Irwin Stelzer



Profile:
Full name: Irwin M. Stelzer

Area of interest: U.S. economics and politics

Journals: The Sunday Times, The Courier-Mail, The Daily Telegraph

Email: [mailto:stelzer@aol.com stelzer@aol.com]

Website: TimesOnline

Blog: Times Weblog

Representation:

Network:



Biography:
Education: New York University: BA/MA; Cornell University: Economics (PhD)

Career: Managing director of Rothschild Inc, investment bankers; founder and president of National Economic Research Associates, Inc (now NERA Economic Consulting); director of American Enterprise Institute

Current position/role: Columnist for the Sunday Times (and also Blogs at The Times), The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail (Australia) and contributing editor at The Weekly Standard (US)


 * also writes/written for:

Other roles:

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight: Observer interview: 'It's crazy to think that I'd threaten Blair', 2004

TV/Radio: The Bruges Group - debate between Dr Irwin Stelzer and Luke Johnson: World affairs and British policy towards the EU (Audio)

Controversy/Criticism: Widely regarded as an emissary of Rupert Murdoch: Allegedly influenced ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair into announcing a referendum on the European Union constitution - something Blair had previously indicated he would not do (see link above)

Awards/Honours:

Scoops:

Other: Director of economic policy studies at the Hudson Institute, (see their biography); business adviser



Books & Debate:


Latest work: The Neocon Reader OCLC 56367497, 2004

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Sunday Times: 'American Account'
Column remit: U.S. economics and politics

Section: Business

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:stelzer@aol.com stelzer@aol.com]

Website: TimesOnline / Business Columnists

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Sunday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 950 words



Articles:

 * shun politics for a DIY recovery'' - It's a relief to get out of Washington — with its insincere promises and muddled compromises — and in to the real world of Phoenix, Arizona - 15th May 2011
 * needs a budget deal to seal his success'' - In 2012 the question will be whether jobs trump a successful take-out of the man responsible for bringing down the Twin Towers - 8th May 2011
 * back to fighting over debt'' - Property millionaire Trump's antics have proved a distraction from economic woes, but there's no escaping rising house and fuel prices - 1st May 2011
 * threat brings deficit deal closer'' - America's burgeoning deficit is a source of concern. The government will have to raise the debt ceiling, and find a way to spend less money - 24th April 2011
 * last, Obama admits the deficit has to be cut'' - The president knows that although he will not have to face the voters in 2014, the Congress he is counting on to cut spending will - 17th April 2011
 * budget battle is a sign of the war to come'' - Disputes over how much the government can spend in the remainder of this fiscal year is a mere skirmish compared with what is to come - 10th April 2011
 * woes cast a shadow over US recovery'' - Hold the celebration until Japan recovers, the Middle East cauldron cools and euro policymakers find ways not to add to US economic problems - 3rd April 2011
 * best laid plans of mice and powerful men'' - President Obama goes full steam ahead with a spending plan focussed on his re-election, despite the enormous budget deficit - 27th March 2011
 * power was melting down before Fukushima'' - Nuclear power’s one hope is a dramatic rise in the price of natural gas and of renewed pressure on the price of coal - 20th March 2011
 * agrees it can’t go on like Greece'' - As states begin assaults on their huge deficits, there is a glimmer of hope that America will change its fortunes before it is too late - 13th March 2011
 * as job market starts to pick up'' - Falling unemployment rate and manufacturing and service sectors recording job growth might explain increasing positive thinking - 6th March 2011
 * America’s recovery survive sky-high oil?'' - If the Libyan valves reopen, the oil price spike will be temporary. But if the upheavals spread and rates rise — recovery, RIP - 27th February 2011
 * needs a strong dose of George Osborne'' - If only President Barack Obama could follow George Osborne's lead and give America a measure of strong fiscal deficit medicine - 20th February 2011
 * is spooking our economy'' - Without drastic spending cuts and tax increases America won't be able to balance its budget. These actions will require strong political will - 13th February 2011
 * has the jobs but not the skills'' - New job figures fail to provide a boost for Barack Obama but, whatever the weather, there are two sides to every economic recovery - 6th February 2011
 * cutters fight spenders for US future'' - Despite official forecasts that the deficit will reach 9.5% of GDP this fiscal year, Obama believes spending will forestall a double dip - 30th January 2011
 * good news is eclipsed by the bad and the ugly'' - The projected $1,000,000,000,000 deficit and Obama’s diluted message on the undervalued yuan overshadow the growth in industry jobs - 23rd January 2011
 * what Obama says and what he does...'' - The president may appear to offer businesses an olive branch — yet behind the scenes he is doing with regulation what legislation can’t achieve - 16th January 2011
 * news, we’re worrying about overheating'' - No more talk of double dips, much less of lost decades. Economists now fear that the Fed will be too slow to end its downturn strategy - 9th January 2011
 * lead the way back as optimism returns'' - Rising retail sales have prompted analysts to revise their 2011 forecasts for US growth to as high as 4% and businesses to start spending - 2nd January 2011
 * good year but only for investors and the Tea party'' - There isn't a lot of good news this year, so it's little wonder only 23% of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction - 26th December 2010
 * can’t run an airport and a shopping mall'' - Heathrow passengers won’t get a better service until BAA’s monopoly is broken up - 23rd December 2010 (writing in The Times)
 * outwitted by the Chinese'' - China’s rulers have already shown that their moves on the world’s chess board are about more than money and trade balances - 19th December 2010
 * last, some light at the end of the tunnel'' - The president’s commission on deficit reduction has succeeded in triggering a sensible debate on how America can get out of its debt hole - 12th December 2010
 * places faith in short stimulus'' - How do you reconcile bad news from the latest jobs report with good news on economic growth? The answer may frustrate the Fed chairman - 4th December 2010
 * are still many reasons to give thanks'' - The political system has returned to sanity, Americans have not suffered another terror attack and the economy might be about to pick up speed - 28th November 2010
 * if you must, but the worst is over'' - The American economic recovery might finally be strengthening and Obama is encouraging business leaders to start investing - 21st November 2010
 * money is like pushing on a string'' - Quantative easing will not induce cautious banks to loosen their tight credit standards, nor businesses to invest their $2 trillion of surplus cash - 14th November 2010
 * takes a big step in the right direction'' - The power shift following the mid-term elections is probably the first step in bringing the country’s deficit under control - 7th November 2010
 * may take sting out of Obama reforms'' - The congessional elections, the Fed’s QE2 decision and the jobs report will mean far more clarity at the end of this week than at its start - 31st October 2010
 * dollars upsets friends and foes'' - America’s dollar-printing policy has left China decidedly unhappy — and Mervyn King worried about a new wave of protectionism - 24th October 2010
 * lacks the will to head off a currency war'' - Barack Obama can unlock the policy paralysis on the issue of global trade imbalance, but political restraints may hold him back - 17th October 2010
 * war looms as China digs in over the yuan'' - Americans see China as an unfair trading partner that is using the fruits of that trading to threaten their position in the world - 10th October 2010
 * investors get ready for take-off'' - Business travel is the key to airline profits, since executive bums settle into profitable business- and first-class seats - 3rd October 2010
 * Bernanke avoid starting the printing presses?'' - The Fed has its finger on the ‘start’ button of the printing presses, but is stalling so it can decide if new data would avert this - 26th September 2010
 * muscle stops US getting tough on trade'' - If China dumped all those American dollars stored in its bank vaults on the market, it could tip America back into recession - 19th September 2010
 * jitters lead to flood of empty policies'' - With the mid-term elections 51 days away, there is a flurry of presidential proposals on jobs — but they will have little effect - 11th September 2010
 * are what the voters need – not statistics'' - Wall Street may be intereted in figures showing America’s GDP is rising, but Main Street is more concerned that unemployment is up - 5th September 2010
 * intrusion and uncertainty stifle confidence'' - Americans will have to wait until after the November elections to find out how much further into debt the government plans to go - 29th August 2010
 * turns to Europe for fresh ideas on reform'' - As America loses confidence and discovers its dependence on other countries, it looks abroad for economic policy ideas - 22nd August 2010
 * is still hope for a robust recovery'' - The federal deficit remains untamed, but with jobs being created and share prices unchanged the US economy could bounce back - 15th August 2010
 * trillion blown and all we have is a jobless recovery'' - Even though Obama insists he really has created jobs, America’s Eeyores are zipping their wallets. The economy does not have liftoff - 8th August 2010
 * Street wilts as Wall Street grows stronger'' - A battle is brewing between those who want to maintain the level of economic stimulus and those who wish to cut the deficit immediately - 1st August 2010
 * to revival disappears in a fog of confusion'' - There is no point looking for a guide to the global economic future — there is none, and America's business giants remain confused - 25th July 2010
 * calls a truce after his blitz on business'' - There will be a decrease in the regulations that have been spewing out of the White House as the President struggles with the deficit - 18th July 2010
 * spending won't create jobs'' - An rise in the quality of retraining programmes might relieve the skills shortages which coexist with unacceptably high unemployment - 11th July 2010
 * we’re so forlorn on the fourth of July'' - An anti-business Obama administration is adding to the general sense of woe that pervades American society - 4th July 2010
 * makes business his whipping boy'' - Despite economic improvements, the growing deficit and Obama's increasingly anti-business rhetoric has many Americans worried - 27th June 2010
 * urged to put pressure on China'' - President Obama's hopes of an employment recovery hinge on the Chinese being serious about relaxing their dollar peg - 20th June
 * builds up a cushion as we dance on pins'' - Share prices drop in response to action by Greek civil servants and soar when Spain borrows a few billion. Uncertainty is the order - 13th June 2010
 * we can see is the clouds in the silver lining'' - The bad news is that there is a lot of bad news - 6th June 2010
 * and fear overwhelm the good news'' - The financial overhaul bill will likely lower banks’ profits and their credit ratings, forcing them to be even stingier with borrowers - 30th May 2010
 * helps out eurozone to save US recovery'' - Obama is assisting the EU because he fears trouble on euroland’s periphery will nip America’s recovery in the bud - 23rd May 2010
 * is a time to weep and a time to laugh'' - As always, things are too complicated to warrant either taking to the bomb shelters or uncorking the champagne - 16th May 2010
 * America fears being hit by Greek contagion'' - We are all Greeks now. Or so it would seem if we are guided by the gyrations of share prices - 9th May 2010
 * litter the road to a decade of prosperity'' - The Federal Reserve Board’s monetary gurus might be making optimistic noises, but don’t pop the champagne corks just yet - 2nd May 2010
 * technology gets consumers spending again'' - The American consumer is a resilient beast who is willing to spend on products that were unknown only a few years ago - 25th April 2010
 * deals stop America hitting the China iceberg'' - The recession has caused the question of the US trade deficit with China to merge with the need to create American jobs - 11th April 2010
 * market could spoil the recovery party'' - The gloom is dissipating. The jobs market is improving: 162,000 new jobs were created in March - 4th April 2010
 * won’t stop until we turn into Europe'' - When the transformation of America is complete the country will have been moved in the direction of the European social welfare state - 28th March 2010
 * will speak louder than all our talking shops'' - If you believe that meetings at the Fed, in Congress and the White House are't laying ground for future inflation carries a heavy burden of proof - 21st March 2010
 * rows sap Obama’s plan to create 2m jobs'' - Two million of the "good jobs" America needs to create in the next five years are to come from doubling American exports - 14th March 2010
 * puts off the pain to have some jam today'' - Private-sector balance sheets are in better shape as consumers have scaled back debt, but public-sector balance sheets are a shambles - 7th March 2010
 * now, pay later becomes our official policy'' - Austerity is for later. Now, policymakers and politicians worry that the economic recovery is showing signs of weakness - 28th February 2010
 * voters will force action on runaway deficit'' - If the budget continues on the trajectory the president has set, America’s triple-A bond rating, already under threat, will surely be lost - 21st February 2010
 * v world as a trade war comes closer'' - The country’s continued rapid economic growth will increase pressure on Obama to have China declared a 'currency manipulator' - 14th February 2010
 * takes a bite out of Obama recovery plan'' - Nobody believes he can keep spending to the huge levels he projects, or eventually lower the deficit, or persuade Congress to switch from profligacy to prudence, or ... well, you get the idea - 7th February 2010
 * lifts but we don’t like what we see'' - The reduction of uncertainty can be a mixed blessing, especially if what becomes more certain is likely to interfere with recovery - 31st January 2010
 * Obama focuses on banks and deficit'' - The Massachusetts result ended the Democrats’ power to pass legislation without a single Republican vote - 24th January 2010
 * won’t let free trade cut American jobs'' - China plans to continue feeding its products into world markets in increasing quantities - 17th January 2010
 * deficit starts to frighten America’s voters'' - Barack Obama has put himself in a class with Gordon Brown by running deficits of more than 12% of GDP - 10th January 2010
 * and businesses lead US into recovery'' - It is not unreasonable to guess that the wind will blow in a 2010 that is better for most people than 2009 - 3rd January 2010
 * bankers bring back fears of class warfare'' - Americans will remember 2009 as the year that class warfare reared its ugly head - 27th December 2009
 * is sent packing as debt keeps piling up'' - The crisis was caused in part by excessive debt. And the solution being proposed is more debt: huge government borrowing - 20th December 2009
 * just can’t break their addiction to debt'' - If overseas investors’ enthusiasm for US IOUs wanes, the interest rates we have to pay to persuade foreigners to buy our debt will rise - 13th December 2009
 * Barack Obama gets down to work on job creation'' - 6th December 2009
 * thanks for the confidence of US consumers'' - On the second-biggest shopping day of the year, early signs suggest US consumers have decided to loosen the purse strings - 29th November 2009
 * feeble dollar sparks a new goldrush'' - The president and Treasury secretary might talk the talk of a strong dollar but they walk the walk of a declining one - 22nd November 2009
 * Obama will make or break deal on climate change'' - The President has created great expectations around the world. Now it expects the US to contribute in Copenhagen - 15th November 2009
 * Obama’s policy errors will stymie the US recovery'' - There is a nagging fear that nascent economic forces might be murdered in their crib by the administration - 8th November 2009
 * is America gloomy when the news is good?'' - It has been a long time since the economic data have been flashing positive signals, and an equally long time since consumers, businessmen and occupants of the White House have been so gloomy - 1st November 2009
 * economy has no substitute for falling dollar'' - Let’s see. The Chinese are cross because the falling dollar means the stacks of American IOUs they have in their vaults will be paid back in a devalued currency - 25th October 2009
 * gets tough over ballooning US debt'' - Russian, Chinese and other regimes hostile to America want to see replace the dollar as the currency in which the world does business - 18th October 2009
 * could not kill our faith in capitalism'' - The communist spectre that Karl Marx predicted would be haunting Europe is instead haunting Europe’s left-wing parties - 4th October 2009
 * chooses his words to dodge any deeds'' - Veni, vidi, dixi. That about describes President Obama’s week - 27th September 2009
 * moves closer to coming off life support'' - Even pessimists concede that the financial system is back from the brink  - 20th September 2009
 * time as Obama faces trade dilemma'' - Obama has so far managed to talk the talk of free trade, while walking the protectionist walk that appeals to his trade-union bankers - 13th September 2009
 * consumers can turn rally hopes to reality'' - “Let the good times roll ... You gotta go out and spend some cash ... I don’t care if you’re young or old ... let the good times roll.” So advised blues singer BB King in the 1990s. Whether it is good advice today depends on how you read some complicated data - 6th September 2009
 * deficits cast a shadow over the dollar'' - the marriage of convenience between Democrat Obama and Republican Bernanke might not end on a pleasant note. Especially if the chairman decides sooner rather than later that the era of quantitative easing must come to an end lest the dollar begin to take on the characteristics of the now-deceased lira - 30th August 2009
 * Bernanke needs to close the taps, but not just yet'' - Bernanke is dropping hints that, if fiscal profligacy remains the Obama policy, he will have to tighten sooner and harder than if deficits are brought under control - 23rd August 2009
 * Obama put his yes men on the Fed board?'' - An angry Obama can be counted on to appoint a Fed crew more sympathetic to his spending, and less fixated on inflation - 16th August 2009
 * last Barack Obama has good news for angry voters'' - The name of the game now is to trumpet the nascent economic recovery, and take credit for it - 9th August 2009
 * Obama wanted too much'' - We are six months into the Obama reign, and he did have a good thing going until very recently - 2nd August 2009
 * ahead as politics replaces market forces'' - Three inter-related forces are pressing down on the economy: cyclical, secular and presidential - 26th July 2009
 * profits from open markets but curbs free trade'' - It is the disparity between America’s more-or-less free-trade policies and China’s increasingly restrictive policies that contains the seeds of real problems for a global economy struggling to emerge from recession - 19th July 2009
 * cures may kill any recovery'' - The IMF says that the world is coming out of its recession but the global recovery is likely to be more tortoise than hare - 12th July 2009
 * losses report bring gloom to Fourth of July'' - Americans began firing up their barbecues only after hearing that some 467,000 non-farm payroll jobs disappeared in June - 5th July 2009
 * four-pronged attack on our future prosperity'' - Death by a thousand cuts. Or in the case of the efficiency of the American economy, by at least four - 28th June 2009
 * Obama light touch will be a bit heavy handed'' - The president has gone to great lengths to calm fears that he is unleashing draconian restrictions on the freedom of action of financial institutions — reform, yes; revolution, no - 21st June 2009
 * from first class puts airlines into a nosedive'' - The airline industry has never generated sustained profits — by some estimates if you add up all the profits and losses since the Wright brothers flew from Kitty Hawk in 1903, the net amount would be written in red ink - 14th June 2009
 * and the Fed will tame Obama spending'' - Barack Obama might finally have met his match. Two matches, in fact - 7th June 2009
 * of weeds awaits to strangle US green shoots'' - America will not go bust. At least not in the sense of being unable to cover all the IOUs it has peddled to China and other investors - 31st May 2009
 * voters decide who can save the economy'' - It's now a choice between the Tories orthe IMF - 27th May 2009
 * Obama deficits threaten dollar’s power'' - Nothing Obama will do on trade, either to free up the flow of goods and services, or to tip the scales in favour of American firms, will in the end matter as much as his reckless fiscal policy - 24th May 2009
 * faces a future of big tax rises and smaller cars'' - Higher taxes are in our future, as is the inevitable queuing with which patients in Canada and Britain are familiar - 17th May 2009
 * chief looks for moment to apply the brakes'' - Batten down the hatches. America is about to be overwhelmed by an inflationary wave that will threaten the value of the dollar and its ability to remain the world’s reserve currency. Or not - 10th May 2009
 * refunds get consumers back in the shops'' - John Maynard Keynes once wrote that if you want to bet on which contestant will win a beauty contest, don’t try to guess which girl is the prettiest. Instead, try to pick the girl the judges will decide is the prettiest - 3rd May 2009
 * wants to make America more like Europe'' - 26th April 2009
 * discover that small is beautiful again'' - Diseconomies of scale and scope. If that bit of economists’ jargon is unfamiliar to you, you are not alone. It means that some companies are so big that they are less efficient than smaller rivals, and so diversified that they are beyond the ability of ordinary mortals to manage - 19th April 2009
 * of fittest gives way to bailout politics'' - When economics was just economics, analysts and forecasters had a difficult job. Now that economics has reverted to its original calling, Political Economy, the chore is well-nigh impossible - 12th April 2009
 * relations with the east enter a new era'' - If medical practice is the model for meetings of the world’s richest countries — first, do no harm — Gordon Brown may be right to call last week’s meeting a success - 5th April 2009
 * real action will be at the G2: China and the US'' - 29th March 2009
 * there may be nobody left to lend to America'' - Anyone who thought Ben Bernanke and his colleagues were out of ammunition received a rude, or pleasant, shock last week - 22nd March 2009
 * stops us seeing if the worst is over'' - Bear trap. Dead-cat bounce. The beginning of a bull run. Pick the animal that best describes your view of last week’s rise in share prices and you will have company from at least some experts. The lack of consensus should be no surprise, for two reasons - 15th March 2009
 * has little reason to fall in with the G20'' - After all, the members of the EU can’t even agree among themselves on an anti-recession package - 8th March 2009
 * Obama permits plan won’t work'' - Green Money: A straightforward tax would produce results much quicker - 8th March 2009
 * spender Obama sets the red ink flowing'' - Obama wants to spend $630 billion over 10 years with greater government involvement in healthcare and education - 1st March 2009
 * will have to pay for stimulus'' - There are signs that words like "nationalisation" no longer conjure up the sound of tumbrels rolling down Wall Street - 22nd February 2009
 * excuses if Obama can't fix 'his' recession'' If you believe that spending, any spending, will revive a flagging economy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is for you - 15th February 2009
 * may be forced to protect to stay at the top'' - The desire by Congress to include "buy American" provisions in the stimulus package has set off alarm bells in the free-trade community - 8th February 2009
 * spat raises fears of trade war'' - Tim Geithner says he believes China is 'manipulating' its currency to maintain it at a low value so as to stimulate its exports - 1st February 2009
 * road map to recovery might just fit the bill'' - Conservatives might not want to admit it, but it is just possible that President Barack Obama has cobbled together a coherent cure for the economy - 25th January 2009
 * stimulus could turn round economy this year'' - Obama knows one thing. He is inheriting George Bush’s recession, but by the end of 2010 he will own it - 18th January 2009
 * trillion package has something for everyone'' - The big worry is that inflation will take off and that foreigners will be unwilling to buy all those government IOUs - 11th January 2009
 * spending spree will save us, but at a price'' - It is difficult to see how all the money sloshing around the economy will fail to produce some sort of recovery - 4th January 2009
 * the pain, America prepares to bounce back'' - America is endowed with ample natural resources to sustain rapid rates of growth. It is blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit that has produced successive waves of the creative destruction that allow the economy to shed the old and move on to the new - 28th December 2008
 * government will be Obama’s New Deal'' - The Obama team sees an opportunity to push through a reformist domestic agenda as radical as anything wrought by Roosevelt - 21st December 2008
 * guess as we go to the unknown'' - We have reason to worry about the galaxy of stars that Barack Obama has assembled to help him right the American economy - 14th December 2008
 * politicians replace markets'' - The entrepreneurs who have powered America’s growth in the past will be displaced by lobbyists - 7th December 2008
 * presses work overtime to save the economy'' - President-elect Barack Obama has promised relief, at least for the carmakers, but even he can’t do much for the football team - 30th November 2008
 * have to be steered by market forces'' - The sad truth is that GM has too many workers making too few cars that people want, being sold through too many dealers at prices too low - 23rd November 2008
 * Washington defies the gloom'' - Construction cranes are everywhere and commercial space is being readied to house the inevitable growth in government - 16th November 2008
 * will soon be intervening in all our lives'' - 9th November 2008
 * have policies to avoid a repeat of the 1930s'' - 1st November 2008
 * won’t die. It will only emerge stronger'' - 26th October 2008
 * force EU's new world order on US'' - Despiting lauding the US as chancellor, Gordon Brown has slipped into anti-US mode that now dominates his public and private discourse - 19th October 2008
 * ‘friends’ are happy to blame US'' - As a US economist here in London, I seem to be the guest-of-choice on TV programmes hunting desperately for someone to blame - 5th October 2008
 * bailout won't wreck economy'' - Massive losses are not likely. Nor is it likely that inflation will be triggered by the bailouts already engineered - 28th September 2008
 * the City will look in future'' - We’ll be poorer without the independent banks - 21st September 2008
 * deepens as America’s debt piles up'' - The important question of the nation’s finances goes unremarked upon by both Obama and McCain - 14th September 2008
 * will rule until the election'' - The American electorate will have to live with a high degree of political and economic uncertainty until at least November 4 - 7th September 2008
 * say: I'm all right but the country isn't'' - Despite the Democrats pessimistic picture of a nation in serious economic trouble, things aren't as bad as they seem - 31st August 2008
 * demands that I hit the rich, says Barack Obama'' - 24th August 2008
 * dollar brings its own problems'' - The recovery of the long-comatose dollar may sound like unambiguous good news, but economics is never that simple - 17th August 2008
 * teach excellence in making money'' - When the games end, it will be business as usual in China. That includes constructing 500 coal-fired power stations - 10th August 2008



The Daily Telegraph:
Column remit: US and UK politics

Section:

Role:

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: Telegraph.co / Personal View

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Wednesday

Regularity: weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * Osborne: the antidote to Beveridge'' - As chancellor, George Osborne has redrawn the line between state and private responsibility – in the direction of growth - 28th October 2010 (writing in The Guardian)
 * to make immigration work in Britain's interests'' - Hostility to migrants is sweeping Europe – and we need more sensible curbs - 13th October 2010
 * wanted the job, George Osborne'' - Not long ago, I suggested to Cameron he'd need to call in the IMF. And he thought I was joking - 18th May 2010 (writing in The Guardian)
 * wrong to get rid of Brown'' - A new leader will carry the burden of the party's mistakes but won't have Brown's expertise in protecting Britain's economy - 11th May 2010 (Cif at the polls)
 * chose to put you in this mess'' - Policies can make Britain's financial and social problems worse - or better - 11th November 2009
 * George Osborne really mean business?'' - The shadow chancellor has realised that only economic growth can save Britain - 4th November 2009
 * of Lisbon should back Miliband'' - Tony Blair would bring clout to the EU - not so the Foreign Secretary - 28th October 2009
 * not the money – it's where it comes from'' - Irwin Stelzer says there are sound reasons why taxpayers are infuriated by MPs, bankers and Tony Blair - 21st October 2009
 * clouds part but underlying problems remain'' - The letter W is back on some agendas, and sending tremors through the business community — especially as it seems to be displacing V in the discourse of economy-watchers - 11th October 2009 (writing in The Guardian)
 * hating Tony Blair'' - Blair turned Labour around, ousted Saddam and now earns a good living. Bring him on as EU president - 15th October 2009
 * PM's character is worth more than his policies'' - The best person for the job is one who will confront issues that cannot be foreseen - 14th October 2009
 * Party conference: David Cameron will need a heart of pure steel'' - All the talk of radical reform will come to nothing unless the leader holds his nerve - 8th October 2009
 * generalities won't do. Osborne has to get specific'' - Brown's fresh passion for spending and tax offers the shadow chancellor a chance next week to lay out a detailed cuts plan - 1st October 2009 (writing in The Guardian)
 * Kristol's gone – we'll miss his clear vision'' - 23rd September 2009
 * Cameron's Tories must come clean over their intentions'' - the next government needs a mandate for spending cuts, so have to spell them out - 16th September 2009
 * dismiss the special relationship'' - The airline bomb plot illustrates the US and Britain's common interests - 9th September 2009
 * faces a blackout and politicians are to blame'' - There are plenty of sources of energy – and clean ones, too - 2nd September 2009
 * grievous blow to the Special Relationship'' - British security will be harmed by the Megrahi affair - 26th August 2009
 * you add it all up, MPs are paid handsomely'' - David Cameron's plan to cut salaries will not lead to a shortage of the right people - 19th August 2009
 * Brown, Blair and keeping my nose out'' - Now, readers of this paper are more conservative, and probably more mature, than the general population. And those who take the time to share their views will be more politically concerned and passionate than the general readership. So my mailbag is no random sample of voters. But it is a good clue to what most concerns those on the centre-Right and Right of the political spectrum - 12th August 2009
 * is much more than sizzle. And Obama knows it'' - To suggest the president would deride a future British leader is fanciful. The special relationship looks safe for now - 10th August 2009 (writing in The Guardian)
 * Blair would do the job his way as EU President'' - The former PM could define his own role if he gave up the good life for Brussels - 5th August 2009
 * a bank is too big to fail, it must be broken up'' - None of the planned banking reforms protects the financial system - 29th July 2009
 * and a lesson from history that goes unheeded'' - Great leaders can see the bigger picture in times of conflict - 15th July 2009
 * Brown is not building Britain's future, he's spending it'' - Gordon Brown's 'new' policies are already out of date - 1st June 2009
 * Brown hasn't beaten off the EU financial regulators'' - Efforts to reform the financial sector have not turned out as Labour planned - 24th June 2009
 * is not an insolvable problem'' - The alienation of native peoples is an avoidable consequence of immigration - 10th June 2009
 * Balls deserves his chance at No 11'' - Gordon Brown's old ally has few friends on either side of the House – but he is respected in the City - 3rd June 2009
 * will need to show real steel as Prime Minister'' - The Tory leader must act tougher than the Iron Lady - 20th May 2009
 * will be missed on the world stage'' - Defence cuts will leave Britain as a peripheral player - 6th May 2009
 * gives John Smith a new lease of life'' - The state now controls the commanding heights of the economy - 29th April 2009
 * Cameron may morph from PR to PM'' - the Tories are finding a voice as Gordon Brown's woes worsen - 15th April 2009
 * will go home with non, nein ringing in his ears'' - The US President has to explain why he is sending more troops into Afghanistan and his Nato allies won't - 8th April 2009
 * Ed Miliband stop the lights going out?'' - It will take a near-impossible balancing act to solve our energy crisis - 25th March 2009
 * and businesses will boom again'' - Britain's language, legal system and time zone will ensure its economic future - 18th March 2009
 * the Tories' vision begins to emerge'' - Britain is blessed in having different policies on offer - 11th March 2009
 * softly, but without the big stick'' - Irwin Stelzer highlights the dangers of Obama's nascent foreign policy - 4th March 2009
 * Brown risks reining in the banks too far'' - over-reaction to the recession would be as bad, or worse, than doing nothing - 25th February 2009
 * can be fixed – but not by a PM who wants to save the world'' - The country would benefit if Gordon Brown spent some years in the wilderness and returned as an elder statesman - 18th February 2009
 * can still be a force in the world'' - It's possible – but only if the next PM makes some hard choices - 11th February 2009
 * Clarke has joined Gordon Brown's blind march to ruin'' - Unfortunately, the economic evidence favours the Tory pessimists - 4th February 2009
 * your eye on the green shoots of sanity'' - Labour is at last showing signs, however small, of stepping back from statism - 28th January 2009
 * Obama wants more than words from Brown'' - The US is seeking greater commitment to Afghanistan and Israel - 21st January 2009
 * way will Barack Obama jump on Israel?'' - Most American presidents take office intending to focus on domestic issues - 14th January 2009
 * taxes would be good for British jobs'' - Dependence on Russian gas and Arab oil is bad for national security, so it makes sense to stimulate non-carbon technology - 8th January 2009
 * refusal to reinforce Afghanistan will enrage America'' - At a private meeting, a top Foreign Office official laid out the major goal of British diplomacy in the New Year: to persuade President Barack Obama not to ask Britain for anything it cannot or will not do - 31st December 2008
 * is well placed to recover from recession - if sense prevails'' - the good news is that Britain's future is largely within its own control - 24th December 2008
 * we be so certain about Gordon Brown?'' - The Prime Minister is an easy target, but his critics should not be too sure of themselves - 17th December 2008
 * Brown must blame himself, not the USA'' - The Prime Minister's finger-pointing is an attempt to disguise his own culpability - 11th December 2008
 * on earth will Gordon Brown pay it all back?'' - five ways in which Britain's Budget could be brought back into balance - 3rd December 2008
 * and Cameron are both right...'' - However, Tory proposals to cut government spending are likely to have better long-term consequences - 26th November 2008
 * wants your money - and organs'' - The Prime Minister believes that your earnings and body parts belong to the state - 19th November 2008
 * don't want another Bretton Woods'' - Europe's leaders are wrong to push for 'global governance' - 12th November 2008
 * victory can work to Britain's advantage'' - 6th November 2008
 * John McCain is on dangerous ground'' - the problems of the financial sector, in which his understanding is limited, now overshadow the foreign-policy issues in which he excels - 24th September 2008
 * Palin: You Brits will never get her'' - 17th September 2008
 * Gordon Brown could do the business'' - 11th September 2008
 * time for Brown to behave like Brown'' - 27th August 2008
 * will save us: David Miliband, David Cameron or Gordon Brown?'' - 20th August 2008
 * questions that hang over Barack Obama'' - 13th August 2008
 * King Coal may be our saviour yet'' - The world has limitless supplies of coal, most located in nations friendly to the West - 6th August 2008

