Conservatives

Conservatives struggle to find a coherent foreign policy?

Mick Fealty on March 8, 2011, 4:55 pm

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British Conservative governments generally don’t really do ‘Foreign Policy’. With the exception of the Suez Crisis and the Falklands war, they have tended to err on the side of caution. This government in particular seems to have been almost rigidly focused on domestic issues of rolling back the debt, so that when a genuine international crisis like the Arab Spring uprising comes along they seem have been even less unprepared than their western neighbours. James Forsyth worries that it’s leading …

Coulson: Or how Journos sometimes behave badly…

Mick Fealty on January 21, 2011, 12:46 pm

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Memorable line from Frazer Nelson of the Spectator who noted on the Daily Politics just now that the careers of all spin doctors end something like this… Guido reckons it is because Coulson’s junior at the News of the World as about to dob him in… Here’s how the story first broke the year before last… Interestingly Steve Richards thinks in the big round of things that this is one of the smaller stories of the day… I’d probably agree, …

False Economy: a change-up for the left

Paul Evans on December 2, 2010, 11:45 am

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The new False Economy website (building on the success of The Other Taxpayers’ Alliance and the MyDavidCameron sites) marks something of a change-up for the left, not least because it it something of a tribute to the strategic successes of the right over recent years. Watching the student protests throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, alongside the GPO rally in Dublin last Saturday, it’s hard to see what the political utility of street-protest really is. We may have an answer …

Sir Reg to become a peer

Pete Baker on November 19, 2010, 3:08 pm

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Not entirely a surprise to hear that the former leader of the UUP, Sir Reg Empey, is to become a peer. Or that he was nominated by the Prime Minister, and Conservative Party leader, David Cameron. The BBC has the full list of new working peers announced today. Pete Baker

As governments change, so change the blogs

Paul Evans on November 3, 2010, 4:31 pm

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Two similarly themed items here. The first one – this post over on Comment is Free wondering whether it makes sense to lament the decline of the right-wing libertarian (or bloggertarian) blog. The second item – Left Foot Forward’s observation that Liberal Conspiracy and their own site are now beating the main right-of-centre bloggers in their Wikio rankings. Wikio measures inbound links rather than unique visitors and both Iain Dale and Guido Fawkes are still significantly ahead in that regard. …

“It is irresponsible to make ill-informed comments about areas which are not your responsibility.”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2010, 9:26 pm

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As DC noted in the comments zone of Brian’s post on our special little pleaders, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Owen Paterson made an interesting pitch during the Conservative Conference fringe event on NI today. With a number of NI Executive ministers present, Owen Paterson argued that the “British taxpayer should not continue to subsidise segregation” in NI, and he highlighted segregated education here as a particular example of “a criminal waste of public money”. Speaking to UTV in Birmingham after the event NI …

General Election 2010 – Finally

Dewi on September 16, 2010, 6:08 am

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Just a simple table:

Dewi

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

General Election 2010 – Wales (1 of 2)

Dewi on September 9, 2010, 2:41 pm

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OK, for a change, and due to an unprecedented lack of popular demand I thought I’d post about something I know something about…….
Scores on the Doors and a map from Wiki below:

Dewi

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

General Election 2010 – UCUNF

Dewi on September 3, 2010, 10:59 am

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Where to start?
The four stage progression I suppose, thus:
1) The bright new non-sectarian dawn.
2) Look at us we have Catholic candidates.
3) Sorry no we haven’t.
4) Oh and we’ll change our mind on standing in every seat…
Totally. Absolutely. Astonishing.
I always thought that the money was important but was it the only thing?
How did they do anyway?

Dewi

Welsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Collins chooses freelance intelligence over politics

Blank on August 16, 2010, 10:41 pm

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For several years rumours have come and gone on the possibility of Tim Collins entering political life. It seems he has finally bitten the bullet and will enter political life in numerous countries in a quasi-military capacity for a fee. Most recently the claim was: A rumour going around that Tim Collins was rejected as the UUP candidate for South Antrim in favour of Adrian Watson. Though that idea had been floated back in February with him running as a …

Sometimes even 3 bins aren’t enough

Blank on August 2, 2010, 7:59 pm

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This was at the top of my street until today (3 months after it should have been binned – by Neil Johnston of the UUP). It made a better attempt to stay out of the dustbin of history than the ‘party’ did.

Calman Will Deepen Scots Economic Misery

Peter Geoghegan on July 26, 2010, 5:02 pm

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In May, the new coalition in Westminster pledged to implement the long-delayed Calman Commission recommendations for the Scottish Government. The Calman report, originally published in June 2009, was sat on by New Labour, but now its recommendations for Holyrood seem certain to be introduced within the coming months. The most eye-catching feature of Calman’s proposals is in the area of fiscal policy. Since 1998, Holyrood’s budget has doubled and many in the Parliament, particularly within the SNP, have long complained about the …

Welsh Conservative MP told he must ‘double job’…

Mick Fealty on June 10, 2010, 4:39 pm

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The DUP also rather helpfully point us in the direction of Alun Cairns, who as a sitting AM initially followed what seemed like party policy when he won the Westminster seat for the Vale of Glamorgan and offered to resign his seat of South Wales West (for clarity that’s Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend). Update: Heads up from Dewi, here’s what Politics Cymru has to say on the matter of his likely replacement.. An understandable decision when, the party’s …

George Young on SF expenses: “Ahem, that would be an ecumenical matter…”

Mick Fealty on June 10, 2010, 3:11 pm

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This is very interesting. The line on Sinn Fein’s expenses for their abstaining MPs from Sir George Young today in Parliament is no longer a matter for the Government but for the newly Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). Why is that interesting? Well, because, so far as I can see, the IPSA’s only role is to decide whether the expenses are legitimate, not who can claim. The inclusion of funding for Sinn Fein was taken by Parliament under the direction …

Review of Human Rights Act

Elizabeth Nelson on May 19, 2010, 4:03 pm

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A guest blog from ‘Bubbler’ on how the fear of terrorism is being used to curtail civil liberties.

After the Election: The Hung Parliament Party

Paul Evans on May 15, 2010, 8:12 am

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Perhaps it’s time for another prediction competition: How long before this embedded video shows the message ‘This video has been removed by the author’ when you click ‘play’? Catch it while you can… Paul EvansLiving in London, working as a trade union official in the film and TV industry (opinions my own). Author of “Save Democracy, Abolish Voting” (published by Demsoc in November 2017). Personal website with link to other writing here. On twitter as @paul0evans1 nevertrustahippy.blogspot.com

Owen Paterson new NI Secretary of State

Pete Baker on May 12, 2010, 4:54 pm

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Eamonn’s tweeting that the Conservative Party’s Owen Paterson has been appointed as the new Northern Ireland Secretary of State. Bye, Shaun… Adds BBC report. And The News Letter. Pete Baker

Conservatives and/or Unionists?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on May 12, 2010, 12:00 pm

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The Ulster Unionist Party Executive meets on Saturday, but will the key issues of Sir Reg’s leadership and the relationship with the Conservatives be resolved? Will David Cameron make a flying visit to keep his promise to “be back in a week”? And what will the NI Conservatives do if the UCUNF linkup collapses?

Michael White: “You pay your money and take your choice.”

Pete Baker on May 12, 2010, 11:45 am

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At the Guardian’s Election Blog, Michael White offers a mea culpa and provides a sensible assessment of where we’re at as the dust settles over Downing St. From the G’s Election Blog As I wrote in a piece yesterday, history points to the larger party, especially the predatory Tory party, swallowing up the minnow on its back. That’s where the bookies odds must point: to the Lib Dems being divided, even wrecked, by the strains of coalition in hard times. …

Brown resigns as PM, Cameron to be invited to form government

Pete Baker on May 11, 2010, 7:39 pm

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The BBC report says it all Gordon Brown has announced he is resigning as UK prime minister. Mr Brown is on his way to officially tender his resignation to the Queen, and recommend that Conservative leader David Cameron should succeed him. Adds As the Guardian’s live-blog notes, Brown’s resignation as leader of the Labour Party “will take effect immediately”. And Full resignation statement here Update David Cameron becomes the new UK prime minister. Cameron’s statement on arriving at Downing St. Real …