Category Archives: Politics
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Lib Dems and Mental health care – the right target.
Leave a commentOctober 11, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Nick Clegg brought the curtain down on the Liberal Democrats’ conference with a centerpiece that surprised many, as there had …
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We have a UKIP MP, but what happened in Heywood and Middleton is far more significant
Leave a commentOctober 10, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As expected, we wake up this morning with the first UKIP MP elected to the House of Commons. Douglas Carswell …
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Clacton-on-Sea and Heywood by-elections today – a foregone conclusion?
Leave a commentOctober 9, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Today, two sets of voters go to the polls to choose their MPs in by-elections. One, in Clacton-on-Sea (on the …
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When will someone in politics ‘do the right thing’ themselves and insist that the living wage be paid?
Leave a commentOctober 8, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
For the first time in British history, the majority of people classified as living poverty are in work. Low pay …
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Why the Lib Dems choosing who to go into coalition with could be fraught with problems
2October 7, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As the Lib Dems spend time claiming full responsibility for all coalition policies that they like and no responsibility for …
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Unpicking the mansion tax
Leave a commentOctober 6, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Oh the mansion tax, the mansion tax, the mansion tax….it’s been talked about for a long time and now, given …
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The beheading of Alan Henning…a sign of fear or a piece of kamikaze?
Leave a commentOctober 5, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Alan Henning was watching TV one day and saw a piece on the news about Syrian children who had been …
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Why are the Conservatives so happy about a set of policies that victimise the poorest so much?
Leave a commentOctober 3, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As the smoke clears from the pep rally that this week’s Conservative party conference basically turned out to be, a …
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Cameron delivers a speech aimed at tightening the Tory defence of Downing Street
Leave a commentOctober 2, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
David Cameron made his pitch to the nation yesterday in his last conference speech before the 2015 General Election. The …
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George Osborne profile reminds us how human even our most senior politicians are
Leave a commentOctober 1, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Have a look at George Osborne’s face in the picture above. It was taken at the very point that he …
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UKIP policies – closely targetted at winning seats but not for a serious party of power
1September 30, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Just before the UKIP conference, the Labour Party released a press statement pointing out that UKIP were “more Tory that …
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Reckless’s defection to UKIP brings us a step closer to a complete realignment of UK politics
Leave a commentSeptember 29, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Mark Reckless’s reputation as a Eurosceptic was such that in 2010, before he had ever won a seat in a …
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UK votes to join airstrikes in Iraq – but at what cost?
Leave a commentSeptember 28, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
So the vote on whether to join in the air strikes on Islamic State (ISIL) was carried out on Friday …
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Logical fallacies and why a 50% threshold for a strike ballot should be imposed
Leave a commentSeptember 27, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Boris Johnson has raised the issue of strikes that he doesn’t regard as democratic. He points out that at the …
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Think battling ISIL will reduce Terrorism? Think again
Leave a commentSeptember 25, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As we await the fate of Alan Henning, a taxi driver who took time off over Christmas last year to …
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Ed Miliband – you forgot the economy, stupid
Leave a commentSeptember 24, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Ed Miliband forgot two sections of his speech today. One of his favourite party tricks is to memorise his speeches …
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Ed Balls’s Labour Party conference speech shows Labour think they might walk into Downing Street
Leave a commentSeptember 23, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
It was a strangely mute Labour Party conference today. There seem to be some strange rules in operation. The shadow …
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Ed Miliband must speak clearly about why ordinary people should vote Labour
Leave a commentSeptember 22, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
This week is the Labour Party’s conference. Conference season in the UK is a time when policy proposals are discussed …
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Why David Cameron might have been better off after a “Yes” vote.
Leave a commentSeptember 21, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
I have a feeling that David Cameron might end the next few months wishing that Scotland ahead indeed voted for …
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Farewell Alex Salmond, one of the greatest politicians of our generation
Leave a commentSeptember 20, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
There is a story that about two years’ ago, Alex Salmond requested a meeting with George Osborne, I imagine to …
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When (or because) push came to shove, it was a No
Leave a commentSeptember 19, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The recriminations have started. How could they have got it wrong. They thought it would be Ok, they thought it …
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An independent Scotland CAN be successful. But the rest of the UK must help them.
Leave a commentSeptember 18, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Amidst all of the dire warnings made by the NO campaign of what will happen to Scotland if they vote …
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Scottish referendum – Are we really getting the whole story from the mainstream media
3September 17, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
On Sunday there was a demonstration outside BBC Scotland in which an effigy of Chief political correspondent Nick Robinson was …
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Why is Devo Max being offered by the No campaign without consulting the British people?
Leave a commentSeptember 16, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
14 years ago I was sitting in a sales meeting at my old IT consultancy. We were attempting to persuade …
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It may be the teenage vote wot’ll win it
Leave a commentSeptember 15, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As we near a referendum that is looking likely to be incredibly close, with polls published yesterday morning indicated leads …
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A written constitution – Would an independent Scotland close the democratic deficit
1September 14, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The Uk is one of the only countries in the world without a written, codified constitution. The UK’s constitution, as …
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Trade Union leaders’ “NO” not as much of a surprise as it may seem
Leave a commentSeptember 13, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
An interesting decision announced on Sunday was by the Trade Union leaders of Scotland to support the “NO” campaign. One …
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Who is the most principled political party leader in the Scottish Independence campaign?
3September 12, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As the leaders of all the UK’s major political parties gathered in Scotland to try and persuade the Scots not …
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We need to act against Islamic State, at least whilst we still have some influence
Leave a commentSeptember 11, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Today, the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks which killed over 3000 people and launched us into what seemed to …
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It will be hard to build the Socialist Republic of Scotland if you are relying so much on other peoples’ money
Leave a commentSeptember 10, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
One of the reasons for the momentum that the “Yes” vote has been gaining has been the switch of allegiances …
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What would happen if an independent Scotland got rid of the Trident nuclear system?
Leave a commentSeptember 9, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
In amongst all the arguments, there are some issues on which I know many Scots agree, whether they are in …
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“YES” they can. Our last chance to persuade the Scots not to.
Leave a commentSeptember 8, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The galloping hooves of an impending constitutional crisis got much louder yesterday morning with the publication of the first official …
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Social mobility can be helped by levelling up, not levelling down
2September 7, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Of the people I know, it is only those who have already made it to the top or those who …
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Kansas tax cuts show that the Laffer curve works both ways
Leave a commentSeptember 6, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Being a great fan of seeing economic theory in action, I can’t help revelling in watching what is happening in …
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It’s not whether you set pupils – but how you do it that matters
Leave a commentSeptember 5, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The “setting by ability” debate flared up again on Wednesday when Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of State for Education, had …
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Why Scottish Independence could cause a UK political earthquake
Leave a commentSeptember 3, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
As the “Yes” campaign gathers what is beginning to look like inexorable momentum a possible political scenario is taking shape …
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Another nail in Alex Salmond’s currency coffin
1September 3, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Another day, another nail in Alex Salmond’s currency coffin. Last night, The Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander talked …
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Why we should welcome the introduction of free school meals for all
Leave a commentSeptember 2, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
From today, every single child in the first three year of school will eligible for a free school meal. That …
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Douglas Carswell and the start of the reshaping of UK politics into a three-party system
Leave a commentSeptember 1, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Douglas Carswell is a rare political animal, in that he isn’t a political animal at all. He had a career …
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Rotherham child sex abuse scandal – Multiculturalism isn’t the problem, the interpretation of it is.
Leave a commentAugust 29, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
It seems that the main culprit in the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal has been named as multiculturalism. Some have …
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Should we be offering free summer holiday meals for the poorest?
1August 28, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
I yield to no-one in my insistence that the existence of food banks in this country is a stain on …
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Salmond decides the referendum is now on currency union, not just independence
Leave a commentAugust 26, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
By far the wierdest portion of the Scottish Independence campaign last night was when Alex Salmond decided to unilaterally remodel …
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Hamas signing up to the ICC makes sense if you view it as suicide bombing by legal means
Leave a commentAugust 25, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
It may seem odd to some that Hamas’s leaders are willing to risk their freedom in order to support the …
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It is time we put the word ‘banter’ back where it should be
Leave a commentAugust 24, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Reading the League Managers’ Association’s (LMA) ridiculous explanation for the content of the alleged texts and emails between Malky Mackay, …
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Non-compulsory languages – the government decision that has done most to harm social mobility in the UK
Leave a commentAugust 22, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
10 years ago a decision was made that destroyed the life chances of many a bright student. In a move …
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Tony Abbott – secret weapon for the Scottish “Yes” Campaign
Leave a commentAugust 20, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
If I were Alistair Darling I would have been on the phone to the Foreign Office last week asking who …
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Why we should have a free vote on whether to repeal the fox hunting ban
Leave a commentAugust 19, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
This week, Barney White-Spunner, the Chairman of the Countryside Alliance, threatened David Cameron with the withdrawal of helpers in the …
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Why Nigel Farage has chosen South Thanet for the 2015 election
Leave a commentAugust 18, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Pubs of Ramsgate and Margate, get the beers in, Nigel Farage is coming to town. Yes, the UKIP leader has …
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The Puzzling Politics of Foreign Policy (non)-Intervention
Leave a commentAugust 17, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Anyone really know what to do about the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS)? As they continue to advance …
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Israel’s electorate didn’t “choose” their government
Leave a commentAugust 15, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
One of the criticisms I have heard about Israelis over the past month is that if they were interested in …
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