Comments

Alan Quinn

2009-03-09 20:53:21

Ally,
Our communication is crap, we never seem to go after the tories anymore. We never get the message across about our achievements, the public will beieve that the massive investment in schools and the NHS is "the norm" .

Andy Griffiths

2009-03-09 13:41:53

The BBC TV & Radio are just as guilty as the right wing press of giving the The Conservative Party a free ride. It's as if they have made their minds up that The Labour Party are going to loose the next election and they don't want to risk upsetting them and avoid any risk to the future of the license fee under a Tory Government. Some of the presenters seem to have given up even pretending to be impartial and sound more like Conservative pundits. Perhaps the constant accusations of liberal bias at the BBC from the Daily Mail et al is having an effect.

Alina Palimaru

2009-03-07 19:15:04

Phil, I agree with you! And to add to your Obama comparisons, his campaign would respond to policy and other challenges via email within HOURS of the opponent's attacks. That's how you drive the message home... respond promptly, submit robust rebuttals every day, so that there is no room for the Tories' half-baked chatter to gain currency!

Thanks for your insightful post!
Alina

Phil McNally

2009-03-07 04:12:45

I completely agree with you Alastair. I think the way the media is behaving at the moment is disgraceful, and is blatently backing the Tories-and this isn't just the Mail and the Telegraph, but even the BBC, the so-called Independent and even, at times, the Guardian. Funnily enough the only paper that seems to remember who the bad guys are and who the good guys are is your old paper, the Mirror. In the current situation, lies and half-truths become fact in the public's mind, and Tory controlled organisations like the Taxpayers' Alliance are used to spread Tory poison. However, I don't think we can just rely on face-to-face campaigning-although crucial, it's just not enough anymore. Although Obama did the grassroots stuff very well, he also had 4 times more TV advertising campaigns than McCain, and didn't he have a campaign advert during the middle of the Superbowl or something? I forget the details.
The point is, if we are going to win the next election (and we really can, the Tories are very weak, and have a job on their hands convincing people to vote for the) then we need to get a grip with the media. Every lie and argument put out there by the Tory press needs to be destroyed and our case put forward. We are on the right side, and the Tories are in the wrong-the problem is getting our message across. That's what we need to do, and we perhaps need someone with experience at doing this to turn our fortunes around?? :) But we should not become defeatist and despondent. But we can only win if we start engaging with the public more, and getting our arguments out as well as the Tory ones, and also by telling the truth about the opposition-some would call it fear-mongering (The 1992 election is a useful example), but it's ok to spread fear about Cameron because there's an awful lot to be fearful of.

linda

2009-03-06 19:36:46

Agree with Tom. Labour need a decent communicator and strategist, it's quite telling that most people can't name who the person responsible for press at No: 10 is these days. I've no sympathy they need to sharpen up.

Alina Palimaru

2009-03-06 17:50:12

Tom, I completely agree with you on poor Labour responses!! Just in the past weeks the Tories issued some position statements on crime and education with so many dubious claims, unsubstantiated proposals and uncorroborated numbers, that they'd put Goebbels to shame!

I have yet to see a robust Labour attack on-line or otherwise! And it doesn't require someone with a Doctor's degree to take their policy positions apart and show how immature the Conservative party platform is. They must be challenged on their turf and Labour must (and can) have the last word on these things.

Jonathan

2009-03-06 17:24:29

Alina - Yes I did perhaps overstate my argument by suggesting that AC feels the job of the press is to communicate the Labour message.

It probably is also right to say that some media coverage is not terribly "balanced". But nor are the public terribly "balanced" in their perception of Gordon Brown and the Labour party. Both are extremely unpopular at the moment. That is not a political point; just a statement of fact. In those circumstances I don't find it so surprising that AC feels that Labour's message isn't getting across.

I tend to think that sometimes when politicians and others say "The Press are not giving me a fair hearing" what they really mean is "I am not communicating my message properly" or "I am communicating my message, but the public don't agree with it". I am afraid that I think politicians have only themselves to blame if their message isn't getting across: they should either find a new way of communicating (your point about new media) or perhaps just accept that the public don't agree.

Pete

2009-03-06 17:15:34

Charlie: "It will be interesting to see how the press line up if Boris v Ken v Sugar becomes an issue."

Looking unlikely that this will happen. Turns out the Sugar for mayor thing was a touch, um, *hyberbolic*. Surprising, really, given the journo involved...

Have a look here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2009/mar/01/andrew-gilligan-alan-sugar

Alina Palimaru

2009-03-06 13:48:29

To Jonathan:

I would dispute your allegation that AC implied that the purpose of the press is to communicate the Labour message. As I understand it, he means that in the grand scheme of things, the British media are not balancing their stories. In other words, while they are going after Gordon for such and such policy, thereby implying that the Tories would do better, the media ought to explain why the Tories would do better, and substantiate the claim. Case in point, the state schools issue. As AC noted, they're all framing the matter as "state schools are bad," and therefore it's time to depart from Labour policies, but to what? I read the Tories School Policy Paper and can tell you they are tabula rasa on the issue, they have no basic understanding of the economics of school systems, their proposals are contradictory etc! And the press ought to point that out as well.

Alastair, good point about the critical role of new media. Part of the reason why they have been so effective is that they bypass all the mainstream media nonsense and get straight to the people! Look no further than Obama's campaign, where new media effectively dissolved some of the most ridiculous, if blood curdling, allegations about him.

Finally, a grammar point: shouldn't we use "media are" instead of "media is"? "Media" has Latin roots, and is the plural of "medium."

sam

2009-03-06 12:38:46

The press rolled over to have their tummy tickled for so long by Labour that this is slightly absurd. And Labour still have the Mirror, which has now gone into Comical Ali mode regarding Brown. The press has never been committed to 'genuine debate about the political choices facing Britain', it generally acts as an attack dog on the villain of the moment (anyone remember something about Major tucking his underpants into his trousers?). But now it happens to be anti-Labour. Suck it up.

Tom

2009-03-06 12:31:13

Hmm, someone who gets it. It's Alastair Campbell. Amazing, considering your background, but there you go.

Yes, the press isn't fit for purpose, because of the imbalance between well-paid opionated star columnists who contribute nothing but their own narrow biases and the dwindling number of proper journalists doing the right thing.

Even the latter often get tripped up by clever PR merchants with a line to push - witness today's coverage of allegedly 'increased journey times' on the rail network, pushed out by a right wing Lib Dem (previously best known for writing for Policy Exchange suggesting the North be depopulated) and complete with obliging comment from Theresa Villiers.

That the report is based on specious horseshit is immediately obvious to anyone with any relevant expertise in the area, but no one with sufficient expertise is going to be writing for a mainstream newspaper, so it gets churned straight out complete with bias. Worse, the Government also evidently lacks anyone with sufficient expertise to shoot this down in flames, so it sticks. That, I think is the crux - the Tories and press get away with paper-thin stories because the enfeebled Labour PR machine can't punch back even when they're right.

The blogs and online forums, on the other hand, are full of people with a wide range of expertise and who aren't dependent on pushing a particular line or meeting a particular deadline for their wages. That's why the press isn't fit for much more than reporting what celebrity fell out of which nightclub last night.

Rob Atkins

2009-03-06 12:02:47

Imagine if a leading politician had lied to parliament and to the country that he had abolished boom and bust. Imagine if that same person deregulated the banks and encouraged them by whatever means to increase credit in the economy. Imagine if that politician were found to have mortgaged the country's future for generations by reckless borrowing in an attempt to be seen to be doing something, while neglecting to take any responsibility for his failure in the first place.

Imagine if Alastair Campbell wrote something meaningful on this sorry little escapade. No, you're right : unthinkable.

Charlie

2009-03-06 11:24:51

In this particular example the press is accurately reflecting the public view: Whilst Boris is widely perceived as a likeable gaffe-prone sort of chap to whom this sort of thing is bound to happen, Ken Livingstone is widely percieved as a conniving twisting mendacious dangerous obsessive who was thankfully defenestrated by a majority vote of Londoners at the last opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how the press line up if Boris v Ken v Sugar becomes an issue.

As for Gordon: Even if the Bard himself was resurrected and wrote peans of praise......He's Toast!

pamwest

2009-03-06 11:22:41

Yes, this is the first time I have heard this, and thanks for bringing it to the fore.

Mellie

2009-03-06 11:14:01

Good article, Alistair. The press are grooming the Tories for government, giving Cameron and Johnson an easy ride. The media after all is made up of big capitalist interests who want to make sure that it's working people, not themselves, who pay for the financial crisis.

I don't see any end in sight for this sort of bias, and I'm not sure the public is onto it either. Gordon Brown needs to make a clear step to the left to win back the voters Labour's lost and expose the Tories. Otherwise we're facing the possibility of a Tory government that's still stuck in the clapped-out neoliberalism that just got dashed by economic reality.

David Stuart

2009-03-06 10:29:27

Whilst the right-wing press will always paint the Conservatives in a nice manner, in truth they are one of the few groups of people that are worse than the Conservatives...so from a relativistic perspective Boris is good!

The only point I take issue with is "The good news is that the public are onto it". I believe that, unfortunately there are still great swathes of the public (although obviously not the astute readers of your blog) who do believe what they read in the press. Even those who profess to be aware of the bias can't help but succomb to the drip-drip-drip of right wing propaganda.

Jonathan

2009-03-06 10:13:31

Yes, Boris overstepped the mark.

But the analogy with the "cash for honours" investigation does not hold up. Damien Green was accused of obtaining information and using it to embarrass the Government (also known as the proper business of Opposition). Lord Levy etc. were accused of soliciting cash donations in return for procuring honours (also known as a serious criminal offence).

PS - I agree with what you say about direct communication. I would quibble somewhat with the assertion that the Press is "not fit for purpose" (which appears to be rooted in an assumption that the purpose of the Press is to communicate the Labour Party's arguments). However, I do agree that direct communication is the future of political campaigning not least because I said as much in response to your blog yesterday.

AC

2009-03-06 09:57:40

if you didn't see it yesterday, take a look at my latest campaign. Click on video and vlog

Boris, the Tories and the tummy-tickling poodle press

2009-03-06 09:49:37

Imagine that Mayor Ken Livinsgtone had been in contact with, and made odd public comments about, a Labour MP at the centre of a police investigation?

Imagine that this had led to an inquiry which, whilst saying Mr Livingstone was not in breach of the rules of the Greater London Authority and the Metropolitan Police Authority, said his actions were 'extraordinary and unwise,' that they might 'inhibit full and free discussion' of high profile cases 'between the chief officer of police and a police authority chairman' in the future, that they 'placed him at risk of being called as a witness by either the CPS or defence in any criminal prosecution [of the MP], to the potential detriment of his office as chairman of the MPA,' and that his behaviour risked being 'perceived as furthering private interests.'

Imagine the public humiliation that would then be heaped upon Mr Livingstone as he and his senior officials were told they had to take lessons in appropriate behaviour for the public office they hold.

Does anyone for one moment believe that this would have come and gone as quickly as it has with our largely supine, Tory-tummy-tickling 24 hour media? Of course not. And why? Because it was not Livingstone but Boris Johnson who was the subject of the inquiry and those comments amid the findings of solicitor Jonathan Goolden.

Had it been Livingstone, the story on Day 1 would have been wall to wall in the London evening papers, with each of those quotes turned into a bad headline for Ken, then an analysis of all the 'cronies' around him who would be blamed for getting him into the mess in the first place. It would have led the London TV and radio news, and been number 4 or 5 on the national news, with the words 'unwise and extraordinary' coming well ahead of 'cleared of misconduct'. Day 2 would have focussed on the 'unanswered questions.' Livingstone would have been hauled before some committee or other, or chased down by the media as he left home, to explain and be asked why he had not apologised and when was he going to start his lessons in leadership?

By Day 3, the loose ends would be being picked at, one of the so-called cronies would say something a bit different to something Livingstone had said as he stepped off the tube yesterday, and then away it would go for another news cycle. Meanwhile the massed ranks of the commentariat would be out saying this was the last straw, bye-bye Ken, let's vote for Boris.

And what happened with Boris? It would not surprise me if you were reading about this for the first time. It was not so much as damp squid as bone dry. A few headlines saying 'Johnson cleared,' most of the media ignoring it completely, please turn to page 10 for another editorial saying Boris has not turned out to be as big a disaster as everyone warned.

It was the same tummy-tickling Tory bias (TV and radio every bit as much as print by the way) when Tory MP Damien Green was arrested. Does anyone for one second think that if a Labour MP had been arrested, Labour would so easily have been able to generate the synthetic outrage in most of the media about PC Plod trampling around an MP's office. (Compare and contrast the zeal with which the tummy-ticklers urged on 'Yates of the Yard' when pursuing false and politically motivated 'cash for honours' allegations. Subjecting the Prime Minister to police interview about something an SNP MP said - but of course, cry the tummy-ticklers. Asking a Tory MP to answer a few questions about what may be a breach of the Official Secrets Act - outrage! How could they do this to our democracy?

Just as the Tories under David Cameron get a totally easy ride from the media on policy, and the inconsistency of uncosted and unworkable policies, so on issues of standards, it looks like the tummy-ticklers will be playing the same game.

As I keep saying to people in the Labour Party, there is no point hanging around waiting for a fair and balanced press. There is not that much you can do if the media in Britain is not fit for purpose, and does not discharge its responsibility (or in the main even feel any such responsibility) to genuine debate about the political choices facing Britain. They have just decided that getting Gordon and saying nothing positive about Labour is the only coverage they are really interested in, and that the Tories are to be nothing more than the cheerleaders for that one-eyed approach.

The good news is that the public are on to it. It means that face to face campaigning, online communications and above all consistent and relentless exposure to the public of who the Tories are and what they stand for, is more important than ever.

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Hating the Mail - a mindset worth having

Publish date: 2009-10-17 11:28:12

A line by line guide to the Mail statement on Gately article outrage

Publish date: 2009-10-16 19:12:36

Hit the Mail where it hurts

Publish date: 2009-10-16 16:36:02

Talking Cameron and Obama with US Democrats. Progressive Convervatism? No, he can't

Publish date: 2009-10-16 10:02:40

Inspired by kids' green passion

Publish date: 2009-10-14 18:24:13

Good news on leukaemia, good news on student activism

Publish date: 2009-10-13 08:24:21

Musings from Bertie Ahern, and how I won the Nobel prize for literature

Publish date: 2009-10-12 09:26:18

Continuing double standards in the media

Publish date: 2009-10-11 11:36:21

The best policies in Cameron's speech were those of Labour Big Government

Publish date: 2009-10-08 17:07:40

Tongues slipping all over the place

Publish date: 2009-10-08 09:00:07

Cameron confuses strategy and tactics and puts Union at risk

Publish date: 2009-10-07 10:29:26

Osborne inspires apathy at BBC Leeds

Publish date: 2009-10-06 16:01:59

Let's see more of the Tory candidates please

Publish date: 2009-10-06 09:23:11

Labour needs to fight on record to stop Tory vandalism

Publish date: 2009-10-05 14:28:40

VacuDave goes all peevish at difficult questions. Bring on the debates

Publish date: 2009-10-04 23:33:52

Lots of joking around in Jersey, though nothing as hysterical as Dave's Europe position

Publish date: 2009-10-03 10:31:22

On The Sun, Obama in Copenhagen and Alistair McGowan on the loo

Publish date: 2009-10-01 10:59:49

Sun switches ain't wot they used to be

Publish date: 2009-09-30 10:17:14

Darling and Mandelson show what I mean by authenticity

Publish date: 2009-09-28 16:28:18

Serious Politics 1 Low Journalism 0

Publish date: 2009-09-27 11:55:54

Media's love for Cameron should be turned into a weakness

Publish date: 2009-09-26 10:30:03

Time for ministers to stand up and fight

Publish date: 2009-09-25 09:40:26

Today's media double standards watch

Publish date: 2009-09-24 09:29:45

Breaking News - GB wins award, Lib Dems face all ways

Publish date: 2009-09-23 09:43:49

Why authenticity is the key to comms, and why Merkel will win

Publish date: 2009-09-22 08:29:13

Why I love NHS walk-in centres

Publish date: 2009-09-21 12:13:03

Here goes with the smoked Salmond

Publish date: 2009-09-20 10:40:21

Breaking News - Cameron's vacuousness an impersonator's nightmare

Publish date: 2009-09-19 11:06:09

Cameron has an army of spin doctors - aka journalists

Publish date: 2009-09-18 10:07:06

On Scottish independence, Cameron's short-termism, and Jimmy Carter being right

Publish date: 2009-09-17 09:56:56

Is Cameron Alex Salmond's Trojan Horse?

Publish date: 2009-09-15 10:13:42

On the TUC, Roy of the Rovers and Anna Wintour

Publish date: 2009-09-14 11:04:46

Memo to Apple boss Steve Jobs

Publish date: 2009-09-13 17:36:31

A day in the life of a (crap) City trader

Publish date: 2009-09-11 17:52:25

Defend record with pride, attack Tories with gusto

Publish date: 2009-09-10 11:06:36

Cameron's Conservatism beyond parody

Publish date: 2009-09-09 10:38:00

On transforned cities, and tales of Princess Di and Laura Bush

Publish date: 2009-09-08 09:45:54

Labour should put minister up against Griffin on Question Time

Publish date: 2009-09-06 12:39:56

School speech the latest source of right-wing frothing at Obama

Publish date: 2009-09-05 08:23:02

More horse's mouth, less Beeb blah please

Publish date: 2009-09-04 22:49:20

Real respect for sport can be Olympic legacy

Publish date: 2009-09-04 09:27:34

First ladies watch out for Japanese bombshell

Publish date: 2009-09-03 10:47:19

TV debate - good idea in theory, but ...

Publish date: 2009-09-02 15:37:43

'No worries' - the new response to thanks

Publish date: 2009-09-01 12:25:19

Tremors of Japanese political earthquake will be felt far and wide

Publish date: 2009-08-30 15:50:54

Pressure on Ed Miliband can help get a climate change deal

Publish date: 2009-08-28 13:39:08

Why Tories and media cannot stomach GCSE success story

Publish date: 2009-08-27 16:03:34

Exposing the absurdity of Chris Grayling

Publish date: 2009-08-26 13:20:19

Joy and beauty and a night of magic

Publish date: 2009-08-20 10:55:11

Twitter NHS backlash good for Obama

Publish date: 2009-08-14 15:44:49

A lifetime's ambition fulfilled

Publish date: 2009-08-08 16:59:02

Breaking the blog-a-day spell as warm up to holiday

Publish date: 2009-07-20 17:44:49

No hiding place from Twitter, me on the bike, JP in DC

Publish date: 2009-07-17 18:17:09

At last - something Obama cannot do well

Publish date: 2009-07-16 10:05:47

Will MPs take the lead in the debate on euthanasia?

Publish date: 2009-07-15 12:30:01

Berlin brothel leads the way to a greener world

Publish date: 2009-07-14 10:57:25

A time for GB to explain the whole picture

Publish date: 2009-07-13 12:37:54

All hail Monty, Jimmy and Collie!

Publish date: 2009-07-12 20:06:36

First triathlon of the summer for me, education award for Fiona

Publish date: 2009-07-12 09:43:06

Of Burnley's friendly and Obama's wandering eye

Publish date: 2009-07-11 12:38:52

Two great early morning moments

Publish date: 2009-07-10 10:27:07

Cameron had better be sure he's right

Publish date: 2009-07-09 11:06:22

Guardian scoop has big questions for press, cops and Cameron

Publish date: 2009-07-08 20:40:54

Divisive legend: Lance Armstrong

Publish date: 2009-07-07 10:38:23

First hug a hoodie, now grab a gay

Publish date: 2009-07-06 12:57:09

Mail on Scumday's wonderful account of Lansley's kipperdom

Publish date: 2009-07-05 13:14:51

Ecclestone undermines his own success with alarming views on Hitler

Publish date: 2009-07-04 14:04:04

When the conmen move more quickly than the council

Publish date: 2009-07-03 10:19:52

Andrew Lansley done up like a kipper

Publish date: 2009-07-02 10:10:52

A day spent interviewing footballers, then being interviewed by a transvestite comedian

Publish date: 2009-07-01 14:47:40

When the power of black eyes fades

Publish date: 2009-06-30 09:24:59

Farewell to Henry Hodge

Publish date: 2009-06-29 20:41:12

Honouring the power of sport to do good

Publish date: 2009-06-29 14:49:42

Andy Murray is a winner. Is that why some Brits don't like him?

Publish date: 2009-06-28 09:19:20

New Parliament will look very different. The younger the better

Publish date: 2009-06-27 17:34:26

Two nice surprises, sad end to day

Publish date: 2009-06-26 09:16:33

Apology from the Spectator on Iraq boosts Henry Hodge fund

Publish date: 2009-06-25 19:57:26

Thanks to Mr Harper on mental health, rebuttal of Mr Hague on Iraq

Publish date: 2009-06-24 23:47:54

Glad to find Eric Cantona in a quiet cinema ...

Publish date: 2009-06-24 00:46:23

By Dave's friends shall we know him?

Publish date: 2009-06-23 11:30:20

The Speaker has to balance tradition and change - but defend Parliament

Publish date: 2009-06-22 11:58:44

Less a blog than an apology for not having done one

Publish date: 2009-06-21 20:07:43

The day Lions skipper Paul O'Connell took my trousers down

Publish date: 2009-06-20 11:48:28

On the Iraq inquiry, Independent article wrong

Publish date: 2009-06-19 20:28:24

Thank you to three readers, now please get involved

Publish date: 2009-06-19 09:13:35

A tribute to a lovely man

Publish date: 2009-06-18 17:19:40

Bad times in Belfast, great day for Burnley, odd statement from Ed Balls

Publish date: 2009-06-18 10:04:47

A plea for five-figure cyber-donations

Publish date: 2009-06-17 07:40:42

On two inquiries

Publish date: 2009-06-16 08:57:39

From India to Iran to Labour wit

Publish date: 2009-06-15 10:13:17

Memories of Princess Diana

Publish date: 2009-06-14 09:54:55

A House Divided?

Publish date: 2009-06-13 02:53:47

A humbling NHS experience, a media row and a good GB speech

Publish date: 2009-06-12 10:48:46

Psychiatrists heading for relegation in 'disease prestige' league table

Publish date: 2009-06-11 10:25:35

The shrinks await

Publish date: 2009-06-10 09:44:16

As Obama fights for healthcare, let's celebrate the record here

Publish date: 2009-06-09 12:52:55

Anger at BNP seats must be turned into activism

Publish date: 2009-06-08 14:11:10

Can today be as frenzied as Friday?

Publish date: 2009-06-07 10:31:04

Take heart from a win in Lambeth

Publish date: 2009-06-06 18:46:40

JP is right there was no proper campaign but Tories still weak

Publish date: 2009-06-05 13:47:20

Do we care more about the NHS or moats?

Publish date: 2009-06-04 00:21:23

Guardian of social justice or attention-seeker?

Publish date: 2009-06-03 10:19:33

Who says Britain can't deliver the best?

Publish date: 2009-06-02 08:08:38

Mainstream has a duty to vote against BNP

Publish date: 2009-06-01 11:03:29

Let Diversity inspire a vote against the hate-filled BNP

Publish date: 2009-05-31 12:24:20

White House whack at UK media well-timed but sure to be ignored

Publish date: 2009-05-30 13:41:00

Elvis has a plan to make MPs King again

Publish date: 2009-05-29 12:09:44

At least there's a campaign on in Italy

Publish date: 2009-05-28 09:04:32

A blow to gay rights and a boost for Cameron's short-termism

Publish date: 2009-05-27 11:27:41

It's my blog and I'll be a big kid if I want to

Publish date: 2009-05-26 23:25:58

Highs feel better after so many lows

Publish date: 2009-05-26 10:13:12

Only one present counts

Publish date: 2009-05-25 11:05:46

Contrast Cheney and Bush

Publish date: 2009-05-24 12:11:45

Sex (or at least the female form) obsessed Britain

Publish date: 2009-05-23 20:49:57

Sport at both ends of the financial spectrum

Publish date: 2009-05-23 09:57:23

Stronger together - whether Scotland or expenses

Publish date: 2009-05-22 10:22:36

Back to Number 10, familiar faces, familiar arguments

Publish date: 2009-05-21 10:14:34

Speaking up for Parliament

Publish date: 2009-05-20 11:44:17

Peace in the Middle East - yes he can

Publish date: 2009-05-19 09:37:35

Breaking news - one frenzy at a time

Publish date: 2009-05-18 10:34:30

Getting a good look at Vince Cable

Publish date: 2009-05-17 09:36:55

How do you solve a problem like Silvio?

Publish date: 2009-05-16 09:32:21

It was the internet wot won it

Publish date: 2009-05-15 10:04:57

There now follows ... a good whack at Cameron

Publish date: 2009-05-14 17:21:28

They got their kit off - so you get your cash out

Publish date: 2009-05-14 07:41:11

Expenses row must not obscure Tory intentions on minimum wage

Publish date: 2009-05-13 16:12:08

We love you Burnley, we do ... what a night

Publish date: 2009-05-13 02:37:17

A tweet cannot express the wonders of TGV

Publish date: 2009-05-12 08:48:31

It's Mind week - Get it off your Chest with me and Stephen Fry

Publish date: 2009-05-11 06:29:15

Hate the Mail, love Obama

Publish date: 2009-05-10 10:04:00

Burnley 1 Reading 0 - a biased report

Publish date: 2009-05-09 21:26:32

MPs expenses - time for party leaders to meet again

Publish date: 2009-05-09 09:50:19

Should happiness replace prosperity as national goal?

Publish date: 2009-05-08 08:43:23

Musings from a sleepless night

Publish date: 2009-05-07 07:33:49

Darren Fletcher - an injustice that has to be righted

Publish date: 2009-05-06 09:52:29

Maggie's legacy not as great as she thinks

Publish date: 2009-05-05 08:33:02

Here's hoping Cardiff is metaphor for Cameron

Publish date: 2009-05-04 09:38:30

More Mr Benn and Co please

Publish date: 2009-05-03 10:03:00

Going Fourth with JP

Publish date: 2009-05-02 18:25:41

Journalism - print first, think later

Publish date: 2009-05-02 09:10:01

In praise of two poets

Publish date: 2009-05-01 10:26:36

JP hits the road again

Publish date: 2009-04-29 18:52:11

My night with Eddie Izzard

Publish date: 2009-04-29 10:53:25

Explaining the 50p top tax rate

Publish date: 2009-04-28 09:22:53

George Best and Martin McGuinness

Publish date: 2009-04-27 09:02:35

Cameron confused over indepdendence and impartiality

Publish date: 2009-04-26 12:20:56

Guide ro Marathon running part 2

Publish date: 2009-04-25 11:01:34

Good signals on coal and the Olympics

Publish date: 2009-04-24 10:45:28

Tips for the London Marathon

Publish date: 2009-04-23 17:29:27

Missed the Budget, saw why it mattered

Publish date: 2009-04-22 23:09:31

Football good, politics bad. Allegedly

Publish date: 2009-04-22 00:00:24

The Great Wall gets greater

Publish date: 2009-04-21 09:55:22

Two sides to police story

Publish date: 2009-04-20 11:39:54

Budgets, Balls, billionaires and Susan Boyle

Publish date: 2009-04-19 12:31:45

Do muscles have memories?

Publish date: 2009-04-18 09:44:44

Bring back standing at football

Publish date: 2009-04-17 14:50:22

When Facebook friends fall out

Publish date: 2009-04-16 12:29:16

Guardian sightings and the email and bath plug agenda

Publish date: 2009-04-15 11:32:16

The spin is all in the prism

Publish date: 2009-04-14 09:22:41

A setback, not a crisis

Publish date: 2009-04-13 12:55:19

The real lessons from Damian McBride

Publish date: 2009-04-12 10:49:47

Will English always be the dominant language?

Publish date: 2009-04-11 10:02:02

On the pipes and what makes a Scot

Publish date: 2009-04-10 11:06:20

John Prescott lazy? NO WAY

Publish date: 2009-04-09 09:11:31

David Frost is seventy

Publish date: 2009-04-08 08:48:38

The Speaker, BBC2, tonight and tomorrow 8pm

Publish date: 2009-04-07 14:25:31

Obama, colds and being woken by Korean missiles

Publish date: 2009-04-06 11:59:24

When a call matters more than protocol

Publish date: 2009-04-05 11:33:42

Green Cities Champions League

Publish date: 2009-04-04 10:19:53

Could Cameron have delivered the G20 deal?

Publish date: 2009-04-03 10:11:59

Of Benn and Bono

Publish date: 2009-04-02 08:21:16

Memo to Sarko - allez vite a Londres

Publish date: 2009-04-01 08:46:17

Happy April Fool's Day

Publish date: 2009-04-01 01:44:05

Eurostar, Le Monde and a thought for the G20 sherpas

Publish date: 2009-03-31 09:17:22

Why Kevin Rudd made an impact

Publish date: 2009-03-30 10:24:41

Pre-G20 hype matters less than post-G20 process

Publish date: 2009-03-29 13:17:28

The Damned United

Publish date: 2009-03-28 10:37:04

A hobby horse, a plug and a bit of sport

Publish date: 2009-03-27 10:22:23

Cloughie - he had a lot to be big-headed about

Publish date: 2009-03-26 09:38:36

A sad sight of the old fearing the young

Publish date: 2009-03-25 17:03:07

Post-modern, post-structural, or bullshit?

Publish date: 2009-03-25 08:18:02

Learning the right lessons from Obama

Publish date: 2009-03-24 08:53:15

Lazy Dave needs to keep an eye on lazy Ken

Publish date: 2009-03-23 11:16:14

Farewell favourite restaurant, hello hometown

Publish date: 2009-03-22 08:18:09

Dave, Danny and have the Tories really changed?

Publish date: 2009-03-21 08:55:13

Life beyond Dover ...

Publish date: 2009-03-20 10:11:21

My friends in The New Statesman - Fergie, Fiona, Tony, Sarah, Kevin, 'Dacre,' and a great GB idea for the G20

Publish date: 2009-03-18 10:38:22

Iraq, Iran, GB, Obama and diplomatic chess

Publish date: 2009-03-17 10:07:13

The Age of Stupid

Publish date: 2009-03-16 08:27:13

Is all change good?

Publish date: 2009-03-15 10:00:06

The pressure of being a post-modern sex god

Publish date: 2009-03-14 10:00:55

Cameron still hasn't sealed the deal with business

Publish date: 2009-03-13 09:21:49

Stand up for social workers

Publish date: 2009-03-12 08:31:17

Surely Malcolm Tucker could have told Armando Ianucci ... You can't spin a spinner

Publish date: 2009-03-11 10:58:25

Start of a new approach from Labour?

Publish date: 2009-03-10 09:54:12

A peace process still strong

Publish date: 2009-03-09 08:21:05

Day of destiny for the real footballer of the year

Publish date: 2009-03-08 09:21:06

Private advice to Peggy Mitchell - the leaked note in full

Publish date: 2009-03-07 08:17:21

A day in the life of the self-obsessed TV reporter

Publish date: 2009-03-05 07:55:47

GB - good speech, well delivered

Publish date: 2009-03-04 19:31:05

Notes on the environment, a role in EastEnders

Publish date: 2009-03-04 10:58:56

She may be my 'wife' but it is time to rebut!

Publish date: 2009-03-03 10:52:59

Some speeches matter more than others

Publish date: 2009-03-02 12:04:45

Mental health and the Carling Cup Final

Publish date: 2009-03-01 09:08:17

Inside the chocolate factory

Publish date: 2009-02-28 10:23:59

GB on the G20, JP on Jeremy Kyle

Publish date: 2009-02-27 09:14:36

Charity and the credit crunch, please give generously!

Publish date: 2009-02-26 08:55:12

Why oh why are the Tories not home and dry?

Publish date: 2009-02-24 09:44:59

Me, Dermot and ten top songs

Publish date: 2009-02-23 10:02:19

Names round-up

Publish date: 2009-02-22 08:43:39

What's in a name?

Publish date: 2009-02-21 09:58:14

Editing the New Statesman

Publish date: 2009-02-20 11:42:36

Salute Peter M’s proper use of the F word

Publish date: 2009-02-19 09:58:58

Labour's communications challenge for the NHS

Publish date: 2009-02-18 10:34:39

In praise of Keighley

Publish date: 2009-02-17 14:33:57

A night at the Emirates

Publish date: 2009-02-17 00:06:51

When marriage is tested

Publish date: 2009-02-16 13:36:35

Spare me the myths and the whining

Publish date: 2009-02-15 13:29:50

Dave Cameron - is that all there is?

Publish date: 2009-02-14 11:11:55

Boris Johnson: F is for ...

Publish date: 2009-02-13 07:55:10

The Cameron vacuum

Publish date: 2009-02-12 14:48:33

Lincoln, Obama, Blair and the 24 hour media culture

Publish date: 2009-02-11 10:28:47

Eighteen interviews later ...

Publish date: 2009-02-10 19:24:45

Time to talk about Time to Change on Newsnight

Publish date: 2009-02-09 22:47:49

So that’s what they mean by online community?

Publish date: 2009-02-08 12:12:51

First blog

Publish date: 2009-02-05 15:23:57

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