The Prime Minister has made her choice and now we must get on with it
- 10 Jul 2018
Winston Churchill when asked for his opinion on Anthony Eden, his successor as Prime Minister, at the time of the Suez Crisis is reputed to have said, “I wouldn’t have dared to start, but having started I wouldn’t have dared stop.” Theresa May must surely feel something simila...
Adam Smith’s timely lessons for modern conservatism
- 5 Jul 2018
Book Review: 'Adam Smith – What he thought and why it matters' by Jesse Norman Jesse Norman cuts a lofty figure at Westminster, both intellectually and physically. Eton, Oxford, a PhD, a stint as a lecturer and a Visiting Fellowship at All Souls are an impressive combinatio...
The fight for women’s equality has a long way to go
- 29 Jun 2018
One hundred years on from some women being allowed to vote in Parliamentary elections, 48 years on from the Equal Pay Act of 1970, and 24 years on from the first woman being ordained a priest in the Church of England, the Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Select Commit...
The government faces a crunch day for Brexit in Commons – or does it
- 20 Jun 2018
Here we go, it’s Brexit day – again – in the House of Commons. Peers and MPs have been summoned in case of Parliamentary ‘ping-pong’. Journalists gather in Central Lobby and the cameras mass on College Green. Accusations of bad faith fly about, charges of treachery and disloya...
Britain and Europe need to stop bickering
- 14 Jun 2018
Two hundred and six years ago this month, June 1812, war broke out between the United States of America and the United Kingdom. It would last nearly three years, each side would win and lose battles, the White House was burnt to the ground and the result would be effectively a...
Get ready for a week of Tory parliamentary madness
- 10 Jun 2018
So this is it, Theresa May’s week of destiny. The week when MPs votes on Brexit legislation will determine whether she stays or is pushed out, whether her government survives or falls. There is a formula, a set recipe if you like, for a Tory parliamentary party hullabaloo. The...
Theresa May and Justin Welby are more similar than you might think
- 9 Jun 2018
Theresa May and Justin Welby share similar problems – it’s time we cut each of them some slack. They each have national and international responsibilities. Both occupy positions of power and authority. Both occupy desirable central London residences, with very pleasant coun...
Lost Classics: post-war stoicism in 1948’s The Weaker Sex
- 8 Jun 2018
During and after World War Two films continued to be made. Many, like Laurence Olivier’s Henry V, were intended to be morale boosting productions. Others, like This Happy Breed and The Weaker Sex were stories of resilience and stoicism. The Weaker Sex was one of the most popul...
Italian crisis looks like last chance for Brussels to get Brexit and the EU right
- 22 May 2018
Italy is the latest big European country to have its politics upended in a vote of popular discontent. In voting in this way Italians are moving with the tide of national continental politics. Across the continent one political upheaval after another is changing the establishe...
This Royal wedding matters, a lot
- 18 May 2018
Last minute preparations are being completed and rehearsals undertaken. The Castle has been swept from top to bottom. Security checks are taking place. The men and women of the Armed Forces are applying the final layers of polish to their shoes, blanco to their belts and steam...