The commentators                    23-06-15

...on Greece 

It has been impossible to watch the march of the euro since its introduction in 1999 without awed disbelief that so many politicians and bankers with more degrees and diplomas than any Mastermind winner could have made such colossal misjudgments, which have continued this week at the Eurogroup emergency summit in Brussels. It was ridiculous to create a common currency in the absence of a common system of government. It was madness to join together a clutch of northern nations that pay taxes, respect agreements and are reasonably uncorrupt with such countries as Italy, Spain and, above all, Greece, where honest men inspire derision.
- Max Hastings, Daily Mail
As EU leaders head into this week’s emergency talks, they face a choice of three hazardous routes out of the Greek crisis. Route one involves making concessions to Greece. Route two involves standing firm and allowing Greece to leave the euro. Route three involves Athens largely accepting the demands of its creditors. The choice seems stark. But the truth is that all three routes may ultimately lead to the same destination: the destruction of the European single currency.
- Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Greece knows that even if it defaults on the Fund it still has a chance of borrowing from other euro members or, at the extreme, from Russia, or the new Chinese contender to the World Bank. That helps explain why Ms Lagarde is panicking. Greece owes it €1.5 billion at the end of this month, and it is the Fund, not Greece, which has more to lose. Think of the IMF as the Lib Dems of international economics. They sacrificed their mission and base for the greater good in 2010, a decision which is coming back to haunt them.
- Ed Conway, The Times
Athens is merely the worst outbreak of a much bigger disease within the euro project. Because the single currency isn’t working for ordinary Europeans, from the Ruhr valley to Rome.
- Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
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Comment Awards 2015

Anyone can nominate their favourite writer

Friday 12 June, 2015 Are the comment pages and columnists too Londoncentric? And if they are, what is the solution when the financial and political powerhouses are based in the capital? 
Does the character or personality of the writer matter? Should we read columnists with whom we violently disagree  or is it, as Eleanor Mills suggested, good for the soul but bad for the blood pressure? 
Why did the so-called political experts get it so wrong in calling the general election? And will they - and Rupert Murdoch - influence the result of the EU referendum?
All these points and more were addressed under the guidance of Dr Anthony Seldon at the launch of the 2015 Comment Awards last night. Seldon will chair the judging panel for the awards, now in their seventh year.
Nominations are now open and anyone can put forward anyone writing in the UK media - broadcasting, print or online  - by submitting the URLS of three articles published between August 1, 2014 and July 31 this year, which is the closing date for entries.
The 17 awards include four new categories:  Comment piece of the year for a single piece of excellent writing; Young commentariat; Society and diversity commentator; and Technology and digital commentator.
There is no charge for entries. Details and the nomination forms can be found here.
Oh yes, and who was the most frequently mentioned columnist at last night's event? Matthew Parris? Andrew Rawnsley? Stephen Glover? No. By a country mile, the most discussed writer was Katie Hopkins. 

Comment archive, 2015

Westminster
April 10 General election
April 9 General election
April 8 General election
April 7 General election
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
dissolution parliament
April 2 General election
April 1 General election
March 31 General election
March 30 Depression 
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
Steve Richards
The Greek crisis is as much to do with accountability, democracy and responsibility as it is about economics. In January, Greece elected a government “opposed to austerity”. The new Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, had a theoretical mandate to renegotiate the package imposed on his country by leaders in Berlin and Brussels. But as the new Prime Minister he continued to need their financial support. So to whom is he accountable? The voters who propelled him to a historic victory or Angela Merkel and the ECB?
- Steve Richards, Independent
Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
Alexis Tsipras
June 22
Greece
Labour hustings
June 19
Greece and Europe
June 18
UK politics
June 17
Politics
June 16
Social mobility
June 15
Politics
Merkel, Obama G7
June 12
Politics
June 11
Politics
June 10
Politics
June 9
Europe
June 8
Politics
Sepp Blatter

June 5
Fifa
June 4
Politics
June 3
Charles Kennedy
June 2
British politics
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
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