Martin Bright 
Bloody Students: The Next Generation
I’ve been teaching the politics specialism at City University’s journalism course and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how much fun it has been. I was warned before I started that my student… Continue reading
14 CommentsHere’s the Latest From Your Neo-Con Socialist
I was always shocked by the level of vitriol among New Statesman and Guardian readers when a writer stepped away from the comfort zone of received wisdom and cuddly "I’m… Continue reading
11 CommentsAnyone Feel Sorry for Tessa Jowell?
I have already been teased by the readers of this blog for suggesting that it was possible to feel sympathy for Tessa Jowell and her family over the conviction of… Continue reading
14 CommentsThe Irresistible Rise of the Liberal Democrats
If there is one message Labour and Conservative politicians should take into the next election it is never to underestimate the Liberal Democrats. They always do better than you expect… Continue reading
12 CommentsThe Adrian Mole Generation Should Step up to the Plate
It’s perhaps a step too far to mix a reference from a popular work of 1980s satirical fiction with a phrase borrowed from baseball in the headline of this piece, but… Continue reading
19 CommentsCan the Artists Transform Our High Streets?
It can’t have escaped people’s notice that shops in our high streets are being boarded up at quite an alarming rate. I’ve noticed it in central London, but also in… Continue reading
14 CommentsMills sent down – Lampl turns up
Two stories with no connection really, apart from their capacity to raise an eyebrow. I wondered if David Mills, the estranged husband of Olympics minister Tessa Jowell would ever be… Continue reading
5 CommentsNever Underestimate the Lib Dems
I know we are not supposed to take ComRes polls too seriously but there’s one aspect of the Independent on Sunday poll at the weekend that I really rings true. It… Continue reading
7 CommentsCan The Government Dig Itself Out ? (2)
From the response to the last post on this subject I get the impression that people around here don’t much care if the government can did itself out or not.… Continue reading
14 CommentsReporting protest
Anyone who has ever been on a protest march or felt the heady frission of student rebelliousness should check out Hugo Rifkind’s piece in the Times today. A really subtle… Continue reading
3 CommentsCan the Government Dig Itself Out?
If you just read one newspaper today you’d know things were getting pretty bad for Gordon Brown. Let’s take the Observer for example: not exactly a hostile paper to the… Continue reading
8 CommentsSmoking Gun: Katharine Goes to Hollywood
It was great to hear Katharine Gun the GCHQ whistleblower on Saturday Live this morning talking about the morality of the leaker. I suppose the pretext was the banking crisis, but Katharine used the opportunity… Continue reading
1 CommentDamian McBride weighs in over Brown’s ‘apology DVD’
Funny what senior Downing St staff find time to do during the biggest economic crisis for 100 years. Here’s a charming text message I received from Damian McBride, former frontline… Continue reading
8 CommentsDo the Downing St denials mean that Brown won’t apologise?
I am finding the Downing St reaction to the story about officials asking for copies of Obama’s TV apologies rather mystifying. From their perspective, what’s so wrong with asking for… Continue reading
6 CommentsDowning Street denial
Downing Street is categorically denying the Obama DVD story. Hmmm! I’ll check with my sources and get back to you.
2 CommentsAsk the artists
Sadly I had to miss the Channel 4 political awards last night. But it was worth it to be at a reception at No 11 to celebrate young British artists… Continue reading
5 CommentsMcNulty survives the Newsnight ambush
A great edition of Newsnight tonight, featuring an ambush of employment minister Tony McNulty in an empty, echoing Birmingham factory. McNulty had been characteristically honest by saying that things are… Continue reading
12 CommentsWhy select committees matter
I take my hat off to the Treasury select committee for the spectacle of the hearings on the banking crisis. This is more theatre than genuine scrutiny - but without real powers… Continue reading
4 CommentsThe crisis of investigative reporting
I caught Walter Isaacson on the Daily Show last night (video here) talking about the future of newspapers and it was pretty scary. Isaacson has written a long piece for Time… Continue reading
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