Andrew Rawnsley



Profile:
Full name: Andrew Rawnsley

Area of interest: Politics

Journals/Organisation: The Observer

Email: [mailto:a.rawnsley@observer.co.uk a.rawnsley@observer.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/andrewrawnsley

Blog:

Representation:

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



Biography:
About: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2007/apr/04/andrew.rawnsley

Education: Rugby School (scholarship); Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University: History (first-class Honours)

Career: BBC: 1983/1985; The Guardian: reporter 1985/1987, political sketch writer 1987/1993; The Observer: chief political columnist and associate editor 1993-

Current position/role: Chief political commentator, associate editor


 * also writes/has written for:

Other roles/Main role: author and broadcaster

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

Broadcast media: Channel 4’s A Week in Politics: co-presenter, 1989-97; BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour: principal presenter, 1998/2006; Regular appearances on Today, PM, World at One, World Tonight, News Quiz and other news and current affairs programmes; ITV's The Sunday Edition: co-presenter (with Andrea Catherwood), 2006; Also writes and presents one-off documentaries for Channel 4, including The Rise and Fall of Tony Blair (June 2007)

Video:


 * IMDb

Controversy/Criticism:
 * Resigned as editor of PoliticsHome after Lord Ashcroft, the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, bought a majority holding in the website, see: Editor resigns after Lord Ashcroft buys up political websites - Sam Coates, Chief Political Correspondent, The Times, 23rd September 2009
 * Simon Walters (Mail on Sunday Political Editor) reported that in 'The End of the Party' allegations are made that prime minister, Gordon Brown, physically attacked members of his staff, see: Angry Gordon Brown 'hit out at aide and yanked secretary from her chair' - 31st January 2010

Awards/Honours: Student Journalist of the Year, 1983; Young Journalist of the Year, 1987; Journalist of the Year, C4 Political Awards, 2003; became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2001

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * Servants of the people: the inside story of New Labour OCLC 44532783 (top ten best-seller in both hard cover and paperback and voted Channel Four Political Book of the Year), 2000

Latest work: The end of the party OCLC 458731872, 2010

Speaking/Appearances:
 * Andrew Rawnsley will discuss his forthcoming book, The End of the Party, at an Observer/Waterstone's event at One Great George Street, London SW1 on Wednesday, 3 March from 7pm. For tickets, contact Waterstone's, Gower Street on 020 7636 1577

Debate: 

The Observer:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Politics

Section:

Role: Chief political commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:a.rawnsley@observer.co.uk a.rawnsley@observer.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Andrew Rawnsley

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Sunday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2014

 * Cameron was right about Juncker. Which makes his defeat more dire - If he couldn't swing this one, what are the chances now for the humiliated prime minister's European ambitions? - 29th June
 * Ten crucial months remain for Ed Miliband to pass the blink test - The Labour leader doesn't lack policies. Now he must convince voters to actually visualise him at the door of Number 10 - 22nd June
 * Labour needs to be candid about the painful cuts it will have to make - Behind the scenes, Labour's Treasury team has begun to identify how it would squeeze spending to balance the books if the party were to win power - 15th June
 * Why David Cameron is right in his bid to junk Mr Juncker - The smug Eurocrat is the wrong choice for president, but the PM could have been more cunning in his opposition - 8th June
 * This may surprise you, but Nick Clegg is a very lucky politician - The Lib Dem chief survives because his party has no alternative. No leader in waiting and no new way forward - 1st June
 * Labour's got big problems and diminishing time to fix them - A poor campaign and unimpressive results are bringing a lot of anxiety about the party's prospects to the surface - 25th May
 * Euro and local elections: the Stay At Home party will win a landslide victory - The Tories' and Labour's resigned reaction to deep public disaffection is to settle for just enough votes to scrape in - 18th May
 * Can Nick Clegg survive another meltdown for the Lib Dems? - Whatever tactic or strategy he's tried so far, nothing seems to be lifting Clegg's party from its plight - 11th May
 * The UK's housing policy is surely madder than Venezuela's - Ed Miliband's promise to protect tenants addresses just some of the symptoms of this profound crisis - 4th May
 * There is only one reason why Boris Johnson is eyeing a seat in the House - If Boris Johnson stands as an MP, it's not to help the Tories to win, but because he calculates that it's quite likely they won't - 27th April
 * The stellar rise of Sajid Javid and what it says about Britain today - The life story of the new culture secretary confounds expectations and prejudices on both left and right - 13th April
 * Pro-Europeans who shrug off Nigel Farage do so at their peril - Making excuses for the Ukip leader's victory over Nick Clegg won't do. They should work on their arguments - 6th April
 * The five fault lines that divide Ed Miliband's Labour party - The party used to split along a distinct left-right divide. These days it's much more complicated. Here's a guide to Labour's warring tribes - 30th March
 * Labour's pledges on the economy that no one really knows about - The budget response highlights the fact that the two Eds' many promises to demonstrate their fiscal responsibility aren't being communicated to voters - 23rd March
 * Tony Benn: charismatic leader of the left damned by warm Tory praises - An eloquent romantic, but a failure as a practical politician, Tony Benn lost all the major causes he fought for - 16th March
 * The staged battles of the coalition disguise their genuine conflicts - 'Play fights' between the Tories and the Lib Dems mask a bitter behind-the-scenes punch-up over the budget - 9th March
 * Not even Angela Merkel can bridge the vast Europe divide for David Cameron - A deal can be done on EU reform, but it is not one that will ever satisfy the Tory Europhobes - 2nd March
 * The Clegg-Farage Euro debate – the real reasons why Nick threw down the gauntlet to Nigel - The Lib Dem leader is gambling that the upcoming clash of heads with Ukip will lift his party's poll performance - 23rd February
 * David Cameron is betting that the Scots want to be told they're loved - Some pro-union campaigners believe fearmongering in Scotland is enough. The prime minister doesn't agree - 9th February
 * Ed Miliband boldly goes where even Tony Blair feared to tread - If the Labour leader's proposals get through he'll have done more to democratise his party than any predecessor - 2nd February
 * All three main parties are jittery. Which one can hold its nerve? - With the Euro-elections coming up, and dissent and angst in all their ranks, the leader who can stop his MPs from losing their heads may prevail - 26th January
 * Why Ed Miliband would like to see himself as the heir to Teddy Roosevelt - The Labour leader's role model is the early 20th-century American president. But he has a lot to learn from his hero - 19th January
 * Labour is blowing kisses at the Lib Dems. But don't buy a hat yet - Nick Clegg and the two Eds are being a bit nicer about each other, but it doesn't suit either party to embrace too warmly - 12th January
 * Lord Ashcroft's big bucket of cold water to douse Tory optimism - The Conservative peer's latest poll illustrates the profound strategic conundrum facing the prime minister - 5th January



Articles: 2013

 * Leaders reach the end of the year sighing with relief - after a turbulent 12 months, Cameron, Miliband and Clegg will each be grateful they are still in the ring - 22nd December
 * The Tories and the Lib Dems plot their coalition endgames - With the next general election only 18 months away, their relationship is becoming more belligerent - 15th December
 * Nelson Mandela: a shining lesson that politics can be a tremendous force for good - The world's current leaders would best honour Nelson Mandela's life by learning from his noble example - 8th December
 * Well, Boris, it would seem you just failed the intelligence test - The London mayor's vision of society has disturbing similarities with Aldous Huxley's chilling Brave New World - 1st December
 * How can banking still be a source of scandal so long after the crash? - There are alarming signs that people are behaving as if there were nothing really to learn from the bubble years - 24th November
 * What does Mr Cameron believe in? His own ministers aren't sure - The Tory leader's lack of deep convictions has been good for coalition relations, but bad for dealing with his party - 17th November
 * Ed Miliband's momentum confronts Cameron with a sharp dilemma - Labour is frustrated by Conservative stalling over agreeing to election TV debates between the leaders - 10th November
 * Our spy chiefs won't be losing any sleep over their summons by MPs - Despite the hype, public quizzing is no substitute for proper democratic scrutiny of our intelligence services - 3rd November
 * Labour has landed a palpable hit – but it's not a knockout punch - Ed Miliband has scored with his energy bill pledge, but regaining trust on economic competence remains critical - 27th October
 * Like Gordon Ramsay, I spied on my daughter. I'll tell you why - Gordon Ramsay's mistake was not telling his daughter. But it shows he cares - 20th October
 * Mr Cameron's government is like a poor Thatcherite tribute band - The 80s feel to the Royal Mail sell-off and the Help to Buy scheme betrays a distinct lack of new Tory ideas - 13th October
 * Weirdly it is the Tories who are sounding most like Marxists - Instead of engaging with popular Labour policies, Tories prefer to believe the public doesn't know its own mind - 6th October
 * Can the Tories woo the have-nots and not just the have-yachts? - A growing number of Tory MPs believe they need better answers to Labour's challenge on living standards - 29th September
 * Three daunting hurdles that the Labour party needs to overcome - Ed Miliband goes into conference facing huge challenges. Some signature policies might help convince voters - 22nd September
 * The question that the Lib Dems are desperate not to answer - The party is split in so many ways over whether it would prefer to govern with Labour or the Tories - 15th September
 * Miliband can't retreat from his battle with the union bosses'' - Victory for the Labour leader would be good for him, bad for the Tories and best for the way we do politics - 8th September
 * This defeat over Syria has left the prime minister humbled, not Britain - The character of the country shouldn't take the blame for spectacular miscalculations in Downing Street - 1st September
 * In an age of coalition, leaders will have to change their tune - Andrew Rawnsley: The strong possibility of another hung parliament challenges the parties to think again about how they do politics - 25th August
 * Both Tories and Labour need to bridge the north-south divide - The party leaders must find a way to heal this geographical schism if they ever want to claim a national mandate - 28th July
 * The Tories are smiling again, but their problems remain - Conservative confidence is currently running high, but senior insiders are taking a more sober long-term view - 21st July
 * The numbers that add up to trouble for all political parties - Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems must reinvent themselves as mass-membership organisations - 14th July
 * The Unite row is a grave crisis that Ed Miliband could turn into a great opportunity - The Labour leader has a chance of emerging stronger from his battle with the union, but only if he acts boldly - 7th July
 * Labour's big problem isn't being different: it's how to look credible - Voters won't doubt that the Eds would change things. They do need persuading that their sums would add up - 30th June
 * Does the Tory party actually want to win the next election? - An 'alternative Queen's speech' by rightwingers illustrates David Cameron's enduring problems with his MPs - 23rd June
 * The G8 could act radically to stop tax avoidance. Don't bet on it - Mr Cameron, as president of the summit, talks a good game. But his ambitions appear disappointingly small - 16th June
 * The two Eds take the first painful steps on a long and hard road - They now have to convince voters to believe them when they say a Labour government will be disciplined - 9th June
 * Too many MPs are wrapped in the tentacles of the lobbyists - The Patrick Mercer affair is just one small symptom of a much bigger and insidious subversion of democracy - 2nd June
 * Cameron isn't even among friends in his own cabinet now - Already wounded by battles with backbenchers, the prime minister is faced with a revolt by ministers over cuts - 26th May
 * Tories just about held it together in the past. This time it's different - The Conservative factions are warring so zealously over Europe that a formal split in the party is not unthinkable - 19th May
 * Both the Tory and Labour leaders need lessons in political geometry - As David Cameron and Ed Miliband move away from the centre, they leave a space for Nick Clegg - 12th May
 * David Cameron won't prosper by trying to outkip the Kippers - Both the Tories and Labour have several reasons to be troubled by the Ukip surge – and one to be grateful for it - 5th May
 * A crime mystery. It's going down, but no one really knows why - Nearly all the so-called experts predicted that austerity would lead to more crime. The opposite is happening - 28th April
 * Local elections: it's not just the Tories who should beware Ukip - Nigel Farage is the wild card of the county council contests. He appeals to the enraged across the spectrum - 21st April
 * David Cameron's ambivalent relationship with the lady in blue - The prime minister thinks he can be as radical as Margaret Thatcher without being as divisive. That won't be easy - 9th April
 * A French lesson for Ed Miliband: don't enter office without a proper plan - The plunging popularity of François Hollande and his socialists is a severe and timely warning to the Labour leader - 31st March
 * George Osborne's Plan C: invest all your hopes in a Canadian - The chancellor is gambling that the Bank's new governor Mark Carney will succeed where he has failed - 24th March
 * The Conservatives are plotting and talking themselves to death - There are more than two years to go before the next election, but many Tories are acting as if they've already lost - 17th March
 * There's a fresh way on immigration – and it has the public's support - A new survey points the way to a balanced and rational approach to immigration that could win widespread consent - 10th March
 * The Tories should now know you don't beat Ukip by copying them - Conservative MPs urging David Cameron to lurch right are drawing the wrong conclusion from Eastleigh - 3rd March
 * Revealed: George Osborne's master plan for reviving the UK economy - Tory MPs are agitating for a dramatic budget to transform their party's fortunes. They will be disappointed - 24th February
 * Ed Miliband's 10p tax pledge is smart politics but poor policy - Stealing the mansion tax from the Lib Dems is an effective ploy. But he's spending the money the wrong way - 17th February
 * It is too early for Labour to write off its chances in Eastleigh - Ed Miliband's party shouldn't just jeer from the byelection ringside as the Tories and the Lib Dems slug it out - 10th February
 * The Tory malcontents possess a destructive intensity all their own - As daggers flash behind him, David Cameron is paying the price for not having sufficiently reformed his party - 3rd February
 * David Cameron's great leap into the dark on Europe may prove fatal for him - The Tory party's cheering now, but the prime minister's speech on Europe will prove disastrous for him and them - 27th January
 * Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg's relationship is starting to thaw - There has been a notable political climate change behind the scenes, with the Lib Dem and Labour leaders spending more time together - 20th January
 * The EU: David Cameron should take tips from John Major about Europe - Patient alliance-building and rational argument will serve Britain best – not threatening to flounce out - 13th January
 * The Make Labour Look Like the Party for Skiving Fat Slobs bill - The chancellor's cunning plan to embarrass the opposition could end up being very costly for the Conservatives - 6th January



Articles: 2012

 * What does 2013 hold for the main party leaders? - Nick Clegg and David Cameron face more of the same. Ed Miliband's future is more complicated. He has choices - 30th December
 * Now, pay attention, 007. There is a conspiracy against Britain - At a treacherous Christmas time, M dispatches James Bond on the secret agent's most dangerous assignment - 23rd December
 * Could David Cameron be a bit frit about facing Ed Miliband in TV debates? - David Cameron's cold feet about televised leaders' debates suggest a new respect for his Labour opposite number - 16th December
 * The fracking dream which is putting Britain's future at risk - George Osborne and fellow zealots believe shale gas to be a bonanza of cheap energy. Where's the evidence? - 9th December
 * Leveson report: the ball bounces back to the press - As the Leveson proposals split the party leaders, newspapers have a final opportunity to prove a law is not needed - 2nd December
 * Those who want Britain out of Europe are raising a glass to themselves far too soon - Outists who would have us leave the European Union are buoyant now, but battle has yet to be properly joined - 25th November
 * Elections: if you can't be bothered to vote, the person most to blame is you - Politicians and the media share some of the responsibility for low turnouts, but the public is guilty too - 18th November
 * The big lesson from the US election is not a new one, but a very old one - The Conservatives and Labour should both note that President Obama won re-election by capturing the centre - 11th November
 * This latest Tory rebellion was not just cynical, it was completely bogus - The result of the unholy alliance between Tory Europhobes and Labour will be to increase the cost of the EU - 4th November
 * A tip for Labour about planning for power. Listen to the Tories - Senior Conservatives are already rehearsing the election lines they will use against Eds Miliband and Balls - 27th October
 * The Tories forced their own chief whip out. David Cameron beware - Andrew Mitchell's resignation tellingly shows how unbiddable the Conservative parliamentary party has become - 21st October
 * The party leaders impressed their own gangs – the voters less so - Despite the rhetoric, they struggle to get closer to a project that will get the majority of the nation behind them - 14th October
 * Boris Johnson reminds Tories of what David Cameron has lost - Number 10 says it is relaxed about the mayor's speech at conference. It is as relaxed as a cat on a hot tin roof - 7th October
 * Ed Miliband's big test is to make voters see him as prime minister - He can't do anything about the way he looks, but he can do something about the way he talks to the country - 30th September
 * The Lib Dems aren't going to rescue themselves by being timid - They need to be seen as kinder than the Tories, safer with the economy than Labour and more radical than either - 23rd September
 * The police must no longer be immune from radical reform - Hillsborough emphasises that the government must be bold in dealing with the last unreformed public service - 16th September
 * The prime minister's masterclass in how not to conduct a reshuffle - David Cameron failed most of the 10 tests on whether recasting a government has any serious point - 9th September
 * Lib Dems won't knife Nick Clegg – well, not quite yet anyway - The misjudgments they have made in office have not been the leader's alone – as Vince Cable surely knows - 2nd September
 * Michael Gove has made a cruel mess of exam grades. Discuss - The education secretary is right to want to stop grade inflation, but he is tackling it in an unjust way - 26th August
 * The promises and the perils of Ed Miliband's French connection - President Hollande is an inspiration to the Labour leader. But he may also turn out to be a cautionary tale - 29th July
 * This five-ring circus is only for those in love with white elephants - I wish the best for our competitors, but it is a delusion that the Olympics will make us fitter, wealthier or happier - 22nd July
 * Only Cameron can rescue the coalition. But does he want to? - Unless the prime minister deals with the wreckers in his party, the Lib Dems will scupper boundary changes - 15th July
 * How do the Tories seriously imagine they can get a majority by 2015? - Cameron's prospects of increasing his share of the vote look worse, not better, than when he first took power - 8th July
 * Banksters will keep on escaping justice until the politicians act -The restoration of integrity in the City will not happen without serious criminal sanctions against venal traders - 1st July
 * The greatest obstacles to Lords reform sit in the Commons - A ferocious battle will be engaged this week. It will be a significant character test of all three party leaders - 24th June
 * Powerless ministers are waiting in terror to see if the asteroid will hit - Fear grips the Treasury and the Bank about the consequences of the total disintegration of the eurozone - 17th June
 * Sir Alex Allan: how an esteemed public servant has been made into a useful idiot - How cynical of David Cameron to order Sir Alex Allan to investigate Baroness Warsi, but not Jeremy Hunt - 10th June
 * Diamond jubilee: congrats, Ma'am, on preserving the monarchy in a populist age - It is the personal nature of the Queen's achievement in which republicans might find a sliver of consolation - 3rd June
 * The prime minister has put his judgment and integrity on trial - The Leveson inquiry, designed to examine the sins of the press, has become an inquisition into the government - 27th May
 * Easy to blame the Germans. Smarter to learn from them - Other leaders are being hypocritical when they shove all the responsibility for the euro crisis on to Angela Merkel - 20th May
 * How can Labour harness the voter rage against the machine? - Ed Miliband is better at describing why so many people hate conventional politics than he is at providing an answer - 13th May
 * David Cameron needs to keep his headless chickens in the coop - The coalition will be strained to breaking point if the prime minister fails to face down the angry Tory right - 6th May
 * Posh boys stood on the burning deck when all but they had fled - The government is being most undone by a combination of arrogance and inexperience at the highest levels - 29th April
 * The midterm elections are now crucial thanks to omnishambles - The outcome of these contests will make a huge difference to the morale and momentum of the rival parties - 22nd April
 * Cracks are beginning to open along the Downing Street fault line - They vowed that it would never happen, but the prime minister and the chancellor are increasingly at odds - 8th April
 * It's two fingers to Westminster, but don't expect a revolution - The shock Bradford West result is a symptom of a deeper and wider disaffection with the main parties - 1st April
 * It's not enough for Labour to call the Tories the party of the rich - The backlash against George Osborne's budget presents the opposition with both an opportunity and a trap - 25th March
 * George Osborne is about to make a tremendous political gamble - If cutting the top rate of tax is not to be seen as a budget for the rich, the affluent will have to pay in other ways - 18th March
 * The coalition's biggest danger lies outside, not inside, the two parties - Mutual interest still sustains the increasingly fraught Lib Dem-Tory alliance. But Iran could tear them apart - 11th March
 * What sort of prime minister does David Cameron really want to be? - Tory romantics urge their leader to radical action while the pragmatists advise caution. He himself seems torn - 4th March
 * The Tories have lost the public on health but not on welfare reform - The voters could turn against Labour on benefits just as they have rounded on the Tories over the health service - 26th February
 * The Osborne budget will do just enough to save Nick Clegg's face - The Lib Dem leader's call for help for low earners will probably be heeded, but Tories won't concede a wealth tax - 19th February
 * Cameron's dangerous game - There are far more than three senior Tory ministers who are in despair about their NHS nightmare - 12th February
 * Why more of the Lib Dems now want to be like Chris Huhne - He has resigned from the cabinet just as his party adopts his more belligerent approach towards coalition politics - 5th February
 * Who most wants independence for Scotland? The English… - If the Union referendum were held south of the border, Alex Salmond would be more likely to get his way - 29th January
 * How many party leaders does it take to change capitalism? - Ed Miliband, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all promise reform. But voters need a lot more than noisy posturing - 8th January
 * Let this be the year democracy shines its beacon as it should - Politicians may often prove feeble, but the forthcoming elections across the world are still something to celebrate - 1st January



Articles: 2011

 * Cameron: over-confident, cavalier and careless… and still on top - The prime minister hasn't had a brilliant 12 months, but there's no one that can rival him inside or outside his party - 18th December
 * Now it's three-speed Europe. And we're left on the hard shoulder - This abject defeat for British diplomacy is the more striking because Mr Cameron's demands were quite modest - 11th December
 * All the party leaders will have to rewrite the stories that they tell us - Each party has to rethink how to contest a 2015 election likely to be fought in a continuing atmosphere of austerity - 4th December
 * No one should want to go back to the 80s – not even the Tories - That decade inflicted deep scars on Britain that have never healed and did lasting damage to the Conservatives - 27th November
 * Neither her sex nor status should save Theresa May if she's misled us - Westminster thinks that the home secretary will stay, but we've only heard her side of the story - 13th November
 * The only power world leaders have is to frustrate each other - The failure of the G20 summit has dramatically advertised the incapacity of the political elite to rise to the crisis - 6th November
 * The protesters seem more adult than politicians and plutocrats - With a few nylon tents and some amateurish banners, the Occupy movement has rattled the establishment - 30th October
 * The Tory Eurosceptics are on a roll. So why are they still so cross? - At a time when they ought to be united in a feeling of triumphant vindication, they are falling bitterly apart - 23rd October
 * Dr Fox is not so rare a beast as Mr Cameron would have us think - The former defence secretary is not the only Tory with odd friends and a cavalier disregard for the rules - 16th October
 * Why the conference season felt like three weeks in Lilliput - At all of the party gatherings none of the politicians could find the words to match the scale of the challenges - 9th October
 * For want of a plan for tomorrow the Tories go back to yesterday - With hopes for the economy dashed, the Conservatives are riskily reliant on their leader's personal popularity - 2nd October
 * You can call Ed Miliband many things, but certainly not cautious - The Labour leader believes he can defy both conventional wisdom and his party's historical experience - 25th September
 * The Lib Dems need to be more than just the people who say no - Nick Clegg's party must be seen to be doing positive things in coalition, as well as putting a brake on the Tories - 18th September
 * Stroppy Tories seem to have forgotten they didn't actually win - Nick Clegg is delighted when Conservatives complain that he's stopping them from being more rightwing - 11th September
 * Labour must learn from their history or be doomed to repeat it - Ed Miliband wants us to dismiss Alistair Darling's memoirs as irrelevant to today's debates. He's wrong - 4th September
 * right and the wrong lessons to draw from Libya's liberation'' - Striking from the air while keeping western boots off the ground appeals to many. But it won't work everywhere - 28th August
 * praise of unconventional men whose mad ideas make us think'' - Steve Hilton and Maurice Glasman may get a lot wrong, but politics needs intellectual provocateurs like them - 31st July
 * days in which we saw Ed Miliband throw off his L-plates'' - Having bested David Cameron, the Labour leader has won the opportunity to be heard with enhanced respect - 17th July
 * next party will show us how much has really changed'' - This could be the point where political life is liberated from the thrall of media barons. But old habits die hard - 10th July
 * is fine, but history is best hands on'' - The British Library-Google tie-up will make thousands of texts available. But nothing beats the thrill of an original document - 3rd July
 * wonder the coalition hasn't got many friends in the north'' - Viewed from Leeds or Newcastle, Westminster seems more remote than ever – and increasingly hostile - 26th June
 * and unions sliding into a war that neither really wants'' - A protracted struggle between the government and public sector unions would be highly risky for both of them - 19th June
 * more he reverses, the more Mr Cameron wants to look strong'' - Voters will accept the occasional U-turn, but they will not respect a government that loses its way too often - 12th June
 * dream becomes a nightmare for a jilted generation'' - The goal of a property-owning democracy will wither and die if Britain doesn't start building many more homes - 5th June
 * calamity cabinet must be the despair of David Cameron'' - An astonishing number of ministers are either deliberately stirring up trouble or stumbling into the mire - 22nd May
 * have a hope of power, Labour must turn from dull into dynamic'' - Ed Miliband's party needs to forget complacent assumptions and remember that the task is both big and urgent - 15th May
 * not divorce, but the coalition is now poisoned by bitter mistrust'' - Lib Dems are saying astonishingly vituperative things behind the scenes about being betrayed by the Tories - 8th May
 * party leader will be happy on Thursday? It may surprise you'' - Both coalition partners have reason to fear the fall-out from the result. But it's not all good news for Ed Miliband - 1st May
 * double nightmare scenario for David Cameron on 5 May'' - Many Conservatives will be demented with rage if they are defeated in the referendum on electoral reform - 17th April
 * in haste, Mr Cameron, and you will repent at leisure'' - Moving around a few ministers would be a distraction from the government's problems, not a cure for them - 10th April
 * the alternative vote would be a very British revolution'' - It would not produce a saintly Commons, but it would make MPs more representative of their constituents - 3rd April
 * Miliband is walking a tricky tightrope over the spending cuts'' - The Labour leader has to achieve a careful balance between the politics of protest and the politics of credibility - 27th March
 * This is only the first step along an unpredictable and hazardous road'' - The durability of the international coalition behind the Libyan intervention will be tested in the crucible of conflict - 20th March
 * of fearing another Iraq, the west must do right by Libya'' - Time is running out to prevent Colonel Gaddafi from bombing his people into submission - 13th March
 * Lib Dems need to whistle their way through these dark days'' - It's not impossible for Nick Clegg's party eventually to win back support, but they mustn't lose their nerve - 6th March
 * Cameron gets a lesson on the need for a proper foreign policy'' - The convulsions in the Arab world ought to teach David Cameron that there's more to his job than being a travelling salesman - 27th February
 * cynical enemies of electoral reform think we're stupid'' - Those against the alternative vote believe they can persuade the British that we are too dim to count up to three - 20th February
 * spotlight begins to shine on the coalition's flaws and faultlines'' - There is angst at the heart of government about the number of ministers blundering into avoidable traps - 13th February
 * west should cheer, not fear, this cry for freedom in Egypt'' - Our values and our long-term self-interest demand that we back the struggle for democracy in the Middle East - 6th February
 * they say they have no Plan B, you really should believe them'' - Beguiled by the example of Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron and George Osborne are determined to press on - 30th January
 * loses a tainted friend, Miliband promotes a tricky rival'' - The promotion of Ed Balls will prove to be much more significant for politics than the spiking of Andy Coulson - 23rd January
 * can only win if voters believe they're on the money'' - The British public is not going to hand them the keys to Number 10 until they restore their economic credibility - 16th January
 * and Saddleworth: All three leaders are jumpy about the verdict of the Pennines'' - The Oldham and Saddleworth byelection highlights the challenges facing each of the parties in the year ahead - 9th January



Articles: 2010

 * and gentlemen, I give you the Westminster Uglies awards'' - Who got the Pants on Fire or the Shameless Hypocrite prizes? How about Opportunist of the Year? Read on - 26th December
 * Cameron's regime is not a million miles from Mao'' - Anywhere you look in Whitehall, there's a secretary of state unleashing upheaval with reforming zeal - 19th December
 * Cameron really should be sharing Nick Clegg's pain'' - The coalition will become increasingly unstable if the Lib Dems feel they are turning into the fall guys for the Tories - 12th December
 * politics is over. But the likes of John Prescott can't see it'' - Nearly all the politicians fronting the campaign against electoral reform are fading blasts from the past - 28th November
 * Miliband needs to change a lot more than his son's nappies'' - It is far too early to start offering the voters detailed policy, but he can prove himself by reforming his party - 21st November
 * reforms in principle, quick and painful cuts in practice'' - Iain Duncan Smith's proposals will take years to make an impact. George Osborne's benefit-slashing will not - 14th November
 * Barack Obama is looking good for a second term in 2012'' - The midterm drubbing for the Democrats masks the many encouraging auguries for the president - 7th November
 * fierce battle behind the scenes for the coalition's soul'' - A raging argument over counterterror laws is putting their commitment to human rights to a crucial test - 31st October
 * the end of the battle over spending, but just the beginning'' - Now we will see whether the coalition can implement these cuts and endure the unpopularity they will bring - 24th October
 * up and smell the burning rubber, Mr Cable and Mr Clegg'' - Betraying their pledges on tuition fees exposes the contradiction which has always lurked within the Lib Dems - 17th October
 * Cameron's ambivalent relationship with the lady in blue'' - The prime minister thinks he can be as radical as Margaret Thatcher without being as divisive. That won't be easy - 10th October
 * Tories are still struggling to come to terms with the new order'' - David Cameron has never really settled the hash with the right in his party. The argument is just waiting to erupt - 3rd October
 * Miliband: You thought fighting your brother was tough. That was the easy bit'' - The new Labour leader's first imperative is to start recovering the party's reputation for economic competence - 26th September
 * Dems: They love the power, but they're not sure about the responsibility'' - As some Lib Dems suffer from buyers' remorse, Nick Clegg will have to remind his party why they chose coalition - 19th September
 * cuts: When ministers talk of lynch mobs, you know they're scared'' - The cabinet is finally beginning to appreciate the scale of the consequences of the Treasury squeeze - 11th September
 * leadership contenders sneer at Tony Blair at their peril. He knew how to win'' - If Labour is ever to be electable again, it still needs to remember the lessons of its longest-serving prime minister - 5th September
 * Obama is down, but it's far too early to count him out'' - Despite an impressive record by the president, discontented American voters are turning against the Democrats - 29th August
 * impressive start by David Cameron, but a start is all it is'' - There's a big potential danger for this government in trying to run before it has fully learned how to walk - 1st August
 * still all smiles at the top, but there's rumbling down below'' - The cabinet spent an awayday at Chequers preparing for the challenges facing the coalition in the weeks ahead - 25th July
 * needs to talk about Gordon. Otherwise it will repeat its failures'' - Its members will not grasp why they lost unless they discuss why Mr Brown was such a catastrophic leader - 18th July
 * of political paradox, I give you the upcoming referendum'' - The battle over electoral reform will present all three main parties and their leaders with extraordinary dilemmas - 4th July
 * worm of anxiety is already eating away at the Lib Dems'' - Nick Clegg can probably handle being disliked or even hated. What he will find unbearable is being seen as a Tory dupe - 27th June
 * Osborne is wearing the trousers in this government'' - The chancellor's forthcoming austerity budget won't win him any friends, but then he's used to that - 20th June
 * their hopes of a great revival, the left got left behind'' - The 'socialist moment' which was supposed to be triggered by the financial crisis is already evaporating - 13th June
 * Clegg sets the test which will make or break this coalition'' - He will stand or fall on whether this government can implement spending cuts without the savagery of the Eighties - 6th June
 * everything New Labour did is not the road to recovery'' - The contenders for the party's leadership need to balance regret about its failures with pride in its successes - 30th May
 * Cameron prefers coalition to being alone with his own party'' - The prime minister is happily centred with the Lib Dems on one wing and the Tory right on the other - 23rd May
 * Victoria would be amused by this Clameron coalition'' - There is a flavour now of the 19th century when circumstances regularly made expedient allies of bitter rivals - 16th May
 * this way a rock and that way a hard place for the Liberal Democrats'' - With Gordon Brown and David Cameron competing to win his favours, Nick Clegg faces a hideous conundrum - 9th May
 * British don't need to be hung up about a hung parliament'' - A coalition with a wider range of support could be much more stable than a weak single party government - 2nd May (Cif at the polls)
 * 'bigot' episode shows him acting not out of character, but in it'' - On the Brownout Scale of volcanic eruptions this was only a three or four - 29th April
 * 2010: This volcanic eruption has been waiting to blow for many years'' - The shared mistake of the Tories and Labour was to assume that power was a timeshare between them - 25th April
 * not the answers that will win this election, it's the questions'' - The parties unveil their manifestos this week. Don't expect them to be reliable guides to what they'd do in power - 11th April
 * an unvalued chancellor became Labour's priceless asset'' - Even Gordon Brown is now forced to acknowledge that he needs Alistair Darling – the man he tried to sack - 28th March
 * all these emails from Barack Obama make me feel cheap'' - The internet is undermining old-fashioned campaign models and killing traditional forms of propaganda - 21st March
 * Nick Clegg's chance to shine, so he'd better not fluff his lines'' - The Lib Dems have a fabulous opportunity, but will need exceptional discipline during the campaign - 14th March
 * downwind of a senior Tory and you'll smell the anxious sweat'' - It is no longer totally outlandish to wonder if the son of the manse might be the next prime minister - 7th March
 * from my 15 rounds in the ring with the forces of hell'' - It's strange to find yourself publicly denounced by Number 10 and privately encouraged by ministers - 28th February
 * despair, indecision. Inside Gordon Brown's Number 10'' - In the most eagerly awaited political book for years, the Observer's chief political commentator, Andrew Rawnsley, provides a gripping inside account of Labour governments since 2001. Here, in an exclusive extract from The End of the Party, he paints a disturbing portrait of a besieged, tortured and volatile Gordon Brown as he struggles to cope with being prime minister - 21st February
 * should know the full truth about the character of Gordon Brown'' - The prime minister's conduct in office has long been the subject of gossip. The real story needed to be told - 21st February
 * master juggler Cameron is suddenly dropping the balls'' - The unresolved contradictions and tensions within the Conservatives are being exposed even before they have made it to power - 14th February
 * is finally cleaning up its act? Don't count on it'' - Optimists in politics hope that public trust can be regained. But it'll take more than a few MPs in the dock and an election - 7th February
 * v Chilcot. No contest: we and the truth are the losers'' - The country needed answers on Iraq, but this limp inquiry couldn't touch such a consummate performer as the ex PM - 31st January
 * Gordon Brown will have to face the music on Iraq'' - The prime minister as well as his predecessor will have to accept responsibility for the war and its catastrophic aftermath - 24th January
 * Ulster should celebrate its sex and money scandal'' - Hypocritical, sleazy and adulterous – at last Northern Ireland politics looks just like politics everywhere else - 17th January
 * plot was a flop but a revealing one none the less'' - Alistair Darling, Harriet Harman and others left Gordon Brown to shiver for a few hours, exposing their anger with him - 10th January



Articles: 2009

 * the records tumble at next year's general election'' - The electorate is so disillusioned with our politicians it's likely we'll see new turn-out lows when we choose the new PM - 27th December
 * Humbug! A Christmas ghost story in Downing Street'' - With apologies to Charles Dickens, Gordon Brown is visited by three spirits and the chain-clanking spectre of Tony Blair - 20th December
 * invoked the taxman, the axeman waits for Labour'' - Alistair Darling's pre-budget report has won the government no friends and quite a few new enemies, particularly in the media - 13th December
 * Tories have put all their chips on David Cameron'' - He's been a talented leader of the opposition but the Conservative party's one-man-band approach is beginning to look risky - 6th December
 * Brown's favourite Conservative policy pledge'' - Promising to slash inheritance tax once looked like a brilliant coup for the Tories. Now it's an albatross around their necks - 29th November
 * it's very likely the next parliament will be doubly hung'' - With today's poll suggesting a shrinking Tory lead, David Cameron could find himself governing with a tiny majority or none at all - 22nd November
 * country doesn't want to be led by someone it pities'' - Gordon Brown has attracted near-universal sympathy after the attack by the Sun, but it won't be worth a single vote - 15th November
 * cheers for the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall'' - Millions have become freer and more prosperous since the end of the Cold War but the battle for liberal values goes on - 8th November
 * more people see of the BNP, the worse for the party'' - Nick Griffin's performance on Question Time gave him publicity all right. Voters could see how ridiculous the far-right leader is - 25th October
 * David Cameron turn out to be a one-term wonder?'' - We have been in a period when prime ministers reigned for unusually long stretches. Nothing says this pattern will continue - 18th October
 * parties turn back to politics in primary colours'' - Slick sloganeering and lazy posturing at conference time mask important truths about the task for the next government - 11th October
 * beckons for the Tories, but are they ready for it?'' - David Cameron has brought his party to the brink of government. Now we need more clarity about what he would do with it - 4th October
 * Brown has to break out of the spiral of decay'' - The threat to the prime minister at the Brighton conference is not assassination, but a remorseless slide into irrelevance - 27th September
 * Clegg must blow up David Cameron's love bombs'' - The Lib Dem last night launched his most aggressive attack ever on the Tory leader. It signals an essential change of strategy - 20th September
 * Labour doesn't fight the tide, it will be drowned by it'' - The government has a record to defend and a story to tell, if only it could summon up the energy to take the fight to the Tories - 13th September
 * things Mr Brown did not say about Afghanistan'' - The British army could be broken by another humiliation like the retreat Tony Blair precipitated in Basra - 6th September
 * do you think you are kidding, Mr Cameron?'' - The Tories speak with two tongues when they claim that they can make deep cuts to public spending and improve services - 30th August
 * may never, ever win power on its own again'' - The two-party domination of British politics is coming to an end as more and more disaffected voters reject both of them - 19th July
 * spinner is making the wrong sort of headlines'' - The focus on Andy Coulson has reminded everyone of the centrality of spin to the reinvention of the Conservative party - 12th July
 * to the people! Great idea, Mr Brown, but how?'' - This week, the prime minister will promise to make public services more accountable and responsive to those who use them - 28th June
 * is not the best policy on public spending'' - The Tories are revealing only a bit of the truth about the cuts that will follow the election. Gordon Brown won't even go that far - 21st June
 * triumph and tragedy of the Overlord of New Labour'' - Peter Mandelson has finally satisfied his ambition to be the undisputed, indispensable right-hand man to the prime minister - 14th June
 * in the end the cabinet just didn't have the stomach for a kill'' - Gordon Brown is badly mauled but he survived because his indecisive would-be assassins are ultimately afraid of the alternative - 7th June
 * Lib Dems alone are truly serious about voting reform'' - Whatever Gordon Brown or David Cameron say, their new enthusiasm for changing our political system is deeply unconvincing - 31st May
 * climate of loathing towards all MPs is bad for democracy'' - We should pillory those who deserve it, but an enfeebled Parliament cringeing before the mob will not serve Britain well - 24th May
 * the party'' - A new politics: Independents appeal at moments of crisis, but a healthy democracy needs vigorous parties to nurture real political talent - 20th May
 * right answer to public rage is a purge of the guilty'' - The decent MPs must demand a clear out of the sleazy, both for their own sakes and to save the reputation of Parliament - 17th May
 * scams are atrocious. Worse is the lack of remorse'' - The expenses racket shows politicians have lost their ethical bearings. It seems they no longer care what people think of them - 10th May
 * Brown - why a clever man ends up making a fool of himself'' - Gordon Brown is blundering into self-inflicted debacles because he lacks emotional intelligence and some basic political radar - 3rd May
 * and David are both whistling in the graveyard'' - New Labour is dead. All that is left is the sleaze and spin that voters have always loathed. The New Tory project is buried too - 26th April
 * done, Gordon. Now it's time to come back to earth'' - Mr Brown is glowing after a successful summit where he was in his element. Now he has to focus on being prime minister again - 5th April
 * Brown - more piggy in the middle than global giant'' - The prime minister will have to apply every ounce of psychological pressure to win significant agreements at the G20 summit - 29th March
 * long party is over for the public sector, whoever wins'' - Credit-crunch voters simply won't tolerate their money being wasted on bloated quangos and underperforming services - 22nd
 * Cameron needs more than a clique of four to succeed'' - The Tory leader promises to restore cabinet government. There's no evidence he will do so from the way he runs things now - 15th March
 * at least didn't treat Brown like a lame duck'' - The prime minister hopes that the success of his Washington trip will convince the G20 that he's not in the departure lounge yet - 8th March
 * bankers are lucky that they are not going to jail'' - The government has been too timid about confronting these failed financiers. It's time that it showed some teeth - 1st March
 * the Tories know what they would do with power?'' - David Cameron will reap the whirlwind if the Conservatives are not properly prepared to take over government - 2nd February
 * cabinet's quarrels are a warning of the storms ahead'' - Behind closed doors, ministers are locked in fierce arguments over the best way to get the voters behind them once again - 15th February
 * greatest moral failure of Tony Blair's premiership'' - Britain's silence when George W Bush sanctioned the use of torture is to the enduring shame of the former prime minister - 8th February
 * Brown, it's time to come down from the mountain'' - Never mind 'British jobs for British workers', it's time for the prime minister to assuage the growing anger in the country - 1st February
 * return of Ken Clarke reveals the Tory leader's fears'' - Mr Cameron, still surprisingly worried about his election prospects, is hoping his party will now look less posh and more tough - 25th January
 * drizzle your pessimism on Obama's grand parade'' - Let's see what this exceptional man can do with power before we decide that he's going to be a complete disappointment - 18th January
 * little words that the prime minister can never say'' - The true answer to how this crisis will unfold is: 'We don't know.' But Gordon Brown would get no credit for admitting that - 11th January



Articles: 2008

 * year, Gordon Brown will be on another planet'' - I foresee a busy time ahead for all our political leaders. Especially the prime minister who, of course, will be saving the universe - 28th December
 * Brown saved himself. Now he has to save his party'' - The breathtaking reversal in the prime minister's fortunes has astonished his party and disoriented his opponents - 21st December
 * we're going to spend, then let's invest in Britain's future'' - Rather than encourage people to squitter money on imports, the government should build us an infrastructure fit for this century - 14th December
 * threatens to spank the banks who like to say no'' - Gordon Brown may give the public and his party some visceral pleasure by beating up bankers, but it won't solve the credit crisis - 7th December
 * are always leaking. It's insane to arrest one for it'' - The detention of Damian Green makes the government look like a paranoid bully, the Speaker feeble and the Met out of control - 30th November
 * on-off election fiasco would be fatal for Mr Brown'' - The Prime Minister will only kill speculation about going to the country in the spring by unequivocally saying he won't - 23rd November
 * is waiting for Brown to tumble from his tightrope'' - The knives are flashing behind the Shadow Chancellor, but he is playing a longer game with economic credibility at stake - 16th November
 * will want a special relationship with Obama'' - Other leaders may look ridiculous as they jostle to get close to him, but they're right to assume he'll be a two-term President - 9th November
 * Obama's impressive road to the White House'' - Say what you don't like about the length and expense of the presidential race, it is the most intense audition for the job - 2nd November
 * so many scandals, these reckless politicians don't get it'' - Peter Mandelson appears to have learnt nothing about dangerous liaisons with rich men. Neither have the Conservatives - 26th October
 * golden age, and other things they wish they'd never said'' - Mr Brown and Mr Cameron couldn't flatter financiers enough. Now they're scrambling to reposition themselves in a world of bust - 19th October
 * the crisis puts a spring in the Prime Minister's step'' - A re-energised Gordon Brown has been given a second chance to persuade the voters to respect him and listen to him - 12th October
 * really drove Gordon and Peter back together again'' - Two of New Labour's founding fathers are desperate to rescue their creation and save their reputations from oblivion - 5th October
 * Cameron can't be caught naked in front of the voters'' - At a time of such severe financial crisis, the country expects and deserves some proper answers about what the Tories would do - 28th September
 * calls, but will Alan and David seize the moment?'' - A desperate Labour conference will be yearning to see if there's anyone who offers a credible alternative to Gordon Brown - 21st September
 * may be inadvertently giving a hand to Cameron'' - The Lib Dem leader wants to offer a progressive alternative to Labour, but the immediate effect will be to help the Tories - 14th September
 * despairs of Brown, but there is no sign of a Brutus'' - The party can neither make a collective decision to get rid of the beleaguered Prime Minister, nor to rally round him - 7th September
 * Chancellor's chill wind should make Mr Brown shiver'' - Alistair Darling's candid comments on the state of the economy can only add to the precarious position of the Prime Minister -31st August
 * needs Americans to believe that he's one of them'' - In his crucial speech this week, the Democratic contender will have to overcome suspicions that run deep through the US heartlands - 24th August
 * is no doubt about it, this is a full-frontal assault'' - The Foreign Secretary has flaunted his cojones. His challenge dares a weakened Prime Minister to try to chop them off - 3rd August


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 * Comment highlights: best of Andrew Rawnsley (The Observer)
 * Wikipedia bio