There will be more than a whiff of nostalgia in the Commons today and not just because of the ermine robes, the tiaras and the bizarre ancient names (the keeper of the third stick and so on). No, today's outline of the government's legislative priorities will be a reminder, a nostalgic reminder, of what ministers thought their priorities would be before the recession kicked in. Most of t...

It is always great to see unhinged enthusiasts for the nanny state being confronted by someone in charge of the facts. The Association of Chief Police Officers told the Transport Select Committee: "Production machines are readily available for use on...

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss claimed victory Tuesday in the Senate race in Georgia against Democrat Jim Martin, killing Democratic hopes of gaining enough seats to halt filibusters. Well I have to admit I'm not that surprised. For democracy, I think it's right that filibusters aren't going to happen (whether it be a Dem or GOP majority), however the time it might take to pass bil...

Patients are using private hospitals at the expense of the NHS. However, this is a good thing. Despite the claims by doctors this is “losing” public money to the private sector: This is money that is being lost from the NHS. That can compromise services and patients should be told that by going private in this way

I have never met Mrs Gatland, although I may have been in the same room as her. She represents an adjoining ward to mine, by the way. I have equivocated about writing this, as I try to steer clear of writing about UK issues that are already major news. More here. Anyway, the first parallel worth drawing is that unlike in a Labour controlled borough on the wrong side of the river, she resigned from...

Extremism and racism are on the rise throughout Europe and racist political discourse is increasingly common in mainstream European politics, finds a report published on 1 December by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).

There are interesting stories afoot: a former member of Labour, who joined RESPECT and then joined the Conservative Party, is currently suing Alex Hilton, former parliamentary candidate and manager / former owner of Labourhome. Some of the details can be read on his site. The news was brought to my attention at Harry’s Place, and

Telford & Wrekin Council are on the offensive promoting their plans to put average speed cameras on the A442 dual carriageway through the town and surprise, surprise, the BBC have stepped in to do their propaganda work for them. The A442 dual carriageway - more commonly known as the Eastern Primary locally - is one of

The Conservative Party has tonight published an email from Harriet Harman's office that sets up a meeting between officials in the Speaker's Office and in the Government. The question now is, is this practice of pooling recollections after an incident, does it obscure a search for the truth?. If the answer to that is yes, and I think it must be, then this practice must end. .

Paul Stephenson, acting Met. Commissioner, and Bob Quick, head of the anti-terrorist unit, have both put their names forward to be permanent heads of the Metropolitan Police in succession to the ill fated Ian Blair. Experienced, well qualified policemen, they have something else in common. Both played significant roles in authorising the arrest of Tory frontbench MP Damian Green, thus creating a s...