Harold Macmillan (pictured) was supposed to detest Prime Minister’s Questions so much that he was sick before every session. Supermac versus Harold Wilson was surely a real clash of heavyweights, though sadly no audio, never mind film, record exists. David … Continued
Monthly Archives: January 2012
The advantages of a job not done
Like many political advisers on this side of the Atlantic, I’ve always held a deep and secret envy of the United States’ tradition of the “big speech”. Somehow the rise of 24 hour news, the decline of deference and now … Continued
Battle is joined over Scotland’s future
This last week has illustrated two points about the forthcoming Scottish referendum on independence – that David Cameron and the Conservative party are in a poor place to lead the pro-UK campaign and that some leadership is better than none … Continued
A Memo for Tim Livesey
I don’t have a great track record of memo-writing. Peter Mandelson once walked into Downing Street and a snapper caught a memo I had written about Labour’s attack strategy in his bundle of papers. Then, last year, a memo for … Continued