tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294621092009-11-28T12:34:02.533Z<b>NEWS, VIEWS and POLITICAL COMMENT FROM THE UK</b>The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.ukBlogger3248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-18814770417260759892009-10-31T16:44:00.003Z2009-10-31T16:52:27.491Z

Just a thought.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-4030923047110432062009-10-31T08:51:00.007Z2009-10-31T10:34:49.792Z

When it comes to the issue of drugs I'll never understand why libertarians are willing to create the next generation of muggers, shoplifters, burglars and street gangs in order to satisfy their libertarian philosophy. Of course, if you socialise in the sort of middle class circles where smoking a joint, taking an E or tooting a line of coke is seen as purely recreational, the last thing on your

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-86213657689348396262009-10-30T11:10:00.004Z2009-10-31T10:33:35.921Z

Why else would they allow one of the most reviled politicians of recent times to appear on Question Time. Is Jacqui Smith the new Portillo/Gummer/Mellor/Hamilton? You bet she is. With knobs on. Pardon the pun.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-28758881611622890512009-10-29T19:31:00.004Z2009-10-29T20:05:12.863Z

Labour's twitter tsar, Kerry McCarthy, is on the Tory leader's case: "The Guardian's piece on Lord Stern's comments about climate change also raises the current controversy over palm oil production. I am proud to report I purchased orangutan-friendly black pepper oatcakes this morning, which are made with olive oil rather than palm oil like most oatcakes. Now we need David "oatcakes are my

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-40978425109442920622009-10-28T16:24:00.005Z2009-10-28T17:35:25.124Z

After his lacklustre performance at PMQ's today I'm not so sure. Word is some of his backbenchers share my concerns. One Tory backbencher was said to have joked that he had "seen more fizz in a bottle of lemonade." Admittedly, the blazing row Cameron is reported to have had with William Hague yesterday, following the Tory leader's monthly press conference, won't have helped. According to those in

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-40740475207877840852009-10-26T16:52:00.004Z2009-10-26T17:52:40.272Z

Back in 1996 I was one of the millions who wanted the Tories out at any cost. Fast forward 13 years and I now feel exactly the same about Labour; only this time I don't just want the governing party out at any cost - I want to see them wiped off the electoral map for a generation. That way the snidey bastards will have plenty of time to reflect on their immigration policy of the last 10 years. I

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-21318896434489373872009-10-21T09:01:00.003+01:002009-10-21T09:25:43.763+01:00

An astonishing poll lead I'm sure you'll agree. Even more astonishing is the fact that every other UK pollster including MORI-IPSOS, IPSOS-MORI, RES-COM, COM-RES, ICM, ICBM and YOUGOV have exactly the same figure of seventeen percent. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that opinion polls are an exact science, but when so many of the UK's leading pollsters arrive at the same conclusion you have

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-6950299672435939072009-10-16T13:13:00.005+01:002009-10-16T13:50:43.563+01:00

I stopped listening to 5 Live years ago when empty heads like Simon Mayo and Nicky Campbell joined the station. In fact the only decent thing Mayo has ever done is a TV documentary series about allotments which, sadly, was taken off the air after half a dozen episodes. So I was intrigued to read in this week's Radio Times that Mayo is still at the station and still fleecing BBC license payers

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-82165631408403472532009-10-07T16:03:00.007+01:002009-10-07T16:47:20.233+01:00

Richard North, editor of the excellent Defence of the Realm Blog explains why "uppity Generals" should be seen and not heard. "...the generals must be put back in their boxes. The politicians must reclaim their lost ground and take charge of the military. Counter-insurgencies are not "wars" and their direction should not be militarily-led. They are essentially an exercise in practical politics.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-26756783885141101522009-10-07T12:50:00.006+01:002009-10-07T13:06:35.085+01:00

Here's Emily Maitlis interviewing shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt on the BBC News Channel earlier today:Maitlis: "When you give your speech will you be outlining the proposed cuts in your departmental budget?"Hunt: "I've already given my speech."And he had. About 90 minutes earlier.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-27254199357707323852009-10-04T19:52:00.003+01:002009-10-04T20:14:52.044+01:00

He's one of the few Blairites respected by both wings of the Labour Party and to his credit he's remained silent since leaving the cabinet in June. However, there are suggestions that things could be about to change. A good week for the Tories in Manchester will almost certainly lead to renewed calls for Brown to step down. Will it be Hutton wot done it? We'll know soon enough.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-72727176264900056122009-10-04T16:27:00.003+01:002009-10-04T16:54:21.541+01:00

Mike Smithson and many others noticed the Tory leader's below par performance with Andrew Marr this morning. So was it simply a case of one too many the night before or had the Tory leader been out for one of his early morning jogs? According to some reports Cameron nearly passed out last year when he pulled the same stunt. Let's just hope it's nothing more serious than a hangover. Highlight of

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-83621223159037065972009-10-02T12:48:00.004+01:002009-10-02T13:12:05.849+01:00

Judging by Labour's parlous state in the polls the Tory leader is more likely to be indulging in a hot shoe shuffle than a reshuffle. But I can't help thinking that Cameron has left it way too late to move Osborne to the Foreign Office brief, Hague to the Treasury, Fox to the Home Office, and Willetts to Health. The writing is on the wall if they join the cabinet in their present rolesOsborne

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-16749033002277635742009-10-01T11:54:00.005+01:002009-10-01T12:35:55.996+01:00

It's no surprise to find the Tory leader expressing his support for Gordon Brown over Andrew Marr's line of questioning last Sunday. Cameron told LBC's Nick Ferrari:"Look, I think journalists should feel free to ask any question they like and I think politicians should feel free to say, 'Look, do you know what, I'm not going to answer that one'."I don't blame him. Can you imagine it? MARR "Have

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-86881033692275061472009-09-30T16:00:00.004+01:002009-09-30T16:31:00.191+01:00

The good news is Adam's reflux problem appears to be diminishing. The bad news is the portly presenter has blown Sky's chances of hosting the leaders debates after his ill-mannered and unprofessional exchange with Gordon Brown this morning. Senior Labour figures are now said to be in discussion with the BBC over the format and timings for the debates. James Landale, the BBC's Old-Etonian Deputy

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-767065937855916402009-09-30T13:14:00.004+01:002009-09-30T13:36:07.854+01:00

If the Sun had any real clout it would have declared its support for the Tories a few weeks before the election. Their declaration today is nothing more than a marketing gimmick designed to halt falling sales. It could have the opposite effect bearing in mind the recent MPs expenses scandal and the plague on all your houses atmosphere. This time round they should have remained neutral.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-86180013712587601502009-09-27T11:38:00.004+01:002009-09-27T13:39:41.438+01:00

Which would leave Sky out in the cold and Adam Boulton looking forward to his new role as political editor of the Sunday Mercury. Only question is, who should chair the debate - Paxman, Dimbleby, Marr, or Lord Ashcroft?

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-3913004534939705362009-09-25T11:20:00.006+01:002009-09-26T12:56:48.669+01:00

It could happen. Probably will happen. But is it necessary? Will the takeover of Conservative Home by Lord Ashcroft stifle Tory debate or strengthen it? I can't see Lord Mikey taking kindly to Tory defence cuts when they're announced. He takes defence issues rather more seriously than career politicians like Cameron and Liam Fox will ever do. Nor will the founder of Crimestoppers take kindly to

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-10385574799095524342009-09-03T09:54:00.002+01:002009-09-03T10:01:15.109+01:00

Even his staunchest supporters are turning against him. The Guardian's Michael White sticks the boot in.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-11983573350826620612009-08-11T10:03:00.009+01:002009-08-11T10:43:48.067+01:00

With an impressive 57 percent of the vote 'Tory Tom' has topped the Daily Pundit poll of Labour MPs most likely to defect to the Tories before the next election. The disgruntled former minister even managed to beat the disgruntled former cabinet minister, James Purnell, who came second with 22 percent. Astonishingly, Frank Field scored just 8 percent. Also rans included Kate Hoey, Eric Joyce, Meg

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Schools? Hospitals? Everything must go?

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-774526202111639952009-07-30T10:28:00.005+01:002009-07-30T11:01:24.711+01:00

"I'm proud to be a twat," said one senior Tory backbencher after being told of David Cameron's vulgar outburst during an informal radio interview yesterday. But it seems that Cameron's backbenchers aren't the problem. A White House source is reported to have said that Barack Obama was shocked by the Tory leader's remarks. One question remains: Was it the copious amounts of fine wine drunk the

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-67563421144323744732009-07-29T10:16:00.004+01:002009-07-29T10:43:50.055+01:00

Say what you like about the Tory leader, he isn't as daft as he looks. With 72 percent of the population believing in the existence of aliens, and 59 percent of the population believing that a giant asteroid will hit and destroy Earth within the next 50 years - an event that experts say is only likely to happen once every 1.5 billion years - a minister for UFOs and Asteroids is a definite vote

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-47292891967962621662009-07-24T13:40:00.003+01:002009-07-24T13:51:19.129+01:00

Pond life. The man's a gonner. And a waster. Get this, UKIP were a mere 745 votes from knocking the Libs into 4th place. UKIP! Bye bye Clogg. You won't be missed.PS. Word reaches me that the Tories could face an investigation over campaign spending.

The Daily Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10897210727324532431ukdpblog@aol.co.uk5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29462109.post-5571809990084383272009-06-30T10:17:00.003+01:002009-06-30T11:03:51.091+01:00

(Red Bull the sugary drink, not Labour's new policy announcements). Dave's alleged habit - 6 cans a day according to one source - could explain his increasing number of angry outbursts. There have also been suggestions that he's back on the nicotine patches. I've blogged about Dave's anger management issues before. This time, however, it's serious. The MSM is on the case. Related: Has David

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