Published in The Independent (February 2nd, 2013) This week, the Prime Minister went to Africa.Struggling to achieve anything at home thanks to the shaky state of her coalition, […]
Europe / European Union / Politics
The real meaning of the PM’s speech on Europe
Published on ConservativeHome (January 23rd, 2013) This is my annotated take on David Cameron’s keynote speech on Europe, given after much delay at Bloomberg. My notes are in […]
Crime / Policy / Politics
One step forward on probation, then one giant step back on jails
Published in The Guardian (January 11th, 2013) According to the latest figures there are 83,632 locked up in English and Welsh prisons. This is an obscenely large number […]
Politics
Churches’ hostility to gay marriage only underlines their impotence
Published in The Independent (December 28th, 2012) Like millions of other Roman Catholics, Ruth Hunt attended mass on Christmas Day. She was joined by about 150 other devotees at […]
Immigration / Politics
Confront the pessimistic protest politics of UKIP
Published in the London Evening Standard (December 19th, 2012) Nick Clegg has made a lot of noise this week, celebrating his fifth anniversary as Liberal Democrat leader with […]
Africa / Equatorial Guinea / Politics
When naive good intentions meet corrupt kleptocracy
Published in The Independent (November 24th, 2012) Having been flown over on the luxurious presidential jet, we sat for a while in a hotel bar, watching a local […]
Politics
Tories picked the wrong person for the job
Published in The Independent (November 19th, 2012) No textbooks have been written in homage to the brilliance of the Libertas campaign for the 2009 European Parliament elections. The […]
Europe / European Union / Politics
Sensible rebellion on Europe, for all the wrong reasons
Published in The Financial Times (November 2, 2012) From the start of his leadership, David Cameron urged his party to stop banging on about Europe. It alienated voters, he […]
Economics / Environment / Policy / Politics
Tory retreat on climate change is senseless
Published in The Guardian (October 29th, 2012) The year after David Cameron became Tory party leader, he did something party leaders normally never do: he spoke at a […]
Police / Policy / Politics
Polls, policing and a poor public service
Published in The Independent (October 24th, 2012) Are you excited over the prospect of voting next month for your local police chief? I suspect not; you may not even […]
Politics
Modern conservatism that unites the party’s left and right
Published in The Guardian (October 10th, 2012) David Cameron will never be an orator whose barnstorming speaking rouses a hall to its feet. He strikes out the flashier […]