Monthly Archives: February 2008

As Obama pulls ahead of Clinton in the race for the democratic nomination, there are signs of more people in the US wishing to get away from the alternation of the Presidency between the houses of Bush and Clinton that has characterised the last two decades. The US Presidency is a curious amalgam of the [...]

There are good civil liberty objections to the government establishing a data base for young people’s qualifications, which is coming across on the airwaves. There is also a simpler, financial one. When will this government stop dreaming up expensive centralised data computer schemes? Does it not realise, even today, that the extra spending has to [...]

I do not go in for gesture politics. Prime Ministers apologising for events of over a hundred years ago, often with a patent lack of sincerity, with the media in full attendance to make a political point leaves me cold. I am fed up with people expecting England to apologise for battles fought centuries ago [...]

All good things have to come to an end. The benign environment where China and India delivered an ever more stunning array of goods at fabulous prices is changing into an era when Chinese and Indian demand puts substantial upward pressure on raw materials. At the same time the West’s insatiable appetite for these goods [...]

The government is worried about the persistent inflation rate in this country, at a time when we really need to cut interest rates to stimulate the economy and take some of the pressure off borrowers. It has the answer to the problem under its own influence, as much of the high inflation rate is coming [...]

Tomorrow the Synod of the Church of England meets. It has the power to change its agenda to deal with topical matters. It should organise an early debate on the remarks of the Archbishop. The Archbishop himself should suggest this, and should lead it. It would give him the chance to explain his "nuanced" positon [...]

The Archbishop has got himself into a fine mess. It is curious that despite this I read and hear everywhere that he is intelligent and wise. Intelligent he may be, but he lacked judgement and wisdom on this occasion. It is strange that someone is such a senior position, with access to good advice, should [...]

I spent the morning yesterday talking to people on doorsteps in my constituency, as I often do on a Saturday. It reminded me of the appeal of Barack Obama, sweeping to victory in three more states this weekend, taking his tally to 18 out of the 28 contested so far. Hillary Clinton is still in [...]