, the party will be driven to extinction as its habitat is destroyed - 16th February
 * The less things change, the happier David Cameron is... and on Scottish independence and Britain's membership of the EU, it is no different - In polls since January 2013, Scotland's 'Yes' vote has only gained about 1 per cent - 9th February
 * After Falkirk, the pretence of trade-union democracy is coming to an end - Miliband seemed to take the allegations as a personal affront - 5th February
 * Tory rebels sense the time to pipe down is nigh - Although voters say they want independent-minded MPs, they prefer to vote for united parties - 2nd February
 * Is Hollibandisme the best Labour can offer? I fear it may be - Ed Miliband has shown he wants to change the way the country is run, but he is in danger of over-promising, just like his French counterpart -18th January
 * A veto over EU laws? This can only be a Mandelsonian plot - What the 95 Tory MPs propose is not just unrealistic, it is unrealism on stilts - 14th January
 * Ed Miliband cannot dither over Europe for too long - Many Labour supporters think that the party should be full-throated in its support for the EU and its single labour market - 12th January
 * If cannabis is legal, more teenagers will smoke it – and that can’t be good - People who want to legalise drugs talk about harm reduction, and they are right to - 7th January
 * Don't let Malcolm Tucker be your Big Brother - George Orwell's novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' influenced a mood that was suspicious of the power of the state - 5th January



Articles: 2013

 * Complain about Twitter being trivial and you’re missing the point of it - Jokes - and the joy of knowledge - are what the site is for - 2nd January
 * Questions to which the answer is still no - I have regretted ending my collection on more than one occasion - 1st January
 * If only politicos could pop the odd 'nice' pill - Many politicians cannot resist trying to take chunks out of the other side - 29th December
 * Nigel Farage's plans don't affect the price of fish (yet) - The more successful Ukip is, the harder it is for him to maintain the anti-politics pose - 22nd December
 * Big mistake for Ed Miliband to (almost) take on trade union bosses - The faction that controls Unite does not trust the union’s members - 15th December
 * The only thing that might save the Government is that the opposition is so poor - Iain Duncan Smith disclosed that his 2017 target for the full introduction of Universal Credit is set to be missed - but Labour aren't quick enough to criticise - 9th December
 * Shout it out – two Eds aren't better than one - Meeting a wall of noise with a wall of slogans is not the answer - 8th December
 * A (far) right old Boris botch up - In one 'desperate attention-seeking' speech, London's Mayor put a match to the very thing that could win him the top job - 1st December
 * Police reform: the Lord Stevens’s report has much to recommend it – until he drops the baton - He has tackled issues at the heart of Plebgate - but his restructuring plans don’t add up - 26th November
 * Don’t bet on the economy settling the election in 2015 - Alastair Campbell is a Mystic Meg who does not think Labour will win a majority - 24th November
 * Left-wingers are more likely to cheat?  - Peter Oborne piles nonsense on top of prejudice in his latest ‘trollemic’ - 22nd November
 * Chilcot Inquiry: Why should the conversations of Blair and Bush be made public? - No freedom of information law includes private communications between leaders - 15th November
 * John Major slams private school privilege: What did he do to change the system while he was PM? - All Major did was allow a few high-performing schools serving the middle classes to opt out into grant-maintained status - 12th November
 * Even a vote for Nick Clegg is better than not voting - Politicians tend to pay more attention to rich, older men such as Russell Brand or Jeremy Paxman - 10th November
 * Cameron's relaxation of terror laws has made Britain less safe - The escape of two suspects highlights a watering down of anti-terrorism measures - 8th November
 * PMQs: Inequality is at its lowest since 1986 - and David Cameron takes the session with that - Labour conspired to hand Cameron the win this afternoon - 7th November
 * The 'iron laws' of politics? There aren't any - The tendency of polls is to move in favour of the government before elections - 3rd November
 * If I ruled the world – Tony Blair’s lessons in how best to govern - How do politicians deliver the changes they have been elected to deliver? - 1st November
 * The Big Six in front of MPs: This was supposed to be a grilling, but even Russell Brand would have struggled to give one - Nationalising the energy industry will not make electricity bills magically cheaper - 29th October
 * Why the Tories are home and dry in 2015 - It turns out we would rather vote for someone who would give us more cash - 27th October
 * The humbling of David Cameron: This outbreak of petulance that may cost the PM dearly - The PM was stung into revealing a side of his personality that he has kept hidden - 25th October
 * Sir John Major's call for Big Six profit tax has handed Ed Miliband a stick to beat the Tories with - The former Prime Minister must feel strongly to go against the party line - 24th October
 * Tristram's handy if Ed Miliband loses Labour's love - The Shadow Education Secretary has had such a good week that the party may have shifted on its axis - 20th October
 * Andrew Mitchell ‘plebgate’ scandal: Is it possible that police behaved this dishonestly? - The allegation they smeared a political target is extraordinary - 17th October
 * Ed Miliband's preparing to serve two terms. In opposition - The Shadow Cabinet reshuffle wasn't just a cull of the Blairites, it was the suppression of the Ballsites too - 13th October
 * Royal Mail: So is this the share float that could win the Tories the next election? - There is a basic unfairness – as with the lottery, you’ve got to be in it to win it - 11th October
 * Help to Buy: George, David and Ed were all missing for their basic lesson in economics - The cleverness of the politics lies in the invisibility of those who will lose out - 10th October
 * Once a firebrand, Diane Abbott has now paid the price for going off message - The Hackney MP criticised Ed Miliband for lacking courage - 9th October
 * Taking on press barons isn't brave, even in the Sir Humphrey sense - Ed Miliband didn't entirely chose to fight with the 'Mail' but has come out of it better than Paul Dacre. Whether voters will notice is another story - 6th October
 * Cameron's speech at the Conservative Party conference: what he said, and what he meant - The Prime Minister's speech had some hidden meanings - 3rd October
 * Populism? By Gove, I think they've got it - Instead of defending the energy firms, he put himself on the side of the bill-payer - 29th September
 * Damian McBride knew: Get caught and you walk alone - It did not damage Gordon Brown's image that he seemed to practise gangland politics - 22nd September
 * Caring Conservatives? It won't be easy for Iain Duncan Smith to shake the toxic tag - The Work and Pensions Secretary is labouring to reshape the Tory image - 18th September
 * Vince Cable and Tim Farron fight it out to be Ed Miliband’s best friend ahead of Lib-Lab coalition - Labour would tell the Lib Dems in 2015 that Clegg’s departure would be a condition - 15th September
 * Nigel Evans should have kept his job - and the taxpayer should have kept that £9,000 - Here's the real scandal: It turns out the former deputy speaker is now entitled to a “severance” payment of £9,000 simply for ceasing to do the job - 13th September
 * Why on earth has the UN stuck its neck into the bedroom tax? - There is no basis for a Brazilian ex-politician to lecture us on social housing -12th September
 * Ditching union funds is Ed Miliband's sound investment - The Labour leader is resigned to fighting the next election with less cash than the other side - 8th September
 * Though Labour has rolled back on interventionism, the doctrine still survives - US and British foreign policy has undergone an adjustment, not a transformation - 5th September
 * David Cameron's unlikely victory from defeat - The Prime Minister may have lost the argument in Parliament for armed intervention in Syria, but he has gained public respect - 1st September
 * Ignore talk of Cameron's 'humiliation'. It's public opinion on Syria that really matters - Yesterday’s vote on Syria was certainly evidence of poor judgement on the part of the PM, but it may not be as damaging as it first appears - 30th August
 * It’s not HS2 that’s going to boost the North’s economy - Building this line would be just another way of reinforcing London’s pre-eminence - 28th August
 * David Cameron shows even true blues turn red - High politics is for forceful personalities; ranting and raving is one way of winning - 25th August
 * TV licence fee evasion makes up one in ten UK court cases - surely there's a better way - The licence fee is the best way to finance the BBC - but the high number of cases taken to court shows our criminal justice system is grossly inefficient - 21st August
 * Another hung parliament: A user's guide - Ed Balls should not be allowed in any future Lib-Lab negotiations - 18th August
 * I literally stand by the (mis)use of ‘literally’ - Yes, it’s wrong. And that matters. But only because it makes you look stupid - 16th August
 * John - It's out of fashion, but that suits me fine - That my first name has fallen out of the 100 most popular comes as little surprise - 13th August
 * In which I find myself willing the PM to succeed - To my surprise David Cameron seems to be attempting the impossible on immigration - 28th July
 * Google is a good target for Ed Miliband. David Cameron's adviser Lynton Crosby isn’t - Prime Minister was furious when it was said that he wanted Chinese-style censorship - 21st July
 * Smoke, but no fire: Labour should stop banging on about Lynton Crosby - The median voter has no idea who this supposed magician might be - 19th July
 * Bravo, Ed Miliband! But who'll pay for the election now? - It takes an unusual form of political principle to say no to £9m a year - 14th July
 * ECHR Ruling: In some cases life should mean life - In exceeding the bounds of the European Convention on Human Rights, this ruling only strengthens the case for repudiating the Court in the Conservative manifesto - 10th July
 * Sorry, Ed, it's too late to say you're no union man - Miliband needed to demonstrate his independence within months of his election - 7th July
 * Will Ed win this EU battle, but lose the war? - Without Labour or Lib Dem participation, the vote on a referendum this Friday will be a farce - but, eventually, Miliband must decide one way or the other - 1st July
 * The election will be fought on benefits - The Chancellor and his shadow are manoeuvring skilfully for the vote-winning position between social justice and fiscal prudence - 30th June
 * Building more is not the easy answer. If it was, we'd have done it already - With each new growth-friendly infrastructure project comes a thousand caveats - 27th June
 * Osborne’s got his story – and he’s sticking to it - Balls will recognise Osborne’s strengths. He shares two of the most important of them - 25th June
 * Recovery means... dumping Labour policies - Protected by the amulet of Saint Clem, Ed Miliband could go on to bury John Maynard Keynes - 23rd June
 * Wrong sort of transparency, Mr Miliband - Most fair-minded people know that life on benefits is dire and few abuse the system - 9th June
 * It’s not a register we need to keep politics honest. It’s a free press - Despite what Nick Clegg thinks, a statutory regulator of lobbyists would not have prevented Patrick Mercer's own spectacular folly - 4th June
 * Ed Miliband dare not duck an EU referendum - When the election is closer, Labour will not want to put off even a few voters - 2nd June
 * Angela Merkel is David Cameron's new best friend for ever - Beyond her general competence, most British people know very little of the German Chancellor - 26th May
 * Offer voters the EU pizza and they'll spit it out - Trying to work out what the public doesn't like about the European Union is hard - 19th May
 * Everyone thinks David Cameron has screwed up over the EU - except for the voting public - The main story this week for journalists has been the Conservative decision to stage a case study in disunity - but is that what most interests the public? - 17th May
 * Europe again, and it was all going so well... - The next election may be a contest to see who is more determined to lose - 12th May
 * When Nigel Farage's dream fades, it will be Dave who smiles - The Tories will be also-rans in next year's European elections, but once reality dawns in 2015, it is Labour who will have most to worry about - 5th May
 * The secret, despairing Blairite majority - As The Master said, the deficit is not about right versus left but right versus wrong - 28th April
 * For all their rage, the Tories know Qatada is going nowhere fast - The dialogue going on in the party’s brain is also a dialogue with the electorate - 25th April
 * The economic tide has turned, but Labour won't admit it - Keynesians will say that, odd as it sounds, it makes sense to borrow more now - 21st April
 * Prime ministers play Jenga, not Space Invaders - The launch of the Walkman in 1980 meant more to most than monetarism - 14th April
 * Margaret Thatcher saved the British economy, but at too high a social cost - She achieved great things in changing the economy, but it wasn’t necessary to push unemployment or interest rates that high - 9th April
 * David Cameron restocks his emotive arsenal - The PM will try to drive home that the jobless, the deficit and immigration are down - 7th April
 * The Ed Miliband experiment has been tried before. Remember Gordon Brown? - The Tories have gone out of their way to tell us they don’t really want to win the next election. Alas for them, this increases the chances of a Labour government - 3rd April
 * Could George Osborne fall on his sword? - The Conservatives are now 10 points behind Labour. They need to be four ahead - 24th March 2013
 * Forget this Budget: it's last year's that counts - A cut in the top rate of income tax was a terrible mistake, and the damage is done - 17th March
 * Devon council bans apostrophes in street signs - It’s easy to get apostrophes right, so let’s get them right - 16th March
 * Theresa May in No 10? It's not totally daft - David Cameron's position looks impregnable, but so did Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher's. Immovable objects can vanish overnight - 10th March
 * As ever, Tony Blair is David Cameron's guide - The credit-rating downgrade and Ukip's success in Eastleigh could have resulted in the PM changing course. He has rightly not done so - 3rd March
 * Calm down dears, it's only a by-election - The Lib Dems should hold Eastleigh in this week's poll, and Tory MPs will blame the PM, Nick Clegg, the EU and meteors in Russia... - 24th February
 * Ed Miliband, the candidate from the planet Zog - The Eds adopt the sluggish politics of the late Gordon Brown era, not his early dexterity - 17th February
 * Is Mr Cameron out of touch, cowardly, lazy...? - He allowed Andrew Lansley to lose his marbles and sent Oliver Letwin in to help him find them - 10th February
 * David Cameron's 40,000-ft drop - He voted for military action against Saddam, but without his friends' certainty - 3rd February
 * Cameron is right on Europe. By chance, not design - The Tory duo at the head of government is forever rewriting the script. That’s showbusiness. So expect more reversals before any referendum - 27th January
 * Will practice make perfect for the PM? - Cameron deserves - and won't get - modest credit for his limited intervention in Libya - 20th January
 * A civil servant too effective for his own good - Within an hour of his return to Whitehall, you felt his presence. It's about grip - 13th January
 * Events, not policies, will decide who takes Downing Street next - Opinion polls and their predictive power count for naught when stuff happens and the character of politicians is tested in its fire - 6th January



Articles: 2012

 * The 13 MPs to watch, according to science and TV - Successful politicians tend to rise by being close to the party leadership - 30th December
 * So you think the wealth gap is growing? Wrong - Not only are we all in it together, but the rich are bearing and will bear a greater share of the burden of taxes than the poor. Why won't the Coalition say this more loudly? - 27th December
 * I see a tall dark man but his life line is rather unclear - Predicting David Cameron's immediate future is easy, but unhappy voters and boundary changes may conspire against him in 2015 - 23rd December
 * Clegg has a mind-altering plan for power - Do-gooders who have not thought about drugs since school will nod - 16th December
 * How will the economy do? It's anybody's guess - Forecasters are always wrong, it's just a matter of by how much. And this time, if figures turn out better than expected, Labour is in trouble - 9th December
 * Cameron discovers a principle as he fights for a free press - The Prime Minister's antipathy to press regulation sets him at odds with the other party leaders, but gives him an unusually decisive air - 2nd December
 * Why Dave doesn't give a hoot about the EU budget - Cameron's stance of irritation and semi-detached resignation is reassuring to British voters, who regard Europe in much the same way - 25th November
 * Twitter has changed the rules of the game - Users have to be more careful than pub gossips - 18th November
 * Things must be bad when even Gove disagrees - Almost invisibly, collective ministerial responsibility has broken down - 18th November
 * David Cameron and the impossibility of modern politics - The ambushing of the PM on television put him in a position where there was no right answer. Even so, he emerged with some credit - 11th November
 * Twitter became an opinion machine – but this was still a television election - Media View: Journalists are excited by social media, but most voters still rely on TV for their political news - 8th November
 * Meet Westminster's answer to James Bond - The SNP will ask the Scottish electorate to vote for a greased pig in a dark poke - 4th November
 * How the tax facts get in the way of the Tory story - Tory leaders are too incompetent to persuade us that they don't favour the rich - 27th October
 * Errors and omissions: some are more prone to silly mistakes than others - Butlers, caravans and scientists have all been victim to slips of the pen this week - 27th October
 * Andrew Mitchell's resignation after plebgate: Losing your temper and swearing at an officer is a sin, but not a crime - As Andrew Mitchell has resigned as Chief Whip after plebgate, Cameron seems to have walked from the wreckage uninjured - 21st October
 * Miliband hands Cameron a map back to the centre - The Prime Minister had been trying to reverse his party's drift to the right – and was able to lay the ground for the 2015 election campaign - 14th October
 * Dave's best bet is a repeat of the 1983 show - It may seem harsh, but elections can be won even if a minority is suffering - 7th October
 * Ed Miliband's speech to Labour conference in Manchester: what he said - and what he meant - The Independent on Sunday's Chief Political Commentator has seen a few party conferences in his time. Here he reads between the lines of today's speech - 3rd October
 * Wonkish? Yes, but Miliband could be PM in 2015 - The Labour brand is strong because voters think Labour will protect their jobs - 30th September
 * The Politics of the Winter Statement - Remember, remember the 5th of December - 27th September
 * Clegg's apology hands the leadership to Cable - Two party leaders are stalked by more popular shadows: Vince and Boris - 23rd September
 * The Politics of the Winter Statement - Remember, remember the 5th of December. That is when George Osborne, the Chancellor, will deliver wh..... - 20th September
 * Public opinion is running the country - The true meaning of Disraeli's dictum that "England does not love Coalitions" is becoming clearer by the day, as Cameron and Clegg are discovering to their cost - 16th September
 * The Eds can work it out and get it straight, or say good night - If Miliband and Balls cannot stop pulling in opposite directions and agree a united front, Cameron is going to be the next election victor - 9th September
 * Who will come top of the Cabinet class? - The public likes Hague because he was a brave loser with a sense of humour - 2nd September
 * Forget Dave and George. The real story is the two Eds - Speculation about the Chancellor's future is wide of the mark and ignores deeper cracks at the top of the Opposition - 26th August
 * Nothing can be made cheaper painlessly - Ed Miliband implies we should be affronted that in a recession people find it harder to make ends meet - 22nd August
 * Mr Cameron must chose his words more carefully - The coalition is charged with letting playing fields fall to developers, but Michael Gove is merely going where Labour went before him - 19th August
 * Dave fights old wars, but Boris looks in tune with the future - The London Mayor's record in office is thin, but his appeal is undoubted and he wants Cameron's job. Will his party be able to resist? - 29th July
 * An unjust case of the police protecting their own - PC Harwood should never have been on the streets in a uniform - 22nd July
 * Cameron's problem? It's not the coalition, but his revolting MPs - The vote on Lords reform showed how Tory members are increasingly taking a stand on questions of principle. It's not good news for the PM - 15th July
 * Osborne loses the battle on banks but wins the party war - The Chancellor is not stupid. He cynically turned a scandal about City boys into a reminder that his Shadow looks like a bully - 8th July
 * In? Out? Where's the third way when you need it? - David Cameron's European policy is so contradictory he doesn't even agree with himself. But logic and Europe have often failed to converge - 1st July
 * An A-star for Gove in advanced political positioning - The Education Secretary's O-Level announcement was a trap that Clegg and the teaching establishment lumbered into - 24th June
 * Don't knock Twitter for being random - Louise Mensch has launched a site on which people can only discuss three subjects - 21st June
 * Horse riding, yacht hopping, country supper eating ... - The PM has been horribly exposed by the Leveson Inquiry - 17th June
 * The Prime Minister speaks with forked tongue on Europe - David Cameron was juggling last week when he assured Angela Merkel that Britain's future lies 'firmly' within the EU - 10th June
 * Six U-turns in one week looks like carelessness - The Prime Minister needs to sharpen up. Not believing in anything is becoming a dangerous flaw - 3rd June
 * There was no cosy deal for Murdoch to gain from - Blair at Leveson provided no revelations, and anyone who was expecting news should have known better - 29th May
 * A textbook case of how not to defuse a scandal - Jeremy Hunt's involvement in the BSkyB bid was injudicious. By not resigning, he compounds the damage to the Government - 27th May
 * As Hilton heads off, Cameron Mark II begins - Dave prefers George's 'cold calculation' to Steve's 'idealism' - 20th May
 * Osborne is not Brown, but the faultline is showing - The Chancellor is the pole around which disaffection organises itself - 13th May
 * Beware 'The Boris Effect' - it could mean nothing at all - Johnson's victory is neither a criticism of the Prime Minister nor a threat - 6th May
 * Beware 'The Boris Effect' - Johnson's victory is neither a criticism of the Prime Minister nor a threat - 6th May
 * If Hunt misled the House, it's all over for him - The PM will come outfighting for his Culture Secretary - 29th April
 * We're British, which means Abu Qatada should stay - We have more respect here for 'innocent until proved guilty' - 22nd April
 * Sick of them? That's normal - The coalition's ratings are low, but could be worse. More worrying is the Government's lack of political savvy - 15th April
 * A win that makes fools of us all - Politicians and journalists were both caught out by George Galloway's victory in Bradford West. We should get out more - 1st April
 * What on earth was Osborne thinking? - The granny tax may have been an oversight, but the 50p tax cut was quite deliberate - 25th March
 * Clegg blows his liberal credentials - He's fallen out with his party over student fees, Europe and the NHS. Now the Lib Dem leader is buckling under the Budget - 18th March
 * Tony – principled, brave and ignored - Unlike his former leader namesake, a one-time Midlands MP leaves a blameless legacy. But few know his name - 11th March
 * Wackiness has gone from No 10 - David Cameron protests too much when he suggests that the departure of his adviser Steve Hilton will change nothing - 4th March
 * There's more to come from Gove - The Education Secretary's qualities include courtesy, confidence and clarity. His only weakness is his peculiarity - 26th February
 * The jelly PM may wobble yet - Cameron has been working hard to look connected, but he needs to shape up if he is to keep looking plausible - 19th February
 * Lansley's Bill is safe, but he is not - The NHS shake-up is past the point of no return, and will proceed. Its author's future is less assured - 12th February
 * Huhne is the missing green giant - After selling out on tuition fees and Europe and losing their eco warrior, the Lib Dems look flimsier than ever - 5th February
 * Do you want the market or the market? - Cameron and Miliband compete to bash the bankers, but they both intend to safeguard the capitalist system in Britain - 22nd January
 * This is new all right. It just isn't enough - Labour's acceptance yesterday of the Tory case for cuts is welcome, but Miliband and Balls still look like a losing team - 15th January
 * Didn't do our prep, did we, Mr Cameron? - The PM should learn from Tony Blair and prepare an answer to the obvious question, not the one he is hoping for - 8th January
 * No one to replace Ed Miliband? Try Yvette Cooper - Cooper's politics are not mine but she would be populist on law and order, and she would be noticed - 3rd January
 * A missed chance to tell the truth about Mrs T - Meryl Streep's new film could have nailed some of the more persistent myths about how Thatcherism changed Britain - 1st January



Articles: 2011

 * Cameron wrongfoots his head boy - Another year of politics ends and the PM takes the side-stepping and bullishness prizes, while Nick Clegg smarts - 18th December
 * Any PM would have done as Cameron did -Ignore the Eurosceptic cheers. It may turn out to have been wise to step away from the heat as the euro begins to meltdown - 11th December
 * Ed is lost if Merkel pulls it off - Yvette Cooper is waiting in the wings should the eurozone survive and the Labour leader run out of friends - 4th December
 * Labour wakes up, fuzzy and too late - As Osborne fiddles, Miliband, rather belatedly, is beginning to think about balancing the books - 27th November
 * A bumper week for Eurowaffle - While observing diplomatic protocol with Angela Merkel, David Cameron distanced himself from much of his party - 21st November
 * How to ditch the euro but not Europe? - Labour's sceptics were right about the single currency, but we still need a solution to the problems they foresaw - 13th November
 * Who will say we're better off out of Europe? - If the single currency survives, it may not be long before a serious politician calls for Britain to leave the EU - 6th November
 * It's time for Dave to think of a policy - He duffs up Ed Miliband and can manage a crisis, but the Prime Minister needs to stand for something – anything, in fact - 30th October
 * The PM surfs the euro-breaker - sIn quashing referendum hopes, David Cameron flexes the political muscle that looks good on television - 23rd October
 * Banned list: the war on words - Verbiage and cliché are signs the speaker is unsure what they're saying - 16th October
 * He who hesitates is ... not in a hurry - Cameron has been confident in his handling of the Fox business - 16th October
 * Ken Clarke talks uncommon sense - The big beast among passed-over Conservative leaders poses more danger to Osborne than to May - 9th October
 * I don't like it, Dave... it's too quiet - The PM is at his best in a crisis, but good disasters keep dissolving. Even Europe has been tamed - 2nd October
 * What Labour should and should not apologise for - Nearly everyone is agreed. Labour has to apologise for the state of public finances it bequeathed to the Coalition before it gains "permission" to be heard by the public. I may even have written somet ... - 26th September
 * Rewriting the laws of particle politics - Labour has moved left faster than the speed of light. But on debt, the electorate is an immovable object - 25th September
 * Cameron's eyeballs are not for burning - Every year, we have the rituals of the party conference season - 18th September
 * Out of the 'zone', but still in the soup - The problems of the euro could sink even those who wanted nothing to do with it, such as the Conservative Party - 11th September
 * Why did nobody stop Gordon Brown? - Another memoir from a former member of Brown's government adds detail and depth to his monster status - 4th September
 * doesn't work for Clegg'' - The Prime Minister understands better than his deputy that voters want to hear impossible promises - 28th August
 * talk costs livelihoods'' - Riots in Britain, earthquakes in Japan, panic in the eurozone... and capitalism is a survivor every time - 21st August
 * is still a case for police cuts'' - David Cameron is very brave, or very foolish, to take on the police, but the argument for reform remains strong - 14th August
 * Euro Crisis'' - I am on a fact finding mission to find out more about the causes of fiscal unsustainability in the eurozone periphery. So far I have found out the fact that one euro is worth 88p - 27th July
 * can Boris Johnson be up to?'' - Johnson is the bookies' favourite to replace Cameron as the next leader of the Conservative Party - 24th July
 * Osborne, the new Macavity'' - Cameron's insistence that the decision to employ Coulson was 'mine and mine alone' looks like protesting too much - 17th July
 * exposed, but not at risk'' - The promise of a public inquiry was hailed as a triumph for the Leader of the Opposition, but the PM has won again - 10th July
 * boards the magic roundabout'' - The Prime Minister believes the Tories are getting an easy ride and will win the next election outright - 3rd July
 * hail John Major, a true European hero'' - The euro debate in Britain is over, but the door is now opening to fresh challenges to Brussels orthodoxy - 26th June
 * plot twist in the No 10 soap opera'' - The characters in Downing Street may be falling out over health reforms, but Cameron is watching the ratings - 19th June
 * was no plot. I hope there's one now'' - The 'Causes of the Fall of Blair' were a great deal more complicated than the machinations of Ed Balls and Ed Miliband - 12th June
 * in the spotlight, it was as though the old charmer had never been away'' - A tour to promote his autobiography has put the former Prime Minister back in the headlines - 10th June
 * truth about the lies about drugs'' - Reversing the status quo does not solve a problem, any more than a little high-profile nodding is a policy - 5th June
 * reap fruit of Labour's revolution'' - New evidence now unambiguously confirms that academies have transformed education - 29th May
 * Miliband and the End of the World'' - Labour's leader should be thinking about policy and not about Clarke's resignation – or anything else unlikely to happen - 22nd May
 * had a coalition since 1997'' - The Labour government wasn't made up of two parties, but the Blair-Brown rivalry came pretty close - 15th May
 * sacrificial strategy'' - Taking the blame, even for policies the Lib Dems do not endorse, makes the Deputy PM both brave and foolish - 8th May
 * has a nasty dose of self-delusion'' - The coalition is unpopular, but a lack of policies will wipe out any gains Ed Miliband makes in this week's local elections - 1st May
 * dear. A word of advice...'' - In most situations Cameron plays the part of PM well. But he lacks the trick of getting the big messages across - 28th April
 * hot potato makes a mash-up'' - Making political capital of immigration is a hazardous ploy for the Prime Minister and the coalition - 17th April
 * hard to diagnose confusion'' - When three senior politicians try and fail to clarify the NHS reforms, it's because the policy is a mess - 10th April
 * we go again, voting tactically...'' - The referendum on AV is the voter's chance to rebuff the least-liked party. But other polls on 5 May matter more - 3rd April
 * barks up the wrong tree'' - The Shadow Chancellor was unleashed on George Osborne's Budget but, wrongly, went for the banks - 27th March
 * Libya will get harder from now on'' - Cameron's no-fly zone may have taken off, but if Colonel Gaddafi does not fall soon it's hard to see a happy ending - 20th March
 * Osborne's hand of trumps'' - Points won by Labour when the coalition falters count for little while the Chancellor holds the Budget cards - 13th March
 * is a faulty barometer'' - Tempting as it is to find general election clues in Labour's by-election win, the numbers are misleading - 6th March
 * foreign policy. Must suit PM'' - William Hague has not covered himself in glory, but his real problem is the guidance given by his boss - 27th February
 * pincer movement on No 10'' - Nine months in, Cameron is between a rock and a hard place - 20th February
 * not economics, wins elections'' - George Osborne wrongfooted Ed Balls over bonuses, and such tactics will do more for him than number-crunching - 12th February
 * two things put Cameron off doing fluent PM'' - We're still feeling our way around this Prime Minister - 10th February
 * position is No but Yes'' - Prime Minister can't admit to hoping May's referendum will bring a change in the electoral system - 6th February
 * is riding the wrong cycle'' - His record as the Mayor of London has hardly been sparkling - 30th January
 * a must-have No 10 accessory'' - Often considered a weakness, a well-executed U-turn can enhance a premier's reputation, as PM proves - 23rd January
 * needs business more than big wins'' - The Lib Dems lost the by-election but claimed success. Labour won it but it's a terrible result for them - 16th January
 * anti-politics party is ahead'' - A by-election flushes out mid-term anger, but Her Majesty's Opposition is annoying voters too - 9th January
 * banks on the silver vote'' - Older people will gain under the coalition, unaffected by its measure - 2nd January



Articles: 2010

 * a peek into my crystal ball for 2011'' - Predictions are a dangerous business. So, let's do it... - 28th December
 * man who could have changed it all'' - Alan Johnson ducked his chance to be leader of his party - 26th December
 * it or not, Cameron is a born leader'' - His critics underestimate the potency of his ideological flexibility - 19th December
 * has trust issues. Sound familiar?'' - Dr Hindsight has come to tell us what should have happened - 12th December
 * luck may be running out'' - Miliband's poor showing hasn't stopped the Lib Dem leader being the bookies' favourite as the first to lose his job - 5th December
 * right to speak truth unto prejudice'' - The words about breeding by a former Tory MP were correct. It was the ritual 'gaffe' fallout that was unspeakable - 28th November
 * saved Gordon to get his job'' - Miliband could have helped unseat the former leader, but what good would that have done his own chances? - 21st November
 * don't need to reinvent the Blairite wheel'' - The only people the Health Secretary is empowering are the GPs - 16th November
 * learns from the Lib Dems'' - Promising the earth, on education or cuts, comes back to haunt you - 14th November
 * damned lies, and Phil Woolas'' - Most politicians tell the truth, more so than most other human beings - 11th November
 * lies electoral reform. R.I.P.'' - The political veteran started life as a much-loved idealist but withered away, neglected and outmoded - 7th November
 * is making it easy to be a Tory'' - Labour was leaderless all summer long. Miliband seems to think that it should stay that way - 31st October
 * Miliband needs a plan, and soon'' - Labour politicians' answer to the question, 'What would you do?' invariably starts with, 'Not this' - 24th October
 * drives his voters away'' - Having mislaid one voter in 10, where will they get more supporters from? - 17th October
 * power play to match Blair v Brown'' - Having alienated three key figures in his party, the new Labour leader will need every ounce of authority he can muster - 10th October
 * words decoded'' - Between the lines of the Prime Minister's conference speech - 7th October
 * Ed is a gift to Dave, he's a Trojan horse'' - The PM should be wary – the new Labour leader could steal his Lib Dem pals - 3rd October
 * nifty footwork works again'' - Vince Cable spots a news vacuum and pleases all of the people all of the time - 26th September
 * Clegg could yet be proved right'' - The Lib Dem leader has not got much out of the coalition, but it is the second half of this parliament that matters - 19th September
 * brothers will keep Balls at bay'' - Balls is the most intellectually able economist on the Labour side - 12th September
 * gift to Cameron – a leader's guide'' - New Labour's belated recognition of the gap between saying and doing will come in handy for his successor at No 10 - 5th September
 * does Blair rage come from?'' - Nothing he can say in his book today will stop the flow; the anger against him exists at a deeper level - 1st September
 * can do Labour no harm'' - David Miliband should have told some truths about his brother - 29th August
 * is, spotting a lie is pointless'' - Accusing your opponents of lies is always a sign of weakness - 22nd August
 * your country needs you'' - This phoney war has already lasted nearly two years - 17th August
 * not trade, freed Megrahi'' - Tony Blair did not engineer the release of the Lockerbie bomber - 25th July
 * ways of speaking to a 'special' friend'' - Cameron and Obama meet this week as leaders embarked upon major reforms. They have a lot to talk about - 18th July
 * must leave a door ajar for Clegg'' - Cameron wants to absorb the Lib Dem leader, who is not for being absorbed - 11th July
 * fancies a long stay at No 10'' - Even if the Tories win outright, they will want to keep the Liberal Democrats - 4th July
 * Labour can save the coalition'' - The VAT rise is painful for Lib Dems, but welfare reform has much greater potential to rock the Government - 27th June
 * look Down Under, Nick'' - The Lib Dems would do well to check the history of parties that betray their principles for power - 20th June
 * September, the steel will show'' - David Miliband has nominated Diane Abbott as a candidate for Labour Party - 13th June
 * as they are....'' - Maiden speeches reveal promising wit and entertaining Europhobia - 6th June
 * Dems 'no better than rest of us' shock'' - David Laws's resignation should bring a sharp end to his party's sanctimonious aspiration to be seagreen incorruptibles - 30th May
 * return to tribalism won't help Labour'' - Putting Ed Balls up on Newsnight to talk about cuts is like telling voters that they have not been paying - 27th May
 * gent's definitely for turning'' - It takes a true Blairite to spot the joins in our reproduction Prime Minister - 23rd May
 * is not a merger. It's a takeover'' - A Liberal-Conservative government is a bit like discovering that the Earth goes round the Sun - 16th May
 * 55 per cent rule'' - I do not really understand the 55 per cent rule, although I think people are right to be suspicious - 15th May
 * right to cosy up to Cameron'' - But the Lib Dem leader has boxed himself into a poor bargaining position - 9th May
 * has blown it, after all that'' - He's shown his hand too early and may have missed the chance of a lifetime - 2nd May
 * shape of things to come'' - As the Lib Dems hold their ground, the Cameron and Brown camps must determine the price of victory - 25th April
 * A triumph of anti-politics'' - 'Nice Nick' did well in the leaders' debate, but what counts most is the gap between the two biggest parties - 18th April
 * fallacy that dogs Project Cameron'' - This was the flying pig manifesto, describing a Britain that will never be - 14th April
 * put a wager on a Tory victory, despite all the known unknowns'' - Over-hyped and over-analysed, I bet the televised debates don't shift many votes. - 7th April
 * has always been a good finisher'' - The Conservative Party is convulsed by doubts about its leader as it sees the prize slipping away - 28th March
 * Cable as chancellor, vote Labour'' - The clunky mechanism of a hung parliament means that the Lib Dems need Brown to do well - 21st March
 * – Women are people too'' - Party leaders are mistaken if they think that half the electorate is only concerned with family-friendly issues - 14th March
 * puts a tick by War and moves on'' - The PM has moved his campaign on a notch by appearing before Chilcot and visiting Afghanistan - 7th March
 * smash personalities'' - The bullying charge has not settled the election, as Labour rallies and the Tories change tack - 28th February
 * a duh-brain I clicked on the link ...'' - It all started with Harriet Harman. It was an unexpected pleasure to receive a direct message from her through Twitter on Wednesday morning. This you? it asked - 27th February
 * can a security man scare so easily?'' - Shouting and raging at the staff is not the way that most of us would prefer our leaders to behave, in government or the office, but we are realistic enough to accept that it is how they often do - 22nd February
 * flight shows his party's plight'' - The decision of one of its stars to quit politics suggests that Labour is facing a crisis of self-confidence - 21st February
 * catchy voter'' - PM's willingness to indulge in soul-baring is part of an elaborate triple bluff - 14th February
 * the Houdini of Westminster'' - Shackled by a falling poll lead, policy muddles and photoshopped posters, the Tory leader will be free in an instant - 7th February
 * act in the Leader's Tragedy'' - The audience was justifiably restive after an uncharacteristically defensive performance by Tony Blair - 31st January (Iraq war inquiry)
 * signals is not enough'' - The Conservative leader's flailing semaphore doesn't address the complexities of 'our broken society' - 24th January
 * many years out in the cold?'' - Labour is likely to lose the general election. Its main concern now is damage limitation - 17th January
 * biggest loser from this election will be positive politics'' - We are in the run-up to an anti-politics election. It is a dismal, life-denying prospect - 14th January
 * the last challenge to Brown. Pity...'' - Miliband seemed to have flunked his final chance to go for the top job, but his long-term chances are unscathed - 10th January
 * know a man who can keep New Labour flame burning'' - Most members and supporters of Labour know their best hope is a change of leader - 6th January
 * must unleash its tarantulas'' - Only a series of unexpected setbacks can stop the Tories taking power. But stranger things have happened - 3rd January



Articles: 2009

 * Tories aren't so stupid after all'' - When Labour was last in opposition, much of the party was obsessed with electoral reform - 31st December
 * in the arena is risky but brave'' - The PM's decision to agree to a televised leaders' debate reveals the confidence of an experienced political - 27th December 2009
 * the incredible shrinking man'' - Tory plans to take power away from Westminster invite voters to elect a government that will do less and less - 20th December
 * a balanced verdict on Blair, look beyond Chilcot'' - He is being intimidated into coming up with the 'right' answers - 18th December
 * is unelectable again'' - Labour is being propelled into wilderness by economic plans that repel voters - 13th December
 * is safe, but not home and dry'' - PM had a good week, but murmuring of leadership challengers is always audible - 6th December
 * really disturbing question about Iraq'' - Going in is not the issue now. Chilcot should be looking at how the occupation gave rise to such bloodshed - 29th November
 * it or not, there it is. A Tory policy'' - Voluntary work for young people is not new – but Cameron wants to make it universally available - 22nd November
 * must read the Tories' book'' - Four unsuitable leaders cost the Conservatives power. Gordon Brown should take note and act fast - 15th November
 * Cameron is the new Blair'' - The Tory leader has learnt from New Labour not to promise too much - 8th November
 * Miliband's turn for hard choices'' - And they're all about him. Should he aim to be Europe's foreign minister, or wait and see what else might come - 1st November
 * special delivery to Griffin'' - The BNP leader on TV was pure panto, but the real villains in this drama have been at the cabinet table - 25th October
 * golden age of education is a myth'' - We love to think that life was better in the 19th century - 18th October
 * blew it. Labour can win'' - The Tory leader's big speech was a dud that can cost him the election – if Gordon Brown stands aside - 11th October
 * secret weapon – say nothing'' - The Tory leader's best bet is to wing it through his party conference while promising as little as he can - 4th October
 * of more of the same won't do'' - Labour is avoiding the one thing that would give it a chance: changing leader - 30th September
 * real story is Ireland, not Brighton'' - Party conferences are all very well, but they are not always closely related to life on this planet - 27th September
 * fail the 'under a bus' test'' - Test shows how much of a one-person party the Tories have become - 20th September
 * over. Let the plotting begin'' - I'll shut up about the Labour leadership in a moment, but the trouble is that everything comes back to it - 13th September
 * bombs leave Brown's hopes in tatters'' -We are surely approaching the final chapter of the Prime Minister's career, and the story is being written in Afghanistan and Libya - 6th September
 * Britain is 'broken', who broke it?'' - We've been here before: the Tories' scare stories are bogus. More to the point, they have no alternative plan - 30th august
 * is too late for everything'' - This inbuilt caution served him well on the road to No 10 but is disastrous as PM - 28th August
 * are our brave leaders?'' - Brown dilly-dallies in la-la land and Cameron shies away from big issues - 23rd August
 * battles the forces of Murdoch'' - The News Corp dynasty didn't cause the PM's troubles, but it won't help him - 26th July
 * let you know, Mr Blair'' - The job of European president will go to a milder candidate - 19th July
 * all odds, a step up for the planet'' - The global commitment to tackle climate change will make a difference - 12th July
 * less than it's cracked up to be'' - 'New media' are just another way of showing us what politicians are like - 5th July
 * public is ahead of Brown on cuts'' - Labour and Conservatives talk airily about 'difficult choices' and 'fiscal responsibility', but Nick Clegg has a list - 28th June
 * mob doesn't care about the details'' - Many MPs are facing greater disgrace than they deserve - 21st June
 * damned lies, and spending cuts'' - Labour will probably make a difference to more lives, but it's hard to tell when the PM keeps talking nonsense - 14th June
 * the final curtain but a dress rehearsal'' - The PM has limped through a very bruising week, but he will be brought down in the autumn, and he knows it - 7th June
 * they know what they're missing? Tony is back'' - For days his has been a name invoked, a reminder of election-winning ways now lost, a ghostly presence at the cannibalistic feast of the attempted coup against Gordon Brown - 6th June
 * isn't the start of the coup. Just the pre-convulsions...'' - I know I shouldn't say this, but Brown could do with some of Blair's baser political skills - 3rd June
 * weekend of woe is not the finale'' - Next weekend will be Gordon Brown's worst as Prime Minister. Worse than all his previous worst weekends - 31st May
 * Esther's the answer, the question is wrong'' - Neither Ms Rantzen, nor Katie Price, can transform our parliamentary system - 24th May
 * leadership election would do Labour good'' - One Scottish machine politician down; one more to go - 20th May
 * would want this poisoned chalice?'' - No self-respecting challenger is likely to bid for the Labour leadership - 17th May
 * be wimps about these revelations'' - Our politicians are a spineless lot. What we need is a bit of chutzpah - 10th May
 * on a tightrope to power'' - A sound bite, a photo opportunity and a Government defeat in the Commons: Nick Clegg is suddenly a player - 3rd May
 * all over for our Prime Minister'' - We are back to the Seventies in the sense of alternating parties in government - 30th April
 * down, Gordon, and liberate Labour'' - In case you missed the historic clash between Alan Johnson and Jeremy Paxman I've transcribed it here - 26th April
 * Smith can't check every badge'' - Pity poor Jacqui Smith. Or please yourselves, and don't - 19th April
 * now attacking Blair over religion are missing the point'' - The idea that the former PM hid his faith when in office is absurd - 16th April
 * cannot double-count on gratitude'' - The electorate does not approve of slippery arithmetic - 5th April
 * not knowing is not good enough'' - Sources say there may be 15 cases of UK complicity in torture - 29th March
 * – evasive but unstoppable'' - The Leader of the Opposition can afford to take more risks, because he is going to win the election anyway - 22nd March
 * lucky. Michael Gove's a one-off'' - The Tory Education spokesman scores top marks for stealing Labour's clothes with calls for educational reform - 15th March
 * careful what you wish for, Mr Clegg'' - The Liberal Democrats are a surprisingly resilient force - 8th March
 * shock – no hidden agenda'' - Not for the first time the nation asks: What is Peter Mandelson up to? - 1st March
 * for your close-up, Mr Cameron?'' - We still have little idea what the Tories would do in government - 22nd February
 * Johnson can hold back the Tories'' - The PM's mistakes are catching up with him. If his party stays loyal to him, it means certain electoral ruin - 15th February
 * may be right, but he's on his own'' - The Conservative leader is failing to find common cause with Gordon Brown's policy critics on the Continent - 8th February
 * has its uses – like jumping the queue'' - There is an afterlife: Blair beats Brown to Obama - 6th February
 * all throw a tantrum once in a while'' - Jobs are going - and they're going to others - 1st February
 * expensive mistake'' - Brown will get no thanks for protecting us if he is also trying to protect MPs with their snouts in the trough - 25th January
 * man who will change the world'' - We can only imagine the burden of high expectations borne by Barack Obama - 18th January
 * we've never had it so good'' - Our PM can't say it out loud, for some of us are suffering – but as things get cheaper, most of us get richer - 11th January
 * no room for reason when it comes to speeding'' - The idea that a car be fitted with a gizmo to stop it exceeding the limit arouses fury - 2nd January

Articles: 2008

 * special relationship'' - The return of Lord Mandelson of High Mischief sets up a taut psychological drama for 2009 - 28th December 2008
 * a diary, perform a public service'' - Noting what people say and publishing it has been a feature of New Labour - 26th December 2008
 * count the spoons'' - Mandelson's 'new industrial activism' could lead Labour down a well-worn garden path to electoral ruin - 21st December 2008
 * long can Gordon make the crisis last?'' - Stormy weather suits the PM, who will want to go to the country before the calm that follows - 14th December 2008
 * for deputy? Not a chance'' - Peter Mandelson is back and Labour is one big happy family again - 7th December 2008
 * Queen, but it's about the Budget'' - The Queen's Speech never has a theme, New Labour has never fabricated one - 4th December 2008
 * police are a law unto themselves'' - Raiding four addresses on the basis of 'inference' and 'intelligence' alone, the Met has overstepped its mark - 30th November 2008
 * Middle England solutions offer no way out this time'' - It's what politicians don't say that tells you most about them. George Osborne gave a loud – I wouldn't say confident – response to the mini-Budget - 25th November 2008
 * gets his shot at redemption'' - The shadow Chancellor has been under fire since Yachtgate. Tomorrow's mini-Budget debate will be the biggest test of his career - 23rd November 2008
 * handbrake turn that kills Prudence'' - A new recklessness could do the trick for Labour at the next election - 16th November 2008
 * defining moment for... humble pie'' - Honesty proved an effective form of spin at Glenrothes and the momentum is with Labour - 9th November 2008
 * Spend! Spend!'' - Homage paid to the ghost of Keynes is an excuse for a policy change about which Labour had no choice - 2nd November 2008
 * marks, Ed. Now for Tesco schools'' - The Childen's Secretary is following the fine example of Lord Adonis – and should aim even higher - 26th October 2008
 * can be too much of a good thing'' - Our poll suggests Brown's failure to fix the roof will haunt him - 19th October 2008
 * week Gordon met his ERM'' - It has been a good week for David Cameron - 12th October 2008
 * this is, it isn't serious politics'' - Gordon Brown's reshuffle measures up neither to the demands of the hour nor the challenge posed by the Conservative Party - 5th October 2008
 * Brown is straining Cabinet loyalty'' - The PM is in danger of marring his recent good fortune if he continues to anger ministers with his gang-culture tactics - 28th September 2008
 * with it, Nick. Walk-and-talk is so last year'' - Modern oratory is as dependent on technology to get the message across as it is on the dark arts of the professional speechwriter - 21st September 2008
 * for Labour: adopt the Coke strategy'' - The best way to take on the Tories would be to acknowledge they have changed, but urge progressives to stay with the Real Thing - 14th September 2008
 * should have kept it in the family'' - The former Home Secretary's criticism of Gordon Brown raises the question: if the PM is so useless, why is he still in No 10? - 7th September 2008
 * soars on his oratory, but errors may yet deflate him'' - A dull acceptance speech and a political marriage of convenience put the US hopefuls neck and neck - 31st August 2008
 * will be ditched. But when?'' - Labour does not need to lose another by-election to know that it is all over for this Prime Minister - Thursday 28th August 2008
 * do you think you are, Boris Johnson?'' - Worryingly for David Cameron, the increasingly transparent reply from London's mayor seems to be 'a future prime minister' - 24th August 2008
 * paradox at the heart of Conservatism'' - Tory housing policy would lead to greater labour mobility – exactly what the condemned 'Northern Town' report advocates - 17th August 2008
 * Now it is when, not if, for Mr Brown - Labour MPs must grasp the nettle and press for a new leader, but who should they choose – and will it make any difference? - 27th July 2008
 * Obama, the most dominant force in British politics - The Democratic presidential candidate is Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela rolled into one when it comes to sprinkling stardust. And now that he has ditched his left-wing baggage, Brown and Cameron are hoping that some of the magic will rub off on them - 20th July 2008
 * Cameron has a winning personality. And this is why he is ahead of Brown in the polls - Thursday 17th July 2008
 * The Prime Minister's nightmare scenario - A Tory win at the next election and a referendum on Scottish independence could see the end of progressive politics for a generation - 13th July 2008
 * The party awaits The Issue to topple Brown - The catastrophic vote against MPs' expenses reform may not be the Prime Minister's undoing, but something will be before long - 6th July 2008
 * The key to leadership? Personality not policy - Why does Barack Obama remain popular in spite of his left-wing policies, and what are the lessons for British politicians? - 29th June 2008
 * Cameron's stand on Heathrow proves that his green agenda is not just a gimmick - Thursday 26th June 2008
 * The punk hairdresser is a natural Lib Dem - Changing the law on race and religion is a no-go area for Labour and the Tories – which leaves an opening for Nick Clegg - 22nd June 2008
 * The constitution is dead. Would it be so impolite to admit it? - If even the pro-EU Irish won't endorse the Lisbon Treaty, the politicians should throw in the towel - 15th June 2008
 * A nasty case of Utopian dogma - Old Labour practices live on in the cruel rule that prevents NHS patients paying for extra cancer treatment - 8th June 2008
 * Gordon Brown's Japanese lesson - Labour MPs who would oust the PM should learn from the Land of the Rising Sun, where the ruling party's ratings are in freefall - 1st June 2008
 * Brown isn't working – and Labour has itself to blame - Only a handful of Blairites had the courage to oppose Gordon Brown's accession to No 10 last year, and now, even sooner than they expected, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his MPs. His early departure is no longer an if, but a when and a how - 25th May 2008
 * If Brown is slain by the press, who is its next prey? - A vulnerable Prime Minister is under attack from Rupert Murdoch, the Mail group and the the bitterly disappointed columnists of 'The Guardian'. But would any leader, of any hue, fare better, now that the feeding frenzy has reached such a pitch? - 18th May 2008
 * Cameron is leaving Brown to hang himself – but must show what he'd do instead - Thursday 15th May 2008
 * Cherie twists the knife, before it's too late - In her new book, Mrs Blair attacks Gordon Brown with lawyerly restraint. It's her timing that says most about his premiership - 11th May 2008
 * The day Boris became Mayor was the beginning of the end for Dave - Everything seemed to go so well for the Tories that night back in 2008, when victory in London was a taste of things to come. Then things went disastrously wrong. Our chief political commentator reports from 2012 - 4th May 2008
 * All change at Crewe: is it Brown's Waterloo? - Nick Clegg has failed to shine as Lib Dem leader, and it is the Tories who benefit. All eyes are now on the race for Gwyneth's old seat - 27th April 2008
 * Gordon Brown has summoned up a deep, dark fear from the souls of Labour MPs - It is the fear of failure. That empty feeling that the past 11 years have been wasted - Tuesday 22nd April 2008
 * Mr Brown is out of touch and out of control - The Government complains that minor matters are capturing the headlines, but the ministerial aide talked out of resigning over the 10p tax band touched a nerve. The penny has dropped among MPs – the Prime Minister will be a handicap at the next election - 20th April, 2008
 * Gordon Brown asks to be judged on his long-term decisions. So here goes... - Thursday 17th April 2008
 * Why the Tories are studying the lessons of history – and what they have learnt so far - Cameron cites 1924, when the Conservatives were the largest party but Labour took power - Tuesday 15th April 2008
 * David Miliband, this is your country calling - The current Labour leader's tenure is moribund. It is time for new blood to revive the party's fortunes - 13th April 2008
 * Vacancy: who wants Brown's job the most? - Either Cameron or some young Labour pretender will oust the Prime Minister from No 10. And he has no control over which version it is - 6th April 2008
 * Daylight robbery at the library of rhetoric - Another raid on Labour's terms of reference shows a Tory party becoming ever more brazen in its theft of left-wing idea - Saturday 29th March 2008
 * Tony thinks big. Gordon thinks of Mandy - Blair swoops in on his high-carbon flight to battle climate change, leaving low-carbon Brown green with envy in his wake - 16th March 2008
 * Darling was bad. Cameron worse. But even he was eclipsed by the performance of Balls - Thursday 13th March 2008
 * You're ahead, David, but going where? - The Tory leader may mock the environmental steps announced in this week's Budget, but he is running low on green cred himself - 9th March 2008
 * No wonder the Tories ask, 'Are we there yet? - The recent immigration debate shows the Conservatives are still doing battle over what sort of party they want to be - 2nd March 2008
 * A lot's been missed from this sad little list - Labour's dull cataloguing of achievements reveals a tired party while the Tories' passionate eagerness makes them prone to gaffes - 24th February 2008
 * It's official (even if it is unfair): Northern Rock has been a huge disaster for the Government - Thursday 21st February 2008
 * Let multiculturalism speak for itself - The country's future is too important to be lost in loose talk about race. It's time to address population stability in plain English - 17th February 2008
 * If Blair runs for the EU presidency, Brown will be the fall guy – whatever the result- Friday 15th February 2008
 * Politics reduced to a walk in the park - The election may be a long way off but the parties are laying the groundwork for a hung Parliament that looks increasingly likely - 10th February 2008
 * Can Brown turn it around? Probably not - Day 34 on the Gordonian calendar, and the gap between his world and ours shows no sign of shrinking, however you triangulate it - 3rd February 2008
 * Cameron knows he should be doing better - Caught between the hares and tortoises within his party, the Conservative leader is pursuing an erratic course - 27th January 2008
 * Tough on the causes of rhetoric about crime - Young Tony Blair battered the Tories with statistics on law and order. David Cameron is reprising the tactic on Labour - 20th January 2008
 * The primaries show – opening here soon - The Tories are seeking pointers from the US as avidly as New Labour emulated Bill Clinton's tactics in 1992 - 13th January 2008
 * Is Labour still the competent party? - Forget Northern Rock. The Government needs to confront some even stickier - and more old-fashioned - economic problems - 6th January 2008
 * Affordable housing is Brown's mantra. But he's wrong if he thinks he can make it happen - Thursday 3rd January 2008



News & updates:


References:
