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Could ‘ever-closer union’ ever face westwards? Fulfilling my promise to Mike of filing Saturday mornings in the category of ‘Whimsy and Caprice’, I thought we’d try a little thought-experiment combining our understandings of the European elections with the coverage of this week’s G20 and NATO meetings. Let’s start with some uncontroversial premises – firstly, that irrespective of how UKIP do in June’s European Parliamentary elections, there is in the UK a broad antipathy to the European project as currently constituted…

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Would an IMF bailout guarantee a Conservative government? The Daily Telegraph has a story that a ‘Senior Cabinet Minister’ has told them that Britain may consider asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for funds, and that it should not be too proud or fearful to do so. The process of requesting a bailout from the Washington-based fund has long been considered a demeaning final recourse for a national economy in trouble. Common amongst Latin American and Asian economies in the…

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The MP expenses scandal hasn’t gone away Some great headlines for Gordon this morning but, as they say, today’s newspapers become tomorrow’s fish and chip paper. And with the mass of data of every single MP’s expenses claims about somewhere, the leaks, and, of course, our friend the Edinburgh South MP in the News of the World, the Sundays papers could be a lot different. The London G20 might have gone a long way to “saving the world” but those…

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What are the chances for Mr Smithson first time out? This afternoon the horse owned by the PB Syndicate, Mr Smithson, has its first race in the 2.55pm at Musselburgh. The name, it will be recalled, was chosen after a vote on the site. I find the whole thing quite strange and am waiting for comments like “Mr Smithson flops first time out” or “Mr Smithson fails again” or even “Mr Smithson shot after going lame”. Though if it does…

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Are we underestimating his resilience and cunning? Well we are here. The end of of the G20 and an agreement from which Brown can take a lot of credit and might, just might, provide the basis that gives him just a chance of holding on. Regular PBers will know that I’m not always the PM’s biggest fan but I’ve been struck by Brown’s resolve and determination over the G20. For months he has made this day in London’s docklands his…

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Tom Watson MP G20 They’ve made provision for 1,000 – just 50 have turned up? Above is a clip from Tom Watson MP’s blog from the G20 conference centre in East London which raises more questions than it answers. For apparently, according to Watson who for more than half a decade has been a pioneer in this area, provision has been made for many more bloggers than have actually turned up. He writes: “I’m sitting in a vast airport hangar…

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