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Month: November 2010

Is Herr Bergfeld a gift for Nick Clegg?

Is Herr Bergfeld a gift for Nick Clegg?

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How serious should his bravado be taken? London’s Evening Standard is running a story tonight quoting one of Wednesday’s march organisers and a member of the National Executive of the NUS which could be seen as almost amounting to a call to revolution. He’s called for schools to be barricaded, more “occupations” and a general strike to “break” the Lib-Con coalition Bergfield is quoted as saying: “He said: “The ConDems are the real vandals so force is legitimate to bring…

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What if there was an unexpected vacancy…?

What if there was an unexpected vacancy…?

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What would happen in each of the parties? For the last hour or so I’ve been lying awake pondering what would happen if there was an unexpected vacancy in each of the three parties. Who would take over and what would be the consequences? The easiest, I think, would be with Labour. If Ed Miliband was suddenly unable to continue in the job then there would only be three realistic choices – Harriet Harman (20/1), David Miliband (5/1) or Yvette…

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The welfare cuts continue to get strong public backing

The welfare cuts continue to get strong public backing

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Making the long term unemployed spend 4 weeks doing unpaid work All voters CON voters LAB voters LD voters Support 73 92 58 83 Oppose 17 3 31 14 Don’t know 10 5 10 3 Withdrawing Jobseekers Allowance from those who turn down a job offer or interview All voters CON voters LAB voters LD voters Support 66 82 57 71 Oppose 21 8 33 22 Don’t know 12 9 10 6 More stringent testing for people receiving Disability Living…

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Are you celebrating the coalition’s 6 month anniversary?

Are you celebrating the coalition’s 6 month anniversary?

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Will there be let up in the pace of change? It was May 11th 2010, my 64th birthday in fact, that the coalition was formed and David Cameron replaced Gordon Brown at Number 10. So today we reach the six month mark and what a half year that has been. Whether you agree with what’s been proposed or not you cannot deny that the pace of change has been breath-taking. I cannot in my life-time remember such a period of…

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What’s the Woolas case doing to Labour’s Coulson tactics?

What’s the Woolas case doing to Labour’s Coulson tactics?

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Should “innocent until proved guilty” apply to all? As the divide within Labour over Woolas continues there’s a furious attack by the New Statesman’s Mehdi Hasan on those Labour figures who are suppoprting the ex-immigration minister and former NUS president. Looking at the reasoning of the Woolas defenders Hasan writes: “Innocent until proven guilty” is not a good enough defence – as Labour keeps reminding David Cameron over his communications director, Andy Coulson. “The Woolas debacle has rendered null and…

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Was today a foretaste of things to come?

Was today a foretaste of things to come?

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SkyNew picture gallery Could the students spark off wider violence? It’s become almost fashionable in recent times to contrast the lack of action on the streets in Britain with that seen so often across the channel particularly in France. It’s almost as though we are suggesting that the Brits are somehow superior because they don’t act like continentals. Well that view has taken a hammering today in more ways than one. The pictures do look shocking and, clearly, this would…

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