Maria miller
Maria Miller on defensive against gay marriage ‘wrecking amendment’
The final stages of the Same Sex marriage bill in the House of Commons were never going to be easy, but it is still an odd situation when the minister… Continue reading
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This Britain: Maria Miller confuses economics with pleasure and beauty.
Is it possible for a government minister to give a speech that is not a “keynote address”? That was my first thought upon reading Maria Miller’s speech at the British… Continue reading
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Maria Miller and Britain’s creative industries need to talk
Everyone seems to like talking about the ‘creative industries’ these days. For arts folk, it gives the impression that what they do is hard-edged and economically viable, it makes geeky… Continue reading
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Maria Miller tells the luvvies to take their easels off her lawn
Something had to give for Culture Secretary Maria Miller. She’s not had an easy time since the Leveson report and the subsequent battle over state regulation of the press. Harangued… Continue reading
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Maria Miller and Oliver Letwin’s perfect press regulation
There was a curious meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee this morning. The MPs took evidence from Oliver Letwin and Maria Miller, and then from Harriet Harman,… Continue reading
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Harriet Harman and Maria Miller both claim victory in Leveson talks
Who has won in the late-night Leveson talks? Both Harriet Harman and Maria Miller seem to think their own party’s Royal Charter has come out tops. And one says they’ve… Continue reading
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Maria Miller survives £90,000 expenses claims, for now
Both the former Labour MP Tony McNulty and the present Culture Secretary Maria Miller claimed parliamentary second home expenses for houses in which their respective parents lived. This is in… Continue reading
100 Comments Downing Street’s Maria Miller dilemma
There was a time during the Leveson Inquiry when Jeremy Hunt’s departure from the government was treated as almost inevitable by the media, including yours truly. But Number 10 backed… Continue reading
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Downing Street defends Maria Miller’s special adviser
Downing Street has defended Maria Miller’s special adviser over the way she warned the Telegraph about the Culture Secretary’s connection to Leveson as it prepared a story on her expenses.… Continue reading
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Lord Justice Leveson and the baby killers
I have worried about Hugh Grant’s understanding of power ever since he started bringing up baby. I first saw him reach for the innocent child at one of the party… Continue reading
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Maria Miller’s adviser reminds us why politicians can’t be trusted with press regulation
An email from an Asian friend last night pointed me to a piece in the Telegraph saying: ‘This is the kind of thing they do in Singapore! I’m amazed it’s… Continue reading
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Maria Miller’s Leveson threat
Journalists don’t normally reveal their conversations with special advisers to ministers, no matter how grumpy they are about a forthcoming story. So it is significant that the Telegraph has chosen… Continue reading
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Maria Miller holds gay marriage briefing to reassure nervous Tory MPs
After giving her statement to the House of Commons on the government’s plans for gay marriage, Maria Miller held a meeting with Tory MPs. I understand that the meeting was… Continue reading
40 Comments Maria Miller unveils ‘quadruple lock’ to protect churches from gay marriage court actions
Maria Miller sought to assuage the fears of her backbench colleagues about the government’s plans for gay marriage today by announcing a ‘quadruple lock’ to prevent any religious leader being… Continue reading
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Commons shadow boxing on gay marriage
Today’s urgent question on gay marriage was largely shadow boxing for the statement on it, which has now been brought forward to tomorrow. Maria Miller insisted that the chance of… Continue reading
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Who speaks for the British press?
At the end of the editors’ meeting in 10 Downing St today, there was an awkward moment when someone asked if the past hour had been on or off the… Continue reading
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Arts cuts? What arts cuts?
Luvvies have never really liked Tory governments. Poor Tracey Emin was nearly lynched by the arts crowds when she had the audacity to let David Cameron hang one of her… Continue reading
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The Coalition split over Leveson
I’m informed by someone involved in the coalition negotiations on the issue that the reason the Liberal Democrats want to be able to make their own statement on the Leveson… Continue reading
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In defence of the CofE’s House of Laity
Even friends of an Established church like myself – though I’m a Catholic – should think twice about the wisdom of the idea after the naked political interference in the… Continue reading
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The BBC saga distracts from Abu Qatada deportation and bail decision
The decision to award George Entwistle a £1.3 million payoff appears, as my colleague Rod Liddle notes, to have misjudged the public mood (and indeed the mood of the majority… Continue reading
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