Why Gordon Brown should soldier on
I had been almost persuaded by the relentless drum-beat of Guardian editorials and columns that Gordon Brown is finished and should step down now, if only so as not to prolong the party’s and...
Brian Barder's website and blog Brian Barder's website and ephems
A sudden interest in UK constitutional reform
It’s difficult to explain the sudden flowering of interest in constitutional reform. It apparently arises out of the general panic in the Westminster village about public anger and contempt over the abuse of (some)...
The Tories and the Lisbon Treaty: a postscript
I have expressed earlier my conviction that it will turn out to be a disaster for Britain if the Tories, having won the general election in a few months’ time, carry out their threat...
The Tories dump their mole
Unlike most media commentators, with their vested interest in encouraging leaks by civil servants who betray their duty of confidentiality and loyalty to the elected ministers for whom they work, I have very little...
The Lisbon Treaty and the Tories (with update 24 May 09)
One of the strongest of many reasons for not voting Conservative in the European Parliament elections on 4 June or, especially, in the impending general election is the Tory threat to hold a referendum...
Three days in Bruges
J and I are just back from a three-day short break in Bruges. Our Bruges pictures are on Flickr at — http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianlb/sets/72157618576894874/. If that doesn’t load, click http://bit.ly/Q4x6v instead. To view the pictures in...
MPs’ expenses and the Speaker
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, made a statement this afternoon (11 May 09) on MPs’ expenses, and took a number of points of order on the subject. This must have...
MPs’ expenses and the great national sneer
The Daily Telegraph has undeniably pulled off a great coup in getting hold of the details of MPs’ expenses claims and publishing them. It’s doing it in dribs and drabs, starting today, thus pre-empting...
US and UK unemployment: part of a global human tragedy
The dry statistics of unemployment figures tend to mask the human suffering that lies behind them: men and women losing the jobs that helped to define them, in some cases with little prospect of...
Gordon Brown’s handwriting and spelling: is there a problem?
An interesting epilogue to the MacBride smear e-mails saga: Gordon Brown’s personal letter of apology to Nadine Dorries, the Tory MP defamed in the e-mail, has been published in full-size facsimile by the Daily...