UK politics
Max Hastings’ diary: I love the British Army (but not the Blackadder version of it)
The looming centenary of the outbreak of the first world war offers an opportunity to break away from the Blackadder/Oh!…
Coalition with Labour would suffocate the Liberal Democrats
I write this in Glasgow, at the Lib Dem conference. Nick Clegg has invented a constitutional doctrine. The doctrine teaches…
Why I want my schools to ban the burka (and the miniskirt)
For most people, the question of whether to ban the burka is a purely theoretical one. Not for me. As…
The importance of not being called Nigel
The importance of not being Nigel
Parliament has finally woken up – because voters are keeping their MPs in line
Today’s MPs are no longer scared of the whips. Instead, they are scared of their constituents. That’s a good thing
Dot Wordsworth: We've been self-whipping since 1672
Isabel Hardman of this parish explained after last week’s government defeat that a deluded theory among the party leadership had…
As high speed rail is being dropped in California and France, it's time for Britain to take the hint
The government’s high-speed rail plans will never be implemented
Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me
So farewell then £80,000 salary, £150,000 expense account, secretary, team of assistants, constituency office, first-class travel, immunity from prosecution, Brussels…
Does the EU really need 32 diplomats in Mozambique? And 44 in Barbados?
The Prime Minister recently professed himself shocked at waste in the European Union. In particular, he was incensed by an…
Ancient and modern: Socrates on TV election debates
Lord Hennessy has been arguing that, as a result of TV debates between party leaders prior to elections, ‘the plausible…
Why partisan columnists (like me) are doomed
An email exchange with a Conservative-leaning friend this week left me feeling sheepish. But if shameful my behaviour be, I’m…
I’ll tell you what really devalues marriage: patronising, preachy little tax breaks
The Conservative party is trying to redefine marriage. I can’t believe they think they’re going to get away with this.…
