tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:53:17 +0000Gordon BrownDavid CameronLabour leadershipTony BlairPersonalNick CleggBlogosphereJournalismGeneral ElectionEd MilibandHistoryDavid MiIibandEnglish QuestionThe CoalitionChristianityMusicNorth-EastLabour sleazeReshufflesToriesCartoonsGeorge OsborneLib DemsTellyParliamentFootballDeputy leadershipSportEd BallsAlan MilburnEconomyLabourLib Dem leadership contestLighter sideSpinElectoral reformMargaret ThatcherLobbyRegional governmentIraq WarTributesBy-electionsEuropeLib Dem leadership contest 2007Ming CampbellNHSPeter MandelsonChris HuhneConstitutional reformAlan JohnsonGeneral Election 2010John ReidMonarchyPolitical Top 10sSleazeTerrorismTreasuryBarnett FormulaDerbyshireHarriet HarmanLords ReformTransportFantasy CabinetsNorth-South DivideTotal politicsUS presidential election 2008Alastair CampbellBoris JohnsonCharles KennedyDavid DavisGlobal warmingHung ParliamentsIndependence Referendum 2014John PrescottLabour conference 2006Liberal ConspiracyPollsTop 10 CarolsAndy BurnhamCoalitionsLabour leadership election 2010Local electionsPolitical cross-dressingYvette CooperBBCCrimeDavid Kelly AffairLabour conference 2007BooksLondonPolitical counterfactualsQueen's SpeechesRupert MurdochWorld CupAir travelConferences 2009EducationGeneral Election 2015Hilary ArmstrongPolicePredictionsQuestion Time ReviewResignationsSpeakership election 2009TaxTory Conference 2007Vince CableWalesWar in AfghanistanBudget 2012City regionsConferences 2012David BlunkettDrugsMPs expensesPublic holidaysRugbyScotlandStop GordonTory Conference 2006Tory leadershipBeerBlogGemsClassHappiness AgendaID CardsInequalityInternational politicsNeil KinnockOlympic GamesPodcastingPostal strikeTheresa MayAlex SalmondBudget 2008Budget 2009Conferences 2008Conferences 2011Death PenaltyElected mayorsFixed term ParliamentsHousingImmigrationLiam FoxLocal governnmentNigel FaragePolitical CorrectnessRacismTuition FeesAlastair DarlingAnimal welfareBarack ObamaBelperBen BradshawBig SocietyBudget 2010ChristmasConferences 2010Conferences 2014CricketCutsDefenceDenis HealeyFormer MPsGreensJeremy CorbynJohn MajorJustine GreeningKen ClarkeLabour leadership election 2015Lib Dem Conference 2006Michael GoveOmnishamblesPhilip HammondPolitical GaffesPre-Budget ReportPublic spendingReview of the YearTV debatesUKIPWelfare reformAlcoholAndrew LansleyAnthem for EnglandAutumn Statement 2014BNPBrexitBudget 2011CoalDevolutionDiamond JubileeDisloyaltyEdEric PicklesFamilyFellwalkingHome OfficeHonoursIain Duncan SmithIan MearnsInterviewsIraqJim CallaghanJustin WelbyManifestos 2010Michael HeseltineMoviesNuclear energyNuclear weaponsPB.com guest blogsReferendaSir Menzies CampbellSmokingSnowStella CreasyStephen ByersSummer RiotsTim FarronTop 10sUnemploymentWeatherPolitical Commentary and Other Stuff http://paullinford.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)Blogger1294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-6890370196226370142Fri, 26 Jul 2024 08:34:00 +00002024-11-22T14:47:47.734+00:00This blog is no longer updated, but will remain online as an archive of my political and personal writing between 2005 and 2015, with very occasional posts thereafter.I can now be found online in the following locations:Substack: https://paullinford.substack.com/Twitter/X: https://x.com/paulhtfpBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/paulhtfp.bsky.socialHoldtheFrontPage: https://http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2024/07/where-to-find-me-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-8683806445351123993Mon, 03 Oct 2022 08:04:00 +00002022-10-03T09:04:10.808+01:00I've now lived through 13 Prime Ministers and, in my former incarnation as a political journalist, even interviewed a few of them.Most historians would rate Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair as the most significant PMs of the last 60 years, but the ones I have the most respect for are three of the more under-rated figures to occupy 10 Downing Street - James Callaghan, John Major andhttp://paullinford.blogspot.com/2022/10/wanted-boring-pm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-4365310967621044888Wed, 07 Sep 2022 08:35:00 +00002022-09-07T09:35:28.343+01:00I have been reserving judgment on the new Prime Minister until we knew the shape of her Cabinet and specifically whether she intended to emphasise party unity and recognise talent by building an inclusive team, or whether she merely intended to prioritise loyalty by rewarding her own supporters.Well now we know, and even though both Nadine Dorries and Priti Patel have thankfully gone, we have http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2022/09/johnson-to-truss-some-reflections.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-3139620877949293653Fri, 13 Dec 2019 05:33:00 +00002022-09-07T16:04:04.184+01:00 Well, it's all over. Here's my take on a grim election for progressives - and where Labour, the Lib Dems and the country go from here. 1. The seeds of what has been a catastrophic defeat for Labour were sown in the disastrous leadership election that took place in the autumn of 2015, following Ed Miliband's defeat on a programme that was markedly to the left of the one Gordon Brown had http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-grim-night-for-progressives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-8032004484812969384Thu, 12 Dec 2019 05:31:00 +00002022-09-07T16:05:09.322+01:00 With less than 24 hours to go before the polls open, here are a few random thoughts on the election. 1. I wish it wasn't happening at all. Two months ago, Parliament had Boris Johnson just where it wanted him but it allowed him to wriggle free and call the election he wanted on the day he wanted while he was still at the height of his Prime Ministerial honeymoon. If, as I expect, he wins a http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-election-i-wish-wasnt-happening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-4061398769058552158Thu, 25 Jul 2019 21:36:00 +00002019-07-25T22:36:31.087+01:00Some reflections on the departure of May, the accession of Johnson, the reshuffle to end all reshuffles, and what could lie ahead.1. Theresa May did her best to carry off a dignified departure, but as usual her best was not quite good enough. Her valedictory PMQs highlighted some of the issues that ultimately made her an unsuccessful PM - in particular her inability to think on her feet, and alsohttp://paullinford.blogspot.com/2019/07/from-may-to-johnson-some-reflections.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-8672183690346810674Fri, 24 May 2019 18:38:00 +00002019-05-24T19:38:18.120+01:00Boris JohnsonBrexitTheresa MayTory leadership I did not vote for Brexit and continue to believe it is the greatest act of political and economic self-harm this country has inflicted on itself in my lifetime, and probably even my parents' and grandparents' lifetimes too. Nevertheless, I respected the result of the referendum and recognised Theresa May's sincere belief that it was her duty to deliver an outcome that reflected the http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2019/05/tears-for-beloved-country.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-3222194409691731343Thu, 29 Dec 2016 22:22:00 +00002016-12-29T22:22:39.228+00:00FootballMusicPersonalSportIn a year which has seen the departures of so many iconic figures, it's hard to single people out for special mention, but as 2016 draws towards its close, I wanted to express my own debt of gratitude to the ten who have had the biggest impact on my life and that of my family.So thank you: David Bowie, for providing part of the soundtrack to my teenage years and for two songs in particular - http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2016/12/debts-of-gratitude.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-4774920579729583859Sat, 16 Jul 2016 11:04:00 +00002016-07-16T12:05:33.448+01:00Boris JohnsonDavid CameronDavid DavisEuropeGeorge OsborneLiam FoxMichael GovePhilip HammondReshufflesTheresa MayToriesTory leadershipOriginally posted on my Facebook page on the day after David Cameron stepped down as PM and Theresa May took the carving knife to his Cabinet. 1. David Cameron remains a class act. Of course, he had no alternative but to step down after accidentally leading us out of the EU, but nothing in his six-year tenure of the office of Prime Minister became him like the leaving of it. I never voted http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2016/07/bye-bye-dave-hello-theresa-some.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-2710982749380743051Sat, 19 Dec 2015 05:53:00 +00002015-12-19T05:58:08.973+00:00Jeremy CorbynLabour leadershipLooking back over some old blog posts today, I came across this gem from 2006.  A propos of a discussion of who might succeed Tony Blair and whether Alan Milburn might put up as a challenger to Gordon Brown, the former Reading MP Jane Griffiths appears to predict Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the party. Former politics professor Bill Jones, who blogged as Skipper, was less than impressed byhttp://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/12/corbyns-leadership-predicted-on-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-1695383663849029228Sun, 04 Oct 2015 07:16:00 +00002015-10-04T14:28:05.571+01:00Denis HealeyLabourPolitical counterfactuals My Journal column may have gone, but life and politics goes on, and since this blog is now the sole remaining outlet for my political writing, it is here that any periodic musings on the state of the nation will be appearing. I could not, of course, let the death of Denis Healey pass without comment.  On my Facebook page I described him yesterday both as my political hero and without http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/10/healey-antithesis-of-machine-politician.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-6175174801683874157Sat, 19 Sep 2015 07:28:00 +00002015-09-19T08:28:48.621+01:00Jeremy CorbynLabour leadership election 2015Today marks a bit of an end of an era for me as I have filed my last Saturday politics column for The Journal after 18 and a half years. The column was launched by my former editor Mark Dickinson shortly after I joined the paper as political editor in 1997, and his successor-but-one Brian Aitken agreed to keep it going after I left the staff in 2004. I will miss the opportunity to hold http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/09/its-end-of-era-for-me-but-what-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-3131726491228901182Sat, 09 May 2015 06:25:00 +00002015-05-09T07:45:23.379+01:00David CameronDavid MiIibandEd MilibandGeneral Election 2015Labour leadership election 2015Lib DemsNick CleggScotlandThe CoalitionLabour hobbled itself in Thursday's election by choosing the wrong brother as leader in 2010, while the Liberal Democrats lost their political identity by joining the coalition. Here's my election round-up which will appear in today's edition of The Journal. SO we all got it wrong.  All the speculation about hung Parliaments, deals with the Scottish National Party, questions of what http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/05/opposition-parties-pay-bitter-price-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-7611134037029786961Wed, 06 May 2015 16:00:00 +00002015-05-06T17:00:11.325+01:00David CameronEd MilibandEuropeGeneral Election 2015NHSNick CleggYesterday I outlined why I don't think the current Tory-Lib Dem coalition deserves to be re-elected.  Here's why I hope a Lab-Lib coalition will emerge in its place. 1.  Labour has fought the most positive campaign. Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I still believe that politics should be about sharing a vision of a better world rather than promising to protect us from nightmares http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/05/five-reasons-why-im-backing-lablib.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-2022679603878248381Tue, 05 May 2015 16:03:00 +00002015-05-05T17:09:16.545+01:00David CameronEd MilibandEuropeGeneral Election 2015George OsborneNHSNorth-South DivideDespite having a very good local constituency MP in Pauline Latham, here's why I won't be voting for her party on Thursday. 1.  The Tories have fought a negative and uninspiring campaign characterised mainly by telling lies about Labour's tax plans, lies about Labour's 'relationship' with the Scottish National Party, and a complete lack of candour about their own plans to slash welfare http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/05/five-reasons-why-tories-do-not-deserve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-10864193583791444Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:37:00 +00002015-04-29T19:07:31.977+01:00BelperChristianityDerbyshireGeneral Election 2015Five years ago I produced this blog post about the election hustings for the new Mid-Derbyshire constituency organised by Churches Together in Duffield. Churches Together has since renamed itself the Duffield Christian Council and last night I took myself along to the follow-up event at Ecclesbourne School in the village to see how this year's candidates measured up. On the stage were http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-mid-derbyshire-hustings-2015.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-4826216040333366040Fri, 27 Feb 2015 20:02:00 +00002015-02-27T20:03:23.730+00:00Andy BurnhamCity regionsDevolutionGeorge OsborneNHSPains me to say it, but Osborne has played a blinder over the £6bn Greater Manchester health funding deal and in so doing posed a real political dilemma for Labour. Here's this week's Journal column. http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/paul-linford-george-osborne-seems-8737333http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/02/does-labour-want-regional-devolution-or.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-946262222873281285Sat, 31 Jan 2015 12:34:00 +00002015-01-31T12:34:38.049+00:00Alan MilburnEd MilibandGeneral Election 2015NHSThe forthcoming election is, first and foremost, about the future of the NHS and whether, under a majority Tory government, it will by 2020 have ceased to be a direct provider of healthcare altogether.  Which is why Alan Milburn should really have kept his mouth shut. Here's this week's Journal column: http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/paul-linford-alan-milburn-should-8553467 http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-time-for-internal-debates-has.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-610117597919073434Sun, 04 Jan 2015 18:45:00 +00002015-01-04T18:45:56.005+00:00Alan JohnsonAlex SalmondBoris JohnsonDavid CameronEd MilibandGeneral Election 2015Nick CleggNigel FaragePredictionsStella CreasyTheresa MayMy preview of the political year 2015, first published in yesterday's Journal.   It is Thursday, December 31, 2015. The newly-elected Prime Minister sinks contentedly into an armchair at 10 Downing Street, pours himself a drink, and reflects on a tumultuous year in British politics. Not since 1974 had there been two general elections in a single year. Not since 1852 had there been threehttp://paullinford.blogspot.com/2015/01/could-2015-be-year-of-two-elections-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-6446583006624349099Mon, 22 Dec 2014 10:51:00 +00002014-12-22T10:51:18.765+00:00David CameronEnglish QuestionGeorge OsborneNorth-EastThe Government has talked a lot about devolution over recent months but do Messrs Cameron and Osborne actually understand the meaning of the word? Here's this week's Journal column.http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/12/real-devolution-giving-people-what-they.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-6811702974213342310Sat, 06 Dec 2014 08:53:00 +00002014-12-06T08:53:39.611+00:00Autumn Statement 2014English QuestionGeorge OsborneNorth-EastTransportWhile there was much to applaud in George Osborne's autumn statement, there remains a fundamental disconnect between the Chancellor's aspirations for the Northern regions and the tools he is prepared to put at their disposal. Here's this week's Journal column. http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-big-step-forward-or-just-more-hot-air.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-7486920593124432226Fri, 14 Nov 2014 21:38:00 +00002014-11-14T21:38:43.880+00:00Alan JohnsonAndy BurnhamEd MilibandLabour leadershipDespite yesterday's fighting speech, Ed Miliband's personal unpopularity is dragging his party down and making the re-election of a Tory-led government much more likely.   For the party to fail to recognise and act on this would amount to a betrayal of its own values.   Here's this week's Journal column. http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/11/if-johnson-wont-play-ball-what-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-4980920616857245895Sat, 08 Nov 2014 07:49:00 +00002014-11-08T07:49:28.947+00:00Elected mayorsEnglish QuestionGeorge OsborneThe arrogance of George Osborne in seeking to impose a system of 'metro mayors' on cities which have already rejected the idea is quite breathtaking.   Worse still is the government's lazy assumption that this is in some way an answer to the 'English Question.'   Here's this week's Journal column. http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/11/elected-mayors-are-not-answer-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-2600610413501271070Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:28:00 +00002014-10-24T19:29:12.691+01:00George OsborneNorth-EastRegional governmentTransportThis week's Journal column, focusing on the long-running saga of the A1 dualling project and what it tells us about the need for greater regional devolution. http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/paul-linford-dual-a1-give-7995809 http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/10/transport-powers-key-to-devolution-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12845739.post-3660445975172857277Sat, 18 Oct 2014 08:00:00 +00002014-10-20T21:38:46.360+01:00David CameronEnglish QuestionIndependence Referendum 2014North-EastRegional governmentWell, on the basis that the North has 15m people in it and Scotland has 5m, it's one answer. http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/paul-linford-answer-english-question-7955796 http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2014/10/is-parliament-for-north-answer-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul Linford)0