Coffee House The Spectator Blog
Tories toast Labour abstention plan for EU bill
From being all over the shop in the past few months when it came to message discipline, the Tories have gone into overdrive in the last two days after the… Continue reading
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Michael Gove is vindicated by Ofsted – our brightest kids are being let down
Ofsted has provided an independent boost for Michael Gove today. Just days after his plans to toughen up GCSEs were finally confirmed; a survey lambasts non-selective secondary schools for systematically… Continue reading
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Why are we all so shocked by Prism?
I am trying very hard to understand why everyone is shocked — shocked! — by news that the US government helps itself to the massive data flows generated by Google,… Continue reading
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Yasser Arafat poisoning: Light fuse, stand back
The wife of President Arafat, Suha, is understandably anxious. Next week, after nine years, she may finally learn whether her husband was assassinated. It will be hard to overestimate the… Continue reading
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The Tory plan to beat Miliband
The Tories are chuffed with yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions (the knockabout, that is, not the serious bit), and with Labour’s continuing struggle to make any impact in the polls. Earlier… Continue reading
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The View from 22 — Gove the revolutionary, a society without religion and will the EU referendum split the Tories apart?
How much love is there for Michael Gove on the opposition benches? In this week’s Spectator cover feature, Toby Young argues, quite a lot. The Education Secretary has the policies… Continue reading
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Stephen Hester’s departure: who would want the RBS job?
I do not envy the search committee tasked with finding a new CEO for RBS after Stephen Hester’s departure. The bank is an anomaly, publicly owned but supposedly run at… Continue reading
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David Cameron sings the good jobs news, but can Labour deal with green shoots?
There was plenty for David Cameron to sing about at today’s PMQs when it came to the ONS’ latest labour market figures, and sing he did. He said: ‘First, it… Continue reading
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The tragedy of Taksim square
First he set the police on his own people, now ‘democratic’ Prime Minister Erdogan is refusing even to meet them. The peace talks he promised are being held not with… Continue reading
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Lib Dem sexual harassment report: what you need to know
Helena Morrissey has published her report on the allegations of sexism in the Liberal Democrats triggered by the Lord Rennard scandal. In short, she concludes that there wasn’t a cover-up,… Continue reading
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PMQs sketch: David Cameron lashes out at Labour
Oh dear. Another lousy day at the races for Ed Miliband. It began as soon as he stood up at PMQs. The mournful angularities of his face settled into a… Continue reading
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Cameron wins PMQs… or does he?
Well, that was an easy Prime Minister’s Questions for David Cameron, wasn’t it? Sometimes the PM just turns up for work and knocks it out of the park. It helped,… Continue reading
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Conservatives to take Labour and Lib Dem MPs with them to EU renegotiation talks
Tories preparing the ground for David Cameron’s renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with Europe are to take MPs from other parties with them as they visit European cities, Coffee House has… Continue reading
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Tories pressure Labour and Lib Dems on EU bill
Credit where credit’s due to the Tory spin machine for following up a good idea and putting pressure on Labour and the Lib Dems. This doesn’t happen very often, so… Continue reading
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The backbench hunt for Sir David Nicholson’s scalp continues
Today’s hearing of the Public Accounts Committee is going to be real box office stuff. Sir David Nicholson is giving evidence, supposedly on the NHS IT programme, but he’ll find… Continue reading
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The Spectator Archive: what you’ve found so far
Since our archive went live yesterday, we’ve had a striking response through email, comments and Twitter. The Spectator Archive has been in the making for a long time, and given… Continue reading
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Forget the spies: councils want the Snooper’s Charter, too
The Tories aren’t giving up just yet on the Communications Data Bill, and Keir Starmer’s intervention, reported in the Sun this morning, will help their cause. The Director of Public… Continue reading
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Boris Johnson’s 2020 vision: 5 key points
Boy, is Boris Johnson persuasive. Not for him the anodyne policy documents that anyone else in regional or central government prefers to produce. His 2020 Vision document, launched today, is… Continue reading
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Diane Abbott, darling of the reforming Right
Perhaps the Bilderberg conference has had a lasting effect on Parliament, after all. Today we saw what can only be a conspiracy between the Labour left and Michael Gove’s band… Continue reading
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How should Labour deal with the teaching unions?
While dealing with the teaching unions is a simple stand-off for Michael Gove, spare a thought for poor old Stephen Twigg, Labour’s shadow education secretary, who has to work out… Continue reading
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