Britain is being governed by a duumvirate. Britons may not understand how two-headed government works; but Russians should have no trouble at all. They have long been accustomed to a two-headed form of government. Perhaps at the next UK-Russian summit, the quartet of Cameron, Clegg, Putin and Medvedev can swap tips. Clegg’s importance to the Conservative-Liberal government will transform the previously honorific role of deputy Prime Minister. He will retain the right to fire Liberal Democrat ministers, if not directly then by threatening to remove... Two articles, though, are particularly indicative of the tensions that the government will face. Interviewed in the Sun, David Cameron has to... Two junior ministerial appointments today suggest areas where the coalition government intends to be radical. First, Nick Herbert has been made minister for police reform. In opposition, Herbert was key to the elected police commissioners agenda and this appointment suggests that the coalition will follow through on this idea in government. The police establishment will attempt to stop elected police commissioners from happening. It’s crucial that Cameron doesn’t blink when they do. Elected police commissioners will ensure that the police concentrate on the crimes that really worry the public. They will do a huge amount tom reduce fear of crime. Hammond’s first announcement has been to confirm George Osborne’s... Iain Martin has an excellent post on the Labour leadership contenders and concludes that Miliband is not yet the complete package. I agree. Bananas aside, Miliband’s chief problem is that he expresses himself in meaningless...Friday, 14th May 2010
Government, Russian-style
DANIEL KORSKI 10:36am
Правительство, в русском стилеIn the foothills of Brown's debt mountain
PETER HOSKIN 9:16am
After the sunshine of the Downing St rose garden, the gloom of the public finances. This morning's newspapers are full of stories about the tax hikes and spending cuts that our coalition government is looking to introduce. TheSun and the Times dwell on yesterday's forecast for a rise in VAT. The Guardianoutlines possible cuts to middle-class benefits. And there's plenty more besides.Thursday, 13th May 2010
Two areas where the coalition will be radical
JAMES FORSYTH 7:23pmLabour must recognise the scale of its defeat
DAVID BLACKBURN 6:04pm
Will Straw was on the news this afternoon, arguing that Labour had lost only a small "doughnut" of seats around London and in the south. As John Rentoul notes, some doughnut: Labour was annihilated in England. David Cameron’s swift reform of the Conservative party was built on recognising the scale of defeat. Few on the Labour side have yet done so, including David Miliband, who clings to the spurious consolation that it could have been worse. In a piece for the Guardian, John Denham is candid about a share of the vote...Hammond: Crossrail will stay
DAVID BLACKBURN 5:34pm
Philip Hammond was quietly brilliant as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and it would have been a travesty if he was excluded from the Cabinet. Having avoided assuming the mantle of ‘the most hated man in England’, Hammond has been handed the poisoned Transport brief. A popular saying about frying and pans and fires comes to mind as he will tasked with renewing Britain’s congested roads, baleful airports and Victorian railways amid austerity. Still, he could have been sent to Northern Ireland.The death knell for Unionism in Ulster?
DAVID BLACKBURN 5:06pm
Last Thursday was a dreadful night for the Unionists in Ulster. Six months of unionist divisions, dissent and defections culminated in a near decimation of the Unionist vote. There was an 8.7 percent against the DUP, whose self-induced crisis was embodied by Peter Robinson’s humiliating defeat. The Ulster Unionists have been eradicated. Slyvia Hermon was one of many to resist Sir Reg Empey’s pact with the Tories and overall there was a 2.7 percent swing against the party. Infighting will prevail. The anti-Conservative Michael McGimpsey is apparently in the mix to succeed...Miliband storms ahead. Whither Ed Balls?
DAVID BLACKBURN 2:59pm
Amazingly, given his penchant to procrastinate, David Miliband’s leadership bid is flying. High profile endorsements fly-in – former defence secretary and arch-Blairite John Hutton is the latest. Miliband is out on the stump, canvassing the opinions of former voters. Ed Balls, by contrast, looks tentative and there is no doubt he’s losing ground. Reform? Looks more like gerrymandering
PETER HOSKIN 1:07pm
Much ado about this 55 percent proposal – whereby that proportion of the House, rather than just over 50 percent, would be required to vote down a government – and rightly so. But, as so often, Iain Martin says all that needs to be said. Here's a snippet from his must-read post:"It is rather stretching things to try and present this piece of proposed gerrymandering as 'Political Reform.' It is actually designed to ensure that even a walk-out of the whole Lib Dem parliamentary group couldn't actually bring down
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Friday, 14 May 2010
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