Martin Ivens



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Full name: Martin Ivens

Area of interest: Politics

Journals: The Sunday Times

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Career: The Daily Telegraph; The Sunday Times: deputy editor Current position/role: political columnist (from Sept. 2007)


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Column remit: Politics

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Day published: Sunday

Regularity: weekly

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Articles: 2011

 * aren’t swayed by the media squall'' - Despite his recent good performance, Ed Miliband still has no guarantee that the voters will give him a hearing - 17th July
 * gambles that News is a paper tiger'' - Ed Miliband has been increasingly restive about the ways of new Labour and decided to throw the kitchen sink at Cameron, Murdoch and Brooks - 10th July
 * Brussels some Reagan swagger, PM'' - The PM won’t be bringing back lost powers from Europe anytime soon. Seen from No 10’s perspective, he is winning victory after victory - 3rd July
 * done tender; now try tough, Dave'' - Government U-turns may tempt some hardmen in the unions to undertake a trial of strength, which the prime minister must resist - 26th June
 * Ed Miliband who needs to U-turn now'' - Ed Miliband cannot hurt the coalition from the left. A Labour party appealing to the centre ground would be a more dangerous foe - 26th June
 * ahead, Dave - be yourself for once'' - In benign conditions Cameron has taken a year to get a grip on his political operation. He must now show a sense of purpose for the years to come - 12th June
 * an empire? At last we’ve got a role'' - Washington appreciates that London is more helpful to its global ambitions than other European nations — and the Brits are useful in a scrap - 29th May
 * up on crime, PM, or be punished'' - Law and order is traditionally the Conservatives' strongest card. Yet many voters think the prime minister has thrown it away - 22nd May
 * NHS needs a doctor, not a priest'' - Despite his religious convictions, the rational part of the prime minister’s brain also tells him the NHS could be improved - 15th May
 * sniff of fear and Huhne will strike'' - A leader with the right stuff avoids self-pity and gets straight back into the fray. This must be Nick Clegg's reaction to an electoral setback - 8th May
 * alternative — there will be blood'' - Prime minister David Cameron's decisive No to AV campaign has united his party but it comes at the cost of government unity - 1st May
 * Carta? Yes, she did die in vain'' - It would be ridiculous to completely overhaul our voting system simply because of a risible turnout and an absence of mind - 17th April
 * Clegg will have the last laugh'' - Even if the Lib Dems lose their AV referendum and go belly-up in 2015, the effort will still have been worth it for their leader - 10th April
 * Balls — on a mission to annoy'' - 'Annoying' Ed Balls may be an effective partner for Ed Miliband, but Labour is still missing the consensual politics of the Blairites - 3rd April
 * coalition sneaks to the left of Labour'' - The Cameroons started out as Thatcher’s children, but in practice the coalition operates to the left of Tony Blair - 27th March
 * steamroller starts its second lap'' - The chancellor's star is in the ascendancy, with respect on both sides of the aisle for his hawkish deficit stance and political skill - 20th March
 * everything but your soul, PM'' - It’s getting cold out there in a Darwinian, single-market world, but the PM should stay aloof from hawking weapons round the Middle East - 13th March
 * a no-fluff zone we need, Mr Cameron'' - Nobody called events in the Middle East and David Cameron’s inexperience is excusable, but now he must avoid falling into gesture politics - 6th March
 * must fight harder to kill off AV'' - If the Lib Dem leader wins the referendum, you’ll never get rid of him — Clegg will be the power broker in perpetual hung parliaments - 20th February
 * worse — dusty beak or trendy judge?'' - The best modern judges are an entirely different breed — at last Britain and Europe have caught up with the United States in judicial activism - 12th February
 * in the forest, Dave needs a guide'' - The Tories stood on a platform of fixing 'the broken society' and 'broken politics' — yet voters aren't sure these promises are being kept - 6th February - 6th February
 * cheer yet for revolution in Egypt'' - We may support those who long for democracy in Egypt, but it must not be forgotton that violent revolution ends in tragedy as often as not - 30th January
 * out, Miliband, that pitbull bites'' - The new duo must mount a prolonged charm offensive to woo the voters. Miliband can be charming; the danger is that Balls can only be offensive - 23rd January
 * Chinese tiger is toying with us now'' - That Oriental power is on the rise cannot be disputed. The question that remains is will the West watch impassively as the sun sets on its imperium? - 16th January



Articles: 2010

 * liberals should learn to love Rupert'' - Has the public interest been damaged by the likes of Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg? All have contributed to our quality of life - 26th December
 * the wrong hands human rights hurt'' - Three recent visitors, including Julian Assange, show what a curious place this country is — both admirable and awful - 19th December
 * makes a real party of the Lib Dems'' - It's not this week's tuition fee crisis that will be the ultimate test for the Lib Dems, it will be the next one and the one after that - 12th December
 * pull the wool over our eyes, Ed'' - With Ed preaching like a highminded liberal and Nick delivering a blast for social mobility, we are clearly entering an era of political cross-dressing - 28th November
 * for Miliband to show us the beef'' - New Labour, Ed told us, is dead. He must therefore decide what of the old new Labour legacy he wishes to ditch and what to retain - 21st November
 * the nurses, not rent-a-mob thugs'' - If government-imposed pain seems pointless or unfair it enrages more than just a rabble of anarchists: the voters become disaffected too - 14th November
 * us sunshine, Dave, and ditch GMT'' - The prime minister can help lead the country into the sunny uplands by abolishing the daylight saving time which makes our lives so much darker - 31st October
 * Fighting Man isn’t wanted here'' - Osborne’s cuts may provoke the unions into resistance but there’s no place for street fighting man here — he belongs in Paris or far away Athens - 24th October
 * BBC has fallen in with a rough crowd'' - Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general, has some bright young men around him, but no wise old bird to warn him where the dangers lie - 17th October
 * not mean must be the Tory mantra'' - The government has to deliver the message that the party is over, just as it was in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher came to power - 10th October
 * to put gloating Tories back to work'' - Tory high command must stop gloating about Ed Miliband and start getting its message across, starting at this week's party conference - 3rd October
 * Labour be dead with Red Ed?'' - Ed Miliband used an effective strategy of appeasing his party to defeat his brother and win the Labour leadership - 26th September
 * have the Romans ever done for us, Nick?'' - If you were Clegg, which would you choose: the deputy prime ministership or a few more years of virtuous impotence? - 19th September
 * Britain in his father’s image'' - David Cameron's belief in the big society emanates from his father’s fundamental faith in human nature coming good in adversity - 11th September
 * university education matter?'' - In most countries it is an article of faith that growth is promoted by an ever-expanding university sector. Where's the evidence? - 22nd August
 * lessons for Labour’s fantasists'' - The value of Mandelson's memoirs lie in their exposure of the fact that the Labour party is still held in thrall by Gordon Brown's fictions - 18th July
 * minister – we’re still not fit for purpose'' - Unless Gove quickly gets rid of the officials responsible for his discomfiture, it will be his head on the block next time - 11th July
 * and Nick bet the house — again'' - David Cameron and Nick Clegg are testing the very foundations of their nascent coalition by calling an early referendum on alternative voting - 4th July
 * lads fight to be twice as nice'' - Niceness is a weapon of war in politics. Niceness kills. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove also wield it ruthlessly - 6th June
 * Lib-Con linchpin felled by human folly'' One of the chief arguments against coalition deals is that they put fixes made behind closed doors ahead of public opinion - 30th May
 * or Tory, Dave’s on the winning side'' - A Liberal Conservative accepts that all classes must make sacrifices. A wise Conservative leader also looks to his backbenchers - 23rd May
 * a dirty deal, so it might just work'' - If Cameron and Clegg present themselves as Paul Newman and Robert Redford, then Vince and George are Matthau and Lemmon - 16th May
 * can dance – but to whose tune?'' - The Lib Dems face an unenviable choice: Their hearts tell them to deal with Labour, but their heads say Conservative - 9th May
 * on – it’s going to be bumpy'' - An answer to the election prophecy: whoever wins this election loses. The fate of our leaders is in the balance, but so is ours - 2nd May
 * the thorn in everybody’s side'' - Polls suggest the anti-Establishment, anti-Westminster tide has not run its course. Clegg is the telegenic beneficiary - 25th April
 * more honest: voters or politicians?'' - David Cameron has converted from fiscal Scrooge to Santa. Why the change back to sunny Dave? - 11th April
 * it simple and you’ll win, George'' - Osborne has to bang home a message that Labour governments leave economic messes that Tory ones have to clear up - 28th March
 * unions ride to Cameron’s rescue'' - Labour's paymasters, the trade unions, are back to fomenting strikes as if this were the Britain of 40 years ago - 21st March
 * to life under Nick Clegg'' - Tory failure to capitalise on Brown’s economic Dunkirk means the claims of Nick Clegg, leader of the Lib Dems, can no longer be laughed at - 14th March
 * worse than a crime, a mistake'' - If the state really feels the need to bestow honours, only people who pay British taxes in full should get them - 7th March
 * can be safe without torturing'' - Unlike many liberals, I won’t pretend that torture can’t sometimes work. However, it is morally wrong at all times - 14th February
 * if you want to – they do'' - Peter Mandelson's recent boast on economic growth strategy was the equivalent of the Pope converting to atheism - 7th February
 * guile needed in the Afghan game'' - We must support the Afghan army. Yet a military solution without a political solution is not feasible in the long term either - 24th January
 * slip-ups now for Banana Man'' - David Miliband’s mistake was his earlier tentative threat to challenge Brown that haunts him. Since then he has been recovering ground - 10th January



Articles: 2009

 * word in defence of phoney Tony'' - We may remember Mr Blair as the man who invented a modernised socialism with a human face - 20th December
 * talked tough, now let’s have hope'' - All that work Tony Blair put in to convince the aspiring middle classes that Labour was their friend appears to have been abandoned - 13th December
 * hung parliament won’t stop the cuts'' - Most people are betting on Labour losing, but that doesn’t automatically mean the Tories will win convincingly - 6th December
 * tactical Blond moment'' - The Conservative leader is genuinely anxious to counter Labour’s charge that he leads a gang of hard-faced Thatcherites - 29th November
 * bets on two sure-fire losers'' - Labour and Europe look united on one thing: neither is prepared to take itself seriously - 22nd November
 * scares Gordon Brown more than laughter'' - A Roman emperor once said: "I don’t mind if they hate me as long as they fear me." No 10 fears ridicule most of all - 15th November
 * to Cameron: no more promises'' - If he takes office Cameron will find he’s never had it so bad. He would be wise to keep his commitments to a minimum accordingly - 8th November
 * BNP won’t go away if we ignore it'' - Exposure to the full glare of publicity shows the shallowness of the party’s talent and its bizarre policies - 18th October
 * biggest gamble is to back Gordon'' - The prime minister's conference speech avoided all talk of debt, deficit and cuts and he forsees green economic shoots - 11th October
 * no chump – victory isn’t certain'' - David Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne need to convey a one-word message to the electorate — 'ready' - 4th October
 * Mandy push Brown off the cliff?'' - The stigma of finishing off his old friend and enemy would be too great. Yet customs change - 27th September
 * BBC must swallow its pride'' - You know things are really bad when they have to wheel out dear David Attenborough to remind us how much we once loved the BBC - 20th September
 * second act for bumbling Brown'' - Faced with the Lockerbie affair and the Afghanistan campaign, Brown has ducked and dived - 13th September
 * that iron fist out now, Cameron'' - Every polling group says Gordon Brown's government is as unpopular as John Major’s was the year before his defeat in 1997 - 2nd August
 * the bitter pills, Dr Cameron'' - If you take the long view, Cameron’s performance is really quite impressive for a Conservative opposition leader - 26th July
 * undying flame of Labour's love triangle'' - Mandelson is clearly relishing his recall to power. He is the last prop holding up this government - 19th July
 * free press needs no new guardians'' - For many Labour MPs, The Guardian’s allegations against Andy Coulson, the Tory communications chief, came as welcome relief - 12th July
 * relaunch is already sinking'' - Why should the rich alone have choice in schools, health treatment and the provision of public services? - 5th July
 * shrivels under Brown'' - The recession is intensifying the squeeze on already hard-stretched armed services, particularly the army - 28th June
 * be fooled by Gordon’s Newspeak'' - Every independent authority tells PM he’s living in cloud-cuckoo-land: debts must be repaid or taxes will have to rise - 21st June
 * invest, you freeze, he or she cuts jobs'' - Whitehall is still luxuriating in the equivalent of a five-star hotel in Saint-Tropez - 14th June
 * friends like Gordon Brown...'' - This government is neither dead nor alive: like Count Dracula it is undead. It exists for no other purpose than Brown’s survival - 7th June
 * on chopping but don’t lose your head'' - Local parties should clear out tainted incumbents rather than wait for the loony tunes to unseat them - 24th May
 * is no time for a nervous Nellie'' - It is Gordon Brown’s duty to get a grip before the moral authority of this parliament and his government withers and dies - 17th May
 * Labour is dead. Hail no-clue Labour'' - Neither party admits shrinking the state is the new politics - 26th April
 * spender Brown vs Scrooge nation'' - How much difference will the PM's performance at the G20 summit make to how we vote next year? - 5th April
 * tries to halt a ticking time-bomb'' - The Middle East will have more bearing on whether his presidency is accounted a success than this talking shop - 29th March
 * could take a tip from Tarzan'' - Cameron could do a lot worse than seek some advice from the original Tory action man - 22nd March
 * schools need a tough reformer'' - Can Ed Balls make a difference, or is his department just a staging post on the way to the top or the knacker's yard? - 15th March
 * to yearn for even darker days'' - Forgive me for thinking that globalisation has dragged hundreds of millions out of poverty - 8th March
 * it, guys, you both got it wrong'' - Alan Greenspan has re-examined his beliefs in the light of experience, but have our own parties? - 1st March
 * Make the masters of the universe grovel - As the recession threatens to turn into a worldwide great depression, heroes are hard to find - 8th February 2009
 * Dirty deals bring an end to the peer show - Life really does begin at 60 if you are a member of the House of Lords - 1st February 2009
 * Was this the week Gordon Brown lost the election? - Blue Monday more than lived up to its billing last week - 25th January 2009
 * Ken Clarke returns to the Tory soap opera - When a successful American sitcom runs for a third or fourth series, inspiration often flags - 18th January 2009



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