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Category: Media

Will Dave ever be able to satisfy the red-tops?

Will Dave ever be able to satisfy the red-tops?

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How is this all going to end? The mood of the daily tabloids after the first weekend of military intervention is perhaps less gung-ho than we’ve been used to. Certainly there’s a big shadow from Labour’s intervention in Iraq hanging over the whole business and Cameron seems determined not to be seen to be making the same mistakes. First we had the UN resolutions to make it legal in international law, then we’ve had repeated assurances that the legal advice…

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Do the political classes yet understand the power of the web?

Do the political classes yet understand the power of the web?

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Are the Arab Revolutions the first sign of its true potency? Every major new medium challenges and often revolutionises how politics is done. From the invention of printed books through to newspapers, radio and television, each has challenged the elite of the day both to adapt their skills to the new technology but also to handle how the populations respond to the increasing availability and usage of each new medium. The internet – still a very young and growing technology…

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Why’s the government looking like a shambles?

Why’s the government looking like a shambles?

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Would it have been better under Coulson? It’s half term, parliament’s not sitting, and most people in the Westminster village, it seems, are taking a short break. But does that explain the total Horlicks that the government’s PR machine is making of current events. There’s a massive global story with strong British links and the government operation should, surely, appear as though it is handling things competently. Most people, I’d suggest, appreciate how challenging it must be dealing with Libyan…

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What does Patten’s appointment say about the BBC’s future?

What does Patten’s appointment say about the BBC’s future?

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Is it a holding role or a prelude to reform? The likely appointment of former Conservative Party Chairman, Governor of Hong Kong and EU Commissioner, Chris Patten, to be the next chairman of the BBC Trust is likely to be a controversial one. It’s not the first time that the senior board member has been an active politician (the very first chairman of the board of governors had only recently been a government chief whip when appointed), but certainly renews…

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Does it matter if it’s called “The Conservative-led” coalition?

Does it matter if it’s called “The Conservative-led” coalition?

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Should the media acquiesce to Baldwin’s call? James Forsyth at the Speccie Coffee House blog takes up the ongoing argument over whether the term “Conservative-led” rather than “coalition” should be used to describe the government. Labour is keen for its purposes for the former to be used and broadcasters and other media outlets have been written to by EdM press chief, Tom Baldwin, suggesting that they do the same. Channel 4 has become the first to agree. But doesn’t this…

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How many 2011 predictions will John Rentoul get right?

How many 2011 predictions will John Rentoul get right?

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Event Rentoul’s Predictions for 2011 Date Oldham E & Saddleworth “Labour gain” 13/01/11 Welsh referendum “Labour-Plaid Cymru gain” 03/03/11 AV referendum “Lib Dem loss” 05/05/11 The economy “Conservative gain” 31/12/11 What do we think of the Blair biographer’s predictions? The Indy on Sunday’s political editor and Blair biographer, John Rentoul, has published a list of his main predictions for 2011 and they are set out in the table above. While I do think that Labour’s got a good chance in…

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Is there a political price to pay for this?

Is there a political price to pay for this?

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What should ministers do when everything’s bu**ered up? Like many PBers, no doubt, the inclement weather is having a big impact on my life. As I write this it is -11C outside, our pipes are frozen up so that we’ve no water to even flush the loos, and for the third day running we might have to postpone our long planned family Christmas get-together. These are just about the worst winter conditions that I’ve experienced in the UK in my…

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So the Megrahi release was a dirty deal after all?

So the Megrahi release was a dirty deal after all?

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Guardian Will the revelations take the heat off the SNP? Over the past eighteen months the SNP government in Edinburgh has taken a lot of stick over the decision to free Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing who was serving a jail sentence in Scotland. Now, thanks to Wiki-leaks in the Guardian, we’ve got what appears to be the real story – that Libya was threatening to take “harsh and immediate” action against UK interests in the…

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