David Cameron doesn’t know how many houses he owns
I own a house in North Kensington and my house in the constituency in Oxfordshire and that is, as far as I know, all I have. Do not make me sound like a prat for not knowing how many houses I’ve got....
View ArticleNine years of blogging, and the permanence of it all
Today marks nine years since I started blogging. Nine years. Increasingly, people are becoming concerned about the permanence of stuff posted the internet. Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign was...
View ArticleAndrew Lansley’s bad day
If people could actually see inside my brain, all the things I was thinking, it really would be a very bad day. So said Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, in an interview with Amber Elliott for...
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Some interesting rail statistics (really!)
Rail fares are going up again. Every time this happens, talking heads on the news suggest that a re-nationalised railway would be cheaper. Is this true? That is, of course, an impossible question to...
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Review: A Journey by Tony Blair
Tony Blair’s autobiography gives a real and detailed insight into what it’s like to be Prime Minister: the stresses and how he coped with them, the challenges and how he tried to overcome them, the...
View ArticleJesus, the jungle and Nadine Dorries
I am not an MP for any reason other than because God wants me to be. I constantly try to do what Jesus would do. So said Nadine Dorries in 2007. Obviously, Jesus has now recommended that Dorries...
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Review: My Trade by Andrew Marr
This is a thoroughly enjoyable personal history of journalism, written by the then BBC Political Editor, and former editor of the Independent, Andrew Marr. My Trade certainly delivers on its promise to...
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Review: Live from Downing Street by Nick Robinson
Nick Robinson’s Live from Downing Street is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the history of the relationship between politicians and the media, from the very beginnings of Parliament to the present...
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2D: Nigel Farage
Ukip’s increasing popularity has generated acres of news coverage in the past few months. I thought I’d use this 2D post to pick two of the more thoughtful articles about Ukip’s leader. Writing in...
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BMA wrong to call for repeal of Health and Social Care Act
The BMA is asking members to sign a petition asking Government to repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The leadership’s rationale is that the Act requires providers to compete, while the BMA...
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Ten statistics for International Men’s Day
19th November is International Men’s Day. The politics of International Men’s Day are often portrayed as complex, and many people seem to be of the opinion that it’s little more than a “me too” event...
View ArticlePoliticians talk nonsense about NHS funding
We’re 120 days from the UK General Election, and I’m already truly fed up with hearing absurd nonsense about NHS spending from politicians of all colours. Society is ageing. There are 3 people of...
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The private sector will always be involved in the NHS
A number of politicians have recently made absurd statements about the role of the market and profit in healthcare, and specifically in the NHS. In political terms, the two worst culprits are the...
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So far, Cameron is winning the TV debates debate
In the game of poker that is the planning process for General Election TV debates, Cameron—the player with most to lose—is currently playing best. The broadcasters have played worst, totally fumbling...
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News organisations are wrong about A&E waiting times
Answer me this: what happened to waiting times in A&Es in England last week? To help you answer, here are some tweets published by reputable news organisations today: A&E waiting times in...
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James is wrong about giving 16- and 17-year-olds the vote
My friend James O’Malley argues on his blog that 16- and 17-year-olds should be given the vote as it will help to tackle the seemingly undue attention given to old people by political parties: By...
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Netflix might tell us why the election polls were wrong
It’s said that so-called ‘shy Tories’ swung the General Election: those people who are unwilling to admit to pollsters that they vote Tory for fear of a negative response, but who put their cross next...
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