Comments

Joanna

2009-10-23 18:06:16

I agree with everything you said. I just hope mainstream political parties now realise that they cannot carry on ignoring the white working class in the UK otherwise they will cause the BNP membership and voters to flourish. They must also debate with Nick Griffin otherwise he like Jean-Marie Le Pen will be seen as a victim of the political establishment.

Alan Quinn

2009-10-23 16:32:00

Ally,
The article on Newsnight on Wednesday that looked at the dissafection with mainstream parties in a part of Stoke struck a chord with me.
If my memory serves me right the commemorative plates for the 2012 Olympics are being made in China, not in the potteries.
.
When you get rid of workers, when you tell them their skills are no longer wanted because their jobs are being sent abroad because it's cheaper then they feel aggreived.

When they're told there's nothing they can do because of "the market" and "globalisation" and no one listens to them but the BNP who exploit their anger and frustration then we have a problem.
The profits of these companies that have relocated production overseas then go the the ever greedy short term merchants in the Squrae Mile who get richer.
You have a bigger problem when we use a phrase like "British jobs for British workers" if there's nothing to back it up.
If you have unscrupulous employers who undercut wages paid to UK workers by hiring foreign labour then again we have a problem. Add the constant scare stories peddled by the BNP eg immigrants get taxpayers money to set up businesses plus the lies printed in the gutter press about immigration then this compounds it.

Griffin was awful yesterday but I wasn't inspired by Jack Straw or any of the other panelists either. Why didn't Romper Room control field an attack dog? Why does it always have to be a minister?
John Reid, Dennis Skinner, Andrew McKinley woud have all been better.
We can't be complacent but we must to more to help dissafected voters and we must be seen to do it.

Malky

2009-10-23 16:02:06

I don't suppose you saw the recent council by-election in South Oxhey, near Watford. The BNP hold (narrowly) the county council seat and were expected to add another district council seat. In fact concerted and honest campaigning by Labour focussing on what the BNP mean, not what they say saw the BNP routed and a labour councillor eturned. As you infer Alistair, this is where the fight must be taken aginst Griffin et.al. and when it is it is surprising how often and how well it can be won.

jerry

2009-10-23 15:25:47

I watched QT last night, and it ended up being a predictable farce.

Straw was as pious and as shrill as I've ever seen him, all Huhne did was try to score party political points, in fact, Greer was the real star, and a surprisingly good Varsi came away with a lot of credit.

I've never seen a politcal and media elite so terrified of one man. Guess why they're terrified - becasue a lot of what Griffin says resonates - mostly with ex-Labour voters.

Just remember who has given the BNP traction - the Left, pure and simple.

Bearded Socialist

2009-10-23 15:16:47

I thought Straw and Warsi had a good debate about immigration, but overall none of them really tackled a big issue, which is that people buy the myth that English people have been made into second-class citizens.
The BNP thrive on the idea of a conspiracy, that X, Y and Z are conspiring against X, Y, and Z (the indigenous British in this case).
It's a shame that immigration is not tackled and then it takes the BNP getting 1 million votes before it enters mainstream debate, and then most of the show is about it.
Griffin showed himself as a far-right nasty-man who relies on the idea of this conspiracy, but the issues which force people into his grubby paws were not properly addressed. Straw tried, and I thought did pretty well all night, but didn't make the case forcefully enough. People need to know that it's ok to feel proud to be British without being labelled racist, which is something the Tories have traditionally done far better than Labour. Due, I think, to our more bleeding heart liberal wing (including me to some extent).
Griffin's a right winger, so I don't like him. But if enough people shun pride in their origins (e.g. being British), there is a vacuum created into which the likes of Griffin step.

Szczepan

2009-10-23 14:51:10

This is a good article, but it leaves the question begging of how the mainstream parties will connect with the million people who voted for the BNP in the last election. This result is even more impressive or concerning when you consider that they achieved it with very limited means and in the face of the outright hostility of all the mainstream media. The Green Party polled a couple of hundred thousand votes more than the BNP, but this was with the benefit of favourable coverage in major national newspapers and sympathetic treatment by major broadcasters. The potential electorate of the BNP is probably quite a lot larger than 1m.
I agree that it is by no means certain that Griffin will appear nearly so nasty or pathetic in the eyes of his potential voters as he did to the Question Time audience and media commentators. Would the majority of these people know what Holocaust denial is? Would they care? Griffin was trashed over his Nazi sympathies and his weird ideas about racial purity, but he did relatively well when the debate switched to more topical matters. When it came to the issue of immigration, the views he expressed may be impractical and inflammatory, but they probably have appealed to his potential voters more than the evasive waffling from the other politicians on the panel.
The problem that the main parties will have in dealing with the BNP electorate is that in the more deprived districts of some of Britain’s towns and cities, the poor white population has been ghettoized. Not perhaps in the literal sense (though there are instances of this), but in their heads. What is more, partly because of the multicultural, diversity-promoting policies of, among others, the former mayor of London, they have come more and more to identify themselves in terms of their skin colour. They don’t just feel poor and underprivileged, they feel white, poor and underprivileged. They have also developed a kind of siege mentality, which the BNP has played on, not least by using the emotive imagery from the Battle of Britain. The way Griffin was pilloried on Question Time will probably have resonated with these people quite effectively.
It is difficult to see how the current parties of the left can appeal to this feeling of white victimhood. I don’t think that they have the language to do it. I also don’t think that the BNP electorate is interested in what Alastair calls “the bigger argument” about immigration or the “big arguments” about the European Union. They are generally responding to local grievances, which the BNP has been quite adept at exploiting.
Griffin himself is far too odious and peculiar a politician to achieve wide appeal, so the BNP under his leadership is unlikely to make significant electoral advances. Apart from anything else, he has too many hostages to fortune and too many batty beliefs. The question is whether the BNP could continue to develop in the coming years and achieve a more convincing veneer of respectability and a leader who is more charismatic and less vulnerable to exposure. Then they could emerge as a more than a marginal force in politics with a regular seat on the Question Time panel.

Metrodeco

2009-10-23 14:19:03

I think we're all probably underestimating the misplaced sympathy that would have been felt for Griffin as he was being trounced from all directions. The simple-minded among us have a natural protective instinct for the underdog and he will have gained supporters last night purely on this basis. We are a small business (tea shop) with a BNP presence growing in our area. I write about here and about our first hand experience of Griffin - www.metrodeco.wordpress.com

Richard

2009-10-23 13:46:15

Alastair, I am glad you seem to be agreeing with my views posted on your last blog ref the way to respond to the BNP.
I for one am very concerned at the baying mobs. Lets remember 6 policemen were treated for injuries just for trying to keep public order. Nick G didnt injure them the anti facists did that....who is the bigger danger on our streets at the moment?
Some activists think that voilently opposing the right to free speech for the BNP is legitimate makes you wonder who are the ones to fear. There are questions NG has to answer but also there some very big questions all parties need to address and stop lying to us...we are not that stupid all of the time.

Stephen

2009-10-23 13:15:44

I thought this is the best article of yours I have ever read. Griffin was repugnant and technically abysmal, but what else did we expect from him?

There is no reason for complacency from anyone who loves British democracy and our multi-cultural society. Lets all do everything we can to get as many people out to vote in the General Election, especially young first-time voters, so we can defeat the vile bigotry, racism, homophobia and revisionist history of the BNP.

Sean Fleming

2009-10-23 13:14:18

I'm in complete agreement with you here. I can't have been the only one of the alleged eight million watching last night who squirmed at the sight of the main parties failing to grasp the nettle when it came to the question of immigration policies driving disquieted voters to the BNP.

These difficult issues need to be tackled head-on; the time for being mealy-mouthed is now over, surely.

James

2009-10-23 12:47:48

With the exception of the comparison to the Tory conference (bizarre dog-whistle) - I agree with pretty much everything you have written.

Politicans shouldn't be complacent. The topic of immigration should be discussed between the mainstream parties without any party hurling accusations of racism (Labour most guilty of this). The parties need to engage and engage quickly and constructively.

Katie.

2009-10-23 12:42:20

Completely agree with you, and that is the second time in a week too, which is unusual, to say the least! Speaking of which - have you seen Ms Moir's "apology"?

Simon

2009-10-23 12:35:52

He's vile. A scumbag. It's his intolerance and arrogance that offends me most. He's been playing on people's fears about race for decades now, Didn't he even once BOAST about insisting that muslim women remove their burkhas before he'd speak to them? Not to mention his role in that illegal war in which hundreds of thousands of muslims have been killed. I couldn't believe the Labour Party couldn't field someone better. They should be doing all they can to counter Griffin.

andrew binns

2009-10-23 12:34:21

alastair, i think the big issue was how poorly the other panelists were. jack Straw came across as a bumbling imbecile and the other politicans simply used the opportunity as a chance to score points and personally abuse Nick Griffin. As far Bonnie Greer, her laughable attempt at trying to act superior and patronising merely came acorss as someone comepletley out of her depth. If Nick Griffin had been allowed time and freedom to try and justify his policies then he would now be shown up as a man with ill thought out and unworkable policies. As the panel and audience decided to use the opportunity for childish remarks he actually came out looking like someone who was bullied and not given the chance to speak. The people who voted for him last time will not have learnt why they shouldnt vote for him this time and for that the blame soley lies on the panel and it's host. A better panel would have been yourself, Frank Skinner, Peter mandelson and someone like Portillo. A range of views form people who can hold an arguement and not resort to childlike comebacks

Charlie

2009-10-23 12:30:17

Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson will at least be comforted by last night's demonstration that there is at least one politician more loathed than them.

botogol

2009-10-23 12:27:19

jack straw wasn't much better. seriously.

Keith

2009-10-23 12:23:12

As abhorrent as Griffin's views are and for all of his fidgeting and generally uncomfortable performance, it was alarming to see how all of the mainstream politicians dealt with the subject of immigration. Straw in particular was awful on this point, waffling in a way that people expect of politicians when they are trying to avoid providing clear and detailed answers (the Tory representative was only marginally better). It is on issues like this that the BNP attract more moderate citizens, perhaps in working class communities who feel genuine grievances with their outlook and communities. I suspect such people rolled their eyes the minute Straw started speaking as he said nothing that could connect with them. So, when the dust settles, addressing key points such as this, with frankness, clarity and honesty is the best way of containing the BNP.

Griffin may have been dreadful, but there can be no complacency

2009-10-23 11:57:29

I don't suppose that the inside of Nick Griffin's head is a great place to be, what with all that racism, homophobia, curiously selective history, and confusion over what he has or hasn't said in the past. But I would like to be inside that head this morning, to know what he really thinks about his performance on BBC Question Time last night.

Since leaving the studio, where he felt the venom of fellow panellists and audience alike, he will have been enveloped by like-minded staff, family and friends, who will have told him he did well in the face of a five against one onslaught, and an audience rigged as part of the Marxist BBC's multi-cultural hellhole conspiracy against him. They will have told him that sure, he looked a bit nervy at times, but he came over as an underdog fighting off allcomers, and even if he got a bit muddled from time to time about his views on the Holocaust and the Ku Klux Klan, he got in plenty of soundbites that will have had a few of their target voters nodding quietly in agreement. He will survey the papers, and probably take from them a level of exposure undreamed of until he was invited onto the programme, and see that as being more important than the negative slant of most of the articles about him.

His staff will be telling him that the BNP website has never had so many visitors, that some of those have been offering donations and asking to join. They will dismiss most of the attacks upon him as being entirely predictable, but will take some comfort from the observations, from among others Peter Hain, that what the BBC did last night was legitimise the BNP in a way nothing had done up to the point of emission. And if he has any sense, he will now be focussing on next steps, and how to exploit that 'legitimisation.'

How he did, how the other panellists did, how David Dimbleby did, how the audience did, what the effect of the violence outside was ... these are questions that will be discussed all over Britain today, as the country takes stock of what was an important broadcasting and political moment.

But though technically, his performance was poor, the main parties would do well not to share the general media complacency this morning. This was a programme which began after half past ten and finished just before midnight. So the tenor of many of the articles in this morning's papers was well set long before the programme ended and, in many cases, before it began.

I heard one discussion on the radio in which it was said that Griffin had failed because the headlines were terrible for him. But it is always a mistake to confuse media opinion and public opinion. Griffin was not aiming for media popularity because he knows he can't attain it, even if softening the extremist views he genuinely holds. Indeed he attacks the media at every turn as a way of playing up his self-styled underdog/victim of the Establishment status. His immediate goal is simpler: he is the leader of a small party, aiming to become a bit bigger, by targetting messages at people who are disaffected with the main parties and the political process generally.

I suspect last night there were quite a lot of first-time Question Time viewers. There will also have been disaffected Labour supporters, disaffected Tories, people hacked off with all of them because of expenses. Some with legitimate grievances. Others just too used to living in a media-driven blame culture, in which someone else is always in the way of getting you what you think you want or deserve. These were his targets last night, not the activists who hate him already, or the politicians who find his views repellent, or the leaderwriters or the headline writers, let alone the blacks, Muslims and Jews who are his targets in a very different sense.

We would be foolish to think he made no connection at all with at least some of his political targets. This despite the fact that technically, as I say, he was dreadful. He was clearly nervous, which I suppose was understandable. But the twitching eyes and the constantly fidgeting lips were signs of something more than mild stage fright. So was the loud clapping of semi-humorous points made by others, and the over-rehearsed smile. And at times the content was truly dreadful, prompting justified derision at several points.

And yet, never was there a greater need than now to guard against complacency. Once the furore over his appearance has died down, once the frenzy has abated, he and his supporters will be taking their messages to what may be less challenging environments than last night's hothouse - the doorsteps of the disaffected and the disgruntled. And that is where the mainstream non-racist parties have to fight hardest now.

When an audience member asked whether for example failure on immigration was responsible for the recent relative success of the BNP, the truth is that while we might be able to make a defence of our immigration policies, there are certainly people who have moved to the BNP because they do not believe the main parties listen to them on the issue. They can only be won back by being exposed to a bigger argument and explanation than they will ever get from the slogans of the BNP. But they won't be won back by us saying they're wrong.

Likewise on Europe, we have a largely Eurosceptic media, a Eurosceptic Opposition, and so it becomes more important for Labour politicians to make and win the big arguments about why Europe is a good thing not a bad thing.

At the last local elections, where I live in Camden, Labour's campaign only really found any momentum when the BNP seemed to be getting some traction. Once there was a clear target, it became a bit easier to get over messages about why it was important to reject the politics of race and support a politics of values.

That is what the mainstream parties, and particularly Labour, have to take from these last few days. Politics at its best operates on the basis of strong argument rooted in clear principle. The Tory conference got the Conservatives up in lights in a way that was not wholly beneficial to them. The same can be said of the BNP arising from Griffin's Question Time appearance. And before Tories get too worked up, there the comparison ends.

It has not been a comfortable few days for politics. But provided there is no complacency, and provided Labour understand why people voted for the BNP, and seize the opportunity to take on and defeat the arguments that led them there - so many of which fell apart under a bit of pressure last night - it might yet be possible to look back on last night not as a turning point for Griffin, but a turning point away from him.

And in the meantime, with so many of the public seemingly angry that he was on the programme at all, all of the mainstream parties should be reminding those same members of the public that he only got there because so few of them could be bothered to vote.

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Publish date: 2009-11-06 10:31:48

Just because he is French doesn't mean he's wrong

Publish date: 2009-11-05 10:58:46

Congratulations to David Cameron and Trevor Kavanagh

Publish date: 2009-11-04 10:34:36

Is there a Sun blackout on Cameron's dumping of 'cast iron guarantee' on Europe?

Publish date: 2009-11-03 20:37:04

Johnson seems to get it on immigration. Right on advisors advising too

Publish date: 2009-11-03 11:58:59

Public opinion on climate change - the public might be the problem

Publish date: 2009-11-02 11:37:23

In praise of Stephen Fry, who should tweet or not as he sees fit

Publish date: 2009-11-01 09:29:34

John Sergeant spot on re TB. TB's Olympics legacy. Liam Gallagher's generosity

Publish date: 2009-10-30 11:50:44

Conservative contortions on Europe and Blair

Publish date: 2009-10-29 11:44:12

Two-jobs Osborne suffering credibility deficit

Publish date: 2009-10-28 09:14:22

Canaries win AC spin award with dark nights productivity survey

Publish date: 2009-10-27 09:41:48

Blair - dead big in Japan!

Publish date: 2009-10-26 17:21:17

No complacency, variants on a theme

Publish date: 2009-10-24 09:48:46

Margaret Hodge MP on how to fight the BNP

Publish date: 2009-10-22 16:48:39

Thanks to Charlie Falconer and Dominic Grieve - yes, I know he is a Tory

Publish date: 2009-10-21 17:24:18

On Biscuitgate, barmy Tory policy, and BNP v Generals

Publish date: 2009-10-21 10:36:15

More on Obergruppenfuhrer Dacre, Biscuitgate and Bullingdon Conservatism

Publish date: 2009-10-20 12:16:37

Biscuitgate and Susan Boyle, no win territory for GB

Publish date: 2009-10-19 12:31:00

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

Boris, the Tories and the tummy-tickling poodle press

Publish date: 2009-03-06 09:49:37

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

Blog