James Macintyre's Blog, page 5

This ugly AV mess shows politics at their worst

All three main parties are acting out of narrow interests

David Davis was not among the ten Tory rebels in the vote on AV last night, which passed by 328 votes to 269. They were, with thanks to Andrew Sparrow:

Brian Binley (Northampton South), Peter Bone (Wellingborough), Bill Cash (Stone), Christopher Chope (Christchurch), Philip Davies (Shipley), Philip Hollobone (Kettering), David Nuttall (Bury North), Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills), Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) and A...

Murdoch-watch: how the mogul's papers are covering today's row online

It's been a bad day for the Tories -- and the police

It is perhaps unsurprising that the News of the World is not covering today's drama in the Commons over the phone tapping scandal engulfing the paper, even though its website has a rolling news service for the week as well as on Sundays.

Slightly less excusable is the fact that the Sun isn't touching it either, at present. Its political editor was in the press gallery for the Commons exchanges however, so we can assume it will be covered ...

Commons sketch: MPs debate News of the World's phone tapping

Labour fury, Lib Dem discomfort and Tory defiance

During the 40 minutes in which the House of Commons debated the News of the World phone tapping scandal, it gradually became apparent that a majority of MPs across the House are -- privately if not publicly -- highly concerned.

Just in time for the Labour MP Tom Watson's urgent question to the Home Secretary, Simon Hughes took his seat, to be joined by Sir Menzies Campbell. The pair looked a little uncomfortable during the debate, and...

Blair statement cancelling London book signing

Sorry to those -- "as ever the majority" -- who wanted to meet former PM

Here is Tony Blair's statement on canceling his book signing in Picaddilly this week:

I very much enjoyed meeting my readers in Dublin and was looking forward to doing the same in London.

However, I have decided not to go ahead with the signing as I don't want the public to be inconvenienced by the inevitable hassle caused by protestors. I know the Metropolitan police would, as ever, have done a superb job in managing...

Police-Murdoch relationship is the real issue here

John Prescott targets Andy Hayman, the Met and News International

The British press, playing catch up to the New York Times, is understandably focused on the fate of Andy Coulson, David Cameron's communications chief, when it comes to the story of News of the World phone tapping. But the really interesting element of the NYT investigation is the very close relationship between the Met and News International. A mutually beneficial pattern is described, when the NotW gets a crime scoop...

AV second reading will pass tonight

But there will be trouble ahead for the coalition

There is a distinct air of indifference among MPs slowly dripping back today from their summer breaks. Indifference, that is, towards the second reading vote on the Alternative Vote referendum which takes at 10pm tonight.

One Labour MP who is planning to vote against, says that this because the subject has not been in the news. Compare it, he says, to the coverage given to the William Hague, Andy Coulson and Tony Blair stories in recent...

Andy Coulson: David Cameron's challenge

Prime Minister should "cut him loose", some MPs believe

The Conservative leadership is hoping that the news that David Cameron's Director of Communications Andy Coulson has told police he is willing to speak to them about phone tapping allegations at the News of the World, the paper Coulson edited, will lance the boil of this damaging story.

They may be wrong. The view in Westminster is that Coulson may be gone within weeks. Doubtless, there was a time when he seemed a good choice...

Is the BBC biased to the right?

Columnists quoting the NS Mark Thompson interview miss the point

A last word on my interview with the BBC Director General Mark Thompson last week. It was rather painful, if all too predictable, to read over the weekend several right-wing columnists -- including Peter Hitchens and Rod Liddle -- leap on Thompson's quote that the corporation had in the past suffered from a "massive left wing bias".

Especially as there is a very strong case for saying that the BBC is -- if anything at all -...

Exclusive NS interview: BBC director general

Mark Thompson on bias, Murdoch & Son, Tony Blair and his own future.

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, has said that "impartiality" is "going up and up the agenda" at the corporation in what he described as a "post-Hutton change", referring to the report into the death of the weapons scientist Dr David Kelly. But Thompson added that in past decades the BBC had a "massive bias to the left", "struggled with impartiality" and was "mystified" by Thatcherism.

The unusually frank comments ...

Exclusive NS interview: BBC Director-General

Mark Thompson on bias, Murdoch, Blair and his own future.

The BBC director-general Mark Thompson has said that "impartiality" is "going up and up the agenda" at the corporation in what he described as a "post-Hutton change" in a reference to the report into the death of the weapons scientist Dr David Kelly. But Thompson added that the BBC has in past decades had a "massive bias to the left", "struggled with impartiality" and was "mystified" by Thatcherism. The unusually frank comments...