They Blog For You

I set off last Sunday afternoon for a three day visit to Washington and New York. My main purpose in going to Washington was to talk to people in the Obama administration and in Congress about the Balkans (the USA maintains a strong interest in countries like Bosnia & Herzegovina, [...]

For the third time in a row – Greece, Ireland and now Portugal – the continuing Eurozone crisis is being handled badly.   A Portuguese bail-out will shortly be arranged among the EU countries, but in practice dominated by the conditions laid down by the most powerful country, Germany.   This [...]

Greece, Ireland, now Portugal ....  Another bailout of the Euro dressed up as a rescue.  Another high interest loan pressed upon European taxpayers, as if that might solve the problem of excessive debt. Over the past year, we have been struggling to save a total of [...]

A number of local people have contacted me about Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s ‘Fish Fight Campaign’, and so I thought it would be a good idea to set out my thoughts on the matter here. Throwing dead fish back into the sea is a terrible waste.  It is disruptive to marine ecosystems [...]

The political elite in SW1 are out of touch with the public on law and order, according to the Sunday Telegraph.  In a poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft, 47 percent of voters think that no party has the right approach. [...]

One of the perils of politicians is that no sooner have they made a grand pronouncement on the sweep of history, as they perceive it, than events immediately conspire to prove that they had totally misread the runes and that the opposite is true.   That seems the fate of David Miliband [...]

Why didn't I think of that? It was such a strange question that I had never given it a thought. Aled ap Dafydd asked me on the Welsh Politics Show today, 'Why did AV in Australia double the number of voters who spoil their ballot papers?.' I do not believe they [...]

The British government just agreed to a whole lot more European government at the latest EU summit.  Read the detail on John Redwood's blog.  Very many of these new pan-EU measures apply to Britain in precisely the same way that they do to Eurozone members. Over the [...]

Conclusions of  24/25 March 2011 EU summit included the following:     2. Within the new framework of the European semester, the European Council endorsed the priorities for fiscal consolidation and structural reform. priority to restoring sound budgets and fiscal sustainability, reducing unemployment through labour market reforms and making new efforts to enhance growth. All Member States [...]

Total of British Soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 362   Today I've discovered a new heroine. I was chairing this morning's session of a Westminster Education Forum conference on scientific research. It was held in the swish location of Over-seas House in St James's Street London. The first of six speakers in my [...]

Why is non-Euro Britain liable for £3 Billion to bail out Portugal? Downing Street is keen to suggest we’re part of the bailout Mechanism thanks entirely to ex-Chancellor, Alistair Darling.  Indeed, when I asked the current Chancellor about it, I was told “my predecessor as Chancellor ... agreed to the creation of the [...]

But no more. Today's budget was a drama-drained drone of yesterday's press releases. In his day Gordon Brown was apocalyptic with a Heathcliff booming voice and contrived surprises. Nothing of any significance can be delivered in Osborne's squeaking falsetto. Today I had a choice. Attend my 24th budget speech or chair the [...]

                The Euro crisis has not been resolved. It is a rolling crisis, a series of accidents and market falls, often made worse by rows around the Council of Ministers table or by unfortunate and diverse spin from member states governments.               This week Portugal and the markets have returned to [...]

Public spending is still going up by 6% a year, though there are plenty  of discussions about cuts. One of the reasons is the surge in interest payments we now have to make, as so much has been borrowed in the last couple of years. It makes controlling the deficit all [...]

This map is a map produced by Big Think.com It is worth looking at the original post which explains in more detail.What the Map does is to demonstrate the different groupings in Europe. This includes the Vatican that mints Euros, but is not part of either the EU [...]

I'm on the 29th floor of Milbank Tower for the launch of the People's Pledge, the new campaign for an EU referendum.What's so refreshing about today is the line up of those leading the call to let the people decide. Not a blazer or panama hat in sight. [...]

  Tomorrow will the day from hell for the coalition.There are likely to be statements on Japan and Libya. The indefensible Prince Andrew may again come under critical attack. The world is traumatised by the nightmare images we are witnessing from Japan. I am sure the Government and charities will do all [...]

Thanks to all those who came to my residents meeting in Ward End last night – especially colleagues from West Midlands Police. We’ll post a full write up later but the three key local issues raised were; 1. Speeding and dangerous parking – especially folks dropping off children at school. We [...]

The Economist tells us that “there is a non-trivial chance that Britain might fall out of the EU one day. Such a falling-out would involve a hasty withdrawal from a Europe that had taken an impossibly unpalatable turn. The chances of such a messy crisis are rising.” Yep. But far from [...]

Yesterday several hundred protesters stormed a court in Birkenhead and "arrested" the judge.  Challenging the authority of a court like that is wrong. However, it does raise an interesting question; on whose authority does a judge preside? The simple answer is the Crown's.  Those we elect determine the law.  Judges [...]