Published by The Independent (10th August, 2015) Halima was from Yarmouk, a suburb of Damascus besieged by both Syrian government and Islamic State forces. She was travelling with […]
Politics
Vote Corbyn to help Labour get over its left-wing fantasy
Published by The Independent (2nd August, 2015) The Labour leadership campaign has turned into one of the unexpected delights of the summer, a farce so absurd that even […]
Politics / Technology
Infuriating and self-righteous, but we’d miss the BBC
Published by The Independent (13th July, 2015) Five months ago the House of Commons Culture Committee issued an important report into the future of the BBC, seen as […]
Europe / Greece / Immigration / Policy
The political response to Europe’s migration crisis has been shameful
Published by The Independent (22nd June, 2015) A few days ago I was sitting in Athens with an official from Médecins Sans Frontières discussing the migration crisis confronting […]
Politics / United States / World
Brothers in arms – but Bush and Blair take divergent paths now
Published by The Independent (9th June, 2015) When he left the White House in early 2009 and headed back to Dallas, few people were sad to see George […]
Drugs / Policy / Politics
The ban on legal highs is mind-bendingly stupid
Published by The Independent (1st June, 2015) Sometimes it is hard not to wonder at the stupidity of Westminster. Advanced nations around the world are waking up to […]
Politics
Labour’s instant denial of its manifesto damages politics
Published by The Independent (25th May, 2015) Politics is a brutal business – and none know this better than Ed Balls. The Brownite bruiser, a less than popular […]
Politics
The false prophets of nationalism
Published by The Independent (11th May, 2015) Shortly before election day I spent an afternoon with the affable Danny Alexander as he fought to save his seat in […]
Politics
Stunning victory leaves Cameron awash with political capital
Published by The Independent (8th May, 2015) This stunning election victory is something to savour for David Cameron. It is a personal triumph that trounces not just political rivals, the […]
Politics
In praise of British politics
Published by The Independent (5th May, 2015) Politics can be a unattractive business. It is often described as showbusiness for ugly people, such is the desire of those involved […]