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488. Is Iran on the Edge of Revolution?

Could the Iran protests finally break the Supreme Leader’s brutal reign, or will the regime's deadly crackdown contain the unrest? If the US intervenes militarily, what would a Trump-style plan for ... Continue

Big bucks campaigning not what it’s cracked out to be

There was a moment during Barack Obama's multi-squillion-dollar presidential campaign when his team realised they had so much money in the war chest that they bought a mass of advertising they probabl... Continue

24 January 2010

A life in unemployment statistics

I was sent this link yesterday to a handy little map the Labour Party has created to show relative levels of unemployment in 1992 ­ ie the last comparable recession ­ and now. Pretty much everywhere... Continue

22 January 2010

Learning the wrong Iraq lessons for Afghan war

This is the full version of an article of which an edited version appears in today's Financial Times Britain is at war. It does not feel like it for a population which, the young included, has its  ... Continue

21 January 2010

Denis MacShane MP on the rewriting of history re Iraq war

I have been thinking for a while about writing something on the way so many people in politics, diplomacy and the media are rewriting history to suit their own agenda or to evade their own responsibi... Continue

20 January 2010

Darling v Gove, Osborne and help the rich squad is No Contest

After shadow education secretary Michael Gove's barely comprehensible (especially after he 'explained' it) 'toffs for teachers' elitist schooling plan, the Tories have now turned their attention to ch... Continue

19 January 2010

Dacre’s Downfall

Now come on folks, let's calm down a bit before this gay Paul Dacre thing gets out of hand. I mean the guy's got family, and even though the boys went to Eton, where they're taught to be tough out th... Continue

18 January 2010

Rebutting the good and the bad, and support from football fans

We only get The Observer on a Sunday, and I fear that Gaby Hinsliff and Nick Cohen will be going into hiding after their articles today. Sorry, but you just can't say these things!! Ms Hinsliff has w... Continue

17 January 2010

Mandela is a great man, Invictus a great film

A friend of ours is a member of Bafta and so gets all the films up for awards. We have been lucky enough to see about a dozen in recent weeks, from Up In The Air (I liked it, Fiona loved it) to Funny... Continue

16 January 2010

Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. Still active in politics and campaigns in Britain and overseas, he now splits his time between writing, speaking, broadcasting, charities and consultancy.