Politics

 Once in a while I read a column and really, really wish I had written it. For weeks I have been looking for the historical analogy with which to illustrate the argument that removing debt from the economy is not the same as taking money out of circulation. Dominic Lawson in today's Independent has found exactly the right example: Frederic Bastiat's advice to the French National Assembly in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. In doing so Mr Lawson also offers a compelling antidote to the argument that reduced state spending is inimical to growth. He also offers a powerful incentive to read and reread the history of the French revolution. It inspired Karl Marx too, of course (the revolution that is, not Dominic Lawson's column).  

Is coverage of Britain's new coalition politics hitting the mark? Are old editorial habits, more applicable to left/right polarity, proving less than ideal in the ConDem Nation? Kevin Marsh of the BBC College of Journalism started a debate about this last week on his blog. I decided to take it on in my column for The Independent. What do you think? All opinions will be appreciated.

Poor David Laws. My sympathy is total. From the moment he burst onto the scene as a member of the Liberal Democrat coalition-negotiating team it was plain that he had gravitas. That precious commodity is recalled more often than it is witnessed in today’s Whitehall. Members of a political generation who fought in wars, built businesses and employed people before they got elected often had it. The modern class of former lobbyists and special advisers lacks it as completely as a fish lacks feathers.

Last Thursday England elected 297 Conservative MPs,191 Labour and 43 Liberal Democrats. Scotland will send to Westminster 41 Labour MPs, 11 Liberal Democrats, 6 Scottish Nationalists and 1 solitary Conservative. Similarly distinctive results were returned in Wales and Northern Ireland. According to the unbalanced constitutional geometry created since 1997, Scottish, Welsh and Ulster representatives may yet determine who governs Britain, but English MPs will have scant influence on the Celtic fringe. This anomaly creates potentially divisive tensions that can wreck the UK. They can be salved by the creation of a codified constitution. The Independent asked me to write about it.   

Very good luck to everyone in the Centre for Journalism who is involved in coverage of the general election count tonight. Election 2010 has turned out to be an intriguing contest, and I am proud that so many students are helping to report the results. In our representative democracy, few duties are more important than conveying accurate information about the political process to the electorate. Fast, accurate reporting of results is crucial. I hope it goes well for everyone involved.

That was the rebuttal issued by Peter Mandelson on the Andrew Marr show this morning in response to allegations in the new-look Observer.

The paper is serialising a book by its chief political commentator Andrew Rawnsley - The End of the Party - which charts the fortunes of the Labour party under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Chief among the allegations is that Sir Gus O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, became so concerned by reports of Brown's explosive temper that he looked into the matter and told the PM: 'This is no way to get things done'.

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will debate with each other in three live television debates during Election 2010. After years of pressure from broadcasters, Britain's party leaders have agreed to participate in a process that is common in most other developed democracies. So, how significant is their agreement? Will the debates, to be hosted on Sky, BBC and ITV, enhance democracy, promote engagement and increase voter turnout? The Guardian asked for my thoughts. Here they are.   

Do you want to play a key part in the General Election coverage for Sky News? Do you think you’re up to the job – and do you think you can be fastest and best? Sky News is looking for energetic, reliable and accurate student journalists willing to contribute to the General Election results service for the 24-hour multi-platform news organisation. You’ll be paid a fee. And we’ll DOUBLE the fee if you get the results to the Sky News Centre first, beating all the opposition.

Neswnight Scotland dedicated an entire edition to discussion of the relationship between politicians and the media last night. The hook was, of course, the Sun's decision to back the Conservatives (except in Scotland where, so far, it is only opposing Labour) 

Is it appropriate that the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was made by the Scottish government? Was devolution supposed to give a Scottish minister, with no broader UK mandate, the power to influence British relations with the USA? I think not.  The Independent invited me to explain why this decision can be regarded as an alarming example of devolution's increasingly plentiful unintended consequences.