The commentators                    02-06-15

...on British politics

By conceding that taxes are a menace that should only sting a few, Labour has become a giant intellectual compliment to the Conservative party. Excepting a war or some other national emergency, not even Andy Burnham, the leftist candidate for the party crown, would argue for higher taxes on the broad British middle. Most of us are delighted about this, but it is a sensational development that has passed largely without fanfare or study. One of our great political parties has quietly given up on that which used to define it.
- Janan Ganesh, Financial Times
Those of us who want the UK to remain in the EU have absolutely no cause for complacency. Referendums in this country do not go to plan. Scotland last year is the most vivid example, but so is the almost forgotten referendum on electoral reform. That campaign on changing the voting system should have been easily winnable in our anti-politics era.
- Steve Richards, Independent
Frankie Boyle
"They abolished the Human Rights Act” sounds like the first sentence of an Aldous Huxley novel. The Conservatives actually campaigned on a manifesto pledge to get rid of human rights and people voted for it. As electoral choices go, it’s not far off choosing to be ruled by a dry, whispering voice taunting you from an antique mirror.
- Frankie Boyle, The Guardian
History is written by the victors but in Scotland, the future is being shaped by the vanquished, playing on a sense of grievance about the referendum result. There is every chance that the same thing could happen after the EU vote. Winning may not be enough — how victory is secured matters just as much.
- Rachel Sylvester, The Times
If you support decent public services, you have to support those strikers in Barnet foregoing pay. And if you want to live in a country run as a democracy, with all its flaws and failings – rather than by big companies answerable to hardly anyone – their cause is yours.
- Aditya Charkabortty, The Guardian
You can get daily updates from Editorial Intelligence by signing up here
Politicians have decided that they don't need us any more. They are connecting directly with the voters.
And if our papers can't do better than clumsy photoshopping, character assassinations and propaganda, readers will soon decide that they don't need us either.
Editor's blog: We're giving the enemy more ammunition

Comment archive, 2015

Ed Miliband
March 27 Prince Charles's letters
March 26 UK politics
March 25 Cameron's exit strategy
March 24 Lee Kwan Yew
March 23 UK politics
Jim Murphy, Scottish Labour party conference
March 13 UK politics
March 12 Jeremy Clarkson
March 11 UK politics
March 10 UK politics
March 9 UK politics
Rifkind and Straw
February 27 UK politics
February 26 Minor party leaders
February 25 Natalie Bennett
February 24 Rifkind and Straw
February 23 World affairs
Merkel and Putin
February 13 UK politics
February 12 UK politics
February 11 UK politics
February 10 UK politics
February 9 Politics
Alexis Tsipras
January 30 Rape law
January 29 UK politics
January 28 UK politics
January 27 Greece
January 26 UK politics
Hebdo demo
January 16 World politics
January 15 Election debates
January 14 Charlie Hebdo
January 13 Charlie Hebdo
January 12 Charlie Hebdo
George Osborne
March 20 UK politics
March 19 The Budget
March 18 UK politics
March 17 Race in Britain
March 16 UK politics
Boris Nemtsov
March 6 Scotland and the election
March 5 Isis
March 4 UK politics
March 3 Radicalisation
March 2 Russia
Copenhagen
February 20 UK politics
February 19 Chelsea and racism
February 18  UK politics
February 17 UK politics
February 16 Copenhagen 
education
February 6 UK politics
February 5 Isis atrocity
February 4 UK politics
February 3 UK politics
February 2 UK politics
Pope Francis
January 23 UK politics
January 22 Chilcot inquiry
January 21 Page Three
January 20 Anti-semitism 
January 19 Religion and freedom
Charb
January 9 Charlie Hebdo
January 8 Charlie Hebdo
January 7 UK politics
January 6 UK politics
January 5 UK politics
For EI daily digests from June to December 2014 please click here
Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
Sepp Blatter
June 1
Fifa
Picture
May 29
Fifa
May 28
The Queen's Speech
May 27
Europe
May 26
UK politics
labour leadership contenders
May 22
UK politics
May 21
UK politics
May 20
The Labour party
May 19
The NHS
May 18
UK politics
New Tory MPs
May 15
Ukip and Labour
May 14
The Labour party
May 13
The Labour party
May 12
UK politics
May 11
Scotland
ballot box
May 8
General election
May 7
General election
May 6
General election
May 5
General election
Picture
May 1
General election
April 30
General election
April 29
General election
April 28
General election
April 27
General election
Sturgeon and Salmond
April 24
General election
April 23
General election
April 22
General election
April 21
Drowned refugees
April 20 
Scottish National Party
manifestos
April 17
General election
April 16
General election
April 15
General election
April 14
General election
April 13
General election
Westminster
April 10
General election
April 9
General election
April 8
General election
April 7
General election
dissolution parliament
April 2
General election
April 1
General election
March 31
General election
March 30
Depression and killer pilot
If you would like
to subscribe
to help to keep SubScribe going,
please click here

Please sign up for SubScribe updates  
(no spam, about one a month)

I'd like to become a SubScriber

* indicates required