Coffee House The Spectator Blog
One of the best places in London to hear music
I spent last night in one of my favourite places in the whole of London: Wilton’s Music Hall. Anyone who hasn’t yet been to the magical, near-derelict building which is… Continue reading
1 CommentWhat else Brown takes from America
I loved the Fink’s tracing of passages in Brown’s speech back to those of American politicians. But why stop at rhetoric? Brown’s policies are burgled from America too. He used… Continue reading
3 CommentsNow for something truly horrible
They say that things will be better between Britain and American — or at any rate between No 10 and the White House — when Hillary Clinton becomes president. How… Continue reading
3 CommentsBT need to be more broad minded
Success – of a sort. I first contacted Virgin Media seven weeks ago as I wanted to change from dial-up to broadband. Yesterday (after some five weeks of almost daily… Continue reading
3 CommentsHave the Angry Young Men won out?
Proofs of The Letters of Noel Coward and a new book about the Royal Court Theatre arrived at The Spectator together and their conjunction made me wonder, who is winning?… Continue reading
0 CommentsLabour gets ready to go, but cabinet remains divided on timing
The chances of an autumn poll just increased with the news that Labour is hiring key election staff. Now, this doesn’t mean Gordon is definitely going but it does show… Continue reading
2 CommentsThe McCanns go through hell again
The longing for the girl snapped in Morocco to be Madeleine McCann rippled round the world. This story has taken so many twists and turns, many of them savage, but… Continue reading
0 CommentsBoris wins Tory mayoral primary
It was the Spec wot won it….well, not quite. But I like to think that our ferocious, implacable support for Boris played a small part in persuading London voters to… Continue reading
15 CommentsA vintage split
Nick Robinson has a great post up on the generation gap opening up among the cabinet about whether or not to go to the polls now. As Robinson points out, the young… Continue reading
1 CommentWhat Osborne meant
My interview with George Osborne in tomorrow’s Spectator has caused much interest, particularly his contrasting of himself with the "uber modernisers". This phrase has travelled so fast that a Cabinet… Continue reading
8 CommentsWhat is the gamble for Brown?
Much discussion over what Ed Balls meant when he said that the “gamble” was to delay the election, not hold it now. What could he mean? The only interpretation being… Continue reading
25 CommentsBalls’s independent thinking
The news that Ed Balls is to scrap the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and replace it with an independent body prompts two thoughts. First, Mr Balls is showing real promise… Continue reading
7 CommentsCan Brown resist an 11 point lead?
A new YouGov poll puts Labour 11 points ahead and further increases the pressure on Gordon Brown to call an election in the next few days. There’s little doubt that… Continue reading
1 CommentOn to Blackpool
When I zipped through security, I knew something was up. The conference here is almost dead. The normal buzz of a Tuesday has vanished, even if Brown’s up for a… Continue reading
2 CommentsWhat they’re talking about in the bars of Bournemouth
Here’s a recap of the gossip around the bars last night.. 1. Early election: Perhaps Brown started this hare running to wrong-foot the Tories, then came to take it… Continue reading
1 CommentWhy British jobs for British workers won’t work
As I type, a frustrated cleaner has just come in my room in Bournemouth. To my amazement, she’s English. We get talking about Brown’s “British jobs for British workers” mantra,… Continue reading
12 CommentsThe struggle takes many forms
Jon Cruddas’s latest conferences diary gives a great feeling for the Labour mood after yesterday’s speech. As Jon puts it, ‘Last night the Conference really kicked off.’ Do read it,… Continue reading
0 CommentsHow does Brown plan to deliver on his promises?
There is a consensus in the papers this morning that for all the politiical skill of Gordon Brown’s speech, it puts us no closer to knowing how Brown plans to achieve… Continue reading
6 CommentsNot the front pages Gordon would have wanted
Despite all the courting of small ‘c’ conservatives in the speech, Gordon Brown doesn’t get the front page coverage he would have wanted in two key papers. The Sun’s front… Continue reading
1 CommentConference Update
We’ve just posted the latest instalment of Jon Cruddas’s conference diary which includes details of a classic encounter with Peter Mandelson and an explanation of what Gordon Brown is trying… Continue reading
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