The commentators                    26-08-15

...on politics

Pro-Europeans need to lay a foundation of principled optimism about Britain’s future. They need to give their potential supporters pub-ready arguments for EU membership: defensive rhetorical armour against the more emotive claims of the sceptics. Failure to anticipate the sheer social awkwardness of pragmatic unionists when confronted with garrulous separatists was one of Better Together’s strategic errors. Britain will not fall in love with the EU at any point in the next 12 months. The task for the pro-European campaign is to give voters confidence that membership is a good idea anyway, emboldening the head before the heart turns any harder
- Rafael Behr, The Guardian
Our national broadcaster won’t like to be compared with Radio Moscow, which used to pump out endless good news on tractor production to what it hoped would be a grateful population. But when it comes to handling the story of migrants trying to enter Europe, the BBC seems intent on emulating its defunct Soviet counterpart. Since the decision to broadcast an edition of Songs of Praise from a makeshift canvas church in the migrant camp at Calais two weeks ago, the BBC has persisted in promoting only positive images of migration
- Ross Clark, Daily Express
Isabel Hardman
While impatience for change is admirable when government can so easily chug along without achieving very much, Cameron must beware of pushing his ministers too far, too fast. One reforming secretary of state worries that Cameron’s impatience to see quick results could become a liability. “Giving up on stuff because there is too little fruit may not be best if the course is the right one. He has four years to make a legacy but some of what we are trying to do will take a generation.” That means Cameron must avoid being too frenzied as he recovers from his party’s near-death experience. After all, he doesn’t want the Tories to have another fright at the ballot box in five years’ time
- Isabel Hardman, The Times
Jeremy Corbyn has made some sensible and laudable suggestions on tackling the scourge of sexual harassment: the extension of a scheme tested in Bradford to register the number plates of  men who shout at women in the street, and the creation of a police hotline for reporting harassment and assault staffed exclusively by women, is especially encouraging. But a polite scheme of women-only train carriages after 10pm? Not so much
- Holly Baxter, The Independent
Those who still hope to avert a Jeremy Corbyn victory know, in their hearts, that the ill-starred military adventures and neoliberalism of Tony Blair were the incubator for another, still-untested evangelist. Though his enemies would never admit it, Islington’s vest-wearing Dionysos is the true heir to Blair
- Mary Riddell, Daily Telegraph
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The only reason this case from Shoeburyness reached the public consciousness was because someone mentioned age. That turns out to have been a side issue, and we shall probably never know the full story. That may be right and proper, a family's private traumas should not be aired for public entertainment. 
But if women are being coerced into signing away the right to look after their children when they are not mentally fit, in order that councils can meet adoption targets - as the grandparents' lawyer and MPs suggest - then we need to know.
The journalists covering this story have fallen for the clickbait angle and missed the real issue.
Editor's blog: Grandparents' tale of woe

Comment archive, 2015

June 5 Fifa
June 4 Politics
June 3 Charles Kennedy
June 2 British politics
June 1 Fifa
labour leadership contenders
May 22 UK politics
May 21 UK politics
May 20 The Labour party
May 19 The NHS
May 18 UK politics
ballot box
May 8 General election
May 7 General election
May 6 General election
May 5 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
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
Picture
May 29 Fifa
May 28 The Queen's Speech
May 27 Europe
May 26 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
Picture
May 1 General election
April 30 General election
April 29 General election
April 28 General election
April 27 General election
manifestos
April 17 General election
April 16 General election
April 15 General election
April 14 General election
April 13 General election
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
Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
Kings College Cambridge
August 25
Politics
August 24
Labour leadership
Labour leadership candidates
August 21
Politics
August 20
Student debt
August 19
Labour leadership
August 18
Labour leadership
August 17
Labour leadership
Jeremy Corbyn
August 14
Labour leadership
August 13
Politics
August 12
Politics
August 11
Politics
August 10
Labour leadership
Camila Batmanghelidjh
August 7
Kids Company
August 6
Kids Company
August 5
Labour leadership
August 4
Labour leadership
August 3
Calais
Calais
July 31
Calais
July 30
Calais
July 29
Labour leadership
July 28
Lord Sewel
July 27
Labour leadership
Jeremy Corbyn
July 24
Labour leadership
July 23
Labour leadership
July 22
Labour leadership
July 21
Counter-terrorism
July 20
Boris Johnson, Greece
Picture
July 17
UK politics
July 16
UK politics
July 15
Iran
July 14
Greece
July 13
Greece
Picture
July 10
Budget
July 9
Budget
July 8
The Budget
July 7
Greece
July 6
Taxation
Greek debt
July 3
Grexit
July 2
Heathrow
July 1
Grexit
June 30
Grexit
June 29
Tunisian massacre
Alexis Tsipras
June 26
Monarchy and Brexit
June 25
UK politics
June 24
UK politics
June 23
Greece
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
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