Trust in the common sense of Dr Hilary on masks and market forces on working from home.
- 29 Aug 2020
I really do not understand why certain issues have become so polarised. Take the row about wearing face coverings. To Des Swain, whom I rather like, it is a ‘monstrous intrusion’. To others it is a gross infringement of their freedoms. To me, in certain circumstances, it is a ...
Margaret Thatcher understood politics, people and backbenchers in a way that Johnson could only dream of. His problem is that he doesn’t
- 24 Aug 2020
It is hard to believe that the general election was only a few months ago. It feels that we are witnessing the slow decay of an era. The gradual decline and fall of an empire riddled with venality, incompetence, cronyism and a whiff of corruption. A government that is limping ...
Who is mad enough to be the PM’s public face? Hasn’t he got one of his own? There lies the problem.
- 30 Jul 2020
So at last Number 10 has made up its mind and decided that they need White House televised press conferences to replace the behind closed doors lobby system. In theory it’s a very good idea to have a CJ Creeg figure wise cracking with the reptiles bringing transparency and the...
Starmer is a clear and present danger to Johnson. He is detoxifying the brand by being the brand. And Johnson with Corbyn are the gifts that keep on giving.
- 22 Jul 2020
One of the most cheering things about lockdown is that I have had the opportunity to watch PMQs. The chemistry and body language between Johnson and Starmer is instructive and couldn’t be more different. Johnson is bluster, prepared one liners, failure to answer any questions,...
The appointment of David Frost is not a disaster, just an embarrassment. There will be a time when Cummings will be obscene but not heard
- 30 Jun 2020
Oh dear, Dom has the alchemist’s gift of turning hard rain into The acid variety. The replacement of Mark Sedwell as National Security Advisor by David Frost is not a disaster, but an embarrassment. The intervention by Theresa May today was devastating. And will rattle number ...
I will take no part in any plan to curtail jury trials. It is wrong, unfair and discriminatory. It should be strangled at birth.
- 25 Jun 2020
I trust Robert Buckland when he says that he would only consider curtailing jury trials as a ‘last resort’ and a ‘temporary measure’ to clear the backlog of trials. But abandoning jury trials in favour of a single judge or a judge sitting with two lay magistrates shouldn’t be ...
A master wordsmith even if they are written in vitriol
- 11 Jun 2020
I would like to think that John Bercow is his own worst enemy, but I am afraid that this book puts him well to the back of that lengthening queue. Unspeakable is by far the most honest political autobiography I have ever read. Too honest. It fizzes with malice and spits venom ...
At PMQs Boris is naked and alone his swashbuckling Flashman persona is more buckle than Swash
- 10 Jun 2020
There were no knock out blows at PMQs today. But there rarely are. What must be troubling backbenchers and ministers is that the PM is not just up to it. Without the howling and jeering from the mob behind he is naked and alone. He has never been a great debater. He has never ...
One moment he is One Nation the next a Warsaw Pact strong man. Who is Boris Johnson?
- 30 May 2020
For reasons beyond my comprehension (discuss) a certain noisy cult on Twitter seem to think that the retention of Cummings is some sort of victory for Boris Johnson. That he has faced down a biased and driven press. That he emerges as a strong leader. It is not the mood of the...
There is only so much, bluster, arrogance and lies that the public will take
- 26 May 2020
It stretches irony to almost breaking point that Barnard Castle is Durham slang for, ‘pathetic excuse’. I watched the press conference with a mixture of incredulity and anger. Downing Street was asked for comment by the Guardian about the Cummings road trips over six w...