Published in The Guardian (November 10th, 2013) Just as I was about to go in front of the cameras on a BBC news show, the producer came up […]
North Korea is treated like a joke – but the realities are deadly serious
Published in The Guardian (October 29th, 2013) Kim Song-ju sought to escape the living hell of North Korea, but after crossing a freezing river into China was returned, […]
I know just the man to put the police’s house in order: Andrew Mitchell
Published in The Guardian (October 23rd, 2013) A few months ago David Davis told me that if the police did not come clean over the case of former […]
The suburbs are changing – and so must the Tories
Published in The Guardian (October 2nd, 2013) It is hard to think of a more suburban constituency than Mole Valley at the core of the Surrey commuter belt. […]
Miliband has given Cameron a golden opportunity
Published in The Guardian (September 26th, 2013) There is consensus on one thing about Ed Miliband’s party conference speech: he has made a significant lurch to the left. He […]
A year on from the Paralympics, people with disabilities still face prejudice and abuse
Published in The Guardian (August 28th, 2013) When Don goes out, he faces frequent hostility. Despite living in a picture postcard part of the country, this man in […]
Forget the nostalgia for British Rail – our trains are better than ever
Published in The Guardian (August 16th, 2013) There is a weary predictability to the political choreography. Once again, it’s revealed, commuter rail fares are rising above the rate […]
Britain’s pathetic response to the rise of a global power
Published in The Guardian (August 9th, 2013) Despite their military name, it is hard to see how an eight-strong delegation from Nigeria’s branch of the Boys’ Brigade posed […]
Support journalists, not countries that jail them
Published in The Guardian (August 5th, 2013) ‘I am jailed, with around 200 other inmates, in a wide hall that looks like a warehouse. For all of us, […]
The civil service: a monster in Whitehall
Published in The Guardian (July 16th, 2013) Britain has a bad habit of deluding itself over its institutions. We proclaim the National Health Service to be the envy […]