Dinner with David Trimble . We had David (Lord) Trimble down in Devon this weekend for a fund raising dinner for my election campaign. Held at the Orestone Manor Hotel, our palates were stimulated with a gourmet dinner of ribeye steak with Merlot sauce or fillet of guilt head bream, while our intellects were stimulated by a Nobel Peace Prize winning politician. I have hosted or arranged many scores...
At a fringe event during the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, David Trimble urged us not to give up hope with David Cameron. He said if Cameron does become prime minister, a list of demands will be presented to the EU and if those demands are not met, this will pave the way for a referendum asking the electorate if we want to be in or out. The list of demands has just be announced. I don't...
Last night was Dizzee Rascal at the Roundhouse as part of the BBC's Electric Proms, and it was a spectacular, unique set from the leading light of grime. Eschewing the heavy beats and bass of his regular live show, Dizzee instead lit up the Camden night accompanied by an orchestra (featuring full strings and wind sections), acoustic guitars, a choir, and a host of other surprises. Hardly any of the...
On Monday the House of Lords returned from its summer break. The first question highlighted a problem for the House - it doesn't have anyone to decide who can speak. " The House is self-regulating: The Lord Speaker has no power to rule on matters of order. In practice this means that the preservation of order and the maintenance of the rules of debate are the responsibility of the House itself,...
Why did he win? The question seems to be on many lips: why did President Obama win the Nobel Peace Prize just nine months into his presidency? "What achievement is this about?" some ask. The nominations closed only two weeks after he came to power. "What had he done by then?" people ask. I think it is pretty obvious. As so often, the mystery clears up if you bother to read the...
For the third year the Daily Telegraph is publishing a Top 100 People on the Right list . A few weeks ago I chaired a panel which consisted of three Telegraph journalists, two Tory MPs and three political commentators which drew up the list. Here's the first part, running from 51 to 100. You can read the short biogs HERE on the Telegraph site. The second figure denotes the position last year. 50 66...
Last year saw the launch of the Freedom Zone at the Conservative Party Conference. This year the Freedom Association , led by the excellent Simon Richards, assisted by the sparky Jane Broadhurst and chaired by the redoubtable Roger Helmer MEP, has gone bigger and bolder by launching the Westminster Village Fete. The programme for Day One of The Freedom Zone - described as "the biggest and best...
On Thursday evening the annual dinner of the Edgbaston Conservative Association was held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston. The guest speaker The Right Honourable The Lord Trimble, a Northern Irish politician who served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. He now sits in the House of Lords as a life peer for the Conservative...
Birmingham University Conservative Future (Free subscription) | 23/05/2009
Last night the great and the good of Conservative Birmingham and beyond gathered at the exquisite Botanical Gardens for the Edgbaston Gala Dinner with Lord David Trimble. The event marked the official committee handover from Dan O’Doherty to Sahar Rezazadeh and despite the exam period we were able to get a full table of BUCF’ers to [...]
Glad to see milord Trimble pronouncing confidently on how to handle devolution – in Scotland, and against Alex Salmond Alex is the Artful Dodger of politics and he will have a charmed existence for some time, but he can’t actually deliver a solution to the real problems. Lord Trimble said he was confident the Tories would win the next UK election – and make gains in Scotland, Wales...
New proposals to give the families of terrorists and victims killed in Northern Ireland the same level of financial compensation were denounced yesterday by former Ulster Unionist leader Lord Trimble as "offensive".
There is controversy over the proposal from the The Consultative Group on the Past to pay compensation to the families of paramilitaries who were killed as well as to the families of victims. We talk to Lord Trimble
There may have been a Tory reshuffle, but I still don't know who the shadow Attorney is going to be. Lord Trimble has been suggested; Ken Clarke would be enormous fun if allowed to double up, though I expect as advice on the Lisbon Treaty, the existing EU treaties and on human rights will make the Attorney's job a key role in any Conservative government - much more important even than recent
Peer of the Year 1. Lord Mandelson 27% 2. Lord Trimble 19% 3. Lady Manningham-Buller 17% Political Humorist of the Year 1. Ian Hislop 25% 2. Quentin Letts 17% 3. Tina Fey 11% Pollster of the Year 1. YouGov 65% 2. ICM 17% 3. IPSOS Mori 10% Magazine of the Year 1. Private Eye 33% 2. The Spectator 32% 3. The Economist 14% Political Book of the Year 1. Cameron on Cameron by Dylan Jones 23% 2. Blair Years...
From reading Iain Dale's Diary I see the Tories still haven't filled their vacancy for shadow Attorney - six months seems to me a bit of a gap if you take the role at all seriously. Appointing Lord Trimble would at least show they take the job seriously now - and I think the Attorney's job could be very important if there were a Tory government, especially in contributing to European policy.
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