Category Archives for politics
In Praise of Cecil Parkinson 1997
Tweet Former Tory chairman Cecil Parkinson gave the best performance I can remember by a politician responding to results on election night coverage. Cecil was on duty for the Tories in 1997. He did not make the mistake which many … Continue reading
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: 1983 Labour mystery man revealed
Tweet As Denis Healey’s chief of staff during Labour’s suicide-note election campaign of 1983, I attended many meetings of the party’s unwieldy campaign committee first thing in the morning. Chaired by Michael Foot, the committee spent much time debating such … Continue reading
Dear Mrs May: why are you shielding Tony Blair?
Tweet Letters to the Prime Minister and the Attorney General about the government’s decision to shield Tony Blair from a private prosecution for his conduct over Iraq Rt Hon Theresa May MP Prime Minister 10 Downing Street Dear Prime … Continue reading
Harry Truman’s Biggest Mistake
Tweet On this day (April 12) in 1945 Harry Truman became President of the United States, on the death of Franklin Roosevelt. He won a famous re-election victory in 1948 to serve another term in his own right. Years later … Continue reading
Simpering, Sidelined Harriet Harman
Tweet Published in Private Eye 1439 The otherwise excellent treatment in Literary Review (Eye 1438) of Harriet Harman’s simpering memoirs failed to mention their most astonishing allegation. She claims that as Solicitor-General during the run-up to the Iraq war she … Continue reading
Gerald Kaufman 1930-2017
Tweet After two attempts in the 1950s Gerald Kaufman became a Labour MP in 1970. He has represented people in inner-city Manchester ever since. I suspect that he could retrieve the details of every constituency case he has handled, with … Continue reading
Blair should face manslaughter charges over Iraq
Tweet unpublished letter to Daily Telegraph Three servicemen face prosecutions for manslaughter over highly-disputed allegations against their conduct during the aftermath of the Iraq war. No penalty of any kind has been imposed on the people who sent them into … Continue reading
Don’t appease Putin (Letter published Evening Standard August 18, 2016)
Tweet In praising the Prime Minister today (August 16th) for her attempt to improve relations with Putin’s Russia, Sir Christopher Meyer gave a long list of issues where he evidently expects no concession on Putin’s side: aggression in the Crimea … Continue reading
EU referendum: Don’t be afraid of the wine waiter
Tweet A REMAIN vote in the EU referendum is for people who are afraid to argue with the wine waiter. We’ve all met the worst sort of this species. The one who sneers at you and thinks your opinion is … Continue reading
EU REMAIN: a bus trip with Lord Curzon
Tweet Every time I hear a REMAINER talk about reforming the EU from within, or simply about British influence over it, I am reminded of the famous story from the 1920s about Lord Curzon’s only known journey on a London … Continue reading
