Category Archives: Politics
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Nick Clegg’s press conference shows the problems for democracy of being in a coalition
Leave a commentJune 17, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
If you are ever in need of a primer in the problems of coalition government, you should look no further …
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Buying water cannon to stifle protest – not in my name
Leave a commentJune 16, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
I yield to very few in my belief in freedom of speech the importance of protest as a major aspect …
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ISIS and Iraq – a game of chess that isn’t a game anymore
Leave a commentJune 15, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
In an operation that has been ongoing for a week – the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Shams (ISIS) seized control …
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Lib Dems education policy – pushing them Ed-wards
Leave a commentJune 14, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The most interesting aspect of the Lib Dems’ announcement this morning of a manifesto promise at the next election for all …
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Cameron vs Juncker – how to win with your hands tied?
Leave a commentJune 13, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The Prime Minister has published an article this morning explaining the effort he has been making to block the accession …
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Politics above economics in the energy market hurts consumers
Leave a commentJune 11, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
This should be an article about economics. However, it has an unavoidable political dimension. What is going on in the …
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Gove vs May: Genuine disagreement on confronting extremism – or something else?
2June 10, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
So let’s just be clear. Cabinet Ministers are allowed to disagree with each other. In fact, if they want they …
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All eyes on Seattle: A ‘proper’ minimum wage is set at last
Leave a commentJune 9, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
After a two year campaign driven by low-paid fast-food workers that had galvanised the electorate, Seattle’s newly elected mayor, Ed …
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Bowe Bergdahl: If you send someone into Afghanistan, you have to get them out of Afghanistan
3June 7, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
You wouldn’t come across many Bowe Bergdahls in London, England. Born in an area of the United States that people …
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Newark by-election result: An ungracious winner, a relieved loser
1June 6, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
So there we go – the Conservatives won the Newark by-election. They retained their 44th safest seat, a seat in …
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A Queen’s speech to keep the Coalition going until May 7th – nothing more
Leave a commentJune 5, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Every year the Queen’s speech heralds the State Opening of Parliament. Drawn up by the Government of the day, it …
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Newark by-election: Why does it matter so much to the Conservatives?
Leave a commentJune 4, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
In the 2010 General Election, Patrick Mercer got 54% of the vote in his Newark constituency, winning by over 16,000 …
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Democracy is broken – but WE have to fix it
Leave a commentJune 3, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Adrian Woolridge’s outstanding article in the Independent last week in which he asks whether Ukip’s success in the European elections proves …
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2014 election focus: Conservatives must put long-term survival ahead of short-term power
Leave a commentMay 31, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Having lived much of my life under the belief that if you have low expectations of everything you are more …
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2014 election focus: We need to talk about Ed
Leave a commentMay 28, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
I would like to talk about where the Labour Party go from here but I can’t, because first we need …
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2014 elections focus: How do we solve a problem like UKIP?
1May 27, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
First, some statistical perspective, because it’s important. Turnout in the EU elections was around 32%. Of this, UKIP got 27.5% …
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2014 election focus: An existential crisis for the Lib Dems
Leave a commentMay 27, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
If we just talk about the numbers, the last week has been a complete disaster for the Liberal Democrats. In …
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UKIP and Local Council election results – what do they mean
Leave a commentMay 23, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
There is no doubt UKIP has had a great night at the local council elections. There is no surprise that …
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Pride in the name of Lee Rigby
Leave a commentMay 22, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Lee Rigby was murdered a year ago in the street near Woolwich Barracks. Today there was a remembrance service in …
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What to look out for in the Local Council and EU Parliament elections
Leave a commentMay 21, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
I love a good election,me. Tomorrow’s local council elections and EU Parliament are no exception. It is partly because I …
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Balcombe fracking protest acquittals – pluralism restored
Leave a commentMay 18, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The recent release of figures disclosing that of the 114 charges against protesters (including Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP …
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A legacy for Ann McGuire would be better mental health services for teenagers
Leave a commentMay 16, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The funeral for Ann McGuire, the school teacher who was fatally stabbed last month, takes place today in Leeds. She …
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Whatever Cameron says, Scotland is sliding towards a “Yes” vote
Leave a commentMay 15, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
David Cameron visited Glasgow today to make an appeal to the Scottish people to vote “No”. He argued that doing …
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Pfizer – Astrazeneca takeover – the barefaced cheek of Soriot
Leave a commentMay 14, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
When AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot needs to raise money for investment in new drug development, something he would have to …
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The internet never forgets…but it may have to now
Leave a commentMay 14, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Yesterday a ruling was made by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that makes sense on paper – but it …
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Labour’s 48-hour GP pledge – strange politics and economics?
Leave a commentMay 13, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
Ed Miliband’s pledge that under a Labour government all patients will get an appointment with their GP within 48 hours is …
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Time for Political Financial Fair Play rules?
Leave a commentMay 11, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
So Manchester City have won the Premiership. Well done to them. But the Champions League isn’t likely to be a …
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Free school meals for 4-7 year olds – The best of intentions, but are the consequences worse than we thought?
Leave a commentMay 10, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
The leaked emails yesterday between the Department of education and the Office of Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, reveals …
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Labour’s latest PPB – Infantile policy-light stupidity that should have Nigel Farage sniggering into his beer
3May 9, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
There’s many things I could say about the latest Labour Party Political broadcast. I could say that it is just …
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The civil service needs to help the coalition end sensibly
Leave a commentMay 8, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
One thing we know for sure is that politicians, the civil service, media and the rest of the population will …
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Introduction to the Goldblog
Leave a commentMay 6, 2014 by Paul Goldsmith
So here’s the deal for this blog. There’s a general election coming up on May 7th 2015, and it is …
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