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Hope your weblog goes well, and is relatively easy to manage !
Whoever the Conservatives elect today as leader, I still can't help feeling that they've really missed a trick by not having William Haig as leader ~ I thought he used to run rings around the PM at PMQs !
How did you rate him ?
Perhaps he was elected too soon, and, like me, doesn't have enough hair !

Kind regards, Ian
(Stratford-upon-Avon)

Whilst I like your commentating on the Westminster hothouse I dont like the bias in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news against Tony Blair, anything American and the Iraq war. Is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ now HM Official opposition? Result: I no longer trust the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ like I used to. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ seems to live in a parallel universe to reality. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ reports one thing, You Gov, Mori etc show that people think the opposit. Is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News out of touch? Definately.

Nick - do you think some may see the coronation of Crown Prince Cameron as the very worst kind of recidivism on behalf of the Tories? Ostensibly a moderate, progressive and seemingly populist guy; to some more astute observers, the appointment smacks of all that the party has professed to now reject -- Old Etonism, blue lineage etc.

Do you think this paradox -- regardless of any reality -- at the very heart of this appointment will be manna for the spinmeisters?

I concede William Haigh was a great performer in the House during PMQ's but alas not many voters watch PMQ's but take stock of a leader in the country at large. William always seemed to be surpressing a giggle when strutting his stuff all of which lacks gravitas which a leader needs

Nick,

Assuming that David Cameron is elected today as leader do you believe that he has a chance of being the next PM and will he be able to modenise the Conservative party and will PMQ become a more bland affair.

I enjoyed reading your first blog and the comments. Mark Allsops views on bias concur with mine as I view the news from my armchair but I don't think that the glove only fits the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ or that it really is bias. It's just that news (or facts) become distorted by comment and interpretation which should be in another news-type programme and independent of direct news reportage.

I really think that what this article is talking about is true and Ithink the autor of it is very good

Firstly I welcome this chance to comment on issues and will be bookmarking this site.
Secondly, I have a feeling that the new Tory leader will actualy be in with a fighting chance against Gordon Brown. Although many people do not watch tv news, read the political pages or listen to the news, the whole poplulation does guage how the country is doing by the amount of money that we earn, employment , housing health etc. Only the most well off in our society can honestly say that his/her quality of life has not changed and slightly for the worse over the last few years. Even Mr Brown is starting to loose his touch as yesterday's anouncments proved.

Nick,

Ignore the comments about bias from Mark Allsop and Charles Pennock. Whilst I do find those glasses irritating you are a refreshing change from Andrew Marr. At last someone who can be justifiably critical about government policies (and actions) without necessarily toeing the Tory line. In the end I just felt Marr was regarded by the Labour spin team as "a good old boy" who could be relied on to reinforce their message about Saint Tony and team saving the world. Not so sure you will get the same number of invitations to an intimate dinner with Tony and Cherie as old Andy?

Nick,

Firstly, I like your glasses.

Secondly, your not a bad political presenter.

Thirdly, I like this blogging malarky.

You may be pleased to know that this is the first "blog"?! I've commented on, I've not felt this inclined to do so before.

I'm not really fussed about which David gets in as frankly, they are both very good leaders for the Tory party. I just hope they can pull it off come election time. It will be very interesting to see the new David face the PM at PMQ's. Tony is no lightweight.

All the best with your blogging. I'll blog off now.

James

I have always thought the obvious leader for the Tory party was Tony Blair. Soon to be out of a job, his appointment would mean the real debate in politics, which currently takes place behind the closed doors of numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street, would be out in the open, and the public could actually have a say in the outcome at election time.
Nicholas

Nick,

A lot of people see Cameron as the heir to Blair but I see another parallel. It seems to me Cameron is taking a pretty pragmatic approach to his politics - a lot of ideas come from the US and it is no coincidence that the rise of Tony Blair (Third Way etc) followed that of Bill Clinton a few years earlier. Cameron may be taking on the "compassionate conservatism" line used by Bush in 2000 (though not followed in reality) to take the party back to power before moving back towards the right once he is there. Also, Gore should have won by a landslide in 2000 but got beaten because he was too dour and over complicated things - Brown may suffer the same problems in the next election against a fresh face with a clear message.

Nick Do you think there will be a smooth transition to Gordon Brown or do you think that somebody else will be brave enough to make a stand against GB?

Sorry, a fisher-price question from a political blog beginner: i can see that the Westminster game is a fascinating one - perhaps the best game that there is. But i feel cynical about what's in it for me, and others - perhaps i'm just a victim of the media. In the years that you've been covering Westminster do you get more or less hopeful about how political power is used?

This a third person query on behalf of an overseas visitor, now on their way home......

They have a very simplistic view of our affairs but they may have a point.

Is it more or less fair to say that "the unions" have deserted Tony Blair and now look to John Prescott as their only "friend" in government?

Is it also fair to say that without the Union vote, Mr Blair would not get re elected anyway so he's just going to abandon a sinking ship?

Nick; Any chance of you coming up here to expose the bunch of numpties
controlling us ? A parliament ten times over estimate and a beam breaks loose and is costing £17,000
per week for alternative premises while some 'experts' look at the beam. A fingerprint department which
appear to be unable to track an elephant through snow. Senior ministers holidaying with national
television presenters. Can not get any of the socialist toughies to come
and face the nation on TV when matters of national interest go wrong - Oh! for another Maggie !!!!
ps - remember your kilt ! Bill

People deeply resented the apparent inability of any senior minister to take responsibility for the foreign prisoners' fiasco - perhaps the PM has belatedly realised that this was New Labour's "Lamont Moment" (circa Sept 1992).

Has anyone else noticed that all three of the main party's avoid all mention of the E.U.and how we are being betrayed by this government? Its time there was a proper debate on the box, not just with people who have much to gain, but with some eurosceptics as well.There is definitely a conspiracy on all sides to keep the british people in the dark until its too late. If its so good for us why does it have to be done by stealth? I also, would like to question why England is being wiped of the map? this seems to be a bit like a belated revenge to me.

Vivienne Bignall

Nick

I have just found your Newslog and think it is great. Keep it up. I have to say I thought you where great on the Election night programme. I am sure it was not your intention, but you seemed to give John Reid a bit of a hard time. You would not let him get away with the usual spin. Well Done. One other thing. Am I the only one who laughed at how pathetic your guests like Blunkett and Hoon looked when they mysteriously lost the sound after being asked a difficult question?

Am being a prat. I can't seem to find out why Jack Straw was eased aside. Living in this less free response zone in Africa, your blog site is an icon of dizzy freedom.Can't find any sense of regret over departure of Prescott though am puzzled at why he can remain as Deputy PM: perhaps it carries no implied moral or contractual code? Many thanks for the 7 mins naked to interviewing mode detail. EA

'who I spoke to' oh dear ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳
Whom I spoke to or better still to whom I spoke

Apart from that your analyses are continually excellent

If TB wants to go at a time of his choosing - it should be NOW before his options run out!
Nero fiddled while Rome burned! TB should not dilly-dally before the Labour Party turns!
Just 3 words for this PM:
GO,GO,GO!

You mention the Red Book and Gordon Brown. I have a treasured copy which I bring out occasionally to remind myself how Gordon has abandoned all his principles for power.

Sorry Nick but the days when the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ had a respected name for unbiased independent journalism have long gone. No longer do we get the news "as is" but it is manufactured by your people. The sad thing is that it is the public who are paying for this disservice. Whenever you personally comment on a news item you come across as a dyed-in-the-wool Tory. This has been the case since the departure of Greg Dyke. I remember the days when the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ was impartial - Oh those were the days! Perhaps the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should change its motto to "Nation shall speak TRUTH unto nations"

Why is it that every time you appear on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news you make it sound like a Conservative Party politcal broadcast?
I always thought the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ reported the news not made it by reporting party bias.
Surely for the sake of fair play you should give ALL parties a fair crack of the whip, not just be a mouthpiece for the Tory Party.

Nick,
Echo many comments that you bring a fresh voice to the political commentary and offer opinion about the real stories behind the spin. Political argument is key to the success of country, but how do we get more people interested in political discussion? Is it all down to the political parties showing commitment to morality, integrity and plain speaking? The voting public have a responsibility too..what frustrates me is the conversations with people that criticise the governance of the country but then can't be bothered to vote...

Why does ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ TV and radio news incorporate a 'What the papers say' slot given that all the papers are anti-Labour, anti-Blair, pro-Tory (mostly) and have the aim of getting rid of the present government? Unless the Beeb can inject some balance or get rid of this item I have to conclude that these slots are free party political broadcasts for the other parties. If people want to know what the papers say they should bl****well go out and buy them!Wouldn't you agree?

It seems to me that the civilian population of Lebanon are in as much need of a security zone against Israel as is Israel against the Hezbollah. Any rsolution of the conflict should include a fly free zone across Lebanon, which will be enforced with vigour against Israel and its ally.

Does this blog actually work? I have been posting and had only one of my blogs posted. I assume this blog is only for people trying to oust the incumbent labour goverment and not for genuine free speech.

Nick,not so much a comment,more a thank you.
For political saddos like me the current political situation is as fascinating as it obviously is to you.
Many thanks for the quality of your coverage and journalism and the frequency of your updates.

Clive

Yawn yawn !
So Tony Blair is going or is he. What real difference will it make
? one shallow ,superficial ,egotistical self basting ,devious liar will be replaced by another of either "so called" parties. Perhaps political commentators should spend more time making objective reflections on the impact that politicians and their policies have on the indigenous population of this country.Rather than massaging and preening the bloated egos of Ministers and certain MP's and the like.Just maybe this is the reason that the vast majority of people in the UK are fed up with politicians , fed up with the lies and fed up with the media which is far less critical than it should be.
In fact sometimes it is difficult to see the difference between either of them .

Alan

Nick,

Splendid reporting on a very entertaining soap opera. While some of this is clear (Gordon Brown pulling the strings via Ed Balls etc), what slightly puzzled me was the letter signed by previously ultra-loyal Blairites.

Were they were genuinely worried about Labour's chances and dwindling grass roots support (so wanted a quick renewal post-Blair) or did they suddenly decide to jump ship and start being helpful to Gordon for the sake of their personal ambitions?

There seems to be a general view that Brown could have stopped the crisis with a "click of his fingers" - this would mean that he has more control over those Blairite "rebels" that previously reported...

Tom

It's time for you to go Nick. Your sad little end jibes against people of a stature and commitment way beyond your own, and whose achievements you can never hope to equal are the epitome of all that is currently wrong with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News. Quit worrying about ITN. Get serious about the news or get off the screen.

If politicians seriously believe that most people in this country give two hoots about their activities in Westminster then, sadly, they are more out of touch with the real world than was first thought. Over the last 10 years the behaviour of many high profile politicians, from all parties, has been a disgrace. They have lost all credibility and respect.

Good afternoon Nick. I am currently studying law and would like to have adequate poltical know-how. I am appreciative of this site and hope to participate more as my knowledge and understanding of politics improves. I really respect your depth of knowledge and your ability to analyse and communicate your viewpoint, I wish to be as fluent as yourself one day.

I find it hard to believe that people honestly blame The Government and ultimately Tony Blair for the "obesity Problem" in the UK. I am personally responsible for going to the gym 3 times a week and running 3 times a week. I shop in the same supermarkets as everyone else - yet because of the food I choose to eat I am far from obese? I have customers in front of me and behind me in the supermarket with complete rubbish in their baskets, and they all have one thing in common; the waddle out of the supermarket with their larger than life children wobbling behind them tucking into crisps, sweets and other item purchased for the weeks' supply before they have even left the premises. Message from me, get of your fat behind like me make your own choices and stop blaming other people for your unhealthy lifestyle!

This is my first sight of a blog. When are you standing for parliament you already face both ways at once. Now you cannot admit to being wrong. Your comments on the PM's LA speech were not sceptical they were wrong.
Eric Lee

Nick,

Listening to a minister being interviewed the other day on my local ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ radio station, it struck me that a standard government response to any sort of criticism of their performance is to wheel out the statistic of how much they've been spending on whatever happens to be the subject of the complaint, totally missing the point that if they've put so much money in, why hasn't it improved? Perhaps you and your colleagues can pick them up on this in future. We're obviously not getting good value for money and they need to get a clue that just throwing our money at problems won't necessarily fix things.

Dave

I think the local election in Flitwick, Beds was a farce.
There was no information about the candidates apart from their names.
We were asked to pick up to seven from eight candidates.
It might as well have been a,b,c..
How can this be democracy?

Andrew Roberts' comments wouuld be risible were it not for the fact that he believes what he wrote. As for loathing Blair, you cannot loathe someone for whom you have no respect. He misled us over Iraq (has it occurred to anyone that he might have made it clear to those lower down the food chain that he wanted no contrary evidence passed up to him so that he could say, in his barrister's way that he had received no contrary evidence. He was too ready to rush to war?).

He was, and remains, a shallow, ham actor. Thank God that Mr Attlee was not concerned with his personal 'legacy'.

It appears that you do not accept criticism as my last comment was rejected and was in no way abusive.Politicians are elected by the public and can easily be disposed of through the ballot box. Who are political reporters answerable to?

Can't wait for Gordon to get round to the matter of ID cards - can you?

Keep up the good work!

Wendy Alexander,Leader Scottish New Labour.

what really gets me annoyed is the fact that we have been ripped off by
the present government, who I voted in,then to see gordon taking the reins, stop, I DON'T have a vote in Scotland's Parliament. So why have I Scot that I'cant vote for or against.
My vote will be for DC.

Ming's fate was sealed after the satirical stiletto thrust on the News Quiz, comparing him with Bart Simpson's grandfather. No coming back from that fearsomely accurate and acutely delivered blow!

What all commentators are failing to appreciate, is that information for I.D. cards has to be obtained to be provided with biometrics. We can not now trust the government to hold any information securely BEFORE it is protected by biometrics even if that would then make it safe. It is therefore impossible to MAKE ID cards in the first place, as a result of present fiasco.

The staff member responsible for chucking data in the post, as you put it, will probably now go through a very lenghy diciplinary process or, perhaps he/she will be given a verbal warning against similar behaviour. He/she will however be able to throw another item in the bin/post before they are given a written warning. And if they do not behave themselves after this they may be dismissed. Failure to follow this procedure can result in a hearing by the employment tribunal who will no doubt judge you to be a bad employer and fine you.
We, the taxpayers however will hear that the satff member has been dealt with according to diciplinary policy and procedure. I know the system well having been sickened by it on more than one occasion.

The staff member responsible for chucking data in the post, as you put it, will probably now go through a very lenghy diciplinary process or, perhaps he/she will be given a verbal warning against similar behaviour. He/she will however be able to throw another item in the bin/post before they are given a written warning. And if they do not behave themselves after this they may be dismissed. Failure to follow this procedure can result in a hearing by the employment tribunal who will no doubt judge you to be a bad employer and fine you.
We, the taxpayers however will hear that the satff member has been dealt with according to diciplinary policy and procedure. I know the system well having been sickened by it on more than one occasion.

Experian, the credit reference agency, have interestingly chosen today to send me a bit of opportunistic piece of marketing that begins : "Stop ID fraud check your credit report regularly with CreditExpert" and claims to be citing a Home Office website about ID fraud. Funny they should send it to me as they had to reimburse me for two years of not being able to access my credit report online as it was 'too big for their system to cope with'. Could their timing have anything to do with some missing computer discs?

Much is currently being made of the comparison between Gordon Brown and John Major struggling to keep a reputation for being in charge.

It seems to me that the comparison with Anthony Eden is much closer.
Both came to power trailing clouds of 'competence' having been in charge of an important corner of Government for a long time . Eden had been thought of as principled, since his resignation in the thirties, and he was for many the dashingly obvious chap with whom everything would be OK because he had been at the centre of things for so long.No-one gave a thought about whether he would be any good as PM and, as it turned out, he was a disaster.
It has been clear for years that Brown is a charmless figure but,the Labour Party clearly thought this would not matter because of his much heralded ability. Eden could survive for a bit on niceness before he had a breakdown.Such an option is not open to Brown.
If there any more weeks like the last it will become clear that Brown, like Eden, is a classic case of the Peter principle and has been, as a result of the Labour Party's refusal to elect an alternative,raised to the level of his own incompete nce.They only have themselves to blame.

Much is currently being made of the comparison between Gordon Brown and John Major struggling to keep a reputation for being in charge.

It seems to me that the comparison with Anthony Eden is much closer.
Both came to power trailing clouds of 'competence' having been in charge of an important corner of Government for a long time . Eden had been thought of as principled, since his resignation in the thirties, and he was for many the dashingly obvious chap with whom everything would be OK because he had been at the centre of things for so long.No-one gave a thought about whether he would be any good as PM and, as it turned out, he was a disaster.
It has been clear for years that Brown is a charmless figure but,the Labour Party clearly thought this would not matter because of his much heralded ability. Eden could survive for a bit on niceness before he had a breakdown.Such an option is not open to Brown.
If there any more weeks like the last it will become clear that Brown, like Eden, is a classic case of the Peter principle and has been, as a result of the Labour Party's refusal to elect an alternative,raised to the level of his own incompete nce.They only have themselves to blame.

How this weblog works?

Bluntly, it does'nt.

Not technically speaking anyhow.

It is plagued with performance issues, which often mean that contributers posts either do not 'get through' (with a corrsponding error page displayed) or do get through but contributors are lead to belive that the post did not, and then try again.

This leads the blog to end up with duplicate entries.

Ps. even this post generated a 502 Service not available error message!

The blog has been suffering from this performance issue for quite some time.

Surely I am not the only person to complain about this?

It doesn't. Well hardly.

About 1 in 5 attempted posts gets through, perhaps 10Mb Broadband, which I cannot afford, gets one a better slice of access?

My guess is that those who can are more likely to be perversely committed tories, blagging for what they perceive as their selfish interests.

This further emphasizes the Conservative Party bias here.

Funnily enough the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News threads are much easier to access . . .

(They still, of course, tend to be anti HMG because people with pro HMG views see less reason to say anything)