Technology and comment
ConservativeHome founder and editor Tim Montgomerie is leaving the site to become the Comment Editor of The Times. Tim Montgomerie moving to become Comment Editor of The Times (but he’ll still be writing for ConservativeHome) bit.ly/YzNJQB — ConservativeHome...
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves, looks like being in line for a promotion when she returns from maternity leave. James Kirkup reports in today’s Telegraph: The source said: “The Tories want to talk about the last Government, but...
Parliament has been prorogued, with a list of all the major new legislation released. The legislation passed in the 2012-13 Parliamentary session were: Justice and Security Act 2013 Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 Succession to the Crown Act 2013...
Over on politics.co.uk I look at whether we’ve got out liberal Nick Clegg back, after he stopped the snoopers’ charter on live radio. It was nice to see the return of the liberal that we many of us have stood by in difficult times doing exactly what we...
After libel reform was sorted this week, Nick Clegg killed off the snoopers’ charter on live radio, and now newspapers have rejected the Leveson Royal Charter. Apparently everyone has told Brian that he’s not the messiah but a very naughty boy, with...
In the fallout of the terrible Mick Philpott case, everyone is piling into the welfare debate. On Telegraph blogs, Dan Hodge’s tears them apart. Headlines like the Mail’s, and lazy characterisations of those on welfare as “scroungers” “chavs” or the “shameless...
On Blomberg’s the Pulse Ben Southworth, deputy CEO of the Tech City Investment Organisation,, spoke about how even with all our technology and online social interaction, sometimes a beer or a coffee can go furthest. Watch Ben here.
The Telegraph say Iain Duncan Smith would cut welfare by a further £3bn to prevent cuts to the forces and police, leaving Nick Clegg in an impossible position. There is no doubt many Lib Dem members are uncomfortable with many of the changes and cuts...
Lib Dem MPs that voted against equal marriage: Alan Beith (Berwick-Upon-Tweed) Gordon Birtwhistle (Burnely) John Pugh (Southport) Sarah Teather (Brent Central) In total 47 Lib Dems MPs plus one Lib Dem teller (Sir Bob Russell,) were present yesterday,...
American Media is fascinating, with a culture of talk shows, personality, and partisanship that we just don’t have here in the UK. My favourite is the quite brilliant Rachel Maddow, not particularly because i always agree with her (although I often do,)...
Tonight David Cameron has conceded to his back benchers and will publish a Bill that would put an in/out EU referendum on the statute books. It marks a new low for the Conservative leader, who seemingly cannot control his rebellious back benches. He may...
As the Tories get themselves stuck into their favourite row about Europe, Labour are also doing their best to take the scabs of old wounds. Last night David Cameron caved in to Peter Bone and Nadine Dorries and published a darft EU referendum bill, but...
I’ve just sat through half an hour of last week’s TWIT podcast, with Leo Lap, John C. Dvorak, Mark Millian and Will Harris chatting about Google Glass. Dvorak thinks it’s a scam, but I’m more worried it’s not. I think people are actually going to buy...
Today Stephan Shakespeare released his open data review, an put forward a variety of recommendations. The government should produce and take forward a clear, predictable, accountable ‘National Data Strategy’ which encompasses PSI in its entirety. A significant...
The Southbank skatepark has long been part of one of the best parts of London, but now it is under threat from developers. Yesterday, local MP Kate Hoey, a former secretary of state for sport, delivered a petition to the commons that had been given to...
Those pesky bloggers, what did they know about publishing law? Quite a lot when, like Iain Dale, they’ve been a leading book publisher for 15 years. In a diary column, Iain made some criticisms of the Bow Group and its leader, a man called Ben Harris-Quinney,...
Former Lib Dem Leader Paddy Ashdown will refuse to sit on all male panels at party conference. I am told that Ashdown, who will lead the party’s 2015 general election, will not put himself in the position he did last conference, where he found himself...
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but a popular, prominent left wing social commentator appears to have caught out lifting quotes. Harry Cole, as his Spectator alter-ego Steerpike, has revealed that a quote that appears in Penny’s breakthrough...
This morning has seen a debate raging about MPs expenses, and the system imposed by IPSA, introduced after the 2010 scandal. MPs get a salary of £66,000 a year which is good but nowhere near what some of those people could be earning if they decided to...
For those of you that haven’t seen it yet, here’s Tim Cook laying it all bare at D11. The video is summed up by Ina Friend on AllThingsD.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched herself onto Twitter, showing everyone else how to do it in the process. Her bio is probably one of the best on the site: Wife, mom, lawyer, women & kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState,...
In tech circles it’s become rather the done thing to decide that you need to have a social media break, and switch off for a designated amount of time. After that, the rest of us get to hear all about it. Lucky us. It started with The Verge’s Paul Miller...
Since the Woolwich attack many have been lining up to explain why the snoopers’ charter needs to be implemented. To do so would be a foreign policy disaster, as well as a domestic one. The UK frequently decries nations who limit internet access or spy...
Isn’t it exciting, one of David Cameron’s friends possibly said something silly to some journalists in a bar? Guess what, he went to Oxford too?! Yes, Oxford! Hold the front page. Is this seriously what our politics has been reduced too? There are some...
In the light of serious sexual harassment allegations, Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard has understandably been keeping a low profile. The party’s former chief exec and campaign guru returned yesterday though to ask a question in the Lords Queen’s Speech debate....
