Steve Richards

Profile: Full name: Steve Richards Area of interest: Politics Journals/Organisation: The Independent Email: s.richards@independent.co.uk Personal website: Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/steve-richards Blog: Representation: Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/steverichards14

Biography: About: Education: University of York: History; London College of Printing: journalism Career: Worked in local radio and regional TV in Newcastle; BBC: political correspondent, 1990/1995; New Statesman: political editor, 1996/2000; The Independent: chief political commentator, 2000- Also has a concurrent TV/Radio career (see below) Current position/role: The Independent: Chief political commentator also writes/has written for: Evening Standard Other roles/Main role: TV and radio presenter Other activities: Disclosures: Viewpoints/Insight: Broadcast media: Wrote and presented two hour-long films about Tony Blair for Channel Four Presenter on BBC2's Despatch Box Presenter on Radio 4's Week in Westminster Chairman of Radio 4’s Parliamentary Questions Current presenter of GMTV's flagship current affairs show The Sunday Programme Appears regularly on News 24’s Head 2 Head programme and BBC News Channel's Dateline London Video: IMDb Controversy/Criticism: Awards/Honours: Named Political Journalist of the Year in the Political Studies Association's annual awards, 2008 Scoops: Other:

Books & Debate: Latest work: Whatever it takes: the inside story of Gordon Brown and New Labour OCLC373477873, September 2010, Fourth Estate, reviewed here by John Rentoul Speaking/Appearances: Current debate:The Independent Live! pre-election debate, Brighton Pavilion, 20th April. With Caroline Lucas MEP and Charlotte Vere

The Independent: Column name: Remit/Info: Politics Section: Role: Chief political commentator Pen-name: Email: s.richards@independent.co.uk Website: Independent.co / Steve Richards Commissioning editor: Day published: Tuesday and Thursday (not exclusively) Regularity: Twice-weekly Column format: Average length:

Articles: 2012 Call it Plan A, B or C, just give us some growth - Osborne wants to delay popular tax cuts but even the IMF is calling for policies to promote growth - 24th May Michael Gove v Jamie Oliver? It's no contest - Without nationally imposed rules, food standards will become erratic at best - 22nd May Loyalty and unity used to be Tory trademarks - A senior Conservative said about George Osborne, 'We'll kill him.' The metaphor is in regular use - 17th May A ragbag of eye-catching measures worthy of Tony Blair - There is as much chance of agreement on Lords reform as there is of the sun shining in May - 10th May A rescue mission that itself needs rescuing - The biggest challenge arises not from what Cameron and Clegg disagree over but from what they agree on - 8th May Labour (and Ed Miliband) are no longer doomed - The Labour Party is in real contention as an alternative to the Coalition at the next general election - 5th May Which mayoral candidate will improve life in the city? That's all London need ask - I have no doubt the capital would be a better place to live in four years' time if Ken were to win again. - 3rd May This crisis goes beyond integrity. It’s now about accountability - Leveson cannot judge on the relationship between a minister and his special adviser - 1st May Cameron can't easily dismiss the toxic trail to Murdoch's bid - A government has not been this fragile since John Major staggered from crisis to crisis - 26th April The Lords is undemocratic and increasingly silly - Clegg is right to push on. Nearly all opposition is on Machiavellian grounds rather than principle - 24th April It's no accident that the wheels have come off the Government - The problem is not that Cameron does too little but that his government does too much - 19th April The 'anti-politics' vote won't do people any good - Smaller parties are unburdened by such tedious concerns as how to win power - 17th April Bus fares and gas bills are once more deciding who we vote for - We are closer to the 1970s when Wilson won two elections by promising to cut the price of bread - 12th April A chance has opened up for Miliband. But can he take it? - If the Labour leader's ratings were high, he could impose his views. As it is, he has to appease - 5th April There's too little scrutiny of the four top men - In the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s, they make decisions without any experience of power - 3rd April The liberal dilemma - how to rule and stick to your principles - Facing possible terror attacks is more frightening as a PM than from the luxury of Opposition - 29th March Political fundraising is humiliating but party leaders see no option - Partly, this is about the decline of parties. It is cheaper and more fun to tweet or blog than pay a fee - 27th March Same old Tories? That's a message that could start to stick - It will be remembered as the Budget in which the Chancellor cut the top rate of tax for the rich - 22nd March Economically it's a neutral Budget, politically it's radical - How each party moves now will determine their fate. We are in the most important months of this parliament - 20th March Coalition will be harder now for a PM who yearns to be a President - There is nothing quite so intoxicating in its theatricality. Cameron has had a ball in the US - 15th March Gordon Brown is nowhere, yet everywhere - Without acknowledgement from either side, it is Brown's rulebook that persists - 13th March It's easy to talk about fairness – but hard to put into practice - The urgent need for both parties to be seen as 'fair' is a sea change in British politics - 7th March Not every pensioner needs a free train ticket - In essence, universal benefits waste public money by subsidising those who already have enough - 6th March Now we're seeing where the real divisions in the Coalition lie - We are not used to this, cards being played in public so close to a pivotal Budget - 23rd February No U-turn on NHS reform? We're halfway there - There are deep parallels between what is happening now and the poll tax in the late 1980s - 21st February Binge-drinking can go the way of smoking - Cameron's proposals might help ease the pressure on crazily overworked A&E wards on weekend nights - 16th February No one is above the law – and that includes 'The Sun' - Politicians are still in awe of newspapers, fearful of them like children in the playground - 14th February Run the NHS better or scrap it – but give up reforming it - 'Patient choice' is largely a myth, unless we pay for half-empty hospital wards - 9th February Will nobody challenge the Falklands War myths? - Leaders insist on the islands' right to self-determination. Scotland's right to it is less clearly stated - 7th February Cameron isn't a lucky leader, but Miliband is - Miliband's response to events has had more impact than that ofany leader of the opposition in recent times - 2nd February We are in a new era, but bankers haven't noticed - At no point did Hester consider that he already had enough money and so would forgo his bonus - 31st January Politics Elected mayors are a great way to return power to the people - Local government became moribund in the 1980s and has never recovered - 26th January NHS reform should be dropped, before it's too late - Sweeping upheaval is a polite way of expressing the chaos that is being imposed - 24th January Labour deserves oblivion if it listens to the unions on pay - Some unions are threatening to break ties. Miliband should be relaxed about this - 19th January Don't be fooled by the power of false assumptions - As the abuse has grown, Miliband has passed one of the tests of leadership. He has kept calm - 17th January Neither PM nor Salmond can control the ending of this drama - A vote against Scottish independence in a straightforward ballot will not end the story. Referendums never do - 13th January In turbulent times, can the PM go with the flow? - Leaders are slow to move in a time of flux. They look back, then forwards and act in conflicting ways - 10th January PM's big idea is still alive – but is it really that big? - What is striking is the degree to which the idea of the Big Society has shaped Cameron's leadership from the start - 5th January

Articles: 2011 Well done Alex and Ed, but David wins by a head - Leaders or aspiring leaders must try to appear overwhelmingly dominant, when mostly they are not - 27th December Are the Lib Dems and Labour testing out their own Coalition? - The sequence of events since the euro veto highlights the battering the Coalition has taken - 22nd December His jokes fall flat, but could Ed have the last laugh? - Like a new band playing a stadium tour, the Labour leader has hits that his indiscriminately belligerent critics ignore - 20th December The man who should speak remains silent - Gordon Brown is the convenient scapegoat, the chosen villain of the entire media and political class - 15th December Nick Clegg must face up to the truth about his Coalition partner - The Prime Minister is the considerate, constructive wrecker of Britain's relationship with Europe - 13th December This sleeping monster could unleash chaos - When the NHS saga reaches its baffling denouement the Government risks losing a reputation for competence - 8th December If everyone wants high speed rail, why is it doomed? - On a project of this scale, momentum is all. Since the election, there has been virtually none - 6th December You can't be Santa or Scrooge, I'm afraid, George - The good news, in the form of capital spending, can't be over-spun without giving the wrong impression - 29th November He'll deny it, but Osborne is backing away from Plan A - If the Tories want to win next time, they need to change their policies, not just their message - 25th November Leaders who are having to learn as they go along - The misjudgement over Northern Rock was the first of many in response to the economic crisis - 18th November Tory or Labour, the time for speaking up for Europe has gone - Both sides now accept that any transfer of powers will require a referendum - 15th November Demanding Theresa May's head on a plate solves nothing - Accountability must widen much further across government to include senior officials - 10th November It's Miliband who captures the mood of the times - There was once an unswerving consensus that we all benefited from a few people getting filthy rich. Not any longer - 8th November Britain is charging towards indiscriminate Euroscepticism at an alarming speed - Britain is farther away from the European Union than at any point since it joined - 29th October Get used to it Mr Cameron, MPs matter again - There are MPs on all sides who think this week's revolt was seismic. I agree - 27th October Sceptics' rage over Europe is a proxy battle - It is less about Europe more about PM's relationship with his parliamentary party - 25th October Eurosceptics are stirring again and there's panic in Downing Street - They have leapt on the new fashion for petitions - 20th October Lobbyists are not as influential as they seem - Most cabinet ministers are relatively weak, soon out of a job or in a new one - 18th October If the Health Secretary won't be accountable, then who will? - The Coalition is coming unstuck through an idea - 13th October Ministerial stability is a good thing - As a leader, Cameron tends to stand by his appointees - 11th October Epic times called for better than this - Who is against good leadership? Cameron sought to play the centrist’s card, reassuring many, challenging few - 6th October Listen for what Osborne didn't say - He has made his call on deficit reduction and is not budging - 4th October Let the battle of ideas commence - Miliband takes a big risk, but external events give him a chance. And there are dangers and problems with PM’s vision - 29th September Miliband takes a brave step to the centre-left... - ... now he needs to find the policies - 28th September Too much pessimism is self-fulfilling - 'Sorry, we screwed up – Vote Labour' is not a winning slogan - 27th September Now Cameron faces a new dilemma - Liberal Democrats will cling to any sign of progress like trophies. This is why the Tory leadership should be worried - 22nd September A party that doesn't realise the power at its disposal - At this stage of the political cycle, Cameron cannot do without the Lib Dems. The Tories have no overall majority, as the fate of the health reforms highlighted - 20th September Clegg has turned disaster on its head - In British politics what is supposed to happen rarely happens - 16th September Bankers are the unions of our time - How to remain a global financial centre while also regulating banks? - 13th September 'Free' schools are illusions of both freedom and choice - Schools are not 'free' because they can't be if government has sense of society - 8th September Darling's book spells danger for Miliband - Voters will pick up a sense that the Labour government fell apart in chaos - 5th September Too much money is as bad for bankers as for footballers - The Premier League brings to life the dangers of lightly regulated sectors where a form of crazed hysteria replaces the disciplines of more effective markets - 1st September The tax wars have just begun - I cannot recall a period since 1992 when the politics of taxation has been so highly charged and potentially divisive - 30th August Cameron must now walk a high wire - The choreography of the riots shows again how ideological ambition clashes with reality when a crisis erupts - 12th August MPs find their voice at last - New Labour wanted a Parliament that caused it not a flicker of concern. Such manoeuvring is impossible now - 4th August History repeats itself in Libya - Why do political leaders stride into the same trap, even having witnessed the fate of those who went before them? - 2nd August Rise of the Tory Romantics - Usually there is only a 'feel-good factor' when the economy is doing well enough to make the electorate feel good about itself - 27th July By any name, Osborne needs a Plan B - No need to pretend that Britain was in a similar situation to Greece last summer - 26th July Cameron's immaturity lies exposed - His errors in this affair are part of a pattern of policy making. They are not fatal but they damage him - 21st July Politicians don't see so much has changed - Power – in the media, the police or politics – must be held to account - 19th July Now we know who runs the country - We need to know a lot more about the activities of bankers, business leaders, civil servants, police, and the media - 14th July Hail the dawn of a healthier democracy - It's a great irony that Murdoch's papers would surely have backed Cameron at the last election even if a chimpanzee had been his press secretary - 9th July Politicians are finally free from Murdoch's tyranny - The choreography was always the same: elected leaders who were neurotically keen to impress the non-elected media titans - 7th July Can the Coalition plan for our future? - Governments commission reports, but when they'e published, nothing happens- 5th July What the Germans can teach us - For Blue Labour Germany is the model with its collaborative labour policies, vocational education and regional banks - 30th June An issue that can no longer be avoided - The bankers still collect their mind-boggling bonuses while relatively low-paid workers take a pay cut - 28th June Suddenly Parliament matters again - The use of the urgent question has made the Commons as relevant as the Today programme and sometimes more so - 23rd June The roads to reform are paved with good intentions - Market-based reforms are not the solution the Coalition's evangelists suggest - 21st June Blair's approval keeps Cameron safe - Whatever the motivation of Blair, the consequences are deep. For Cameron, the glow of approval is like gold dust - 16th June Explosive memos? Calm down, dears - This is an exercise aimed at damaging Ed Balls. Yet, the documents are not incriminating - 11th June The end of the Tories' romantic dream - Romantics are original thinkers driven by ideas, vision and with the courage and guile to follow through with policy - 9th June Out of the media limelight, but obsessed with headlines - In a rather barren field George Osborne is in danger of becoming interesting - 7th June Why cling to the least helpful targets? - As ministers insist they have no time for targets, you cannot move for them in relation to the economy - 2nd June The art of oratory is fast on the way out - No one needs direct contact any more. Politicians thrive by being dull - 31st May Will Cameron's idea of happiness last? - Could 'wellbeing' become as important as the monthly inflation figures? - 24th May Brown's bid to run the IMF deserves a fair hearing - There is evidence that Brown's fiscal stimulus propelled Britain and other countries towards growth - 23rd May Anyone hear what Clarke really said? - The scale of Labour's response was misjudged and revealing about its future positioning in relation to crime - 19th May Lib Dems' troubles may blight the Tories - Suddenly Labour are not alone in questioning Cameron and Osborne - 17th May A privacy law may be the lesser evil - Of course I want to know all about the stars and their affairs, but I do not see why I should have the right to know - 12th May Lansley won't survive the coming surgery - The Government can't let the NHS turn into a quango-administered free-for-all - 10th May It was in Clegg's moment of triumph that the seeds of disaster were sown - The Lib Dems' dream of electoral reform, which seemed so close to realisation, becomes an elusive fantasy - 7th May This referendum is a much bigger moment than it seems - While we await the result, a mountain of significant lessons arises - 5th May Our republican conspiracy of silence - No public figure that governs, or hopes to govern can go near the issue - 21st April Were we duped by those TV debates? - Post-Diana Britain has a primitive side and needs idols. Nick Clegg had 'won' and parts of Britain went bonkers - 14th April Health reforms are the real faultline - For the Lib Dems NHS changes are as important as the war in Iraq - 12th April This loathing of politicians must end - Too quickly, the focus of the public is on the integrity of those involved rather than their fraught calculations - 7th April Has Cameron forgotten about the poll tax? - The danger for revolutionaries is to change course reluctantly - 5th April The Lib Dems irrelevant? Far from it - In important ways, the Tories' partners have been a benevolent force - 31st March Miliband must say where Labour is heading - Miliband and Balls are being urged to apologise for leaving Britain in a mess - 29th March Osborne's triumph of chutzpah, not economics - It was as if we had all fought a successful war under his command, were back from the trenches, and could relax - 24th March Iraq’s shadow hangs over Cameron - So soon after Iraq, Britain is involved in another military venture of uncertain outcome - 19th March It's a poor choice... - ... but I'm voting Yes to voting reform - 17th March The Eds face an open goal, but can they score? - Policy-wise, Miliband/Balls is more complicated than Blair/Brown - 15th March The rise and fall of William Hague - Even close colleagues are questioning whether he's really cut out for power - 10th March Murdoch already has an iron grip on Britain's political culture. And it is getting tighter - Cameron is not alone – Ed Miliband is also not going out of his way to make an enemy of this powerful empire - 4th March Foreign policy lesson No 1...Don't rush - Perhaps due to criticism, Mr Cameron acquired a foreign policy last Monday - 3rd March PM has worst week – and more are to come - Blair used to joke: "This has been my worst week until the next one." - 26th February In the long shadow of the SDP - Party boundaries are under more strain than usual - 24th February In his reforms of public services, Cameron is like Blair on cocaine - Blair's reforms were't thought through - 22nd February The coming 'Yes' vote will be explosive - The anti-politics mood means voters won't reject the chance for change - 17th February No wonder Cameron loves this cause - There are parts of Government more excited about this agenda than any other - 15th February University access for state-school pupils will determine Clegg's legacy - The saga over Nick Clegg and tuition fees reaches a pivotal phase - 10th February Can the Big Society work? - In the first part of a three-day debate, our chief political commentator examines the genesis, development and ultimate misjudgment of a Coalition policy that, he argues, is doomed to fail - 8th February Cuts, control and accountability - The Coalition likes to hail its commitment to redistributing power - 3rd February Egypt is a reminder of the errors that drove the Iraq war - The uprising shows that attempts at regime change can take many forms - 1st February The truth about Osborne and Balls - The Chancellor will insist there is no Plan B until he has to implement one - 27th January The curious indifference of rival papers and politicians - The elected leaders still pay homage to non-elected media owners - 25th January Miliband made a mistake... - ... Now it has been corrected - 21st January The 'heirs to Blair' are nothing like him - His testimony is of historic interest but no current relevance - 20th January A revolution that shows Cameron in his true colours - David Cameron is proving to be a charmingly evasive public figure - 18th January The banks debate has a 1970s parallel - The small state free-marketeers sense something is wrong with the greed of bankers but they do not want to act - 13th January Labour's profligacy is a myth - Cameron, Osborne, and Clegg insisted on an apparently bleak inheritance - 11th January The Tory right's fears can be allayed - What is happening in politics is rarely the same as what is perceived to be happening - 6th January

Articles: 2010 The Year in Review: Labour - Goodbye, Gordon. Hello to an era of opposition - 24th December Cable's rise was exaggerated... - ... So too has been his demise - 23rd December The dangers of shock and awe politics - In its first six months the Coalition has accelerated with a dizzier speed than Thatcher in 1979 – and on more fronts - 21st December Blogging: the power of the instant opinion - Rolling comment is as significant a development as rolling news. Indeed its influence is greater - 16th December A party this divided can't hold together - Those that don't see public spending as sinful will be sorely tested - 14th December Don't expect protests to achieve much - The acts of orthodox politics will have prevailed over protest - 9th December Only Tories win from the student saga - If Miliband adopts a graduate tax there will be much internal stirring - 7th December A game that had already been decided - England's 2018 World Cup bid out in the first round - 3rd December Wikileaks: Lack of information isn't the problem - The leak is on such a scale the intake of breath is greater - 2nd December Laws cannot rewrite Lib Dem tragedy - At the top, the Lib Dems are happy with the policies they've ended up with - 30th November Gove needs to rewrite his homework - In its complacent selfishness, the drive for free schools is part of an atomised, reactionary vision - 25th November Take a risk, Ed – say what you believe - He must convey an alternative to the current consensus - 23rd November A crazed zeal for inheritance and fame - The last Labour government probably contained more closet republicans than any previous administration - 18th November Do people want Power to the People? - No leader is going to seek election on "Less Power to the People" - 9th November For the first time in four decades 'Europe' is no longer poisonous - Europe nearly killed Labour in the late 1970s. In the 1990s it tore apart the Conservatives - 4th November Coalition's liberalism is strained - "Liberal" is the fashionable word but it invites a thousand interpretations - 2nd November The real battle for power has begun - Labour voters should recall it's the Tories, not the Lib Dems, who are their main opponents - 28th October Just as in the '80s, ideology is driving cuts - Choices are being made on the basis of how politicians view the state - as benevolent, or stifling - 26th October Of wealth, welfare and worship - Imagine what it must be like if you are a tenant on housing benefit and a fan of Manchester United - 23rd October Osborne passed test – for now. His opposite number failed - The Chancellor looked as if he was throwing money around when he was being miserably prudent - 21st October The dangers that stalk Johnson - How can Labour win an election offering tax rises against Conservative tax cuts? - 19th October A U-turn that will wreck public trust - The Liberal Democrats benefited electorally from their opposition to increases in tuition fees - 14th October Osborne won't get his 25 per cent - Miliband had a choice of two economists with political guile who could produce their own radical plan. But in choosing Alan Johnson he went for the quiet life - 12th October Plenty of politics... - ...but where was the economics in George Osborne's speech? - 5th October Dramas that expose a Miliband myth - In ruthlessly highlighting Labour's mistakes, Ed makes possible a realignment of the centre-left - 30th September He's been compared to Kinnock, and to Duncan Smith. But what about Thatcher? - Today Ed Miliband must explain why his vision of a fairer country does not mark him out as a wild communist, but places him on the political centre ground - 28th September Comrade Cable does No 10 a favour - The deficit remains the defining issue in British politics - 23rd September Power silences the doubters – for now - Clegg's claims over speed and depth of cuts will be tested over the next few years - 21st September The need for distance from the unions - The debate about public spending is predictably backward looking - 16th September Welcome to a more vibrant Commons - MPs now have the power to challenge - and in some cases to stop - proposals from going ahead - 10th September Questions that Coulson must answer - A new police investigation into alleged phone-hacking is urgently necessary - 7th September A journey that leads to Cameron - Blair is wrong about Brown, and about the crisis - 2nd September It's time to move on from New Labour - The tortured triangulation of the mid-1990s is no longer an option - 31st August Blair's journey is Labour's problem - As a leader he could be engagingly self-deprecating, and yet he extra- polated an entire global phenomenon - 26th August Clegg has no room for manoeuvre - Clegg's agile positioning in the aftermath of the election is undermined almost fatally by his apparently enthusiastic support for the risky spending cuts that define the Coalition - 24th August A debate that turns politics upside down - The Lib Dems will never commit to a semi-permanent alliance with the Tories - 29th July The Tories are running the show - The coalition Government largely acts as a majority Conservative government - 27th July Labour: can't go back, can't go forward - If it is electorally fatal for aspirant leaders to move a little to the left they might as well give up - 22nd July But what if the Big Society doesn't work? - It's not all about money, but a lack of resources is why the vision is so limited - 20th July New Labour: mad, bad, and dangerous? - Running a party from the very top becomes as destructively intense as one in which every member is consulted - 15th July Who exactly will we hold to account? - Cameron and Clegg champion localism. But at the Treasury they worry about letting go of the purse strings - 13th July Convulsive power of referendums - Cameron wonders whether he is leading an historic realignment of the centre and centre-right - 9th July AV doesn't make up for rabid cuts - Cameron doesn't worry about a minor change in the voting system - 6th July Clarke breaks free of a failed approach - Spending a fortune on incarcerating those who should not be inside is another example of destructive waste - 1st July The biggest deficit is democratic - Cameron, Osborne and Clegg should have said more in advance about cuts - 29th June The beginning of the end of the state - Parts of the Budget were astutely judged, but Osborne's debut veered more towards the reactionary, at times dangerously so - 23rd June The real purpose of public inquiries - There is a deceptive purity about them. But the context of these acts is always multilayered - 17th June The deficit slashers are plain wrong - Economic hawks act from a dangerous mix of conviction and political calculation - 15th June Power alone is enough to keep them united - The coalition - 12th June Opposition leader – a hell of a job - The Labour leadership contest is attracting limited media attention and for good reason - 10th June Not so much progressive as painful - Cameron, Osborne and Clegg know how to play the mood music of spending cuts - 8th June This time, Parliament can't be ignored - Labour had big majorities but this coalition won't be able to take the Commons for granted - 3rd June Start reform with the Civil Service - Normally any minister who ends up in the Cabinet Office pulls levers and discovers nothing happens - 21st May This is a sincere and coherent vision for rolling back the state. But will it work? - Unity at the very top of the new coalition is secure and genuine whatever happens further below - 19th May Big tents don't have room for all - Cameron and Osborne prefer the choreography of politics to policy details - 18th May New politics? Don't you believe it. Old rivalries will soon be back - The so-called new politics is the logical extension of Blairism rather than a break from it, with both leaders testing their parties' ideological flexibility - 13th May Novelty won't sustain this alliance - Cameron has always been a brilliant choreographer, and he will manage the Tory right and Lib Dem left with charm - 12th May A resignation that changes everything - How characteristic of Gordon to make his departure a game-changer - 11th May Brown's political hell is all but over; for his rivals the nightmare's about to begin - By next week we could be back to the early 1990s with a right-wing dominated party screaming about Europe, demanding even bigger spending cuts - 6th May Twilight of the old politics? - Whatever the outcome tomorrow, the dramas of this campaign have created an impetus for change that may prove irresistible - 5th May Cameron is just more of the past - A break with the past is more likely if Labour's younger generation, less scarred by defeat in the 1980s, can form a relationship of sorts with the Lib Dems and introduce electoral reform - 4th May What have these showdowns taught us? - There are big lessons to learn about the impact of the leaders' debates - 1st May Liberal Democrat leader prevailed over the three legs - Before a word was uttered last night a pattern of sorts had formed in the polls - 30th April Why did Brown make this blunder? - In releasing his frustration about an incident that had gone well, he made matters worse. He cannot read political situations any more - 29th April Cameron is a conviction opportunist - The key to success in opposition is to build a coherent programme - 27th April Talk of the revolution is still premature - It is possible that the mould will not be broken. Moulds are hard to break - 24th April The gap between them was narrowed, but not reversed - Brown cannot spend another week admitting that he lost on style - 23rd April Brown looks ever more like King Lear - This is a sweaty, nerve-wracking, gloriously unpredictable election, but there is one constant, unchanging - 21st April Something had to give – and it has - Brown now knows that all the cards are up in the air once more - 20th April Cameron is giving us more questions than answers - Lib Dem proposals are the most openly redistributive of any of the main parties - 15th April What sort of change do voters want? - Manifesto shows how the economic crisis has liberated its leadership - 13th April Labour have forgotten how to box clever - Labour has fallen into a "tax and spend" trap for the first time since 1992 - 8th April A step into the political unknown - The day Gordon Brown triggered the most unpredictable election for decades - 7th April And I thought the Tories had changed - What surprises me is Cameron and Osborne's amateurishness - 30th March This was a sparse Budget with a big political message - There is a tangible divide: is government part of the problem or part of the solution? - 25th March Darling prepares for his ultimate test - He should say: 'Read what I said in December. Thank you and good night' - 23rd March Unite doesn't run Labour – it can't even run itself - If we want parties less dependent on outside funding we should pay them with state cash - 18th March The only question asked of Nick Clegg - What, he is asked, would you do in the event of a hung parliament? - 16th March Step forward the minister with a scheme - Adonis is a role model for future cabinet ministers - 11th March Truly Brown is the great survivor - No one can survive as long as the PM without having a few epic strengths - 9th March Brown was in his element buried in detail of policy - Gordon Brown's appearance in front of the Iraq Inquiry confirmed what we already knew. Brown supported the war. If he had opposed it, he would have prevented Tony Blair from going ahead - 6th March (Iraq war inquiry) Michael Foot – a combination of idealism and pragmatism - He had a capacity for idolatory, but it was not a passive form of hero-worship - 4th March This may fuel cynicism, rather than address it - Brown worries that his opponents have hours to prepare while he is distracted by his PM duties - 3rd March Here's why the Tory lead is narrowing - Policies were not bomb-proofed, and now there are explosions - 2nd March An original thinker who realised that the public has lost faith in politicians - Purnell moved on from the Blair era, arguing that New Labour was paralysed by caution - 20th February The false promise of romantic ideas - Practical politicians raise taxpayer money. Romantics just sing along to John Lennon - 18th February Brown won't be so easy to dismiss now - Almost everything you think you know about the PM is untrue - 16th February The tide has turned, against the Tories - Since autumn of 2008, Cameron and Osborne have been less sure-footed - 11th February Two cheers for the new crying game - Blubbing will do Labour no good, but humanising moments have their place - 9th February The Liberal Democrats' hour has come round at last - At least Clegg knows his voice will be heard when before it would have been drowned out - 4th February The Tories have had it easy too long - I cannot recall an opposition that has changed its approach to tax/spend so often - 2nd February Persuasive he may be, but devil lurks in the detail he ignored - Blair got to the crux of the matter within minutes of his appearance: "We had taken the decision that Saddam had to be confronted post-September 11th." Who had taken that decision and why? - 30th January Blair's Iraq reckoning - He had come to regard the removal of dictators as one of his causes - 28th January Cut now or cut later - the election decider - Surely this time voters won't be able to say 'they're all the same' - 26th January Family values have the Tories in a twist - What is it about the politics of the family? - 21st January Do the Tories get top marks? Not yet... - Cameron and Gove are trying to bring about a cultural shift in teaching - 19th January Brown... mighty Chancellor, weak PM - Mandelson, Harman and Alexander are in charge of the election campaign - 12th January Innovative, daring and a passionate Eurosceptic - As far as the Conservatives have changed under the leadership of David Cameron, Steve Hilton is the driving force - 9th January Miliband needs a lesson in political warfare - Miliband is in that notoriously awkward position, a leader in waiting during a long phase of mutinous plotting against the serving leader - 8th January This plot will damage Labour - The madness of this move overwhelms the reason - 7th January And the first-round winner is... Clegg - Both Cameron and Brown are taking him seriously. Finally he is in the game - 5th January

Articles: 2009 Predictions to keep you going until new year - The leaders’ debates will dominate the campaign, but they won’t change much - 24th December Review of the Year 2009: Brown vs Cameron - Locked in deadly combat on Westminster's high wire - 23rd December Where have all the big beasts gone? - Who was your political star of the year? I couldn't say - 22nd December The politics of ownership could define the next decade - Government realises the issue cannot be busked forever - 17th December The truth about the cuts debate - The decision to put up taxes again caused angst beyond the Treasury - 15th December Brown has found his sense of humour - His proposal produced his first good jokes since becoming Prime Minister - 4th December Cameron is following in footsteps of Hague - Both sought to modernise their party. In both cases, the results were mixed - 2nd December The real reasons why Blair went to war - To him, the domestic calculations pointed overwhelmingly in one direction - 27th November Bring on a hung parliament – and the drama that goes with it - Labour's 1997 landslide turned out tobeacurse on the Government - 25th November Party leaders still fear the Holiday Test - Blair took his family to Australia in the winter of 1996. Revealingly, no one raised a murmur - 20th November A Queen's Speech too far? Not if Labour turns radical - Today’s package shows that Labour can still make a positive difference - 18th November Size should not be everything in Cameron's vision of a modern state - I have no doubt that he is genuinely interested in redistributing power - 13th November Medicine with a deadly aftertaste - MPs are loathed, while those wielding power without responsibility are revered - 3rd November Neither of the main parties has a true policy on Europe - The Lisbon treaty is not the end of the debate, it is just the beginning - 30th October Blair is the only man for this job - As PM he never tired of Europe even if his pragmatism led him towards Washington - 30th October Europe is a tempting opportunity - David Miliband has come to life. During his speech to Labour's conference last month he made a bold defence of the European Union - 27th October Who will be toughest on the banks? - Behind Osborne's speech was an ambivalence shared by the Government - 27th October The enemies of democracy are very grateful for this free gift - These are unusually febrile times. The BNP could fill a dangerous gap in the market - 22nd October A fine example of how not to govern - The Balls-Sheerman spat shows the danger of half-hearted reform - 20th October The contradictions of Tory localism - Osborne wants to cap local government pay whilst saying he wants to give power away - 16th October The panel format may allow Griffin to thrive - The BBC is right to give airtime to Nick Griffin, but wrong to offer him a place on the panel of Question Time, a format which will almost certainly fail to expose or closely scrutinise the foolishly dangerous views he holds - 14th October Parliament isn't corrupt, just mediocre - The focus on MPs' integrity is a red herring, as it usually is in British politics - 13th October So just how is Cameron going to give power to the people? - There's a paradox in aiming to improve services even as the Government does less - 9th October Europe will be one of Cameron's great regrets - What is said and done in opposition shapes the contours of power - 6th October There are signs of a Labour fightback - On one level the Labour conference that ended in Brighton yesterday was a curiously dated affair - 2nd October PM takes moral high ground in battle for Middle England - Mr Brown has always been a moral crusader determined to outmanoeuvre political opponents at any available opportunity - 30th September Signs of panic, despite Operation Fightback - Labour is re-writing the rules about how parties are meant to behave in public - 29th September Why Labour has a strong case to make - PM needs to go for the Tories and encourage other ministers to as well - 26th September After stumbling on a 'tax and spend' landmine... - ... Clegg aims his fire at the Tories - 24th September The Lib Dems' real test is after the election - Clegg is desperate to be heard, as if it were an end in itself - 22nd September Time flies when an election looms - It is already too late for any party to change tack, let alone replace a leader - 18th September Tory policy is a recipe for disaster - Despite everything, and Mandelson's main argument is irrefutable - 15th September So should Brown stay or should he go? - And does it really matter? - 11th September Where will the axe fall? - It is 'tax and spend' that will decide the next election, as it always does - 8th September Brown cannot stay silent when the media spotlight is upon him - Blair advocated first and developed policy second; Brown opts for reverse - 4th September If you want reform, pay for it - Free-market reforms won't automatically raise standards and save costs - 1st September Neither of these two will lead Labour - With Gordon away, Harriet and Peter come out to play - 7th August Banks still pull the levers of power - The argument used to justify high salaries and bonuses is absurd - 4th August The last thing we need is a televised debate - None of the issues would get a look-in; the event would be the only talking point - 31st July Will Cameron cut with too much severity? - He will be attacked as ‘weak’ if he acts pragmatically and sensibly - 28th July Disaster falls but Brown is still safe - MPs have no energy for insurrection. Some don’t seem to mind if they lose - 25th July This farce of constitutional change - Opportunities for reform only appear at a parliament's start - 21st July A revolution in front of our eyes - Brown has gone through a profound sea change on the environment - 17th July Sour grapes and failed politicians - The criticisms made of the PM are all conveniently imprecise - 14th July Will we see this project in our lifetime? - At least while the obstinate Adonis is there the project is alive - 13th July There's trouble when the spin doctor becomes part of the story - Coulson is the latest figure to be part of the mad interface between press and politics - 10th July A question of power and responsibility - David Cameron could become a forensic government reformer - 7th July You can tell a lot about a Prime Minister from his U-turns - The U-turn is the most vivid and unflattering metaphor in British politics. Leaders are fearful of any association with the image, one that suggests they are weakly, pathetically turning back from their previously declared destination - 2nd July The election campaign has begun - Yesterday's Queen's Speech was even messier than most - 30th June It's time people knew how their money was being spent - Whoever wins the next election must debate public spending more openly - 26th June This man's triumph reveals the Tories' dark side - Five myths whirl around the election of John Bercow as Speaker. The false assumptions shed light that extends well beyond a single parochial contest - 24th June Here's how to embolden our MPs - We need a separation of the executive and the legislature - 23rd June A cloth-eared Prime Minister and a pantomime of disunity - Two unrelated sagas from recent days shine more light on Brown's weakness - 19th June Why I'd vote for Bercow as Speaker - The next Speaker should do away with rituals, and tour the country - 16th June Cameron has the tone... - ... but he still doesn't have the policies - 12th June The myths whirling round this crisis - Cabinet ministers were not cowardly staying in their jobs - 9th June Labour has become an ungovernable party - The name of Gordon Brown's game is now only survival - 6th June Inside No 10's bunker, the gang of three hatch a strategy for survival - While ministers and MPs were scattered around the country seeking last-minute support in the European and local elections, Gordon Brown spent much of yesterday in No 10 plotting his survival - 5th June This is the most dangerous week in the PM's career - Stand by for the most exciting and unpredictable few days in British politics for years - 3rd June Are things really that bad for Labour? - Some Conservatives have doubts over the next election - 2nd June Labour is resigned to a massacre - Normally, the opposition would expect to thrive in these circumstances - 30th May We may all be victims of this debacle - I fear the long-term consequences: rotting schools and useless hospitals - 29th May The people's questions deserve big answers - Suddenly there is heady talk of a constitutional revolution - 27th May Parallel paths to the Speaker's chair - John Bercow and Frank Field are mirror images of each other - 26th May Would we really accept a genuine political revolution? - Are they and we up for it? - 22nd May The Speaker is doomed - but that is not all - His removal would address none of the more awkward fundamental issues - 19th May We're at a true turning point... - ... The future must be fairer. All public institutions are going to have to become much more accountable - 15th May Moats, money and the real meaning of modernisation - The most ubiquitous and imprecise term in British politics is "modernisation" - 13th May The great myth of public service - Let us not pretend there is a unique public ethos - 12th May A catastrophe that leaves our democracy in crisis - The saga over MPs' expenses is the most explosively accessible political story to have erupted for years - 9th May Don't blame it all on Brown... - ... His party is in crisis too - 8th May Darling has staked everything on a recovery this winter - Alistair Darling yesterday delivered a Budget that was ghoulishly compelling - 23rd April Is Darling about to offer a third way? - The Government wants to prove it can cut without impairing public services - 21st April Open contempt for politicians is neither daring nor clever - An attack on Gordon Brown makes you part of the pack, safely protected - 17th April This fiasco may have fatally damaged Gordon Brown’s capacity to take on the Tories - Without a clear media strategy in modern politics there is no chance of success - 14th April An arresting display of ineptitude - The crisis around the Met is due to the blurred lines of accountability - 10th April Brown is preparing for a long battle - He detects no sign of deep thinking in the policy-making of the Tory leadership - 7th April Give Brown credit for some success - He wouldn't be human if he did not get a buzz from Obama's glowing words of support - 3rd April Woolly words expose weakness of leaders' convictions - Do not be deceived by the grandeur of the event or the posturing of participants - 2nd April Voters are angry – and this is very dangerous - Britain's MPs aren't corrupt – but too many are plain mediocre and the public mood is turning against all of them - 31st March Will Brown's G20 boasts go the way of the election that wasn't? - For the PM this is the World Cup final and a trip to Mars all rolled into one - 27th March Clarke wasn't mistaken – just honest - His intervention highlights the danger of Cameron's policy vacuum - 24th March Here's one measure that could make the Tories look serious - Scrapping pledge to abolish Inheritance Tax would throw Labour into turmoil - 20th March A hung Parliament may hang Tories - Dialogue between some Labour MPs and a few Lib Dems is intense and serious - 17th March Get value for money from government - If users could track how their money is spent, minds would be focused in Whitehall - 13th March Labour must look to change from without - The decline of the big parties is not a healthy development - 10th March Gordon Brown still has one thing in his favour – authenticity - The new economic era is a left-of-centre one. Doors are opening that were once untouched - 6th March Brown needs help to save the world - On the overwhelming issue of their times, Mr Obama indicated, in general terms at least, that he shared Mr Brown's assessment about the origins of the economic crisis and what needs to be done about it - 4th March Two leaders intent on mutual benefit - If Obama did not rate him, Brown would not be getting star treatment - 3rd March What's so great about privatisation? - The Royal Mail could benefit from outside expertise without having to be sold off - 27th February We probably know everything already - Two separate questions merge awkwardly in the row over cabinet discussions or the lack of them in the build-up to war. The first is the most fundamental. Was the Cabinet informed in detail about the build-up to war and its legality? - 25th February At last, some healthy rows in cabinet - Differences within Government means normal politics has returned - 24th February If this is a leadership contest, where are the real leaders? - All of the possible successors to Brown are testing the water - 20th February When regulation was purely optional - Why didn't Gordon Brown realise banks were losing control? - 13th February Politicians vilify the bankers but don't act - Political leaders are fearful of coming up with precise policies - 10th February Brown should follow Obama's lead - In contrast to the self confidence of Obama, the Prime Minister is trapped by the past - 7th February It is too early to anoint Cameron - The Tory leader is not distinct enough to count on victory - 3rd February Suddenly every party is in favour of a high-speed line - Does it signal a cultural breakthrough which would bring Britain in line with Europe? - 30th January Brown remains trapped by his past - After the carnage in Iraq and collapse in the markets, Labour struggles for definition - 27th January So what does 'progressive' mean? - In claiming the mantle, Cameron has astutely seized terrain vacated by the Government - 23rd January Bite the bullet and nationalise the banks - The Prime Minister is the equivalent of a doctor asked to save the same life several times. At first the relatives are grateful but then they wonder why his services are required so often - 20th January The Heathrow decision is not only wrong but unnecessary - Better trains should be the priority - 16th January It takes bravery to break class barriers - Despite proclamations of courage, this Government is not famous for boldness - 13th January Mr Darling's blank-cheque dilemma - How does the Government keep its distance while putting pressure on banks? - 9th January The dividing lines between the parties remain blurred - So will the Tories fall into the tax-cut trap once again? - 6th January

Articles: 2008 Cameron should base his policies on Clegg - Clegg has supported a stimulus, but not the Government's version - 23rd December 2008 It's taken a crisis for Labour to rediscover its unity - To the amazement of his listeners, Brown said 'Mandelson gets it. He gets globalisation' - 19th December 2008 Look out for the real crunch – it will be in the public services - From welfare to the health service, expectations rise as budgets tighten - 12th December 2008 A mountain out of a Martin molehill - Everyone hails 'parliamentary privilege' but no one agrees what it is - 9th December 2008 Damian Green will soon be forgotten - Cameron’s speech, though good, was upstaged by Brown’s mortgage coup - 4th December 2008 Who is accountable for the police? - Why was Damian Green arrested with such spectacular insensitivity? - 2nd December 2008 What did you do in the war, Gordon? - The Government may get the blame. But it may not be that simple - 28th November 2008 At last – Brown is forced to be bold - It's taken a recession for Brown to be candid about what it takes to make a fairer society - 25th November 2008 Dancing on the edge of the economic precipice - The Prime Minister shows again that he is a sharp reader of dance-floor moves - 21st November 2008 Cameron changes tack - The recession has forced Cameron to revive the failed policies of old - 19th November 2008 Osborne is not to be underestimated - The shadow Chancellor continues to display tactical insight - 18th November 2008 This shameful political point-scoring over Baby P - A whiff of panic from Downing Street, then a swift announcement of yet another inquiry - 15th November 2008 If this is pure fiction, we've lived it for a decade - Hare claims that his play is pure fiction and yet one that draws on public events - 12th November 2008 The battle of ideas will win the election - Cameron needs to decide where this crisis leaves his party - 11th November 2008 Brown - The Bruce Forsyth of British politics - From being written off, Gordon Brown shows an extraordinary capacity to keep going - 8th November 2008 Is our relationship with the US about to become special again? - Obama has a chance to make waves almost immediately - 7th November 2008 Mr Darling, the master of contortion - Labour is busking its approach to policy-making. So where are its values? - 31st October 2008 At this rate, it won't be long before we're joining the euro - Cracks are appearing in relations between the Government and the Bank of England - 28th October 2008 Arrogance bred by party breakdown - Osborne's freedom to make complacent misjudgements has damaged his standing - 24th October 2008 The profligacy of Labour is a Tory myth - There's a version of events that ignores entirely the dire quality of life up to 2001 - 21st October 2008 A hard lesson for the Tories to learn - Cameron has struggled to come up with a clear line over this crisis - 17th october 2008 Brown warned us that markets fail - Virtually alone, Brown was never uncritically in awe of the marketplace - 14th October 2008 Darling took his time – but he has ushered a new age - An era has ended. The orthodoxy originating in the 1980s is broken - 9th October 2008 Brown proves to be no pushover - He has no choice other than to wriggle, but he wriggles with aplomb - 7th October 2008 Cameron talks tough. But can he turn his words into action? - 2nd October 2008 If the Tories want power, they'll have to get their sums right - 30th September 2008 The toxic air around Number 10 - Even those who are loyal to Mr Brown are critical of the Downing Street operation - 26th September 2008 One of Brown's best, but history was not made - 24th September 2008 To dream or to despair? Labour just can't decide - A whiff of excitement punctuates the otherwise depressed mood of conference - 23rd September 2008 Nick Clegg has mastered the tactics, but not the detail - The Liberal Democrat leader looks comfortable, much more so than any of his immediate predecessors - 18th September 2008 Rebels without a real cause (except a change of leader) - Even if Brown gets a rapturous reception in the hall after his conference speech, he is not safe - 16th September 2008 We are all 'progressive' these days - Voters should stand back from this wily imprecision. The looseness of the term disguises vital differences - 12th September 2008 The rules have changed. But have our politicians noticed? - The changed assumptions that lie behind government intervention are challenging the orthodoxy that has shaped economic and social policy here and in the United States for nearly three decades - 9th September 2008 Hasty plotters still offer no plausible vision of life after Brown - Charles Clarke has done the easy bit. His article in the New Statesman is a cogent analysis of the hole that Labour is in. But Mr Clarke is not a political columnist making an assessment of the current gloomy prospects for Labour. He is a player seeking the removal of Gordon Brown.- - 5th September 2008 Clumsy, reckless and a shadow of his former self - As a chancellor, Gordon Brown was ferociously disciplined and nimble-footed in his preparation and presentation of policies. In his Prime Ministerial role he has become clumsy and reckless, as if he has metamorphosed from a gymnast going for gold to one of the more desperate contestants on Strictly Come Dancing - 4th September 2008 Inexperience, not treachery, drives Brown's ministers - 2nd September 2008 Lessons from the focus group on the ocean waves - I spent part of my August holiday with more than a thousand floating voters - 26th August 2008 The Tories are learning from Blair - 21st August 2008 The lesson of the Olympics: public spending is a winner - 19th August 2008 Miliband may well have sealed Brown's fate - The Foreign Secretary has proved he has a ruthless streak, one that can change the political landscape - Thursday 31st July 2008 Gordon Brown is down (but not out) - The Labour Party is divided over its leader – but a contest could play into the hands of the Tories - Tuesday, 29th July 2008 A change of leader won't save Labour - It has to reinvent itself as a vibrant party when its self-confidence is non-existent - Saturday, 26th July 2008 Here are a few items for Gordon Brown to put on his holiday 'to do' list... - Thursday, 24th July 2008 A big step forward on the path to welfare reform, but there is difficult terrain ahead - Welfare ministers move on as quickly in this government as transport ministers - Tuesday, 22nd July 2008 The polls are poor, the news is bad. Is there any way back for Gordon Brown? - He knows that the 10p tax fiasco has blown his reputation for economic competence - Tuesday, 15th July 2008 Whatever happens in Glasgow East, it's not going to be the end of Gordon Brown - Thursday, 10th July 2008 It is so easy to criticise politicians. But look what happens when amateurs take over - Tuesday, 8th July 2008 Our public services won't improve until there's a proper debate about taxation - Thursday, 3rd July 2008 The abiding lesson of the NHS is that people still look to the state in their hour of need - Gordon Brown, unlike Tony Blair, has the courage to put the case for governmentintervention - Tuesday, 1st July 2008 Gordon Brown is like a conjuror whose tricks don't seem to work any more - Since taking office, the PM has ended up on the wrong side of almost every chosen argument - Tuesday, 24th June 2008 The Tories want to deliver improved public services. But does their approach add up? - Thursday, 19th June 2008 Don't be fooled – these 'heroic campaigns' only make our democracy even more fragile - Our leaders at Westminster are so in touch with voters that they are fearful of their own convictions - Tuesday, 17th June 2008 The first piece of good fortune for Gordon Brown - Friday, 13th June 2008 He had one chance to take risks. But Brown has wasted it with this macho posturing - Thursday, 12th June 2008 Politicians may be deeply flawed, but look what happens when they hand over power - Mervyn King is likely to be in his post longer than Brown or Darling. This gives him more freedom - Tuesday, 10th June 2008 If only we could see such audacity of hope - Thursday, 5th June 2008 Advice is useless – Brown is condemned to swerve and scheme like Harold Wilson - The PM should be under no illusion about the degree of hostility he has provoked on his own side - Tuesday, 3rd June 2008 New life and new voices must be brought into politics. And that means electoral reform - Thursday, 29th May 2008 It's the crisis of identity that needs to be addressed – not a change of leadership - Since Brown's self-confidence collapsed, he has clung to the comfort zone of populist Blairism - Tuesday, 27th May 2008 It was not wrong to attack Tory 'toffs'. But Labour was so clumsy, they have blown it - Thursday, 22nd May 2008 David Cameron has some lofty aspirations, but there is one big problem with them - Magic is not enough. Public services cannot be improved without sustained investment - Tuesday, 20th May 2008 Gordon Brown has found problems will only erupt by remaining silent about tax policies - There is no longer the scope to raise money to pay for what voters fear is a big black hole - Tuesday, 13th May 2008 The last thing Gordon Brown needs now is a referendum on Scottish independence - Thursday, 8th May 2008 There is still time for Gordon Brown to save the day – if he can learn to trust his instincts - He should state more clearly what drives him, and implement the policies he cares about - Tuesday, 6th May 2008 A tidal wave is sweeping over Labour - The party is desperate. Voters fume. And a bad situation can only get worse - Saturday, 3rd May 2008 The spectre of national politics looms large, but this is not a vote for Cameron or Brown - Thursday, 1st May 2008 Gordon Brown cannot stand alone in the storm – he needs his cabinet stars to shine - If Labour were to lose an election, there is no one capable of becoming an effective leader - Tuesday, 29th April 2008 The clash between Gordon Brown and his MPs was never quite what it seemed - Thursday, 24th April 2008 Boris or Ken? There is no doubt who would be better for London and the rest of Britain - Thursday, 10th April 2008 If you want to understand politics, just examine the explosive education debate - Mr Balls is accused of being a Stalinist for enforcing a law supported by the Conservatives - Tuesday, 8th April 2008 Whatever his financial arrangements, Ahern's real legacy is the peace process - Thursday, 3rd April 2008 Another journey along the third way threatens to end in a terrible crash - Like Blair, Brown uses legislation because of its symbolic value, as if parliament were a newsroom - Tuesday, 1st April 2008 Overwhelming and still underestimated factors propelled Blair into war in Iraq - Thursday, 27th March 2008 Electoral reform could be just what Brown needs. But if he is to act, he must do it soon - If Labour is to retain power, it will have to turn round its fortunes without help from the economy - Tuesday, 25th March 2008 Public scrutiny of the intelligence services can only improve the quality of their work - Thursday, 20th March 2008 Labour needs to find a new narrative. And the Conservatives must stick to their story - Cameron has the protective shield of high poll ratings to resist another tax-cutting trap - Tuesday, 18th March 2008 A dull Budget but one that sets out the political battle lines of the next election - Thursday, 13th March 2008 Clegg could be an engaging and effective leader. But how much does that matter? - Leaders of the Lib Dems come and go. The dilemma remains the same - Tuesday, 11th March 2008 The retreat from road pricing is a classic case of a necessary policy killed by cowardice - Thursday, 6th March 2008 Referendums are crude, cynical devices that have nothing to do with the will of the people - The offer of a referendum at a later date is made in order to postpone an awkward debate - Tuesday, 4th March 2008 The shadow of Mrs Thatcher still hangs heavy over the party of David Cameron - Thursday, 28th February 2008 Don't let a row over the Speaker obscure the value of what takes place in the Commons - The House is still the scene of electric moments – when politics changes in front of our eyes - Tuesday, 26th February 2008 British politics will never be the same again - Tuesday, 19th February 2008 Chancellor has lost control, but it is the Tories who are isolated - Monday, 18th Febuary 2008 If the Tories are serious about power, they must resist these siren calls for tax cuts - Thursday, 14th February 2008 Brown has mapped out his recovery plan – but will the voters be ready to listen? - While the PM is not opposed to the private sector, he dares to put the case for government - Tuesday, 12th February 2008 Our security services lack all scrutiny - Thursday, 7th February 2008 Why Alan Johnson's letter could deliver the next election to Labour – or to the Tories - The inaccessibility of well-rewarded GPs has become a potentially fatal symbol for the government - Tuesday, 5th February 2008 This latest scandal should provoke a debate about the role – and financing – of politicians - Thursday, 31st January 2008 The Tories are asking the right questions, even if they are uncertain of the answers - In policy terms, they plan to give more power to local government, although the extent is unclear - Tuesday, 29th January 2008 He injected life into politics and was a force for good. But Hain should have gone weeks ago - Friday, 25th January 2008 Ken Livingstone has been a great mayor of London. If only he had some more power - Thursday, 24th January 2008 Europe still has the power to shape British politics, even if the public has lost interest - Tuesday, 22nd January 2008 If Brown is dithering over Northern Rock, it is because of his fear of 'nationalisation' - Thursday, 17th January 2008 Every party wants local decision-making, but none of them is clear how to do it - The attempt to find answers caused more rows between Blair and Brown than any other issue - Tuesday, 15th January 2008 Hain's passion for the job may be his downfall - Saturday, 12th January 2008 Unless Brown breaks free from the shackles of his past, he will never engage with voters - Every public word was carefully rehearsed, every phrase analysed intensively before delivery - Tuesday, 8th January 2008

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