The Tories, who were braced to loose 1000 seats and actually have a net gain of over 50 so far, have done very well. Labour, with a net gain of 700, have done well considering it is only a year from their election defeat, but nothing like as well as everybody, including opinion polls, suggested. They have, […]
It is rash to comment on a blog like this one, before the outcome is known in an election. However a trend has developed which is very interesting. The Lib Dem vote has crashed back to the level of past times when it was never enough to be more than a nuisance. The Tories are […]
William Hague made a rather off balance return to government as Foreign Secretary. First there were personal issues and a departing aide, then one or two uncharacteristically lacklustre performances in the Commons. People began to wonder if his heart was in the job. Maybe he wondered also. He shows increasing signs of not only finding […]
The general view is that interest rates should stay on hold a while longer. This blog has supported those who think a small rise is overdue. Especially we disagree with the economists and politicians who want to slow the cuts as well as to hold interest rates down. However there is a case emerging for […]
The time before the country votes in only its second national referendum can now be measured in hours. The opinion polls are thus far united in giving the NO camp a commanding lead. It is possible the polls are wrong, that YES people will all vote, whereas NO people may not, the undecided will all […]
The death of the world’s most wanted man at the hands of U.S special forces is having a profound impact across the globe. In America it is already one of the nation’s great historic moments. It may not change much in the management, such as it is, of Al-Qaeda; already its organisation at the top has […]
Watching the spectacular of the Royal wedding, this Blog was reminded, once again, of the flexible and at times imprecise nature of our unwritten constitution. For example the foreign office intervened to have the Libyan ambassador’s invitation withdrawn, but Downing Street washed its hands of the Brown/Blair snub on the grounds that it had nothing […]
There was an element of fairytale in Friday’s events, as many have said. There was a spontaneous warmth for William and Kate, not just because of the pageantry of Royalty. He is the daughter of the People’s Princess, whose death left an unfilled void in the hearts of so many. She is of an aspirational middle class family with working […]
The Queen has been very badly advised. It matters not whether Blair was indiscreet in his book or Brown blew up the economy. It does not matter if Her Majesty hates them both. This is unlikely, but she is in the end, human. What matters is that both are former Prime Ministers and it is […]
The GDP figures today are very good news if you want re-assurance that the economy is re-modeling, debt is being paid down privately and by corporations and banks are contracting. It is good that construction is weak and house prices flat. It is very good that manufacturing and high tec service industries are expanding at […]