“A very particular type of politician thrives in the House of Commons. One that can deal with the yah boo of prime minister’s questions, the everyday heckling and intimidation. It makes for amusing theatre, but probably not for good politics.” Read the whole piece at Guardian Comment
“If anyone in the Labour Party should know how the European Union works it’s Peter Hain. A member of the Convention of the Future of Europe in the early 2000s, Hain will have seen how sensible proposals, compellingly argued, can lead to results at EU level – the permanent President...
“The political debate around the legacy of the Olympic Games over the last few days has revolved around whether every kid in every British school should have to do two hours of compulsory sport every week.Cameron thinks not, while Boris Johnson and Kelly Holmes think they should.” Read the whole...
“Everyone’s favourite damp-rag bashing rumbustious politician Nigel Farage has been at it again, claiming today that he “could not care less” who wins the next general election as the UK. “The penny is beginning to drop […] that we are no longer a self-governing nation” he continued.” Read the whole...
“So William Hague has launched the FCO review of the competences of the EU (essentially, an examination of the powers the EU has an how they are used). It’s no surprise that just a few days earlier the EU Fresh Start group of Tory MEPs released its 200+ page PDF...
“Labour’s website lists 115 MPs and Lords* in the Shadow Cabinet and shadow teams that assist them. Yet which of those people is responsible for internet politics for the party? I ask this because the SPD in Germany has such a person – Lars Klingbeil, profiled (in German) by Cicerohere....
“Now I’ve freed myself from the nightmare of participating in the process personally, I’m at my liberty to examine the absurdities of the system for the next important selections in the Labour Party, namely for candidates for the European Parliament elections in 2014. If the NEC adopts a similar schedule...
“Mark Ferguson was quick off the mark with his post profiling candidates who could be in the running to be Labour’s candidate for Mayor in 2016. The problem is that before we ask who the candidate should be, we need to ask how to position such an individual between now...
“The Queen’s Speech is closest the UK has to some kind of State of the Union address. In the speech, delivered by the Queen in all her archaic royal splendor, the government of the day sets out its legislative agenda for the coming year. Press and politicians alike analyze every...
“The issue of primaries has been doing the rounds in British politics for a couple of years now. Progress has been the principal backer of the idea on the left, organising an event about the issue at Labour Party Conference. The primary that chose Sarah Wollaston in Totnes for the...
“The good news: President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz seems to have confirmed his commitment to a single seat for the European Parliament in a Swedish radio interview (very short summary from EUObserver here ). Problem: he wants the seat to be Strasbourg and not Brussels. While such an...
“Obama taught us one major thing in how to use the net for politics: done the right way, online activism can be a great way to engage and motivate people who are already – largely – on your side. The Obama team had a rather wide appeal; European efforts to...