Simon Heffer's Blog, page 47

Yes, he may have killed the princes in the Tower, but now we should give our last ENGLISH king a decent burial

Once we know if these bones are in fact Richard III’s, we need to decide whether a more dignified resting-place than a council car park is suitable for a man who was the last truly English king.

Will Dave's botched reshuffle hand Ed Miliband the keys to No10?

Four days after the first — and, the Government claims, the only — big reshuffle of this parliament, this much is clear. Although designed to improve the country’s economic outlook and the prospects of the Tories winning the next election, the changes seem to have done little to help either.

I would use my shotgun against a burglar if I had to - and the law should be on my side

No one would have wanted to be in the position of Andy and Tracey Ferrie, a Leicestershire couple who awoke in the early hours of Sunday to hear burglars breaking into their house. To make matters worse, their cottage was isolated and the burglars appeared to have come mob-handed.

Forget focus groups. They should listen to the wealth creators who know how to get Britain working

At the mid-point of a parliament, governments are usually unpopular. Ministers have to develop an armour-plated skin, and try to swat off the abuse thrown at them.

I don't want to rain on the Beeb's Parade, but this is no Downton

Very occasionally something pops up on TV that you feel you really can’t miss, and such a moment came for me on Friday.

Reshuffle? Why bother. Dave can't sack the real deadbeats

The so-called silly season this year has been shorter than usual, thanks partly to the Olympics and partly to the very serious matter of the economic crisis. It has, however, had one traditional element: speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle.

Shunned by rich donors, Mr Cameron may soon regret his neglect of the raffle ticket buying Tory rank and file

A good rule for determining who is likely to win the next general election has always been ‘follow the money’. Applying the rule now, it would be a brave punter who bet on the Tories.

To ditch a chum as Chancellor would be ruthless. But Dave may soon have no choice

Politicians now see it as a mark of virility never to change course, however compelling the case for doing so. I fear this strategy is about to be tested beyond its limits in Britain and, indeed, in the eurozone.

Desperate news: Dan’s eaten his last cow pie

Children from eight to 80 felt a kick from the hob-nailed boot of harsh reality yesterday. The Dandy, a staple of so many British childhoods, and the nation’s oldest surviving comic, is on the brink of closure.

Profoundly flawed, but that won’t stop Teflon Boris’s bid for Dave’s job

The secret of Boris Johnson’s success is his extraordinary genius for emerging stronger, and more electorally irresistible, from any moment of adversity (and he’s certainly had many of those).