They Blog For You

If unpaid internships are to be discouraged, I presume that the government will now put unpaid Parliamentary Private Secretaries onto the government payroll? Over the past year, an unprecedentedly number of MPs have been made PPSs under the Coalition.  Even quite junior ministers now make use of these unpaid ministerial aides. A internship, or work experience scheme, MPs [...]

  Former pal and MP Gordon Prentice reports from Canada:  "Michael Thompson, an inventive councillor in Toronto, has claimed $300 expenses to cover the cost of a pastor  “blessing his workplace” at City Hall. His office is blessed at the start of every new Council term. Even Westminster’s most ingenious and resourceful [...]

Ridicule was called for today against gross ministerial incompetence.  I reminded Foreign Secretary William Hague of the Tories addiction to vain- glorious posturing.  ‘Does he recall the day when Minister Heseltine clad in a camouflage jacket and supported by 1500 soldiers and police landed by helicopter at Molesworth Peace Camp on a [...]

                 There is a convenient assumption amongst the media and many contributors to political debate that Ministers are all powerful. If a problem needs fixing they can fix it. If they fail to, it is wanton neglect or pig headedness that has meant they have failed  complainants.                I am pleased [...]

                   After thirteen years of mistakes and economic disaster, it is refreshing to hear a Minister say “Sorry” when he or she has presided over a mistake. It is also reassuring  that the mistakes have not been on the scale of the Boom/Bust errors of Labour.                  One apology may be [...]

Several times over the past year or so, I’ve suggested (here and here and here and here) that the biggest problem for any Cameron-led government was going to be the civil service. It’s good to see the commentariat starting to see this.  Even ministers now clock the fact that they might "pull the levers, but nothing happens".  [...]

                    On Thursday I gave a lecture to a Cambridge University audience on the conduct of public policy. I chose to speak about UK economic policy over the last thirty years. Today I will share the summary of what I said about independence in Central banks, and tomorrow my conclusions [...]

Last week we started work on the Localism Bill. This legislation underwrites the government approach. More matters should be settled locally, by the Borough Council or by groups of people concerned about local matters. National government and MPs will interfere less with all the local services, from education and social [...]

No one concerned about the continued transfer of power to Brussels can take comfort from news that senior Treasury official, Jon Cunliffe, is to become our next ambassador to Brussels.   As head of UKREP, the team of British EU negotiators, Cunliffe will have enormous influence over the direction of our EU [...]

    One Tory MP said I was 'cruel'. I thought I had been kind. Three-brained Oliver Letwin appeared before the Public Administration Committee this morning. He bristles with brilliance and shines with charm. I told him how I had emitted a whoop of joy on reading one of his speeches. He [...]

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North, today welcomed the ministerial announcement made by Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, on new payments to aid victims of contaminated blood, including hepatitis C sufferers. Mr Lansley announced a package of measures totalling in the region of £100 to £130million including: An increase in the [...]

    The Daily Mail caught up with the 'revolving door' scandal this morning. But they omitted the main point. Shame. They are trapped by their political agenda into making it an anti-Labour story. While they quoted me at length, they omitted my main charge probably because it involves a Tory. The body [...]

    I was jump-started from sleep into life this morning at 7.50 this morning by a John Humphrys interview. Are we sleepwalking into new disasters in Afghanistan? After retreating from the most dangerous Sangin area of Helmand, UK deaths this year are nearing the 108 killed last year. Humphrys came close to [...]

My last correspondence to you was shortly after the Secretary of State, Philip Hammond MP, visited Aylesbury on 30 September. As a result of that meeting, I wrote to Mr Hammond about two issues that needed further discussion. The first letter was about fare prices and whether the probable high [...]

After months of asking Freedom of Information requests, we’ve finally pieced together a list of all art held in the office of ministers in Whitehall. I hope you find it of interest.

After months of asking Freedom of Information requests, we’ve finally pieced together a list of all art held in the office of ministers in Whitehall. I hope you find it of interest. [...]

It’s taken  over 4 months to respond to a simple request for an internal review. The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued guidance stating that they consider 20 working days from the date of the request for review to be acceptable, and in no case should the total time taken exceed [...]

The following correspondence has come into my hands. I am sure it is meant to be confidential, so please be careful with it. If we do not publish it, there might be more where it came from. It appears to be internal correspondence amongst senior officials in  government departments  I cannot [...]

Today’s announcement that universities will be free to charge up to £9,000 tuition fees is good news. It is good for students because it means that young people in Britain will have the same opportunities to access top quality higher education that other young people have around the world.  Unable [...]

Oh dear. Written Ministerial Statements are supposed to be published by 12.30 on the day of notice. The Clock is ticking. See the anticipated statements in bold. 1. Secretary of state for business, innovation and skills: Insolvency service consultation on debtor petition and early discharge 2. Secretary of state for business, innovation [...]

The government have just released a written ministerial statement on the cost of government cars for the last financial year of the Labour Government. It’s curious. This is what I think will happen: They will have teed up a symapthetic blogger/blogging journalist to get the ball moving on the story. They’ll express outrage [...]