MPs need to settle down and put their support behind the government
- 30 Nov 2020
Eighty years ago, From the 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, London and several other major British cities were subjected to intense bombing. The bombing was specifically targeted at civilians and it came to be known as The Blitz. In the nearly six years of the war this period ...
The big, bold, beautiful process of electing the American President is a glorious sight
- 5 Nov 2020
Nothing, absolutely nothing, gets professional political trainspotters going like a US Presidential election. From LBJ and JFK through to The West Wing many British politicians and journalists are infantilised and befuddled by their obsession with a fairy tale version of Ameri...
Crexit: only Boris can lead Britain out of the virus lockdown
- 18 Apr 2020
Dominic Raab, and the medical boffins who accompanied him, came to the No 10 podium to deliver a sombre message. Three more weeks of confinement were necessary, he said, and would not give any hint of rule relaxation to come. The boffins nodded sagely beside him. Our focus...
Picasso and Paper
- 17 Feb 2020
“Picasso didn’t just draw on paper – he tore it, burnt it, and made it three-dimensional. From studies for ‘Guernica’ to a 4.8-metre-wide collage, this major exhibition brings together more than 300 works on paper spanning the artist’s 80-year career.” Introduction to the e...
The Church of England needs a new reformation
- 10 Feb 2020
Up and down the country thousands of Church of England clergy minister to their parishes, tend their chaplaincies and witness to their calling. Churches are such physical and visible presences in our villages, towns and cities that it is sometimes easy to overlook the great ra...
That was the decade that was
- 6 Jan 2020
Four Prime Ministers and four General Elections this last decade of British politics has been a roller coaster like no other in living memory. The Queen’s enduring presence as the nation’s figurehead may have provided a veneer of continuity and stability but she reigned over a...
Whitehall is in for a shake-up but will it go far enough?
- 23 Dec 2019
Government is responsible for the provision and delivery of a range of services, directly or indirectly, on a scale no business or charity has to deal with. It is the provider and guardian of our safety and health of last resort. We rely, often unthinkingly, on government to d...
British business needs a fresh approach to the new Tory government
- 19 Dec 2019
Boris Johnson’s huge General Election victory is good news from the perspective of the political stability that business needs to succeed. The UK government will now continue to be a strong supporter of innovation and enterprise. The principles of the free market and free flow...
Get ready for the Boris revolution
- 19 Dec 2019
In 2005 Boris Johnson came to Great Yarmouth where I was the parliamentary candidate. I went to pick him up and take him to the event we had planned. He was accompanied by a journalist who was following him around collecting material for a profile they were writing. Sitting in...
Prince Andrew’s disgrace has now become a political issue
- 18 Nov 2019
There is a firm, if unwritten, rule that the Royal Family keeps a low profile during General Election campaigns. It doesn’t mean they stop working or going about their duties. It does mean they take extra special care not to say anything controversial or anything that could be...