The commentators 26-11-15...on the Autumn Statement
We shouldn’t really be surprised by George Osborne’s retreat on tax credits. It’s what he does: he talks like Margaret Thatcher, then acts like Tony Blair. Mr Osborne has a habit of using the promises and rhetoric of the state-shrinking Right, then tacking to the centre when it comes to delivery
- James Kirkup, Daily Telegraph 
If ever there was a moment for a Tory administration to act bravely to curb the scale of the state, to launch a crusade to roll back decades of unaffordable public spending, this was it. May’s election victory offered an historic opportunity. George Osborne has secured a reputation as the most substantial and courageous member of this Government. But yesterday he chose to duck the big match, to dodge confrontation with the Left, to carry on pretty much as most British governments do, muddling along from one year to the next
- Max Hastings, Daily Mail 
Clever? Of course. First of all, brief cuts to political danger zones, such as the police, then whisk them away, just like that. Next, scatter the nation with unexpected good news – no cuts to the arts and sport, no museum charges, the NHS to stay afloat at least for next year. Such largesse! A day ago Osborne was the mad axeman, today he’s the tooth fairy. How did the magician do that? But hold on to the big numbers: his direction is unchanged
- Polly Toynbee, The Guardian 
The most important question is whether Mr Osborne, in making draconian cuts in some public services is being merely prudent, albeit excessively so, or is he surreptitiously intent on creating a small state such as we have not experienced in this country since the 1930s?
- Andreas Whittam Smith, The Independent 
The truth is that having barely come down, expenditure is beginning to go up again, and we must all pray like mad that George Osborne’s surprisingly relaxed approach ends up succeeding
- Stephen Glover, Daily Mail 
Only a few years ago, the puff would have been chucked out the moment the scale of a story like this became apparent, partly as a matter of taste and partly to maximise the potential for display and give the story room to breathe.
Last night only the Telegraph dispensed with the blurb - and that decision may have been influenced by the oversized ad at the foot of the page. The Times had signed up Bake-Off's Nadiya and wasn't about to surrender a millimetre of her promo. The Guardian was similarly wedded to its taste of autumn and the Mail to its Lego toy... but journalism was still the winner How the papers covered the Paris attacks Comment Awards, 2015Teenage ebola diarist honoured
Tuesday 24 November, 2015
A 13-year-old girl whose diary of life during the ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone made the Observer splash became the youngest winner at the EI Comment Awards in London today. Bintu Sannoh was named young commentariat of the year for this piece about the crisis and two further articles about the stigma and poverty and hunger that came in the wake of the disease. Six months later she was able to return to school - but she writes about how everything had changed, with only a third of pupils having survived.  Janan Ganesh: double winner
Janan Ganesh emerged the sole double winner of the morning as the Financial Times took pride of place at the ceremony at the RIBA headquarters. He won the top accolade of commentariat of the year, having earlier been named political commentator of 2015.
His paper won the award for the best comment pages, Gillian Tett was business commentator and Michael Skapinker won the new prize for business ethics commentary. The Times also claimed a clutch of prizes: David Aaronovitch was honoured for comment piece of the year for this article after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Jenni Russell won the new diversity award, Hugo Rifkind was arts and culture commentator and Sathnam Sanghera media commentator (in succession to SubScribe). Other winners included Simon Jenkins, Gary Younge and Cory Doctorow of the Guardian, Allister Heath of the Telegraph, Channel 4, and the science writer Philip Ball. The chairman's award went to Andrew Rawnsley, of the Observer, while the Sun punctured the domination of the broadsheets (even if few of them are physically broadsheets these days) by winning the eiDigest special award for its leader column. SubScribe was honoured and surprised to find a place on the individual blogger shortlist, but delighted to see the award go to Matthew Scott, whose excellent Barrister Blogger can be seen here You can see all the winners here and the full shortlists here. Comment archive, 2015 |
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November 20 Politics November 19 Paris attacks November 18 Terrorism November 17 Paris attacks November 16 Paris attacks 
November 13
Politics November 12 Politics November 11 Politics November 10 Britain and Europe November 9 Remembrance Sunday 
November 6
Sinai jet crash November 5 UK politics November 4 UK politics November 3 State surveillance November 2 Politics 
October 30
Politics October 29 Tax credits October 28 Tax credits October 27 Tax credits October 26 Lords v Commons 
October 23
UK politics October 22 UK politics October 21 Xi Jinping October 20 Xi Jinping visit October 19 Xi Jinping's visit 
October 16
Politics October 15 Politics October 14 Politics October 13 EU referendum October 12 EU referendum 
October 9
Politics October 8 Cameron speech October 7 Conservatives October 6 Conservatives October 5 Conservatives 
October 2 UK politics October 1 Labour conference September 30 Labour conference September 29 Politics September 28 Volkswagen 
September 25
Politics September 24 Volkswagen September 23 Politics September 22 "Pig-gate" September 21 Politics 
September 18
Labour September 17 Jeremy Corbyn September 16 Jeremy Corbyn September 15 Jeremy Corbyn September 14 Jeremy Corbyn 
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Jeremy Corbyn September 10 Migrant crisis September 9 Drone strikes September 8 Migrant crisis September 7 Migrant crisis 
August 28
Virginia TV shootings August 27 Jeremy Corbyn August 26 Politics August 25 Politics August 24 Labour leadership 
August 21
Politics August 20 Student debt August 19 Labour leadership August 18 Labour leadership August 17 Labour leadership 
August 14
Labour leadership August 13 Politics August 12 Politics August 11 Politics August 10 Labour leadership 
August 7
Kids Company August 6 Kids Company August 5 Labour leadership August 4 Labour leadership August 3 Calais 
July 24
Labour leadership July 23 Labour leadership July 22 Labour leadership July 21 Counter-terrorism July 20 Boris Johnson, Greece 
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