Martin Kettle



Profile:
Full name: Martin James Kettle

Area of interest: British, European and American politics, media, law, classical music

Journals: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:martin.kettle@guardian.co.uk martin.kettle@guardian.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: Guardian.co / Martin Kettle

Blog: Comment is free...; the blog arts & enertainment

Representation:

Networks:



Biography:
About:

Education: Leeds Modern School; Balliol College, Oxford University: modern history

Career: National Council for Civil Liberties: research officer, 1973/1977; New Society: home affairs correspondent, 1977/1981; Sunday Times: political correspondent, 1981/1984; Guardian (1984): Washington correspondent, columnist, classical music critic, political leader writer 1984/1988 & 1993/1997, (appointed an assistant editor of the paper, 1994), Europe editor and US bureau chief 1997/2001, chief leader writer 2001/2006

Current position/role: Columnist and assistant editor


 * also writes 'performance notes' classical music column for Prospect magazine

Other roles: Classical music reviewer

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

TV/Radio:

Video: Extensive TV and Radio broadcasting, including British TV and radio, CNN, US TV, International TV, New Zealand TV and radio
 * Martin Kettle on Sir Menzies Campbell Guardian Unlimited, 18th September 2007 (video)

Controversy/Criticism: New Statesman: John Pilger kebabs the Tonier-than-thou club 7th March 2005

Awards/Honours:

Other: Son of prominent communist activists Arnold Kettle and Margot Kettle



Books & Debate:

 * Policing the police OCLC4942624, with Peter Hain et al, 1979
 * Uprising!: police, the people and the riots in Britain's cities OCLC9031351, with Lucy Hodges, 1982
 * Guardian guide to Europe - (ed) ISBN 1-85702-119-3, 1993
 * The single currency: should Britain join? OCLC59613141, 1997

Latest work: The Bedside "Guardian" OCLC 246905906, 2008

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Guardian
Column name:

Remit/Info: British, European and American politics and national issues

Section: Comment

Role: Columnist / assistant editor

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:martin.kettle@guardian.co.uk martin.kettle@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Martin Kettle

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Friday (since July 4th 2008), previously Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:


 * also contributes to Comment is free... blog



Articles: 2011
The conference season – dominated by lobbyists and media and devoid of any debate – has long outlived its purpose - 7th October
 * These demeaning rituals are a waste political parties can ill afford -
 * Ed Miliband has offered an alternative – but will anyone vote for it? - Miliband's indisputable leftward shift has put Labour at ease with itself but risks making the party less relevant than ever - 30th September
 * While Labour remains in denial, it will be stuck in a dark alley - Both right and left of the party refuse to own up to its economic record. This places them off the high street in voters' minds - 23rd September
 * Dems' illusions are gone. Now they need imagination'' - The party members who believe in social justice have to look at the reality of the cuts agenda and find a way out of coalition - 16th September
 * the one about the corrupt, lying politician?'' - Today's satire is deeply cynical, depicting British politics as a nest of fools. It may make us laugh, but its impact is not funny - 26th August
 * voters are not mad. Our stereotype of them is patronising and wrong'' - We shouldn't get carried away by media coverage of the Tea Party. Many Americans are put off by the Christian right - 19th August
 * must talk to the rioters, not turn our backs on them'' - To seek an explanation is not to excuse them, yet the rioters know better than all of us why they acted as they did - 12th August
 * MI5's records on my father tell us about the uses of surveillance'' - I'd like to believe the security service have got better at sorting out the public from the private, the lethal from the harmless - 27th July
 * Wagner was no ranter'' - It is banal to suggest his music promotes antisemitism, but the Israel Chamber Orchestra's Bayreuth performance matters - 26th July
 * took some time to unravel. The phone-hacking scandal could too'' - David Cameron's poll ratings show he's having a good hacking crisis. But his insouciance may prove to be his downfall - 22nd July
 * reckless gesture is Cameron's historic chance'' - Murdoch still dominates but is weakened. The PM can show the strength of his liberal Toryism by stopping the BSkyB deal - 8th July
 * strikes could become the coalition's Iraq moment'' - David Cameron owns this dispute. If he's not careful, he might end up irreversibly alienating the public - 1st July
 * Schengen, Nato – it's time to admit the European dream is over'' - As its leaders meet to grapple with the Greek crisis, the airwaves are full of existential debates about the future of the EU itself - 24th June
 * Cameron has just learned that he can't defy eternal truths'' - The Conservative brand is not yet decontaminated. The prime minister realises the party can't be seen as an enemy of the NHS - 17th June
 * Clegg's House of Lords reform is folly. Abolition would be a better option'' - The Lib Dem leader's plan is noble yet naive; against his party's interests and destined to fail. But do we need a second chamber anyway? - 3rd June
 * argue for controls over the internet may not be cool, but it's right'' - Downing Street should not be so quick to dismiss Sarkozy's plan to regulate the internet. Its problems require global solutions - 27th May
 * outsider like Peter Mandelson could be perfect for the IMF'' - In a world of debt crises and bailouts, a European successor to Strauss-Kahn is seen as essential. But the appointment should be transparent - 20th May
 * Tory attack on red tape will cause a clearout of good law'' - The Tories' seemingly innocuous, populist tilt at bureaucracy is a red-meat onslaught on essential, hard-won legislation - 13th May
 * Clegg's pain offers new hope for centre-left harmony'' - Tonight's AV results will feel very raw for the Lib Dems, but could open the way for progressive parties to re-engage - 6th May
 * yes to AV if you want to see Tories feel the fear again'' - But if you're happy to see Labour prime ministers snubbed by the royals and taunted by Cameron, go for the status quo - 29th April
 * hatred of Clegg says more about us than it does about him'' - The collective bullying of the Lib Dem leader is bad for our democracy. Is it just a reaction to the end of the honeymoon? - 22nd April
 * banks needed Scarman's cold eye, but Vickers blinked'' - The report on the riots 30 years ago changed police. Today's Vickers commission on banking makes proposals to fit our timorous times - 15th April
 * will tell if Lib Dems face just disaster – or oblivion'' - Scottish and Welsh elections are fought on different issues, yet the coalition partners are losing their long-standing voters fast - 8th April
 * yes to AV could make the Green party a force to reckon with'' - The German greens' astonishing result in Baden-Württemberg hints at eventual breakthrough for Caroline Lucas and co - 1st April
 * budget speech was like a Brown tribute album'' - In terms of ideology and economics the two chancellors are deeply opposed, but their political moves are eerily similar - 25th March
 * 2011: Guardian columnists' verdict'' - 24th March
 * left should look to the laws of physics to overcome this losing streak'' - Maybe David Miliband was watching Brian Cox. But he has shown Europe's progressive parties how to become electable again - 11th March
 * win the next election, just find the next big question'' - The parties should think now about what the voters will be asking for in 2015. And it won't all be about the current cuts - 4th March
 * evil? Our certainties of 1865 give us pause today'' - The Guardian's stance on the US civil war was of its era. Those who now wish to intervene abroad can't foretell the future either - 25th February
 * hostility to politics will deliver a yes to AV'' - The mood is for change: people hate the system and believe in fairness. The May vote will have lasting consequences for British politics - 18th February
 * failure to curb banks is a failure of government itself'' - The coalition flunked its most important challenge this week, just as Labour once did. The public deserves better - 11th February
 * Egyptians want change, then they should have it'' - It is a risk, and could destabilise the country and the region, but who are Mubarak or the west to deny it to them? - 4th February
 * election: this will be Ireland's chance to move on from 1921'' - Ireland's ruling coalition has imploded, and the imminent vote could mark the historic downfall of Fianna Fáil - 28th January
 * deny prisoners the vote?'' - The reluctance to let prisoners vote is a hangover from the age of John Locke – a view of rights that sees the vote as a privilege - 21st January
 * recent history may be about to repeat itself'' - Ed Balls will frighten the Tories – but he may also frighten the voters. And Ed Miliband has good reason to fear him, too - 21st January
 * Lib Dems will gain strength through weakness'' - In coalition small parties are offered concessions. And in the modern world of fairness and volatility, they can thrive - 14th January
 * it, Ed: Labour and the Lib Dems need each other'' - Despite the current intense bitterness, the parties of the progressive movement may yet learn to work together - 7th January



Articles: 2010

 * Harold Macmillan could teach David Cameron'' - In a 1980 private memo to Thatcher, the former PM warned against divisive politics. The coalition must take note - 31st December
 * Cable's debacle is a clause IV opportunity for David Cameron'' - Rupert Murdoch's takeover of BSkyB a shoo-in? Not if Cameron shows he is radically different to his Thatcherite predecessors - 24th December
 * credit rating agencies are leading an assault on nations and peoples'' - Moody's, S&P's, Fitch: they are unelected, unaccountable and have hugely inflated powers. We must curb them - 17th December
 * fees vote: For the coalition, this is the end of the beginning'' - The vote was won, but divisions and wounds have been exposed in the most public way. Things will never be the same - 10th December
 * Openness against secrecy has a rich history of struggle'' - A needless war, a distrust of governments and diplomats, and a desire for greater transparency – we've been here before - 3rd December
 * Cameron's wellbeing is seats on trains, affording a ticket comes first'' - Cameron is right to talk about our quality of life. But as commuters know, carriages don't feel comfy when money worries bite - 26th November
 * 60 years, Nato kept the peace in Europe. What now?'' - The alliance now has few common objectives, and bows to a US agenda. Europe must make a stand to keep it relevant - 19th November
 * reform: Stop hoping for the worst and give Duncan Smith a chance'' - Iain Duncan Smith's welfare reforms may not be as exciting as those of Beveridge, but their aims are just as profound - 12th November
 * Johnson could be the Sarah Palin of a British Tea Party'' - A low-tax anti-European group taking on a corrupt Westminster elite could repeat the US experience – with the right leader - 5th November
 * Turkey's EU accession bid is going nowhere soon'' - As a weak Europe frets over Turkey's membership, the booming south-eastern nation is increasingly thinking: why bother? - 29th October
 * clever by half, Osborne put his message before facts'' - This isn't Thatcher 2.0. Yet the chancellor is looking careless over the outcome his measures will have on real lives - 22nd October
 * no tears for Liverpool: our football needs deflating'' - Bill Shankly was wrong. This unimportant game is an insatiable monster. Financial collapse would get it back in perspective - 15th October
 * government isn't foolish: there's a plan B in the offing'' - Lord Hutton's pensions report demonstrates that if the opposition adopts a principled approach the coalition can compromise - 8th October
 * coalition is far stronger than Labour optimists think'' - The Tories and Lib Dems are braced for short-term damage, but Cameron is popular and public trust is largely undiminished - 1st October
 * speech the new Labour leader must deliver'' - The party must rekindle the sense that it knows what it fights for – but be ready for coalition - 24th September
 * Blair absorbs me, Mahler's chord ousts him every time'' - That opening A of the composer's stunning first symphony, to be played at the Proms tomorrow night, still touches more than words - 3rd September
 * Labour party faces a choice of either politics or religion'' - Both Milibands offer a social democratic critique of New Labour. But one aims at a majority, the other at the core vote - 27th August
 * in the Anglosphere, we've lost sight of next door'' - It's great the internet has engaged us in Australian elections and Alaska, but language has cut Europe from our mental maps - 20th August
 * late, great Jimmy Reid left a legacy for our times'' - Both workers and bosses could learn from how the late, great trade unionist directed his shipbuilders in an hour of crisis - 13th August
 * clear, Labour is playing fast and loose on AV reform'' - A policy put forward in its manifesto just three months ago has been spiked by a spasm of hatred of all things Clegg - 29th July
 * genuine sporting king in a world of unworthy princes'' - Amid the overpaid egos and brats of global sport, Muttiah Muralitharan's successes and humility make him a true legend - 23rd July
 * man of grace. Cameron has been good for Britain'' - From Bloody Sunday to the international stage, the prime minister has charmed his friends and disarmed his opponents - 9th July
 * tough lesson: Labour may never win alone again'' - Across Europe, centre-left parties are suffering at the polls. Returning to power will mean having to alter and compromise - 2nd July
 * reason cannot calm the Groucho Marxist right'' - The BP disaster is just the latest crisis that has seen this consensus-seeking president rebuffed by the worst of partisan politics - 18th June
 * tough new era can't start by dodging tough questions'' - As long as all parties fail to speak frankly about the economic crisis, few long-term, balanced solutions will be found - 11th June
 * no common culture, a common history is elusive'' - Gove may find, as others did, that Britain lacks the national narrative to forge consensus on the history taught in schools - 4th June
 * will be tempted. But this is no way to break the coalition'' - Labour will soon face a historic choice on the electoral reform vote. Their wisest strategy is to back the yes campaign - 27th May
 * it survives early tests, this coalition could outlive the decade'' - In a mirror image of Blair's efforts, Cameron is set on marginalising the right, as part of a bold attempt to redraw the political map - 21st May
 * rule: but liberal Tories with a New Labour legacy'' - The bold risk Cameron and Clegg took means that instead of a lurch to the right, this regime will keep vying for the centre - 14th May
 * results: Britain is more Cameronian than Conservative'' - This is a moment of existential crisis for the centre-left – Labour needs to relearn the lessons of 1983 - 7th May (Cif at the polls)
 * the Conservatives steal this election?'' - Even if he can command only a minority government, David Cameron will tear up the constitution to block a Lib-Lab pact - 6th May
 * 2010: Conservatives – not just for England'' - The overnight: David Cameron's visits to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales aim to portray the Tories as a truly national UK-wide party - 5th May
 * debate: David Cameron faced the most important job interview of his life tonight. I think he passed'' - Cleggmania and post-bigotgate Brown were sideshows. What really mattered was how Cameron performed - 30th April 2010
 * Balls as leader would be a gift to Cameron'' - The Tories are foolish to want to remove Ed Balls from parliament. He could be their greatest asset - 28th April
 * will lead the opposition?'' - A hung parliament doesn't just change the nature of government – it changes almost everything about the workings of parliament - 27th April
 * is incapable of removing Gordon Brown'' - The overnight: So senior Labour figures are preparing to oust the PM and do a deal with Clegg? Get real - 26th April
 * Clegg held on in a gripping debate. This will go to the wire'' - David Cameron and Gordon Brown both went up a gear – but Nick Clegg impressively kept the Lib Dems in the hunt - 23rd April
 * latest poll would deliver an outrageous election result'' - The Liberal Democrat surge could yet unleash an intractable political and constitutional crisis for Britain - 17th April
 * asleep to Lib Dem threat'' - The party's strategists might be relaxed, but these jaw-dropping poll results say it all: Labour could be facing a fight for survival - 16th April
 * was the winner in this historic leaders' debate'' - Cameron disappointed, Brown held the line. But the Lib Dem success will put them in the crosshairs. This election has come alive - 16th April
 * 2010: The building of David Cameron's big society'' - Day eight: There's a lot I like in Cameron's idea, but Tory manifesto tactics have left rich pickings for the Lib Dems - 14th April
 * 2010: Labour manifesto v expenses row'' - Day seven: Labour fought a frantic battle to keep its manifesto launch atop the news list. Can it now derail the Tories' launch? - 13th April (Cif at the polls)
 * 2010: Gordon Brown hunkers down'' -Day six: Labour released its first party election broadcast, featuring a man plodding uphill alone - 12th April
 * bly-win-wasnt-gordon-brownBrown is hoist by his own petard, but cannot admit it - The original architect of the hands-off approach, post-crash, extols hands back on, when all voters want is contrition - 9th April )
 * 2010: Back to the future taxes'' - Day two: Gordon Brown's promises of constitutional reform were buried by the row over national insurance - 8th April
 * 2010: You're never alone with Gordon Brown'' - On day one it became clear how anxious Labour are to surround the PM with friends, allies and Sarah - 7th April
 * big society is bound to become mean'' - Blair is right to ask where the Tories are centred. Even Cameron's bold, warm vision cannot defy his party's gravity - 2nd April
 * peerages for MPs stink. Now the reek is intolerable'' - As the likes of Hewitt and Hoon expect a free pass to the Lords, attacking this cosy Whitehall club has ever more urgency - 26th March
 * budget could point the way for Britain's renewal'' - No party has created a vision for post-banking-crisis capitalism. Next week the chancellor, now his own master, can do so - 19th March
 * and voters are all colluding in this financial deception'' - We face a huge deficit. But honesty about cuts is losing out to party self-interest and a fog of fatuous euphemisms - 5th March
 * Cameron muddles in the middle'' - The Conservative leader needs to hone his message and get specific, otherwise voters will have no reason to trust him - 1st March
 * Farage's rampage of rudeness'' - The Ukip MEP is desperately trying to get noticed, and some have risen to his bait - 26th February
 * coalition ruling is one more nail in Labour's coffin'' - Brown should learn from Ted Heath's hard lessons. A hung parliament cannot resurrect a defeated government -19th February
 * time to shout down the bobbies-on-the-beat mantra'' - For 20 years Britain's two main parties have used police numbers as a vote-getter. But where's the evidence of public good? - 12th February
 * and Jack's carry on'' - I respect Harriet Harman and her husband Jack Dromey, but for him to be gifted a safe Labour seat would look – and be – terrible - 11th February
 * heart refuses to race to this cross-Channel love-in'' - Logically, allied Britain and France should tie the military knot and stand as one. Only 900 years of enmity stand in the way - 5th February
 * real problem was Blair's policy to America, not Iraq'' - He was not wrong about intervention. It was his political judgment that went badly awry. If only this was Chilcot's focus - 29th January (see: Iraq war inquiry: summary)
 * missing witnesses'' - Without evidence from witnesses such as Tory MPs, Bush officials, Chirac and Blix, our view of Iraq will remain partial - 26th January
 * jobless stats won't save Labour'' - Ministers may feel they are due some credit for the drop in unemployment figures – but most voters remain unimpressed - 22nd January
 * and tax divide Labour, but could sink the Tories too'' - The spending plans to be outlined in the budget, and Osborne's response, will be the critical pre-election moment - 22nd January
 * Dems eye the battle over cuts'' - Brown and Balls may still want to spend us out of recession, but Nick Clegg sees that the debate is shifting to how to make cuts - 18th January
 * must call a truce on its criminal justice arms race'' - If imprisonment is the measure, Britain is twice as wicked as 30 years ago. We have become the Texas of Europe - 15th January
 * Clegg capitalises on Iraq issue'' - The Lib Dems are pleased to have the invasion back on the agenda – no matter what Gordon Brown does about Chilcot - 13th January
 * Brown's pantomime of unity'' - Tonight the PM will offer Labour MPs a display of 'collegiate leadership' that not even his cabinet ministers believe - 12th January
 * defeat of this revolt is hardly any victory at all'' - Only a lack of planning in the plot saved the PM. Yet a newly confident cabinet may, with skill and luck, boost his party's fortunes - 8th January
 * and Hoon's great gamble'' - Whether this challenge to Gordon Brown's leadership succeeds or fails, the stakes for Labour are now frighteningly high - 6th January
 * Labour into holding byelection'' - Invoking a 'six-month rule' to deprive NW Leicestershire of an MP is a nakedly self-serving act. Labour mustn't get away with it - 4th January
 * a Labour-Tory coalition unthinkable? Only until you think about it'' - Seeing Britain's problems through the prism of a hung parliament could convince the Tories and Labour to do the deal - 1st January



Articles: 2009

 * even Cameron can control the politics of anger'' - The next election will take place amid a mood of public hostility to government that is near revolutionary in its force - 18th December
 * March election? Go for it, Gordon'' - The country seems ready to go to the polls. It may not make a difference to the result, but Brown has no good reason to hold on - 15th December
 * should beware the lazy cry of betrayal'' - In his Oslo speech, Obama showed that he understands politics is a messier, more nuanced business than many like to imagine - 11th December
 * the pre-budget report'' - This avowedly political event is a New Labour invention we don't need. At the very least, its date should be independently set - 8th December
 * Labour's class war calls bankers' bluff, bring it on'' - It is more Lennon than Lenin, but this new approach demanding morality for the financial sector could hit home - 4th December
 * this Iraq memo really so explosive?'' - Legality is partly a matter of dates, and a 'smoking gun' legal note was written before the key UN security council resolution - 1st November (see: Iraq war enquirt: summary)
 * parliaments are only good for whips and scribblers'' - They can enliven politics and force leaders to think twice. But they are rare and a recipe for factions rather than consensus - 27th November
 * imperfect, but let's all cheer Van Rompuy's victory'' - The dystopic European vision peddled by the Tories, the media et al has been shown to be a malicious fantasy - 20th November
 * is right: he is odds on to emulate John Major'' - Major's victory in 1992 is the precedent Labour likes to talk about. But it's his defeat five years later that should concern them - 20th November
 * speech: too much politics?'' - The Queen's speech should be judged not on its emphasis on electoral goals, but on whether it embodies smart politics - 19th November
 * it ain't. Salmond's army like the taste of office'' - Most Scots don't share the goal of independence – and the SNP won't risk throwing away power on a battle it is likely to lose - 16th October
 * should call time on payback'' - The expenses system has been a disaster – including for Gordon Brown. But Legg's letters demanding repayment stink - 13th October
 * and dangerous, Cameron's speech could unseal the deal'' - Conference season 09: Here was a revelatory political moment, raising a massive question about the Conservative leader's claims to run the country - 9th October
 * Osborne's speech did the business'' - It was a good morning's work for George Osborne, as he set out what a Conservative government would do to fix the economy - 6th October
 * strange survival of Labour England'' - Talk of Labour's demise is premature – it might not be re-elected, but it's had a good conference and still has its supporters - 2nd October
 * Tories' Eurosceptic toxicity could leave Britain stranded'' - Clearly, Cameron should mould himself on Merkel. But he is a prisoner of his own views and of an ideologically phobic party - 2nd October
 * minor miracle'' - Germany has given Angela Merkel a vote of confidence in moderate pro-business politics. Cold comfort for Gordon Brown - 28th September
 * beware'' - Conference season 09: The Labour election strategy is becoming clear - to capitalise on the rage against the banks - 28th September
 * of a revival is fantasy. With Brown, Labour is toast'' - To limit the damage to mere defeat at the next election, the Labour party must shine at conference – and then ditch Gordon Brown - 25th September
 * Clegg comes of age'' - The Lib Dems are still far from making three-party politics a reality, but this conference speech had brio and conviction - 23rd September
 * party conferences are the enemy of the new politics'' - Party conferences should be forums for innovation and lively debate, not bland, tightly controlled festivals of backslapping - 18th September
 * Wales: a land lost to Labour - A political earthquake is about to hit Wales, with the Tories set to become the dominant party - 16th September
 * Peter's whimsy'' - Speaking on cuts, Peter Mandelson showed that he, not Brown, is really running government. But will it make any difference? - 15th September
 * biggest problem for the Liberal Democrats is illiberal Britain'' - From the economy to climate change the party has often been right, yet a breakthrough in the polls remains a dream - 11th September
 * Brown's Afghanistan speech didn't say'' - Gordon Brown put his case well – but he must now decide whether to please his generals and send more troops - 5th September
 * October revolt is plotted. Brown's head is not safe yet'' - Loyalty will last as long as conference season, but if the polls don't improve Labour's leader may face one more coup attempt - 4th September
 * absurd Megrahi conspiracy theorists'' - The facts of the UK government's role in the Lockerbie bomber's release are simple – it had its hands tied by a lack of jurisdiction - 2nd September (see: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi)
 * golden age of wise, dull government is a fanciful idea'' - Some, like Ted Kennedy, go into politics and then grow up. But it's not true, in the US or UK, that most grow up and then go into politics - 28th August
 * Brown is silent on Megrahi'' - The PM's 'no comment' stance over the Lockerbie bomber's release shows a man who's lost the nerve to lead - 24th August
 * just not cricket as I remember it'' - The Ashes victory would once have been cheered by a better, more diverse crowd than today's pre-booked bunch - 24th August
 * should take more notice of this woman at the top'' - Brown should drop his Obama pretensions and look to Germany for his inspiration. Angela Merkel has got a lot right - 21st August
 * in the Tory ranks'' - Cameron's firefighting this week shows that indiscretion, sleaze and resurgent Thatcherism will haunt his project, but won't halt it - 15th August
 * can trust Handel. He is music's great communicator'' - This revival bears witness to his desire to please and elevate the audience. Where is that impulse in composers today? -14th August
 * causes a stir'' - George Osborne's Demos speech made an arresting, tactical claim that the Tories – not Labour – are the progressive force - 12th August
 * took 142 years, but at last Bagehot has got his way'' - The birth of the supreme court is not just for show. The removal of judges from parliament is a victory for liberty and law - 31st July
 * rewrites history, again'' - Gordon Brown could not simply mark the death of Harry Patch, he had to pretend the first world war was something it wasn't - 28th July
 * and fatalistic, they stumble into summer'' - Brown drags Labour down badly, as Norwich North is likely to show. It says it all that MPs know this and still do nothing - 24th July
 * the Tories have a real foreign policy?'' - William Hague's speech will be carefully scrutinised, but without their hatred of Europe, it is not clear what the Tories believe in - 22nd July
 * defence policy is mired in deceit and denial'' - Robert McNamara was haunted by an act of great military folly. Those who order war in Afghanistan risk a similiar, awful fate - 10th July
 * happened to Gordon's goats?'' - Lord Malloch-Brown is the latest disillusioned specialist to leave Brown's once-touted 'government of all the talents' - 9th July
 * future depends upon his nation's health'' - American voters want healthcare overhauled. But reform is a high stakes game that can wound the president - 3rd July
 * left is in crisis. The choice is stark: adapt or wilt'' - The big social democratic parties – not least Labour – must learn from Blair's example. Or accept a role on the political margins - 12th June
 * portfolio of possibilities'' - This is no grand new settlement, but Gordon Brown's statement on political reform does have the potential to bring about change - 11th June
 * must change, or the party's over'' - Labour's historically low vote has left it without authority – but how do its results compare with the performance of other parties? - 8th June
 * should stay but will be sacrificed for his honesty'' - The chancellor knows the voters' choice will be Labour cuts or Tory cuts. But Brown and Balls will never play it straight - 5th June
 * for Darling'' - Whatever the truth about the chancellor's expenses, the mere suspicion of wrongdoing has given his enemies a field day - 2nd June
 * rush for the Lords shows Labour is a barrier to reform'' - More than 50 of the party's MPs are scrambling for a place in the upper house. The only aspiration they still stand for is their own - 29th May
 * back on anger'' - We should be more self-critical about our rage, be it directed towards politicians or bankers, as it is no substitute for action - 25th May
 * 1787 it's not. But one radical reform is realistic'' - It's easy to oversell the talk of change. Brown can make a real difference, however, by ensuring MPs get a real mandate - 22nd May
 * choice for the next Speaker'' - If Michael Martin quits he cannot be replaced by another Labour MP. Of all the contenders for the job, I know who'd get my vote - 18th May
 * true patrons of this greed are an over-mighty press'' - Media that increasingly prioritise personality over serious debate have no real interest in restoring trust in politics - 15th May
 * leader picked by unions is an explosive trap for Labour'' - Party rules will mean five barons have huge clout in electing a successor to Brown. The system needs scrapping now - 8th May
 * Hazel Blears be Labour's Margaret Thatcher?'' - The parallel is not as crazy as it sounds. Maybe Blears could do for Labour what the Iron Lady did for the Conservative party - 6th May
 * think Labour couldn't go on. But they probably will'' - Despite a brutal week ministers seem doggedly convinced that a partial economic recovery will make them re-electable - 1st May
 * Conservatives have had an easy ride. That has to stop'' - The public needs to know which Tory approach it is buying. The longer the answer is denied, the more suspicious they get - 24th April
 * missed opportunity on MPs' expenses'' - The PM's announcement about expenses is proactive, but it should have come from the perspective of parliament, not Labour - 22nd April
 * must flush the dark arts culture out of his regime'' - Unless the PM acts to put an end to the dirty tricks and sleaze corroding his government, public disgust will persist - 17th April
 * needs urgent reform. But not by partial politicians'' - The Tomlinson scandal and Quick affair highlight crucial controversies, and reinforce the demand for a royal commission - 10th April
 * at 25% off?'' - Jacqui Smith's defence of her expenses was abject. Here are two ways the government could tamp down the row - 7th April
 * on Mr Brown's agenda: invade the Channel Islands'' - The prime minister's new zeal on tax havens rings hollow, as does his grand G20 roadshow. I'm now less sure he can hang on - 27th March
 * and Darling will stick together'' - Don't get over-excited by Mervyn King's comments about fiscal stimulus – it won't cause a rift between the PM and the chancellor - 26th March
 * this big need more than the state v market stuff'' - If climate change is to be tackled, or the financial system rebuilt, we need to move beyond the old, dumb, polarising politics - 20th March
 * 'Clunking fist' – down but not out'' - Until PMQs today, I thought Cameron's lead in the polls unassailable. But then he failed to land a glove on Brown ... - 19th March
 * centralist impulse is verging on the demented'' - Chairman Balls's reaction to the Baby P report is just the latest result of a political generation drunk on management theory - 13th March
 * can't throw custard in a police state'' - Leila Deen's attack on Peter Mandelson is a reminder that the assault on freedom does not have the universal upper hand - 7th March
 * finest hour won't change the political weather'' - Engaging with the global crisis in Washington and the G20 wins plaudits. But only honesty about errors can win back voters - 6th March
 * Thatcher-fest does not mean it's 1979 all over again'' - The Conservatives may be on the verge of power, but by any rational standards this is still a left-of-centre moment - 27th February 2009
 * times could yet see the Lib Dems eclipse Labour'' - Vince Cable is setting the agenda, and the party is closer than it seems to reclaiming the mantle of British progressivism - 20th February 2009
 * Brown has to accept his share of guilt for this mess'' - Tangled by his tactics, the prime minister seems incapable of recognising that politicians should take some responsibility - 13th February 2009
 * Clarke and Cable in the cabinet? Don't rule it out'' - Another disaster for Labour in this European elections, and the drums will beat for a national emergency government - 6th February 2009
 * mentioned the D-word'' - Gordon Brown didn't want to use the word 'depression' today. It's his great unconscious fear - 5th February 2009
 * cares about Europe. Britain he can take or leave'' - Denying ourselves a place in the president's new world order could be the greatest regret of this political generation - 30th January 2009
 * plan, but Cameron's pitch for the centre is serious'' - Labour scoffs at ideas of progressive conservatism but the Tory leader is signalling his intent to fight the middle ground - 23rd January 2009
 * 3 will be a shrine to Labour's congenital frailty'' - When backed in a corner, ministers seem unable to make the right choices on tough issues and build alliances to support them - 16th January 2009 (see: Runway 3)
 * wants to, yet he doesn't. Will Brown do a Callaghan?'' - The last thing on his mind? Get real. The prime minister will be agonising over election timing. It's all worryingly like 1978 - 9th January 2009



Articles: 2008

 * and central diktat have strangled police reform'' - The old consensus has broken down. A new relationship must begin with the Home Office devolving responsibility - 19th December 2008
 * lecturing Germany, Gordon. Steinbrück is right'' - The finance minister had reason to be exasperated. Britain's economic future hinges on Europe, and this is no time for animus - 12th December 2008
 * now delights in its new Mandelson with a plan'' - The man of the hour is the once-reviled business secretary, who has raised his game as a thinker in the face of financial crisis - 5th December 2008
 * or an empty gesture by men groping in the dark?'' - Whether or not Brown and Darling's plans ease the crisis, their symbolic killing of New Labour will reap more pain than gain -28th November 2008
 * or not, Iraq's legacy is a boost to the rule of law'' - The public's judgment on the war came long before Lord Bingham's. States and leaders will hesitate to repeat the experience - 21st November 2008
 * irresponsibility has left us in a civic Catch-22'' - People believe that standards in public life are low and getting worse. No wonder, when that's what they read every day - 14th November 2008
 * Hispanic vote shaped the contours of this election'' - A huge swell of support for Obama in the south-western states is the real race story behind this historic victory - 7th November 2008
 * challenge ahead'' - Obama has won a historic mandate. But delivering his promised 'change' will depend on holding that support through 2012 - 5th November 2008
 * this inner racist demon stuff is wildly overblown'' - Americans have spent a long time getting to know Obama. Despite Europe's condescension, this isn't at core a vote about colour - 31st October 2008
 * debates rarely swing it, but let voters test the timber'' - The presidency is not won or lost by televised knockabout, but Obama has taken the opportunity to confirm his credentials - 17th October 2008
 * can guide, yet there are new limits of the possible'' - Brown's lead shows he has learnt much from the 1930s and from Keynes, as market dogma gives way to real choices again - 10th October 2008
 * money is reining in debate, we will have to pay to free it'' - State funding for political parties is the surest way to keep their conferences open, honest and secure from corporate influence - 3rd October 2008
 * with a kiss? Maybe, but Brown's woes run deep'' - A conference bounce is a wave soon absorbed by the ocean. Dysfunction at No 10 remains, and the Tories are still to come - 26th September 2008
 * fast-sinking leader has received an unlikely lifeline'' - Market turmoil insulates Brown from a challenge, rendering next week in Manchester a carnival of collective hypocrisy - 19th September 2008
 * elephant in the hangar'' - They resist it – but the Liberal Democrats will have to decide which side to prop up in the event of a hung parliament - Guardian.co.uk - 16th September 2008
 * is far too frightened to learn Obama's lesson'' - There is a sense that the government wants the Democrats to lose, as that would somehow validate its own failure - 12th September 2008
 * lit the touchpaper. But the race is won elsewhere'' - McCain's running mate has fired up Republicans. Yet when the hype fades good vice-presidents don't clinch elections - 5th September 2008
 * to be a maverick'' - John McCain's nomination acceptance speech last night offered some uncomfortable messages for his own party - Republicans in St Paul - 5th September 2008
 * could yet ignite a bonfire of the liberal vanities'' - Electing Obama would be one of America's noblest gestures of historical redemption - which is why it may not happen - 29th August 2008
 * America ready to embrace a black first lady?'' - Michelle Obama is at least as much of a pioneer as her husband - Guardian.co.uk, 26th August 2008
 * years on, the left is yet to grasp the eclipse of socialism'' - Russia's invasion to crush the Prague Spring began the slow death of Labour as a party. A new political map needs to be drawn - 22nd August 2008
 * early and take the hit - or go late and risk a knockout?'' - The timing of this latest byelection is vital for both Brown and the party's fortunes. And the obvious option is wrong - 15th August 2008
 * the leader? Yes. Go to the country early? No'' - There is no reason why a new prime minister should call a snap poll. Toughing it out could be the honourable course - 8th August 2008
 * Wolfgang's curtain call - A new generation of Wagners is about to take over Europe's most controversial arts legacy - 2nd August 2008
 * Something's got to give - will it be Brown or the party? - Yesterday on these pages David Miliband issued an order to mobilise. Brown now knows he needs to act to survive September - 31st July 2008
 * Clutching at Straw - Jack Straw would be a plausible PM, should Brown stand aside. But does Labour need another coronation without contest? - 28th July 2008
 * Glasgow East: it doesn't get worse than this - Everything that could go wrong for Labour did go wrong. Here are last night's 10 terrible messages for Gordon Brown - Comment is free - 25th July 2008
 * I somehow just can't picture Brown in his summer shorts - The prime minister's holiday spot is chosen to make him seem more normal, but it achieves exactly the opposite - 25th July 2008
 * MPs cool on Lords reform are very, very future focused - This once noble crusade is hardly a priority for Labour politicians aboard a sinking ship who fancy a move into ermine - 18th July 2008
 * The 42-day plan is dead, but its assassin may surprise you - It wasn't David Davis or East Riding voters who holed the government's plans. It was a new arrival in the House of Lords - 11th July 2008
 * This byelection could be the most important ever - It would be not just a disaster for Brown to lose a seat like Glasgow East, but a sign of wider Labour disintegration - 4th July 2008
 * The real story of Henley is a historic Tory recovery -It was a humiliation for Brown, but this result is really about Cameron's astonishing repulsion of the Lib Dem challenge - 28th June 2008
 * Actually, it wasn't the Sun wot won it. Sun readers did - Politicians who obsess about the contents of each day's newspapers are looking in completely the wrong direction - 7th June 2008
 * The false rhinoceros is alive and well in modern politics - As Obama and Clinton have both recently proved, there is no end to our capacity to see only what we want to see - 31st May 2008
 * Who will have the courage to be Labour's Geoffrey Howe? - Backbenchers all agree that Brown must go - but, as with Thatcher's overthrow, the key players are in the cabinet - 24th May 2008
 * Time to decide: are we with the Germans or the Irish? - As referendums return to centre stage, we should heed one of the wisest speakers on the subject: Margaret Thatcher - 17th May 2008
 * Regroup, refocus, reprioritise - and that starts at the top - More bloody-minded denial could consign Labour to the margins for a century. It must make the tough decisions now - 10th May 2008
 * This carnage marks the end of Labour's great revival - 3rd May 2008
 * Speak for England, Gordon, and stop all this flag-waving - If the prime minister thinks this kind of identity promotion will create a cohesive society, he is deluding himself - 26th April 2008
 * Brown did well in Boston, but must avoid the Blair delusion - Here, at least, he's on the right track. But the prime minister must remember that he will never shape US global thinking - 19th April 2008
 * Labour's best way to recover might be for Brown to go - We've had too much wishful thinking about the prime minister. There really is no Roosevelt or Attlee lurking within - 12th April 2008
 * In Asquith's failure there is a chilling message for Brown - The Labour leader should not ignore the disasters that befell a Liberal party used to electoral triumphs - 5th April 2008
 * A Euro-army is fantasy land. We need our American ally - Nato today is very much a solution in search of a problem. It needs to be reformed and refined - but not to be replaced - 29th March 2008
 * Brown shouldn't deny the potency of climate change - Rather than pursuing the agenda voters clearly want, the PM is waiting, Micawber-like, for something to rescue him - 15th March 2008
 * This shambles is in fact a sign of Lib Dem strength - Nick Clegg can shrug off his discomfort on Europe tomorrow and remind Labour and Tories why they should fear his party - 8th March 2008
 * Our ministers should forget America and study the Mail - The directness and clarity of the plastic bag campaign show dithering politicians that real change is possible - 1st March 2008
 * Interventionism can be the only moral course of action - Britain was right to play its part in the Kosovo conflict and, however difficult, we have to stick with the consequences - 23rd February 2008
 * Elitist? Yes. But some things are simply better than others - Barenboim's cycle of 32 Beethoven sonatas is a reminder that the best art is uniquely ennobling. It should be available to all - 16th February 2008
 * It's hardly Bolshevism to propose taxing non-doms - Ministers are afraid to assert the principles that underpin the wider contract between efficiency and fairness - 9th February 2008
 * Labour needs to take a good hard look at the opposition - The government's woes are not all self-inflicted. The party has too long ignored how Cameron's messages are playing - 2nd February 2008
 * Hain's departure epitomises the eclipse of 60s idealism - Whatever his flaws, this grizzled veteran came from an era that was a world away from today's technocratic politics - 26th January 2008
 * President Blair can make Sarkozy's dream come true - The French leader has the classic Gaullist vision: Europe, with our former prime minister in the chair, shaping the world - 19th January 2008
 * This battle will not come to an end on Super Tuesday - On both sides in the US presidential primaries, the big discussions need to continue far beyond the polls of February 5 - 12th January 2008
 * Hillary is the candidate of retribution, not of hope - Young voters want to end not only the Iraq war, but the US culture wars. They aim to move beyond Bush - and the Clintons - 5th January 2008



Articles: 2007

 * US politics has been wrecked by rigid party allegiances - America's governance system has become so polarised that it can barely solve its own problems, let alone the world's - 29th December 2007
 * Gout is no joke. This I know from painful experience - Like many mainly male things, this agonising disease is rarely spoken of, and so falls victim to mythology and mockery - 22nd December 2007
 * Send in the strings! - Martin Kettle on the true purpose of the New York Philharmonic's trip to North Korea - 12th December 2007
 * The next decade just might belong to the Lib Dems - It may seem cavalier, but the coming years could bring fresh opportunities, as well as false dawns, for the liberal tradition - 8th December 2007
 * Stop fighting Tony Blair and start leading the government - In the key battlegounds of character, competence and consistency, Brown is on the run. He must tell us what he's all about - 24th November 2007

archive



Links:

 * Prospect magazine: 'performance notes' (archive)