Martin Bright 
A crisis that has been brewing for years
Last Friday I wrote a post for this blog suggesting we had a problem with our young people. Well we do now. I remember talking to Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids… Continue reading
53 CommentsThe coalition can’t ignore the Tottenham riots
As the early 1980s is recreated before our eyes, we now have a fully-fledged retro riot. Various Conservative commentators have been tweeting and blogging away about this today, including Nile… Continue reading
29 CommentsNorway: The Amy Winehouse Connection
One of the most irritating aspects of modern journalism is the tendency to make spurious connections between unconnected phenomena. The non-existent links between Saddam’s Iraq and al-Qaeda is the most… Continue reading
19 CommentsPolice, reporters and the security excuse that will not wash
The excuse deployed by the police to explain their failure thoroughly to investigate the News of the World hacking allegations is quite persuasive: national security was a priority, and this… Continue reading
15 CommentsWill the dirty business of journalism survive hackgate?
How long will it take for journalism to recover from what has been done in its name by the News of the World? It’s possible to argue that our profession… Continue reading
14 CommentsWhere does volunteering stop and exploitation begin?
There’s always something satisfying about appearing in a new publication and I made my debut in the Stage, the publication of the theatre industry this week. I was horrified to… Continue reading
16 CommentsThe Johann Hari affair
I have been surprised by some of the reaction to the news that the Independent’s star columnist and interviewer Johann Hari had played fast and loose with the conventions of… Continue reading
40 CommentsWhy David Cameron should be bothered about unemployment
With the publication of the latest unemployment figures, the government allowed itself a little moment of smugness as the figures appeared to be going in the right direction. Coalition ministers… Continue reading
14 CommentsOf Left and Right
Those looking for further evidence of my drift to the right might wish to look at my latest post on authoritarian Islam for the new website Conservative Voices. As the… Continue reading
51 CommentsTrustees and trustworthiness
I have been accused this week of conducting a witchhunt against London Citizens/Citizens UK, the “citizens organisers” and darlings of the political class. It seems some people are quite content… Continue reading
25 CommentsThe fight against extremism and authoritarianism
It is now nearly five years since I wrote When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries for the think tank Policy Exchange. It was a plea for sanity in the debate on… Continue reading
25 CommentsTolerating a libel
It’s always unpleasant to be libelled and particularly nasty to be defamed by supporters of totalitarian Islam. Journalists really shouldn’t sue, but sometimes it can get very frustrating, especially when… Continue reading
22 CommentsThe Orwell Prize, DJ Taylor and the intern debate
On Tuesday, I presented the Orwell Prize for journalism to brave Jenni Russell, who used the occasion to go public on her battle against cancer. She had not been well… Continue reading
7 CommentsApprenticeships versus degrees: a disaster in the making
There was a really interesting piece in the Observer business section this weekend balancing up the value of degrees and apprenticeships. “A perception prevails, particularly among middle-class families, that choosing… Continue reading
18 CommentsThe saddest politician in England
Nick Clegg’s time as the country’s darling was always likely to be fleeting. But poor Vince Cable was consistently feted as the man who got it right on the economy.… Continue reading
31 CommentsThe new sectarian era
David Cameron has been gracious in victory and Nick Clegg has been dignified in defeat, while Ed Miliband has felt like something of a bit-part player. The only real explanation… Continue reading
5 CommentsBritain at its worst
It couldn’t have been a more extraordinary bank holiday for news and spectacle. But now the fuss is beginning to die down it’s possible to compare and contrast the hysteria… Continue reading
58 CommentsPlaying the hard man
Easter/Pesach is always a good time to be at the Jewish Chronicle with all the combined holidays. This year it is all the more congenial now the Pope has been… Continue reading
7 CommentsDo far right extremists operate as lone wolves or a pack?
Some political organisations chase the news agenda, others just plough their own furrow driven by the overriding morality of their cause. The work of Gerry Gable and his anti-fascist organisation… Continue reading
38 CommentsA nudge towards genuine social mobility
I have always thought “nudge” theory was an absurd excuse for a political ideology: just another way of arguing against state intervention. But Nick Clegg has almost forced me to… Continue reading
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