Janet Mackinnon (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Like most people, I was vaguely aware that Cathy Ashton had replaced Peter Mandelson as European Trade Commissioner, before her appointment yesterday as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. However, I didn't know - thankfully not being part of them ! - that in New Labour circles Baroness Ashton is best known for being the wife of journalist and YouGov founder Peter Kellner....
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
It is immoral to encourage young people to risk brain injury by repeated blows to the head Your article on the resurgence of boxing highlights an irrational, immoral and dangerous funding strategy that encourages people to risk their health ( Off the ropes, and back into the ring – boxing makes unlikely comeback in schools and clubs , 16 November). You quote Rebecca Gibson of the Amateur Boxing...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
I am struggling to persuade myself that today's Queen's speech was not a trivial occasion Was the turnout of Labour MPs ready to troop over to the Lords for the Queen's speech even thinner than usual? About 50% of them, some of us thought in the press gallery, nine of whom stayed behind on the green benches, as Dennis Skinner and Neil Kinnock used to do years ago. Skinner still does. Lord Kinnock...
Christianity-is-not-leftwing (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
"The political correctness of five years ago is mainstream thinking today." Tessa Jowell. Oh no it isn't Tessa. It is one of the main reasons why your government is destined to plummet from power and which, tragically, has driven many into the arms of the BNP! Get real, love.
Daily Express (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
AT 12 YEARS old I was, very briefly, captain of boxing.
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 17/11/2009
• Pressure could arise if Stratford site is kept at 80,000 • Debate continues as to future use of Olympic stadium The financial pressures on Wembley could increase if the Olympic Stadium in Stratford was retained as an 80,000-capacity stadium following the games, the stadium's chairman admitted yesterday. David Bernstein, who took over as chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd last year,...
Whitehall Bob's Political Blog (Free subscription) | 16/11/2009
Wednesday's Queen's Speech is the final legislative opportunity for the Labour Government to implement any kind of electoral reform. So, in effect, it is also the last chance to retrieve anything positive from the next election. With the current disproportionate voting system, Labour will certainly be forced to embrace defeat, likely to be somewhere between heavy and catastrophic. There is plenty of...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
A decade ago there were calls for the sport to be banned on safety grounds. Now even its harshest critics have been won over Boxing is undergoing a big resurgence, with tens of thousands of people taking part in schools and gyms across the country each week. The number of people registered with amateur clubs in England has nearly tripled since 2005, and the sport is likely to get a further boost from...
Reuters UK (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
LONDON (Reuters) - London's 2012 Olympic Stadium may have a future as an 80,000-seater football arena if city officials succeed in including it as part of England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup finals.
Reuters UK (Free subscription) | 14/11/2009
LONDON (Reuters) - London's 2012 Olympic Stadium may have a future as an 80,000-seater soccer arena if city officials succeed in including it as part of England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup finals.
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 14/11/2009
The government is running out of time. There are, it is estimated, 40 legislating days between the Queen's speech on Wednesday and the general election next May. The address from the throne could seal its fate, if it chooses to stick to the draft legislative programme and hunker down to protect its achievements. Instead it should use this last opportunity to demonstrate that it recognises it is time...
Giles McNeill (Free subscription) | 13/11/2009
I am very surprised that proponents of electoral reform are supporting the idea of a referendum on election day. Campaigners pressing for a vote on electoral reform have welcomed news from Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw MP that: "it would be a missed opportunity not to have a referendum on Election Day." In an interview with the New Statesman the Mr. Bradshaw broke with the government’s...
UKPolling Report (Free subscription) | 13/11/2009
The Guardian today has an interesting report about Tessa Jowell pushing for a referendum on PR on election day, backed up with some polling findings from some private polling by the Electoral Reform Society. By the wonders of the BPC disclosure rules the actual polling is no longer secret, and is now up on the [...]
Left Foot Forward (Free subscription) | 13/11/2009
The Independent reports that the Queen's speech will include measures to improve social care for the elderly, create jobs, curb bankers' bonuses, and cut the huge public deficit. Meanwhile, the Guardian says that Tessa Jowell was among a number of cabinet ministers who mounted a last-ditch effort to include a ...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
• Minister also wants votes at 16 in wider package • Referendum would boost Labour, say pollsters Tessa Jowell was among a number of cabinet ministers who today mounted a last-ditch effort to include a referendum on electoral reform in the Queen's speech next week. She saw the reform as part of a wider package including directly elected mayors, votes at 16 and primaries for the election...
Videos