Mary Riddell



Profile:
Full name: Mary Riddell

Area of interest: Centre-left politics, social policy, childhood and criminal justice

Journals/Organisation: The Daily Telegraph

Email: [mailto:mary.riddell@telegraph.co.uk mary.riddell@telegraph.co.uk@telegraph.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/maryriddell

Blog: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/maryriddell | http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/maryriddell

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Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/MaryRiddell | http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-riddell/13/b57/ab2



Biography:
About:

Education: Nottingham University: modern languages

Career: Women’s editor and assistant editor of the Daily Mirror, deputy editor of Today. Long-standing columnist on The Observer and also wrote for the Daily Mail. Moved to the Telegraph as a columnist in 2008

Current position/role: Columnist and political interviewer


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Daily Telegraph:
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Remit/Info: social policy, childhood and criminal justice. The Labour Government.

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Email: [mailto:mary.riddell@telegraph.co.uk mary.riddell@telegraph.co.uk@telegraph.co.uk]

Website: Telegraph.co / Mary Riddell

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Day published: Thursday

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Articles:

 * Miliband the illusionist must conjure up more with less - Labour has to convince voters that saving money can pay dividends - 24th April 2013
 * What Titanium Ed Miliband and the Iron Lady have in common - With his love of bold ideas, the Labour Party leader is a pretender to the Thatcher legacy - 18th April 2013
 * The Labour Party is desperate for a little of Mrs Thatcher’s common touch - The grocer’s daughter reached parts of the electorate that her heirs have failed to win over - 11th April 2013
 * Coldplay ahead of the Beatles and Stones? Surely not - The French may have sublime cheese and wine and endless vistas of pastoral paradise, but we Brits gave the world ground-breaking pop - 3rd April 2013
 * Our NHS is in intensive care, and Labour’s treatment has to be bold - A Florence Nightingale image is not enough – the party must accept the need for real reform of the National Health Service - 29th March 2013
 * This Budget is D-Day for Ed Balls, the man who would be Chancellor - Labour's shadow chancellor Ed Balls is feared in Downing Street, but he needs to shine in the Commons today - 21st March 2013
 * Labour needs to do more than simply wait for David Cameron to fail - If Ed Miliband wants to keep his lead he must be bold and address his party’s past failings - 13th March 2013
 * How Labour can fire a missile the Tories’ way in this cuts war - A promise to scale back Trident would show Ed Miliband is serious about deficit reduction - 6th March 2013
 * If Nick Clegg’s story won’t stand up, the Lord Rennard scandal could finish him - Even victory at the Eastleigh by-election will not put an end to the Lib Dem leader’s troubles - 27th February 2013
 * Who’ll be left standing when the Tories’ secret weapon goes bang? - Labour needs to up its game on immigration and welfare to see off Lynton Crosby’s threat - 20th February 2013
 * To vanquish the spectres of the Iraq war, Labour must stand up for justice - Ed Miliband can help draw a line under his party’s war by opposing plans for secret courts - 13th February 2013
 * Labour can turn NHS scandal into a platform for revolution - NHS crisis: Ed Miliband’s response to the Francis report on the Mid Staffordshire scandal could be the first step towards a Labour victory in 2015 - 5th February 2013
 * Britain badly needs an Abraham Lincoln who will think big and act big - MPs in both Conservative and Labour parties are yearning for a leader who will show courage and imagination - 30th January 2013
 * Fear of the grey vote has turned our politicians into cowards - Wealthy pensioners - the most privileged generation - must pay their share if we are to be fair to those in need - 23rd January 2013
 * Ed Miliband needs bolder answers to the EU and immigration question - Instead of offering a strong lead, the Labour leader risks giving the initiative to the Tories - 16th January 2013
 * Labour believes George Osborne will be snared by his own welfare benefits trap - The Chancellor’s caricature of welfare claimants as slobs on sofas bears no comparison with reality - 9th january 2013
 * There is no magic solution to our human rights quandary - The law-makers, not the likes of Abu Qatada, are the greatest threat to our precious liberties - 19th December 2012
 * Britain’s monumental housing crisis is the scandal of our age - The dearth of cheap homes will be a key election issue for both Labour and the Tories - 12th December 2012
 * George Osborne’s playing Scrooge, but Ed Balls still hasn’t picked his part - Labour can’t be sure of victory in 2015 until it makes a convincing case for shoestring policies - 5th December 2012
 * This energy debate threatens to tear the Coalition apart - Negotiations over the forthcoming Energy Bill have stirred up poisonous political divisions - 21st November 2012
 * New sheriffs in town – but will the face of law and order change? - Political parties are missing a major chance to improve justice in our towns and cities - 14th November 2012
 * One of the biggest private fortunes in the world. So how will Warren Buffett's son spend it? - Howard Buffett, son and heir of the frail billionaire philanthropist, knows he must walk in a giant’s footsteps - 9th November 2012
 * US election: Barack Obama can teach Ed Miliband about promising more than you deliver - A bitter US election campaign has left politicians looking increasingly tarnished - 7th November 2012
 * Cheaper daycare could land Ed Miliband in Downing St - Labour leader Ed Miliband is determined to make the cost of living the great election issue - 31st October 2012
 * It was the culture of neglect that allowed Jimmy Savile to flourish - The torpor of those in authority – at the BBC and elsewhere – has left countless victims - 24th October 2012
 * Supersonic Ed Miliband is about to give Labour the shock of its life - After his successful conference speech, the Labour leader is planning to get tough with his party - 17th October 2012
 * David Cameron won’t win an election by adopting the politics of fear - The Prime Minister must distil from a mish-mash of Tory policies a vision to unite the country - 10th October 2012
 * Not yet a Disraeli, but Miliband has taken a step closer to No 10 - The Labour Party conference has shown that leader Ed Miliband can talk human. Now can he win the bitter policy fights that lie ahead? - 3rd October 2012
 * Nick Clegg must make a Left turn to save the Lib Dems from disaster - The party’s voters won’t allow a deal with the Tories in 2015 – it’s time to make eyes at Labour - 26th September 2012
 * The Tories keep swiping, but Ed Miliband is an elusive target - In the political hall of mirrors, Labour’s policies are becoming ever harder to attack - 18th September 2012
 * Cameron’s demolition job risks tearing the country from its past - The Prime Minister should not be in thrall to history, but he must at least understand it - 11th September 2012
 * The cracks between Ed Miliband and Ed Balls could swallow Labour’s hopes - Like Midas, the Labour leader appears to have it all – but he must show where the power lies - 4th September 2012
 * Spare a thought for the pupils destined to fail - Our educational system leaves one in five without a job - 21st August 2012
 * A health service for all citizens really would be patriotic - There’s a new spirit of post-Olympics goodwill, and politicians will be expected to respond to it - 14th August 2012
 * Westminster’s snakepit makes the Games shine even brighter - As Olympic volunteers make Britain proud, the Coalition is showing the ugly side of politics - 7th August 2012
 * The people’s Olympics must not be hijacked - The London Games are not a giant trade fair for business leaders and politicians - 24th July 2012
 * Is the Lazarus of British politics heading all the way to No 10? - Ed Miliband was written off from the moment he was elected Labour Party leader – but no more - 17th July
 * Ed’s crusade to end the rule of lucre - Virtuous bankers can only exist when justice is applied fairly - 3rd July 2012
 * Lords reform gives Ed Miliband a chance to make mischief - Will the Labour leader’s game plan be driven by principles or politics? - 26th June 2012
 * The anti-austerity alliance fights for a different vision of Europe - The Labour Party is hitching itself to Francois Hollande’s rising star - 19th June 2012
 * Now the stage is set for some sensible immigration policies - Ed Miliband must favour his instincts over voices urging him to the right - 5th June 2012
 * Our public service Queen has a lot to teach her failing politicians - Leveson and the Jubilee show the need for a new approach to democracy - 29th May 2012
 * If Miliband’s latest guru fails, he’ll be left without a prayer - By appointing Jon Cruddas, the Labour leader is taking a leap into the unknown - 22nd May 2012
 * Ed’s got talent, but he has to win over the toughest crowd of all - The electorate needs more than a Labour love-in if it is to trust the party with power - 14th May 2012
 * If Ed Miliband can be a man for these times, he may yet be PM - David Cameron’s change of fortunes is a chance for Labour, but its leader must capitalise on it - 30th April 2012
 * Dark forces on the march in France - Le Pen may well be mightier than Le Pudding - 24th April 2012
 * The Labour Party and Ed Miliband need to find an answer to the bigger money question - Funding of political parties is a side issue – the challenge is how to finance good public services - 17th April 2012
 * It is dangerous to blur the line between judges and politicians - Tempting though it might be, over-ruling the Strasbourg court would be a mistake - 10th April 2012
 * Voters want a story, Ed Miliband, not a hologram of your hopes - The Labour leader has pacified his party – but the price has been a lack of direction - 3rd April 2012
 * Cash for access: the scent of money has become a bad smell around David Cameron - Peter Cruddas’s shaming will not dispel suspicions that the Tory leadership is living in a bubble - 27th March 2012
 * How Ed Miliband became the big surprise - The Chancellor must have hoped for an easy win, but Miliband made the Government squirm over their "millionaires' Budget" - 21st March 2012
 * Budget 2012: Voters won’t like this Budget, but they don’t trust Labour either - Doubts are growing in the shadow cabinet about whether Ed Balls can shift public opinion - 20th March 2012
 * Labour is losing the economic battle, so it’s turning to crime - Could law and order policy give Labour a new audience - 13th March 2012
 * Ed Balls is out to make new friends in the City - The shadow chancellor's sole priority is to give Labour a chance of winning the election - 6th March 2012
 * Clegg is clinging to the Coalition, but is his party starting to let go? - Unless the Lib Dem leader proves he is still their champion, the rank and file could deliver a fatal blow - 28th February 2012
 * Why the Nicolas Sarkozy show ought to terrify David Cameron – and delight Ed Miliband - A Socialist victory by Francois Hollande in France would send shockwaves through austerity-hit Europe - 21st February 2012
 * Great expectations? No. Hard times? Yes. Enter Miliband Snr - The former foreign secretary’s blueprint to help a lost generation must be taken seriously - 7th February 2012
 * Ed Miliband has much bigger fish to fry than Stephen Hester - A Labour leader must champion the frail and failing as robustly as he topples City titans - 31st January 2012
 * Bill Gates: 'I wrote Steve Jobs a letter as he was dying. He kept it by his bed’ - People’s plutocrat Bill Gates talks about friendly rivalry, and how to get bankers to part with their money - 27th January 2012
 * It’s welfare, not wealth, that will define Ed Miliband’s leadership - Labour’s reluctance to stand up for those in greatest need leaves it in no man’s land - 24th January 2012
 * By stealing the Lib Dems’ ideas, Miliband can split the Coalition - If the Labour leader finds common ground with his rivals, he will reinvigorate the Left - 17th January 2012
 * Miliband needs more enemies if Labour is to revive its fortunes - The Labour Party leader has to be prepared to upset vested interests in his key speech - 10th January 2012
 * Only social care reform will keep the NHS from its deathbed - Urgent backing for the Dilnot proposals points to a health service close to catastrophe - 3rd January 2012
 * The leader who dares will win the battle over politics of the soul - Ed Miliband defined a 'good society’ but David Cameron has taken the higher moral ground - 20th December 2011
 * Does Nick Clegg’s absence signal the genesis of a new coalition? - The eurozone crisis has brought Labour and the Lib Dems closer than they ever expected - 13th December 2011
 * In their rush to save the economy, politicians forget about the people - Parents and pensioners are being sidelined in these austere times. Who will champion them - 6th December 2011
 * While Osborne triggers Plan S for Splurge, Miliband must beware Plan D for Dither - This will be a terrible week for the Tories, but does Labour have the wit to capitalise - 29th November 2011
 * Young offenders: the evil child is a monster of our own making - A groundbreaking report reveals the truth about how our society fails its violent young - 15th November 2011
 * As a war in Iran draws closer, Britain should press for peace - Tough diplomacy and sanctions remain the best option for dealing with the global pariah - 7th November 2011
 * David Cameron and Ed Miliband must be inspired by the spirit of St Paul’s - The anti-capitalism protest at St Paul's Cathedral has captured the public mood more effectively than either party leader - 1st November 2011
 * David Cameron can no longer pretend that he doesn’t really like Europe - After picking a fight with backbenchers, the PM must now convince them of his beliefs - 25th October 2011
 * The economics of the madhouse, the care regime of the almshouse - David Cameron will pay dearly if he fails to tackle Britain’s social care crisis - 18th October 2011
 * This (Liam) Fox hunt is a parlour game compared to the financial crisis - David Cameron and Ed Miliband must show they can handle the major political events, not just the small ones - 10th October 2011
 * The wretched scandal of Gaza - Despite the Palestinians' appeal to the UN for statehood, Gaza remains in a state of siege - 10th October 2011
 * David Cameron’s strategy may be built on shifting sands - Tory party conference: David Cameron’s attempt to occupy the centre ground could leave him exposed - 4th October 2011
 * Ed Miliband is to offer vision of a 'good society' to Argos Britain - The labour leader will abandon the sort of capitalism elevated to gospel status by Blair - 27th September 2011
 * Harriet Harman: we're heading for a seismic change - Harriet Harman tells Mary Riddell of her belief that Labour will vote to always have a woman at its top table - 23rd September 2011
 * Double Agent Clegg is happy to court friends from no-man’s-land - The Liberal Democrat leader’s low personal standing shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness - 20th September 2011
 * Are the trade unions about to save Britain? - TUC leaders should seize the moment and offer some leadership on the economic crisis - 13th September 2011
 * Leaders like Gordon Brown aren't destroyed by hissy fits, but by a lack of courage - The last Labour government had no backbone, but the current party leader, Ed Miliband, has a cause to fight – inequality - 5th September 2011
 * Prime Minister Nick Clegg focuses on wealth as he eases out of bed with the Tories'' - Like many a divorcing couple, the Coalition parties are falling out over money - 30th August 2011
 * good for Tripoli also goes for Tottenham, Prime Minister'' - David Cameron’s defence of citizens in Libya has been more admirable than his efforts at home - 23rd August
 * and prison won’t mend our green and pleasant land'' - The sooner both David Cameron and Ed Miliband realise that the causes of the riots run deep, the better - 16th August 2011
 * the underclass lashes out'' - London's rioters are the products of a crumbling nation, and an indifferent political class that has turned its back on them - 9th August 2011
 * Rupert Murdoch will only please the guilty'' - Politicians are leading the witch-hunt, but they stand to gain the most from a cowering media - 19th July 2011
 * anti-immigration guru'' - Lord Glasman is the most influential thinker behind 'Blue Labour' – with policies that even the Tories might balk at introducing - 18th July 2011
 * Miliband’s moment has come – as defender of a free press'' - Far greater corruption would go unchecked if newspapers were rendered impotent - 12th July 2011
 * modest proposals that would restore our fraying social contract'' - David Cameron must seize this chance to help both the very old and the very young - 5th July 2011
 * political mood has changed – and justice will be the loser'' - From Tory backbenchers to Labour’s leaders, our MPs are throwing away the chance of law reform - 28th June 2011
 * you want to rebuild Britain, the family is a good place to start'' - The gaps in the Big Society give Labour a chance to find out what people really want - 23rd June 2011
 * peace-loving Ed Miliband would be better off picking a few fights for Labour'' - Fear of repeating the Tony Blair-Gordon Brown wars has led the Labour leader to seek unity at any price - 14th June 2011
 * zombie plan is not the way to fix the health service'' - With costs soaring and people living longer, it will soon be time for brave political decisions - 7th June 2011
 * battle between Parliament and the judges has only just begun'' - The conflict over human rights will test our constitution to breaking point - 31st May 2011
 * Right has learnt to play the game of magpie politics'' - As Barack Obama lands in Britain, on both sides of the Atlantic traditional Left-wing issues are being hijacked - 24th May 2011
 * Blue Labour have what it takes to be a vote-winner after all?'' - A new initiative based on traditional values is an all-or-nothing bet for Ed Miliband - 17th May 2011
 * Ed and Nick won’t kiss and make up, the Left faces extinction'' - The Lib Dems need to escape coalition with the Tories, and Labour should help them do it - 10th May 2011
 * must not be airbrushed from history'' - Ed Miliband should put his party at the heart of a national story that is not based on nostalgia - 3rd May 2011
 * Nick Clegg is too harsh a punishment for his mistakes'' - He happens to be right on AV – but that is little comfort to the vilified Deputy Prime Minister - 26th April 2011
 * Cameron makes a bid for the soul of White Van Man'' - The AV referendum debate has been contaminated by dog-whistle politics - 19th April 2011
 * reformed monarchy would be a fitting royal wedding present'' - Cameron and Clegg should sweep away the rules that shackle our head of state to the past - 12th April 2011
 * his back on the family is a betrayal David Cameron will regret'' - Some of the poorest children will lose out unless government plans are altered - 29th March 2011
 * must be as flexible at home as he is with foreign policy'' - The challenges facing the Prime Minister are linked by a common thread of legitimacy - 22nd March 2011
 * must live dangerously or Labour will suffer a lingering death'' - To dislodge Cameron from power, the Left needs fresh ideas and a vision of Britain's future - 15th March 2011
 * Miliband is right – Labour got it wrong on crime and its causes'' - The party’s leader has broken with the Blairite years in arguing that locking up more and more people doesn’t work - 8th March 2011
 * Libyans cannot be left to a terrible fate – David Cameron must act'' - If the West does not intervene, then we will be sanctioning Gaddafi's slaughter - 1st March 2011
 * no place in the Big Society for our forgotten older generation'' - David Cameron’s moral crusade must tackle the funding of care for the elderly - 15th February 2011
 * prisoners the vote and we undermine our democracy'' - A stand against the European Court ruling is an affront to traditions we hold sacred - 8th February 2011
 * Afghans need to be put to work – not to the sword'' - The jobless rate is far worse than that of Egypt – but the country is rich in natural resources - 1st February 2011
 * has to raise the stakes – and Balls is a very good bet'' - To make the party a winner, Ed Miliband has to embrace the dash of Blair’s early years - 25th January 2011
 * dangerous liaison for Cameron – an emerging Lib Lab pact'' - The relations between Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg – and their parties – are thawing rapidly - 17th January 2011
 * Miliband find an antidote to the politics of fear and loathing?'' - The blood spilt in Arizona is a grim reminder of what can happen when voters lose faith - 11th January 2011
 * bet on Ed Miliband being the high-flier who crashes to earth'' - The Labour leader has made a modest start – but Cameron and Clegg have problems too - 3rd January 2011
 * NHS warning signs that should horrify David Cameron'' - The PM will pay a heavy price if he presides over a meltdown in the health service - 20th December 2010
 * is changing and the monarchy must change with it'' - Last week's dreadful attack on the Prince of Wales is part of a wider shift in public attitudes - 14th December 2010
 * Miliband must make peace with the biggest beast of all'' - The Labour leader has forged clever alliances – now he must secure one with the British people - 23rd November 2010
 * in the fight on terror - but a devastating blow to freedom'' - The retention of control orders poses a lasting threat to justice and civil liberties - 16th November 2010
 * Duncan Smith: the man in chains who seeks to liberate the poor and needy'' - The Work and Pensions Secretary's mission to overhaul the welfare system is well-meant but flawed - 9th November 2010
 * coming housing crisis is bad news for everyone but the far Right'' - In the hard times ahead, it will be all too easy to blame migrants for a lack of jobs or homes - 2nd November 2010
 * must trade in a grand plan for a careful, watching brief'' - Labour's best bet is a painstaking examination of how the cuts will unpick our social fabric - 26th October 2010
 * should be bashing bankers not the young, poor and disabled'' - The ogres of want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness will stalk our land again - 12th October 2010
 * the patient strong enough to stomach George Osborne's medicine?'' - The nation will stand only so much remedial surgery under the Chancellor's knife - 5th October 2010
 * conference: Ed Miliband must prove that he has the 'cred' to go it alone'' - Firm leadership is required from Ed Miliband if he is to unite his party behind his victory - 28th September 2010
 * must prove that he has not sold his party's soul for power'' - Many Lib Dems fear that policies are being dumped in favour of expediency - 21st September 2010
 * Osborne's brutal cuts play right into the hands of the unions'' - So severe are the Coalition's plans that the most unlikely of people will seek refuge in the labour movement - 14th September 2010
 * if he loses the leadership battle, Ed Balls has the power to make or break Labour'' - He may not take the top job, but one contender has proven he should be respected – and feared - 7th September 2010
 * Milibattle won't save Labour – it's what comes next that counts'' - Whether David or Ed Miliband becomes leader, the party must move on from the bitter feuds that still haunt it - 31st August 2010
 * Clegg could become Labour’s unwilling kingmaker'' - The Milibands offer far more than a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee - 24th August 2010
 * new A-level results will prove that Britain is pulling itself apart'' - Deepening social divisions mean that this is no country for the poor but bright child - 17th August 2010
 * Cameron is storing up an obesity timebomb that will cost billions'' - School milk is safe, but the food industry has just been given carte blanche to continue to deceive the public - 9th August 2010
 * is the litmus test of society – and Labour's would-be leaders'' - Tories such as Crispin Blunt are rejecting Tony Blair's hard line on crime. Labour must be bold and do the same - 26th July 2010
 * will need more than jam and Jerusalem to create a Big Society'' - Labour lacks a coherent voice to oppose the Coalition's 'scorched earth' policies - 20th July 2010
 * must get its act together, but all we see is a travelling circus'' - The party has become irrelevant to the cuts debate and the AV vote will expose its divisions - 6th July 2010
 * prison system is a travesty – and a ruinous waste of money'' - Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, must unlock the gates to our overcrowded prisons - 29th June 2010
 * Riddell v Toby Young: Education debate'' - Telegraph Debate: "Half of schools fail to offer a good education according to inspection reports. Will Michael Gove's proposed school reforms improve the situation?" - 18th June 2010 (with Toby Young)
 * is a war Britain simply can't afford'' - Some bitter conflicts have a happy endingl. Afghanistan is not one of them - 15th June 2010
 * the pain begins, Labour must again become the people's party'' - Never before has the leadership of an Opposition party been so important to us all - 8th June 2010
 * needs to start at home for Laws of this world'' - The richest Cabinet in living memory is ill-suited to impose even tighter belts on the poor - 1st June 2010
 * government will offer little to help victims of the cuts'' - It's a new nation under the coaltion government – but be warned: the newly poor will need a voice - 25th May 2010
 * will Labour cope with the outbreak of peace?'' - Voters like the new politics, so the Opposition must be careful not to strike a sour note - 18th May 2010
 * coalition is in need of women'' - Is politics still a male sport - or might the new government encourage a more female friendly way of doing business - 14th May 2010
 * Brown offers his scalp to Nick Clegg'' - However uncertain Gordon Brown's temper and unspinnable his demeanour, he was prepared to stand by his word and put his party and his country first - 11th May 2010
 * Lib-Lab coalition is now the best hope for Labour – and for Britain'' - A centre Left alliance would better reflect the public mood than a Tory victory - 4th May 2010
 * should forget about coalition deals and pull itself together'' - The shine is coming off Nick Clegg - Labour still has everything to play for - 27th April 2010
 * has held up a mirror to Cameron's defects'' - the Lib Dem phenomenon might not last the week, but it has had a profound effect - 19th April 2010
 * dares will win - but can Gordon Brown rally his battered allies?'' - The Tories have made the better start, and the PM desperately needs a magical moment - 13th April 2010
 * Brown must now tell the voters why they deserve more of him'' - exposing Tory policies as so much flimflam is not enough to win people over - 6th April 2010
 * cupboard is bare, apart from three skeletons'' - Strikes, sleaze and Budget austerity may kill off Labour's last lingering hopes - 23rd March 2010
 * Election 2010: Gordon Brown needs to focus fast on what women really want'' - Gordon Brown's baring of his soul on TV and radio will not be enough to close the gender gap - 16th March 2010
 * proves vengeance doesn't work'' - The culture of retribution that followed the James Bulger murder has not stopped reoffenders - 9th March 2010
 * Brown survives the dance of death - now for a last waltz'' - To the amazement of many, the PM is making plans for a fourth term - 1st March 2010
 * bullying furore is a sideshow'' - Gordon Brown is flawed and prone to flying into rages, but he is not the monster of the weekend's caricatures - 23rd February 2010
 * is in tatters – and the best we can hope for is transparency'' - Reform of the voting system is a vital part of any political clean-up - 9th February 2010
 * grumpy old Gordon doesn't look such a lost cause'' - The PM is an unlikely trump card for his party - but Cameron should be wary - 2nd February 2010
 * crusades of "virtuous" Tony Blair have come back to haunt us all'' - The former PM wrote the mood music and devised policies that splintered our society - with tragic results - 26th January 2010
 * prisons are in crisis, but there is a get-out-of-jail-free card'' - The recession presents party leaders with a chance to break the cycle of despair - 19th January
 * Brown may have a team around him, but where are the policies?'' - Aspiration versus austerity is the latest gambit, but what does it mean - 12th January 2010
 * must focus on Sudan before it's too late'' - A Government ensnared in recession and mired in its own version of civil war has allowed Sudan’s tragedy to slide down its agenda - 8th January 2010
 * Mandelson could rescue Gordon Brown's leadership from Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt's challenge'' - The pair's invitation to hold a secret ballot on Labour leadership could hardly have come at a worse moment for the Prime Minister - 7th January 2010
 * Cameron’s lone-star strategy gives Gordon Brown a glimmer of hope'' - The election looks like being a battle between one man and the Labour machine - 5th January 2010
 * class war, Gordon, it’s civil war you should be worried about'' - Time is short for a prime minister who must rouse his party from torpor if it is to prevail - 29th December 2009
 * Gordon Brown wants to turn Britain into a giant branch of John Lewis'' - The idea of a business owned by its employees - or power to the people - will be a key theme in Labour's bid for a fourth term - 15th December 2009
 * of destiny looms for Alistair Darling and the robber barons of EC2'' - Taxing the best-off may raise relatively little, but it would send a signal beyond price - 8th December 2009
 * Brown the eco-warrior might swing the green vote his way'' - The Copenhagen summit is not only important for the planet - it could also shape politics at home - 1st December
 * Afghanistan hope starts here, down a dirt track on the edge of Taliban country'' - Most Britons may want an end to the war in Afghanistan, but we're making a difference - 24th November 2009
 * exactly, is Labour for if it can't take care of the elderly?'' - More and more older people - both rich and poor - are being stripped of their dignity - 17th November 2009
 * immigration speech needed solutions'' - Instead of promising fairer wages for 'locals' and incomers alike, Mr Brown preferred windy rhetoric about 'British values' - 13th November 2009
 * Brown should say the unsayable: immigration has been a boon'' - Who else will staff hospitals and care homes, pick potatoes and sweep streets - 10th November 2009
 * democracy depends on expenses clean-up'' - Where is the solid foundation on which a better form of politics might be built - 3rd November 2009
 * on the wane, and the EU is our only hope of influence'' - President Blair will be a price worth paying if he can transform Europe’s role - 27th October 2009
 * off the cancerous spread of the BNP is within our grasp'' - Only a shake-up of immigration and employment policies can stem the rise of the far Right - 20th October 2009
 * over MPs' expenses are not worth pursuing - they should pay up'' - The MPs' expenses scandal is the enduring symbol of a disengaged and untrusting Britain - 13th October 2009
 * us Mr Cameron – what sort of Britain do you want to lead?'' - The signs point to a punitive regime in which ancient liberties are cast aside - 6th October
 * blood, sweat and tears were not in vain'' - Gordon Brown's promise of a green tomorrow, of better schools and hospitals and of jobs for the young need costings to underpin them, but Labour’s battered heart is in the right place - 30th September 2009
 * it to be, Mr Brown: the kiss of death or a breath of hope?'' - The beleaguered PM deserves to win his fight for survival - 29th September 2009
 * us with your boldness Gordon Brown, you've nothing to lose'' - the Prime Minister's only chance is to transfer his international stature to the domestic stage - 22nd September 2009
 * Brown and David Cameron must learn how to cut with compassion'' - Public spending is to be reduced.The question is, who will carry it out with the least pain - 15th September 2009
 * the Nowhere Man, just can't let it be'' - With the whiff of panic in the air, Labour seems incapable of broadening its horizons - 8th September 2009
 * silence over the Lockerbie bomber shows why people mistrust him'' - For Gordon Brown to take advantage of the political situation, he needs the courage to speak out over the Lockerbie bomber - 1st September 2009
 * has for too long failed to heal the rifts in our society'' - the party should stop squabbling and look to its roots if it wants to win the next election - 11th August 2009
 * an unholy mess – people must be allowed to die as they wish'' - The DPP needs to be bold and brave as he writes the rules on assisted suicide - 4th August 2009
 * we listened to Harry Patch, we would not still be in Helmand'' - Our young soldiers are dying to prop up a corrupt government - 28th July 2009
 * must rescue the lost generation'' - A chasm has opened between the debt-burdened many and the gilded few - 21st July 2009
 * Our troops are giving their lives to safeguard a rigged election'' - Hamid Karzai's appalling and corrupt regime is the West's guilty little secret - 14th July 2009
 * Brown plays the ageing rocker, but can he turn back time?'' - The Prime Minister will live or die by the contents of yesterday's masterplan - 30th June 2009
 * Bercow is the new Speaker - now the real change must come'' - The squalid contest for the Speaker's chair showed how desperately we need to modernise our democracy - 23rd June 2009
 * is paying a high price for neglecting White Van Man'' - To have a chance of survival, Gordon Brown must remember those his party forgot - 16th June 2009
 * Brown: His enemies want him dead, but he is still Labour's only hope'' - The frightened and flawed Prime Minister must now regain control of his party - and the country - 9th June 2009
 * rides on into 'the valley of death''' - Labour might keep its leader – but then lose the will to live - 6th June 2009
 * Brown will fight to the death'' - The Prime Minister is implacable. Following the departure of Hazel Blears, this is now a contest of brute strength between him and those who want him gone - 4th June 2009
 * Smith’s departure will destabilise Gordon Brown'' - For the Prime Minister to lose one of his most favoured ministers, at a moment not of his choosing, is a double blow - 3rd June 2009
 * Labour Party has 48 hours to prove it is still a going concern'' - Gordon Brown can survive as Labour leader, but there might not be anyone left to lead - 2nd June 2009
 * expenses: Gordon Brown's best chance of survival is by being bold in his reforms'' - Actions will speak far louder than a clutch of celebrity MPs in the Commons - 26th May 2009
 * is not the time for a general election'' - Parliament and voters need time to calm down and to evaluate which shop-soiled MPs they want to lose and which new ones they should pick - 21st May 2009
 * need a new form of politics even more than a new Speaker'' - Michael Martin's disgraceful performance must not blind us to the chronic failure of our entire political system - 19th May 2009
 * a mission for peace that must not fail'' - The stakes could not be higher for next week's Middle East peace summit between Binyamin Netanyahu and President Obama - 15th May 2009
 * Brown can't shake off the MPs' expenses scandal when public life has sunk so low'' - Even now, as you ask around, there is barely a whiff of humility from our politicians - 12th May 2009
 * Brown is a better hope for Labour than any of his rivals'' - The lack of credible alternatives means Labour must stick with Gordon Bown - 5th May 2009
 * long last, a Robin Hood budget'' - With the City watching anxiously and the corpse of Prudence twitching in the corner of the Commons chamber, Alistair Darling finally soaked the rich - 23rd April 2009 (The Budget)
 * 2009: a manifesto for Labour's soul'' - The electoral clock is ticking for Gordon Brown and his hard-up Chancellor - 21st April 2009
 * Brown: Star of his own horror show''- The Downing Street email scandal has left Gordon Brown hideously exposed to enemies within his own party - 16th April 2009
 * society is indeed broken - but at the top, not the bottom'' - Ian Tomlinson's death was a tragic symptom of declining public standards - 9th April 2009
 * Brown's vision of global morality for the G20 is threatened by Westminster sleaze'' - Freeloading by MPs makes a grim contrast to Gordon Brown's lofty ambitions for a new ethical capitalism - 26th March 2009
 * glimmer of hope in the dark heart of Africa?'' - As the West attempts to strengthen the fragile peace in the region, Mary Riddell meets the leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda, an unholy alliance who may decide the fate of a continent - 23rd March 2009
 * the horrors of Stafford Hospital tell us about the ills of the NHS'' - An isolated disaster, a fatal case of bureaucracy, or a sign of the NHS's future? This scandal could be all three - 19th March 2009
 * Brown is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't'' - The Prime Minister's critics have already written him off. They do so at their peril - 5th March 2009
 * is not an excuse to declare war on our freedoms'' - In this climate, an authoritarian state that stamps on liberties is asking for disaster - 26th February 2009
 * must kick its nasty habit of investing in failure'' - The chasm between pay and achievement has never been starker - 12th February 2009
 * jobs for British workers' is the cry of our worst instincts'' - This week's strikes embodied some of the nastiest parts of the national character - 5th February 2009
 * John could save children from drugs and jail'' - Sending struggling youngsters to do hard voluntary work in developing countries can reap rich rewards - 1st February 2009
 * is the time to reform the House of Lords'' - The Upper House should become a fully elected chamber, and the sooner the better - 29th January 2009
 * Brown should try harder to inspire us in these hopeless times'' - He needn't dazzle us with words, he can actually do something to improve our lot - 22nd January 2009
 * Brown is in danger of building a slumdog generation'' - Slumdog Millionaire is not merely a fable of modern India. It also chimes with the British Government's latest crusade - 15th January 2009
 * humanity has failed us in Gaza'' - The West's failure to greet Israeli aggression with outright condemnation is shaming - 8th January 2009 (see: 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict)
 * biggest threat to our future in 2009 lies beyond our shores'' - The recession will hit hard on the home front, but Gordon Brown needs to act to prevent conflicts that could tear the world apart - 2nd January 2009
 * Republic of Congo: Again, Britain gets ready to do nothing in Africa'' - 20th December 2008
 * and street terror are now part of the fabric of national life'' - Rhys Jones's death shows that too many children are growing up to think human life is worthless - 18th December 2008
 * mothers need good childcare, not a witch-hunt'' - The choice is between world-class childcare now, or spending the money on failures further down the line - 11th December 2008
 * PC Plod the Black Rod treatment'' - A Bill of Rights would protect MPs - and ordinary citizens - from aggressive acts by the police and state - 4th December 2008
 * hopes Queen will lift heavy hearts'' - Her Majesty plans to be a figurehead for the nation during the impending recession - 27th November 2008
 * the country help Arron get a job?'' - Politics is now all about number crunching, but there is a human side to the calculations - 20th November 2008
 * Baby P was doomed to die'' - Care agencies have lost their sense of proportion over 'risk' - putting the most endangered in peril - 13th November 2008
 * Obama - but not too tight'' - The dawning of a new era offers the prime minister a chance to promote his global vision - 5th November 2008
 * Straw, our prison system is a disgrace'' - The Justice Secretary has promised stricter punishment, but it is a dangerous game - 30th October 2008
 * again feeds addiction to the rich'' - Labour should be horrified that the Business Secretary is part of the tacky world of the Eurotrash - 23rd October 2008
 * can save the world, but can he fix Britain?'' - The Prime Minister is back from the brink with a chance to start again. If he is to succeed, he will have to change and start listening to voters - 16th October 2008
 * Brown has only won a battle'' - The political tide is running in Brown's favour but the economic fallout is just beginning to hurt voters - 9th October 2008
 * leadership challenge seems a distant memory'' - Gordon Brown seemed to be finished but he has come into his own as a man suited to our grim times - 2nd October 2008
 * Brown's fightback hinges on ministers'' - 25th September 2008
 * has no better leader than Brown'' - In its desperation for a change of leader, Labour is ignoring the PM's strengths as a world class player - 18th September 2008
 * should wine and dine the elderly'' - Neglect of older people, of which the fuel cost row is just the latest example, isn't primarily a parable of human misery. It's a story of electoral folly - 11th September 2008
 * wouldn't make waves in US'' - First Obama and now McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, make our own front-benchers seem colourless and lacking the capacity to stir voters' hearts - 4th September 2008
 * is illiterate school-leavers'' - The inevitable row over today's A-level results will miss the point, we are not giving all our citizens a fine basic education - 14th August 2008

archive



News & updates:

 * Observer's Riddell moves to Telegraph - Mary Riddell is to leave the Observer to join the Daily Telegraph as an assistant editor and columnist - The Observer, 18th December 2007



References:
