Tag Archives: andrew motion

Opinion: time to close the book on Booktrust

By Stuart Bonar | Thu 6th January 2011 - 2:32 pm

The Government should have stuck to its guns, and ended its relationship with Booktrust.

There was never any withdrawal of funding or cut as far as I can tell. The last government signed a time-limited deal with the charity to dish out books to children of various ages. That contract is due to come to an end next April, and the Coalition has always had every intention of honouring that contract.

From the media coverage and the reaction of some, you might imagine that instead of not renewing a contract, the Coalition had instead decided to indulge in human …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged booktrust, carol ann duffy, department of education, michael gove and scrooge | 24 Comments

What do Colin Firth, Kate Winslett, Andrew Motion & Brian Eno have in common?

By Iain Roberts | Sun 14th February 2010 - 2:28 pm

According to today’s Observer, and blogged by Paul Walter, the Lib Dems are doing surprisingly well in the celebrity supporter stakes.

For Labour, long time backer J K Rowling (who surely could match the Ashcroft money and hardly notice it had gone, if the mood took her) is joined by David Tennant. He must be a worry for Labour – Tennant’s support may lose Gordon the Dalek vote his only-slighty-too-authoritarian government seem to have spent the last 13 years attracting.

The Conservatives meanwhile have Carol Vorderman, Kirstie Allsopp* and Trevor ‘bong’ MacDonald. Older readers will remember Carol …