Ruth Davidson – a new kind of politician, a new kind of politics

Writing a post like this is liable to inflame some of my fellow Liberal Democrats and other friends who simply dislike Tories, but the results of Thursday’s elections to the Scottish Parliament  deserve comment, not least because of the extraordinary revival of the Scottish Conservatives under their leader Ruth Davidson. I am proud and fortunate to… Continue reading Ruth Davidson – a new kind of politician, a new kind of politics

General Election 2015: good luck to candidates – and their constituents

With three days to go until polling day in what is likely to be the tightest and most unpredictable election in living memory, my thoughts go out to all candidates and their campaign teams as they approach the big day. They also extend to the electors, especially in highly marginal constituencies, who will have been bombarded… Continue reading General Election 2015: good luck to candidates – and their constituents

General Election 2015: a gifted amateur’s prediction – Labour will be the largest party, just.

Because of my well known interest in all things political, one of the most frequent questions I am asked these days is “What do you think will happen in the election?”. My general response up until now has been the psephological equivalent of sticking my finger in the air to guess which way the wind was… Continue reading General Election 2015: a gifted amateur’s prediction – Labour will be the largest party, just.

Margaret Thatcher – a working class revolutionary?

I should begin with a warning.  My friends and followers of both a left and a right wing persuasion are not going to like this post. On Saturday night I watched Channel 4’s insightful documentary “Margaret: Death of a Revolutionary” where Martin Durkin presented his radical thesis: that Margaret Thatcher was a working class revolutionary,… Continue reading Margaret Thatcher – a working class revolutionary?

Margaret Thatcher – as remarkable and divisive in death as she was in life

I was shocked to learn at lunchtime of the death of Baroness Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Ironically, I had just completed a tour of the Palace of Westminster with two friends from Los Angeles, where we had seen both the striking statue of Lady Thatcher in the Members’ Lobby of the… Continue reading Margaret Thatcher – as remarkable and divisive in death as she was in life

David Miliband – another moderate bites the dust

The departure of David Miliband from British politics will provoke mourning amongst the sensible centre of the Labour Party, just as Michael Portillo’s decision to retire from the House of Commons ten years ago had the same impact amongst liberal Conservatives, myself included. But the loss of such real talent from political life is a… Continue reading David Miliband – another moderate bites the dust

“A very unhappy coalition” – not the Government, but the Conservative Party

We hear much from the media about the fractious nature of the Coalition Government, tensions existing between Cameron and Clegg and so on, but to my mind, it isn’t the Government that is failing, but rather our electoral system and the political parties that it necessitates. Having been a member of both of our governing… Continue reading “A very unhappy coalition” – not the Government, but the Conservative Party