Talk of a coup in Britain is not exaggerated

Talk of a coup in Britain is not exaggerated

It is the lot of those who first see something coming to be dismissed as cranks. Those who say something is ‘the thin end of the wedge’ or any number of similar metaphors are often accused of overreacting or having a sense of paranoia. By the time they’re proved...
They are demonstrating in my name

They are demonstrating in my name

As provocative questions go, it’s hard to think of a more provocative or more insulting one than Adam Boulton’s on Sky News last week. ‘You’re a load of incompetent, middle-class, self-indulgent people who want to tell us how to live our lives?’ said the veteran...
The democratic case for resolving Brexit

The democratic case for resolving Brexit

Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a Remainer. I voted for the UK to remain in the European Union, and I think were much better off as a member. But leave that to one side for a moment. I’m also a democrat, and I care for the future of my country, and that...
Raw eye-witness testimony of being a child in a competitive environment

Raw eye-witness testimony of being a child in a competitive environment

Call it prejudice, call it snobbism, call it elitism, call it what you will – I have a thing about self-published books. I suppose my subconscious says that, if a publisher isn’t willing to publish a manuscript, there’s a reason for it and the book probably isn’t very...
The Stephen Lloyd case shows there is no room for nuance in politics

The Stephen Lloyd case shows there is no room for nuance in politics

Politics ought to be synonymous with good governance, but it’s not. It’s a game you have to play to get into a position where you can practise good governance. And politics doesn’t seem to have any room for the nuances and counterintuitive positions that make for good...
I’m now not so sure history will treat Nick Clegg kindly

I’m now not so sure history will treat Nick Clegg kindly

As Nick Clegg’s biographer, I have always tried to stay above – or detached from – events involving him, so I can judge them dispassionately. But I can’t help feeling an intense seam of sadness at the news that he has accepted a senior role with Facebook. In fact it...