John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | yesterday
Today’s lead story in the Sunday Times shows Labour splits comes form the EU. The wish to put Mr Miliband into the EU job caused others to jostle for promotion. His refusal to move has caused trouble around the reshuffle. Lord Mandelson is in a strong position. Will he get what he [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | yesterday
Many contributors to this blog are badly shaken by the way the Lisbon Treaty has been forced upon us and all chance of a referendum denied, when all three main political parties promised one in 2005. I am asked what should they do. Some advise me to leave the [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 21/11/2009
Underneath the crude politics of the Queen’s speech were two great watersheds. This week was the passing of an era. The government seems to have moved on from any idea that we can win a war in Afghanistan by pitching troops into [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Dear Shareholder, What a great week. We were able to announce record October borrowing levels, and a big leap in inflation. Our strategy of never knowingly underborrowed is going so well. You know you can rely on us to waste more and spend more than anyone [...]
Iain Dale's Diary (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
For the second year running, Total Politics has conducted it's Top 100 Journalists poll , asking its readers, MPs and journalists themselves to vote. 1. (+3) Nick Robinson 2. (-1) Evan Davis 3. (-1) Jeremy Paxman 4. (+9) Adam Boulton 5. (+18) Eddie Mair 6. (+1) Andrew Marr 7. (+22) Jon Snow 8. (+3) Quentin Letts 9. (+22) James Naughtie 10. (-4) Martha Kearney 11. (-1) Peter Riddell 12. (-9) Matthew...
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
I was asked again yesterday on this site what I would do to cut the deficit. Just to recap, my advice to the government for this year has included: 1. No more banking subsidies – saving £31 billion cash and £8 billion contigent liability 2. Public sector wage freeze [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Yesterday we heard from President Karzai in Afghanistan. The man whose own election was dogged by allegations of ballot rigging duly pledged himself to clean up Afghan politics as the US wished him to do. He went on to state that he wanted foreign troops to [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
Whilst I share the Opposition and majority media view that the Queen’s speech was mainly hot air and party spin, I think one of its features has decisively changed British politics, fundamentally and for several years to come. It is the core admission in the Speech written by this [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
I spent yesterday afternoon in the Chamber listening to the exchanges between Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, before making my own speech on the government’s programme. This morning I spoke briefly to a breakfast meeting about the world economy, joined a regional [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
Mr. John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): I advise an industrial group and an investment company and have declared that in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Listening to the previous speaker, one might forget that we have had a Labour Government for 12 years and one might forget that equality had risen to new highs. One might [...]
Edward's Ramblings (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
I went along to the Chamber and found out that the Government had run up the white flag over Lord Waddington’s free speech amendment on the Coroner’s and Justice Bill. This is a great victory for free speech which in a democracy should be paramount. In the evening I debated at the Oxford Union alongside the Bishop of Winchester and Jonathon Aitken. At a well attended debate we won by ten...
Tory Radio (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
Following todays Queen’s Speech John Redwood recorded an exclusive podcast for Tory Radio. In it he describes the Queen’s Speech as “a set of press releases masquerading as a legislative programme”. To listen to what John had to say click the play button above.
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
We had all read the main contents of the Queen’s speech ages before the Queen was asked to tell us. The Labour benches contained many empty seats. Presumably some MPs clearly decided that as there will be no votes before next Wednesday there was no great point in turning up [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
Parliamentary Questions used to be one of the prime ways MPs could hold a government to account, keep Ministers on their toes, expose problems and probe mistakes. Labour used to be quite good at them in Opposition. Once in government they decided on their slow [...]
John Redwood's Diary (Free subscription) | 17/11/2009
The inflation increase was the largest since August 1990, when our economy was being distorted by following the German currency. RPIX (Retail Price Index without housing) stormed above the growth of the CPI (Consumer Price Index, Mr Brown’s preferred measure), hitting an annual increase of 1.9% compared to 1.3% [...]
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