Tag Archives: benedict brogan

Stephen Tall

There’s zero chance of Clegg cutting any boundary deal with Tories over party funding

By Stephen Tall | Tue 14th August 2012 - 8:58 am

There’s zero chance of Nick Clegg cutting a deal with David Cameron on boundary changes in exchange for party reform — that’s the firm message I’ve got from some of those closest to the Lib Dem leader in response to my post last night, Nick Clegg should say no to any link between state funding and boundary changes.

It’s pretty rare for in-the-know Lib Dems to contact me unprompted about a story and to refute it in no uncertain terms: we’re just not that kind of a top-down party. So when I get various messages with outright denials that there’s …

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Stephen Tall

Nick Clegg should say no to any link between state funding and boundary changes

By Stephen Tall | Mon 13th August 2012 - 7:12 pm

It’s August, so I’m not going to take too seriously kite-flying suggestions by Benedict Brogan in the Telegraph that Nick Clegg might consider rescinding his threat that the Lib Dems will vote against boundary changes (following the Tories’ decision to break the Coalition Agreement over Lords reform) in return for a deal on party funding which would include state aid for political parties:

Here’s how it was presented to me: over the next year or so Mr Clegg will find a way to back the boundary review when it comes up for a vote in the Commons. In exchange, Mr

…

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 19 Comments
Stephen Tall

Lords reform: did we really expect any better of either the Tories or Labour?

By Stephen Tall | Tue 26th June 2012 - 9:10 pm

All three main political parties fought the 2010 election promising the electorate that, if elected, they would reform the House of Lords. All three promised the same in 2005, too. And 2001. Yet in 2012 only one party is staying true to that promise: the Lib Dems. The Tories and Labour, in contrast, are happily indulging in party politics to block progress in advancing legislative democracy.

The Conservatives living up to their anti-reform name…

The Conservative Party has fought the last three elections promising to introduce a mainly/wholly elected second chamber to replace the current House of Patronage. They signed up …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 25 Comments
Mark Pack

So you want to be a political journalist?

By Mark Pack | Tue 19th April 2011 - 8:55 am

A sister title to Shane Greer’s So you want to be a politician?, Sheila Gunn’s So you want to be a political journalist? is a collection of thrity-two lively short chapters giving an insight into the life of a political journalist.

With an impressive cast of contributors, including Peter Riddell, Carolyn Quinn and Michael White, the book has plenty of insider information, presented usually in the style of lively anecdotal chats. This is not a tedious career advice book nor a studious academic tone but rather something that gives a flavour of what it is like to be a political journalist and how to get there.

MP Adam Holloway’s contribution is the one that turns sour on political journalism, explaining how he became so disillusioned with coverage of himself that he not only ceased writing a column for the local newspaper but also stopped sending out local news releases.

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Mark Pack

Dear Benedict Brogan…

By Mark Pack | Thu 22nd April 2010 - 11:28 pm

Hi Benedict,

Saw that you just wrote: “The snap polls gave the debate to Mr Cameron.”

That seems a bit odd given the actual poll results are:

YouGov and Populus – Cameron winner
ComRes, Angus Reid and ICM – Clegg winner

I can’t quite see how that tallies up with your statement?

Best wishes,

Mark

As if by magic (well, actually email) back comes a note that the post is being amended 🙂

Posted in General Election | Also tagged , and | 9 Comments
Mark Pack

Ken Clarke lays into Conservative policy, again

By Mark Pack | Tue 27th January 2009 - 5:42 pm

Well, well – he’s certainly started with a work rate that puts some Conservative Shadow Cabinet members to shame … for it’s another day, and another attack from Ken Clarke on the policies that David Cameron and George Osborne have been pushing. Following up his earlier comments about the IMF, this time Ken Clarke has criticised them over tax policy. As Benedict Brogan reports:

What Ken Clarke has to say about promoting marriage through the tax system amounts to a violent rejection of everything Dave and George have been proposing. Better yet, he justifies it by claiming the Shadow Chancellor

…

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