Comments

Jane A

2009-07-03 15:33:31

Interesting comment from the HSJ website:

"The Conservatives have contested HSJ’s interpretation of Mr Lansley’s comments. Read their response to our story and Mr Lansley’s original comments in full as part of Sally Gainsbury’s blog."

Step 7, you think?

Praguetory

2009-07-03 07:59:55

> An irrelevance. Brown's 0% rise is what will be remembered from this week in politics.

Katharine T.

2009-07-02 22:23:56

I am a little bit hesitant to post a comment right now because I think I am going to sound stupid, but I just don't understand: How can a major party (regardless of who they are) not have a clear and precise position on any important issue (ie: fiscal, health, education, military, taxes, etc)? Are people just supposed to take their word that if they vote for them they'll be really, really good at anything they want?

Maybe I'm missing something because I feel pretty stupid a lot of the time reading this blog.

Jonathan Turner

2009-07-02 21:46:23

Being a former NHS employee I still get emails from the HSJ and saw this article. Whilst Lansley's comments a few weeks ago about 10% cuts were hardly surprising, I remember being shocked at the apparent lack of discipline when he made that announcement - a highly significant policy point seemingly made without any prior planning. But the strange thing is that the debate actually seems to have played out fairly well for the Tories since then, with most of the media offering the conclusion that both parties will cut anyway, and allowing the Tories to put Brown on the defensive re cuts.

It appears to me that much of the media has decided it is going to go easy on the Tories at the moment, it isn't focussing on the glitches or the lack of substance in their policy on public services - post-bureacratic age et al. But you never know, they might decide it's getting boring and go in for the kill, and if they do I agree that they are vulnerable if they continue to adopt this ad hoc approach.

Andrew Lansley looks like a major liability from what I have seen thus far.

I would, however, disagree with Alastair's recent assertions that New Labour had it all planned out by this stage pre-1997. There may have been more consistency in the political strategy, but this did not necessarily translate into a workable policy. I seem to recall that at the time the theme was "cut the waiting lists and end the market madness". The waiting lists bit has largely been achieved because of all the extra money pumped in, but Blair did a complete u-turn on the market aspect. Not only did he revive the internal market, but in his later years as premier he expanded it to private sector healthcare providers too. I can only conclude that Blair felt the initial strategy wasn't working.

Alina Palimaru

2009-07-02 17:43:40

I am not surprised at all by the Lansley "policy revelations". He seems to hint at the pro-market Tory agenda, at which other British conservative voices (e.g. the likes of Daniel Hannan) have been hinting for a while now... mind you, in conservative U.S. media outlets! "Leave it all to the market! Market knows best!"

What these little Friedmans don't know is that in the U.S. case (which the Tories hope to replicate in the UK) the market opened the health system up for abuse and greed, to the extent that it increased health spending (and waste on un-necessary medical procedures).
The Tory mantra is that "government shouldn't 'meddle in' or 'interfere with' the market". Well, my question to them is: what is the difference between government 'interfering with' the market and government 'helping' the market operate better? The answer is: conservative obfuscation!

Alastair, excellent job catching and exposing this.

gary Enefer

2009-07-02 15:36:29

It does seem to be Gordon brown and Alastair Darling that have been ' done up like kippers' this week. Someone has cleverly turned the Tories' 10% slip to
accuse the Labour Party of not being honest about it's intentions.

Em

2009-07-02 15:32:24

I've been seeing allusions to Dave Cameron's shortcomings popping up here and there lately and I'm glad Gove and Lansley are making a fool of himself publicly, especially the latter on health care. Health is an issue parents and ageing people really pay attention too, despite the issue not being sexy with politicos (or so I'm guessing).

Is there a link to Gainsbury's article?

I'm sure you know Disraeli's quote: "A Tory government in as exercise in hypocrisy" and I think the media know very well how elusive, not to say slippery, the current Tory party is. I simply think they want new material and that is why they are so kind to Cameron and its dunces.

AC

2009-07-02 14:14:31

I am grateful to Paul Waugh of the Evening Standard for pointing out the latest chapter in the unravelling of the Kipper. According to Paul's blog, he has been told by Lansley's office that when he told Sky News that future NHS allocations will not be able to accomodate 'inflationary staff costs', such 'inflationary staff costs' should not be taken as meaning 'above inflation pay rises.' Ok??? He was simply saying that a Tory government would not be able to afford 'massive' pay rises. Alles klar? No, I didn't think so.
Anyway, that is step 6 dealt with. Stay tuned for the next episode of this make it up as you go along NHS policy.

Maria Sharpe

2009-07-02 12:46:09

I saw the Gove interview too. Dreadful. But the minister on wss pretty poor too. I don't know what has happened to politicians generally. They do not seem to be on top of the answers like they were

Harry Pritchard

2009-07-02 12:44:06

I am around your age and I can remember when Maggie was in power, the Shadow Cabinet were almost as well known as the Cabinet. Not just Kinnock, but Hattersley, Smith, Gould, Kaufman, Meacher, Beckett, Cunningham, Dewar, Lots and lots of them were pretty much household names. Apart from Cameron and Hague, I don't think any of the Tories would be recognised by most members of the public. It is also the case ministers are less igh profile than they used to be, but this shadow lot are barely visible at all. Yet they could be running the country. it is a bit scary

mary

2009-07-02 11:50:50

It might be a good idea to cut some NHS spending anyway. Last month I discovered that an outpatient clinic at my local Trust hospital took at least four weeks to inform my GP of the outcome of my tests. As the problem was potentially lethal, I strolled round to the clinic and offered to type the letter myself. Funnily enough, I was handed a sheaf of rather beautiful brochures informing me of my 'rights' in several languages and was told that if I complained in a particular way, my letter would be typed that afternoon. I complained politely as advised by the friendly ladies on Reception, and put the brochures in the recycling bin on the way out. The letter arrived the following day by snail mail. Now, why would otherwise sensible people organise their comms systems that way? Hmmmmmmm? In cases like this, As always weask 'who benefits? Certainly not me,either as patient or taxpayer. I am beginning to think: 'Go Dave'! Sorry Alastair.

The Therapist

2009-07-02 11:16:11

One of the difficulties is that it is so long since the Tories were in power that people have forgotten how they brought the NHS to its knees. We must empathise with Kipper and his colleagues, though - can you imagine the stress of having a job which is merely to oppose whatever someone else does? Apart from people with some sort of oppositional personality disorder it is hard to imagine how demoralising this must be. When you look at the HSE Stress Management guidelines for the workplace, you wonder how Dave can get away with treating his people this way.

Michael Taylor

2009-07-02 11:10:22

Everyone's avoiding the subject at the moment. Labour included. Gordon Brown especially. CUTS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE.

The difficulty politically is that there are three great departments of state that are seemingly untouchable - Health, Education and Defence. For the Tories the latter is a particular Achilles Heel.

The sooner someone has the courage to tell the ministers: Make 10 per cent cuts across each department - please get back to us when you have a plan, the better.

Jane A

2009-07-02 10:57:41

Intellectually speaking, Andrew Lansley makes Michael Gove look like Stephen Hawking. I read the HSJ, and its clear that the Tories attempt to pitch in on health policy by having him front it up won't just backfire, it'll blow the bloody doors off.

NHS world will be financially more difficult from 2011, but Labour have been open about that, rather than trying to pull the wool until postElection. Any organisation with so many staff, so many sites (and their energy bills to cover) which is charged with raising standards for patients *and* using taxpayers money more efficiently couldn't help but be affected by the downturn.

I think Dave and his mates are being massively disingenuous over cuts, but no one at the media management end of their operation seems to have issued the command to "stop digging".

Andrew Lansley done up like a kipper

2009-07-02 10:10:52

You won't have found too many words of praise for journalists on here, so stand by for a rare event.

I refer to a journalist I have never met, named Sally Gainsbury, who works for a magazine I don't recall ever reading, named the Health Service Journal.

A Facebook friend sent me her latest article, headlined 'Lansley's devil is in the detail.'

I remember a former colleague at the Daily Mirror who would exclaim gleefully, whenever an interviewee condemned themselves with their own words - 'done up like a kipper.' Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley, fresh from his opening the door to the idea of ten per cent cuts in public spending under the Tories, which secured him a rollicking from Dave, did himself up like a kipper in a series of interviews duly set out by Sally Gainsbury in her excellent piece.

She concludes that Mr Lansley, accidentally, got round Dave's strict policy against having policy. The accident was born in the fact that he was trying to create impressions without committing to clear positions (strategy copyright Dave) but ended up committing to a position that might give him considerable political difficulties.

So here is the step by step guide to Mr Lansley's lurch to Kipperdom.

Step 1, admit there will have to be cuts.

Step 2, make clear any cuts will not apply to the NHS, but to other departments, about which Dave would like everyone to stay vague.

Step 3, whatever the Health Secretary Andy Burnham says, don't be seen to agree with it, because you need to be different to feed into the 'time for a change' notion at the heart of Dave's no policy strategy.

Step 4, therefore contradict Burnham's statement that a new pay deal for health service staff cannot be agreed without an overall NHS spending settlement. For those who have a worry the Tories are not ready for government, feel your worries grow on reading this from Mr Lansley ... 'In truth pay determination shouldn't be set in line with financial allocations, it should be set in line with what is necessary to recruit, retain and motivate the workforce that you require. It's a fallacy to say the amount of pay for 2012-13 depends on how much money the government has.'

I shall repeat that last bit. 'It's a fallacy to say the amount of pay for 2012-13 depends on how much money the government has.'

It is a self-evidently idiotic statement, which required clarification in the form of Step 5, when his rebuttal made clear he was not talking about pay increases being above the rate of increase in overall NHS spending, expected to be pretty low as it is, but below that rate. Try telling that to the nurses, and all who love them.

I said a few days ago that the skirmishes on public spending are in their early stages, but Mr Kipper, recognising the idiocy of the step 4 statement, was driven to the step 5 admission of real terms cuts to NHS wages.

I have made it as simple as I can, but accept it is quite complicated, which may explain why it has been left to the Health Service Journal to spell it out. But these arguments that bubble away like this all speak to a central problem for the Tories - they have not thought through policy, and they do not have very good frontbenchers ie, the people who will be the Cabinet if the country votes according to the polls as they stand.

I know the media chatterati go on about how clever Michael Gove is, for example, but Fiona tells me that while I was up in Burnley he did a dreadful Newsnight interview, again exposing their inability to bottom down answers on difficult questions.

I don't know what they discuss at Shadow Cabinet meetings, but they must surely understand that unless they pin down the detail quite soon, they will have a lot more Lansley-Kipper situations on the way. And while this one may have been confined to the Health Service Journal, during the heat of an election campaign, it just takes one of these unbottomed down situations to go 'whoosh', and unravelling follows unravelling.

It is frustrating for Labour that these glitches and goofs are not being focussed upon by the national media very much now. But they need to store them away, pocket all the inconsistencies in positions set out by Dave and his team, then unleash them at a time designed to do maximum damage.

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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

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

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