The commentators                    26-01-15

...on UK politics

We have a zombie Parliament: MPs are spending less and less time at Westminster and more and more time in their constituencies, electioneering. But in this legislative void, the Government has suddenly found something to rush through Parliament, which apparently cannot wait until after the General Election. What is this matter of immediate national interest? Something to do with the country’s security against acts of terrorism? No: the proposed law is one which will ban tobacco companies from branding cigarette packets with their own logos and designs.
- Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail
If you thought the prospect of Ed Miliband governing on his own was bad enough, think of the people he might have to cuddle up to.
- Tim Montgomerie, The Times
Yasmin Alibhai Brown
Under the Coalition, race laws have fallen into disuse while racism is increasing. Tories don’t care about us or our rights. They don’t like or respect us. So why should intelligent, informed, proud black and Asian citizens vote for them?
- Yasmin Alibhai Brown, The Independent
The UK Independence party is in deep ideological crisis over an issue close to its tribal heart: the true significance of the pub, and what is said there. For years, Nigel Farage has held his pint aloft like the sword drawn from the stone, the grail of authenticity. Let the faceless men of Westminster mutter their evasions and lies in the metropolitan bubble, the Ukip leader has seemed to say. I speak the unvarnished truth of the saloon bar. Now, however, the party’s general secretary, Matthew Richardson, has declared that “there are hundreds of thousands of bigots in the United Kingdom and they too deserve representation”.
- Matthew d'Ancona, The Guardian
After all the progress we appeared to be making towards a mature national discourse, we find ourselves back in the pubescent stage of political debate that brought the country to a standstill a generation ago.
- Janet Daley, Daily Telegraph
Rosie in her bra and suspenders on Monday was the support act, sent on to test the audience. We may have to wait for the headliners - but not for long.
The Sun now has the results of its free market research. We can be pretty sure that bare boobs will vanish from page three, but they will do so without the paper appearing to have surrendered to a "spoilsport" campaign.
In the meantime, the Sun has had a bit of fun. And that's what it's best at.
- Gotcha!

Please sign up for SubScribe updates  
(no spam, no more than one every week or two)

I'd like to become a SubScriber

* indicates required
Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
Pope Francis
January 23
UK politics
January 22
Chilcot inquiry
January 21
Page Three
January 20
Anti-semitism and Islam
January 19
Religion and freedom
Hebdo demo
January 16
World politics
January 15
Election debates
January 14
Charlie Hebdo
January 13
Charlie Hebdo
January 12
Charlie Hebdo
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