Evening Standard - Comment

Only a brand new airport can keep Britain in the game

Norman Foster — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:59:40 BST

You only get one first impression. What message does Heathrow send out to its millions of business visitors and tourists? Nothing can disguise the fact that it has grown from a series of compromises. From its roots as a military airfield, it has been converted and expanded on a piecemeal basis. Now, bursting at the seams, with no room to expand, it faces unbeatable competition from purpose-built European hubs.

I’m a one-woman personification of Greece

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:38:43 BST

There isn’t much sympathy for Greece just now. The Germans, especially, like to talk about them having had this crisis coming, what with Greeks retiring at 50 from public service and awarding themselves 40 per cent extra wages in the eight years after joining the euro. I’m not inclined to take a censorious view. In fact, you could say I’m the very personification of Greece, or at least an object lesson in the costs of easy credit.

Eurozone approaches the moment of truth

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:56:07 BST

It is hard to escape the sense that with the latest lurches in the European economy, the eurozone crisis is coming to boiling point. Stock markets have tumbled across Asia and Europe following Moody’s downgrading last night of the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks. That move followed days of turmoil in Spain. Meanwhile this week has seen the collapse of Greek efforts to form a government, with new elections scheduled for June 17 and the Left-wing, anti-euro Syriza party riding high. It is against this grim backdrop that the G8 leaders meet at Camp David this weekend. The stakes could scarcely be higher.

Gossip: it’s a necessary evil — and such fun

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:34:04 BST

Oscar Wilde said one should always have something sensational to read on the train. I suppose the next best thing is to sit next to Rebekah Brooks. Jack Straw told the Leveson Inquiry this week that he used to gossip with the then Sun editor on the train when he commuted to work. Talk about supping with the devil and consorting with the enemy.

Risks for Britain with Greece on the brink

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:47:04 BST

The most telling aspect of the eurozone crisis is not the rhetoric of politicians but realities on the ground: in the City, dealers are preparing for drachma dealing and Greek depositors are pulling billions out of the banks.

Facebook flotation: Is this the bubble that shows no sign of bursting?

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:43:01 BST

When an unknown Russian investment firm sank $200 million into Facebook three years ago, more seasoned technology financiers snorted with derision.

Why don’t we start privatising the police?

Tim Evans — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:42:01 BST

So Home Secretary Theresa May is “destroying” the police — at least that’s what the Police Federation claimed yesterday. But the real problem is not that May’s reforms to pay and working conditions are too radical, it’s that they are nowhere near radical enough.

We are busting our guts to keep our jobs

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:26:38 BST

Happy days! The Conservatives have cracked it. It’s taken two years, but the Tories have finally worked out how our nation will be dragged out of the financial fug and popped back on the path to economic Arcadia.

Forget about sexism — we’re all victims now

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:38:35 BST

MEN! Are you the victim of sexism? Ever been made to feel bad by a so-called feminist? Perhaps you weren’t even aware you were being discriminated against, says philosophy professor David Benatar. He makes his pitch in a new book, The Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys — and it’s a pretty compelling one.

This ban on insults is a gag on free speech

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:15:07 BST

It is a remarkable issue that can unite gay rights groups, the Christian Institute, the National Secular Society and civil liberties organisations, but Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 manages to do just that. This is the provision which bans “insulting words or behaviour”: it has been invoked to suppress an astonishing variety of views, from the student who called a police horse “gay” to Christians or Muslims saying homosexual activity is a sin, or gay rights groups protesting at religiously grounded opposition to homosexuality.

Can David Cameron limit the fallout from his friend Rebekah Brooks's woes?

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:09:26 BST

Among the many pitiless realities of political life is this: the potential flipside of any advantageous alliance is guilt by association. In politics, you are lashed to the mast of the friends you choose. And that is why, unjustly but inescapably, the charges brought against Rebekah and Charlie Brooks yesterday (and vehemently denied by them) are a problem for David Cameron — potentially a big problem.

No BBC boss should be flying political colours

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:57:29 BST

Has triumph gone to the Mayor’s mop so soon? Boris Johnson thinks the BBC’s new director-general should be a full-blooded Tory. This will avoid the corporation remaining in the hands of a motley crew who are “‘statist, corporatist, defeatist, anti-business, Europhile and overwhelmingly biased to the Left”.

Mr Cameron needs to re-establish his grip

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:23 BST

The opinion polls suggest no end yet to the Coalition’s bad patch. The latest poll from YouGov has Labour on 45 per cent and the Conservatives on 31: by comparison, in 1997’s landslide, Labour polled 44.4 per cent to the Tories 31.4 per cent. The same poll suggests that more people now think Labour would manage the economy better. Meanwhile, David Cameron’s previously impregnable personal ratings are sliding, with a rise in Labour leader Ed Miliband’s fortunes. How worried should the PM be?

Monarchy is the solution not the problem

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:08:46 BST

A sunny weekend at last and I got around to seeing the refurbished Kensington Palace public rooms. The £15 ticket is not cheap but visitors — mostly foreign tourists — were not put off. We crowded into the imaginatively restored rooms, fully blown history but with a playful touch. It is the Hilary Mantel-isation of British royalty that is our great national asset.

Delaying same-sex marriage is a way of crushing it

Chris Bryant — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:32 BST

After the local elections, a string of Tory MPs, mostly paid-up members of the Colonel Bufton-Tufton brigade, came out on parade to pronounce that the reason voters had turned against them so spectacularly was the Government’s espousal of same-sex marriage and Lords reform. To be frank, and to speak in their own language, this was nothing but tosh, bunkum and codswallop.

Council houses are homes for the poor, not assets for the rich

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:40:17 BST

When Octavia Hill launched the social housing movement in London she defined it briskly as “to provide better homes for the poor”. Today that would read “better homes for those lucky enough to get one”. That might cover Bob Crow, the boss of the train drivers’ union, or the former head of Camden council, Frank Dobson. It might mean an acquaintance of mine whose family contrived to inherit two sizeable flats next to Tower Bridge, and asked for my help to get a second council garage for their business.

End this Tory backbench fairground freak show

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:11:49 BST

I saw Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Donmar Theatre recently. It was a great production and well received by the critics. The play is about kingship, high politics and revenge. It’s all very Shakespearean in its grandeur.

Do we have the will to give our poorest children a leg up?

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:56:26 BST

Six years ago I spent several days trying to persuade a bright, shy 17-year-old from north London that she really shouldn’t drop out of school. Shelley, as we might call her, had a grim home life. She lived with her mother, a chaotic, uneducated alcoholic. The house was frequently raided by police. Shelley had many younger siblings whom she had to feed and look after when her mother was off her head.

We urgently need a new airports strategy

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:19:33 BST

Today's comments on Heathrow from Colin Matthews, chief executive of airport owner BAA, will add to the pressure on ministers to come up with a new airports strategy. He warns that Heathrow may in 15 years be a “branch line” while the limited number of routes it serves is at odds with the Government’s ambition for UK expansion into new markets, including China.

Parenting lessons are just a perk for the middle class

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:31:21 BST

There comes a time in every government’s life when it reaches for an eye-catching initiative. For John Major’s faltering administration, it was the Cones Hotline. For this one, it may turn out to be CAN Parent — a pilot scheme whereby parents of under-fives can pick up vouchers for £100 worth of free parenting lessons from Boots.

Dole out Asbos to badly behaved theatregoers

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:07:51 BST

Felicity Kendal has spoken about the narrowness of the cultural class which visits the theatre and ballet. Only the rich can afford to go to the theatre these days, she implies. Her thoughts echo Kevin Spacey, artistic director of the Old Vic, who said ticket prices risk alienating an entire generation of future audiences. He likened Broadway and the West End to an exclusive club.

Breaking the grip of the public schools

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:23:13 BST

Michael Gove’s bold speech yesterday on the grip on power of public schoolboys comes at a sensitive moment for the Tories. The aftermath of the Budget and poor local election results have brought accusations that ministers are out of touch, most memorably Nadine Dorries MP’s branding of David Cameron and George Osborne as “arrogant rich boys”. Last night there were angry exchanges on the theme at a meeting of the party’s 1922 Committee. Mr Gove’s intervention is far more considered.

Ivan Massow: David Cameron has betrayed gays to appease the Right

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:14:04 BST

They said it was short and sweet. Well, it was short but not so sweet — at least not for anyone expecting a bill to legalise gay marriage.

I think it's right that I'm racially profiled at airports

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:55:01 BST

Far from ending prejudice, political correctness has expanded the pool of people discriminated against: it now includes everyone. That, at least, seems to be one result of the chaos of lengthening immigration queues: white passengers have been detained by officials at Gatwick simply because of their colour.

Dads too can be asked to juggle work and kids

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:33:34 BST

Well done, Nick Clegg. That can’t be a phrase the Deputy Prime Minister hears often now, but in pushing to end what he once dubbed our “Edwardian” system of parental leave (where Mama is expected to do 80 per cent of the nappy-changing and Bugaboo-pushing), he has done both sexes a favour. The Queen’s Speech confirmed yesterday that mothers and fathers will be able to split postpartum responsibilities more evenly come 2015.

Before you send that compromising text, count to 10

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:05:30 BST

Connoisseurs of the lame excuse are living through a golden age. A new biography of David Cameron claims the PM sent former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks a text, as the hacking scandal engulfed the paper and the Murdoch empire, apologising for his “sudden coldness”. Ed Miliband, he suggested, would pounce on any display of public support, like a terrier on a rat.

Humble pie is on the menu with the AGM sandwiches

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:33:15 BST

There was a time not so long ago when the tradition of the annual general meeting was threatening to wither and die.

Public sector strikers must face reality

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:31:05 BST

Today's public sector 24-hour strikes are undeniably less damaging than those last November which involved 30 unions — but they still have their intended effect of inconveniencing the public. And for those members of the public who are not among the six million people who work directly for the state, the strikers’ case is no more sympathetic now than it was last year.

Learning to drive changed my city view

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:02:59 BST

Learning to drive is proving to be mind-expanding in ways that I could never have imagined. Not only can I now execute a three-point turn in a Vauxhall Astra on a slight incline; I feel as if I’ve shifted the gears in my very consciousness.

Coalition sets course through the storm

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:57:49 BST

Today's Queen’s Speech is constrained by two factors: the political compromises required by coalition and the dire state of the economy. Still, the programme does manage to cover a good deal of ground, from reforms of the courts and banking system to a radical reworking of adoption practice and flexible maternity leave.

Dissident Tories must wake up to the world as it is

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:56:04 BST

Treasonable as it may be to say as much in a jubilee year, today’s Queen’s Speech is a political sideshow. Whatever else it lacks, the Coalition is not afflicted by a legislative deficit. In private, its most senior figures concede that its fate depends upon the implementation of measures already passed, rather than the passage through Parliament of yet another batch. Of the many lessons to be drawn from last week’s elections, one is surely uncontroversial: as far as the public is concerned, good intentions are no longer enough.

Merkel — so austere she handwashes her undies

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:52:10 BST

In the grand pantomime of recession-struck Europe, Angela Merkel is Dame Nein: a rigid nay-sayer to the new breed of Keynesians who believe the answer to the continent’s problems lies in digging holes and building bridges to escape the recessionary bust.

Eurozone in crisis: there is no Plan B

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:22 BST

There is, as they say, no Plan B. The notion on the back of which the electors of France and Greece appear to have voted, that it is possible to have a viable eurozone, market credibility, more growth and less austerity, is one for the birds. No government in Europe, including our own, has embraced austerity for its own sake. They are trying to contain state deficits because they have to.

Enough inertia — now Boris must show who’s boss

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:54:15 BST

Boris Johnson celebrated his victory in the London mayoral election last week in the way he knows best. He ripped up Hyde Park Corner. He closed half Knightsbridge. He narrowed Cromwell Road and denied vehicle access to Paddington station. He ensured maximum disruption across London for the bank holiday in a frenzy of digging.

Greece will leave the euro — now look to Spain

James Pettifer — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:59:55 BST

The Greek poll on Sunday has been overshadowed by the French Socialists’ triumph but has the same message, and is crucial to the future — or lack of it — of the euro. Ruling politicians of whatever country are finding it harder and harder to retain office while promoting anti-austerity measures. In Greece the crisis has been longer and the reaction more extreme. Centre-Left party Pasok and Centre-Right New Democracy, which for the past 30 years have presided over corruption and the debt bubble, polled abysmally, with New Democracy, the largest party, receiving just 19 per cent of ballots.

It’s a hearts and minds battle for ‘Camborne’

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:55:18 BST

After the Chancellor confronted on television the depths of his Government’s unpopularity, a political commentator tweeted with distaste that Osborne, like Cameron, looked very well on the country’s misfortune.

Would your boss care if you didn’t turn up to work?

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:10:58 BST

Would your boss notice, or even care, if you didn’t turn up to work for seven days? The MI6 spy Gareth Williams was missing from work for a week before the security services alerted the police. Given his work as a spy, it does seem inconceivable that nobody bothered to raise the alarm. Inconceivable, insulting and not exactly confidence- inspiring.

Why I doubt Leonardo Da Vinci painted this picture

Brian Sewell — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:29:49 BST

Londoners interested in the visual arts are fortunate enough to live in a constant whirl of exhibitions. We have only to consider the first few months of this year — the great Leonardo show at the National Gallery, old Zoffanys and brave new Hockneys at the Royal Academy, a melancholy farewell to Freud at the National Portrait Gallery, Picasso at Tate Britain and the British Museum, Damien Hirst at Tate Modern, Mondrian at the Courtauld, Canaletto in Greenwich, Indian drawings in Dulwich, Turner and Claude replacing Leonardo in Trafalgar Square and Leonardo reappearing as an anatomist at Buckingham Palace — to realise how rich and fortunate we are to experience so much and such variety.

A good night for Labour — and Boris

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:23:45 BST

Last night’s election results will give cheer to Labour, with one exception: London. For while nationally the opposition has made impressive gains in council seats, all the signs are that in London, Ken Livingstone is set to lose to Boris Johnson. Nevertheless, Mr Johnson’s likely victory may prove problematic in the long term, fuelling some Tories’ search for a different kind of Conservatism. The results will also further call into question just what the Liberal Democrats gain from coalition government.

This is a bittersweet day for us London Lefties

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:10:07 BST

For Leftie Londoners today is bitter-sweet. Last night’s council elections were a stinging slap in the face for the Coalition: the Tories down well over 300 seats so far, Lib-Dems down 180, and Labour set to pick up more than 700 seats nationally.

London needs a mayor who thinks globally

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:45:53 BST

Take a walk through central London this evening and note what you see. Bars with people spilling onto the pavement; buzzy restaurants turning away diners; theatres with sold-out runs.

This mayoralty has proved its importance

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:44:08 BST

The polling stations are open until 10pm tonight — so there is every opportunity to vote in the mayoral and London Assembly elections. We hope our readers will do so: whoever wins deserves a strong mandate. The mayoral campaign has had its lively spats but it has been a useful exercise that has gone a long way to clarifying the differences between the candidates. This paper’s mayoral debate was notable for audience engagement; the issues of policing, public transport and fares really mattered.

Ken jump-started this city — Boris should steer it

Terry Farrell — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:35:45 BST

Against worldwide trends, London has proved remarkably resilient. It is growing, reinforcing its position as the world’s most inclusive, buoyant and liveable metropolis.

Ban the navy knickers and let girls get fit

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:08:30 BST

Rosamund consistently tries to do as little exercise as possible,” my school report declared when I was 14. This particular member of the Tyrants-In-Tracksuits brigade (distinguishing characteristic: a desire to punish young women by forcing them to run around in navy knickers) had been annoyed by my — I thought rational, she thought recalcitrant —behaviour in gym and dance classes.

The Games’ new stars — paranoia and machismo

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:56:47 BST

They are priming the artillery in Waltham Forest. Armed forces in Bow have been positioning surface-to-air missile batteries on the roofs of ordinary homes. Across the capital, 7,500 troops are cleaning their semi-automatics.

Murdoch report was blunted by MPs

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:53:13 BST

The markets have had their say on Rupert Murdoch —and it’s a thumbs-up. The same day six members of the Commons culture, media and sport committee declared that he was not “a fit person” to run a big international business, shares in News Corporation rose. Moreover, results from BSkyB showed an underlying profit of £908 million in nine months, up a quarter over the same period a year before. This is not in itself proof that BSkyB is a “fit and proper” holder of a broadcasting licence — but it is a reminder of Mr Murdoch’s achievement in making the most of the company’s potential.

Why Tories both need — and fear — a Boris Johnson victory

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:49:12 BST

If Boris Johnson wins a second term tomorrow, I shall look back on one moment above all as the symbolic deal-clincher. Not his ferocious confrontation in a lift with Ken Livingstone on April 3, galvanic as that undoubtedly was. Not the Labour challenger’s breach with London’s Jewish community. Not even the kamikaze lunacy of his attack on Boris’s tax arrangements — the craziest instance of political self-harm since the Democrat presidential contender, Gary Hart, invited the press corps in 1987 to “follow me around” in search of evidence of his womanising, leading them straight to his antics on a yacht unimprovably named Monkey Business.

Louboutin’s six-inchers are every woman’s dream

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:33:38 BST

Does Christian Louboutin deserve an entire exhibition of his vertiginous red-soled shoes? Some sniffy souls have suggested that the show cannot merit a place in the Design Museum’s hall of fame. But if design is inventiveness, allied to a flash of genius, then Mr Louboutin is only getting his just deserts. For what kind of world is it that gives pride of place to a Dyson vacuum cleaner but fails to see the extraordinary feat (or feet) of combining balance and beauty in a jewelled stiletto?

The capital needs more social mobility

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:54:58 BST

Today's damning Commons report on social mobility has special significance for London. MPs from an all-party group conclude that Britain suffers limited social mobility between classes compared with other developed nations: half of British children’s prospects in life are predictable entirely from their parents’ own social position. This is a worrying situation for Britain: it represents a squandering of talent and risks entrenching inequality. But London, which prides itself on the opportunities it offers to all, must address the problem with particular urgency.

On balance, Boris deserves to stay in office — just

Simon Jenkins — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:46:55 BST

Thursday’s mayoral election in London is a rerun of that of 2008, and the poorer for it. All three main parties could find no one else to stand, a sad comment on the capital’s leadership talent. Not one borough leader, not one metropolitan MP, has stepped forward. London is for once overshadowed by mayoralty contests or ballots in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and elsewhere. The only spark of originality has been from the lively but inexperienced independent, Siobhan Benita.

Slapstick will keep Johnson safe from hubris

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:12:01 BST

London has been described as New York, Washington and LA rolled into one, distancing it further from the rest of the country. It has the energy and multicultural cool of New York, the political clout of Washington, and the glamour of LA.

Heathrow’s mess is a sign of London’s popularity

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:06:15 BST

Anyone who complains about the lines at Heathrow should remember that it is only because London is desirable. Millions of people want to visit. If all you want is a short line at immigration, Harare would be delighted to have you.

Labour already rues the day it let Ken run for Mayor

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:03:50 BST

This mayoral contest should have been Labour’s to win. The economy is tanking, the austerity strategy is clearly failing, and every big political story since the Budget has made the Government look either incompetent, heartless, craven or possibly corrupt. Lurching from granny tax to cash-for-Cameron, petrol hoarding to cosy communications with Rupert Murdoch’s men, the Conservatives have abruptly lost much of the public’s trust. Last week their poll ratings tumbled to just 29 per cent, 11 points behind Labour, a record low. But those ratings aren’t reflected in London’s mayoral race, where Boris Johnson has consistently remained in the lead. In the past 10 days that lead has varied from two to eight points. Today’s Standard poll by YouGov has him leading by four points including second-preference votes.

Boris Johnson: The right choice for London

Evening Standard comment — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:59:56 BST

Commentary: This Thursday’s mayoral election is crucial for London. Our city has so far led the economic recovery. But many Londoners face hard times.

Continuing chaos at Heathrow must end

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:50:14 BST

The head of the UK Border Agency’s Heathrow operation, Marc Owen, is presiding over three-hour queues in the arrivals hall. Yet when BAA, the airport operator, issued leaflets to passengers apologising for delays and advising them how to complain to the Home Office, Mr Owen warned them off, saying it would “increase tensions”. He mistakes cause and effect: it is the huge queues, not BAA’s leaflets, that make passengers furious.

Prosperity is trickling down to precious few

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:17:42 BST

At last some stirrings of life in the UK economy: average incomes may have fallen by 1.8 per cent but according to the Sunday Times, the 1,000 richest people in the country are 4.7 per cent wealthier than last year.

Why ethnic Londoners need to be backing Boris

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:59:03 BST

Britain’s ethnic minorities don’t like the Conservatives — at least according to a big new study commissioned by Lord Ashcroft. Just four per cent of black voters and seven per cent of Asians said they identify with the Tories. It’s true that ethnic minorities have long-standing loyalty to Labour. But at this week’s mayoral election, they should instead should express their long-repressed Tory natures.

No place in our city for electoral fraud

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:44:08 BST

The British electoral system is remarkable for its integrity and freedom from corruption. That makes it all the more important that we take seriously threats to that integrity. In a closely fought election, such as next week’s mayoral vote, it is particularly important that the outcome should not be compromised by vote rigging or fraud of any kind.

People power is the new force changing London

Amol Rajan — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:04 BST

There was a moment on Wednesday night when the eyes of the three leading candidates for London’s mayoralty simultaneously went moist. Barbara, a 34-year-old cleaner of Polish descent who lives in Wood Green, was describing her working day for the Hilton Hotel chain. She gets a net income of £3 for each room that she does and has to clean more than 17 rooms a day with no pay for overtime if she cannot finish. She survives on just £5 a day for food, clothes and all the basics. “I can’t afford to have children,” she told a rapt audience, “but a Living Wage would change my life.”

Streatham is the grit in this city’s oyster

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:21:30 BST

Some parts of London are necessary and others are contingent, said Dame Iris Murdoch. I’m not sure Streatham is a “shithole”, as Jo Brand described it on a recent edition of Have I Got News for You, but I would certainly describe it as contingent. I will not lose any sleep if I never visit the south London ’burb ever again.

I’ve worked for Ken and Boris — I’m backing Ken

Richard Rogers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:03:43 BST

The choice of who is to run the city has never been more critical. We need a Mayor who is visionary and decisive, who understands the needs and aspirations of ordinary Londoners. We want a Mayor who understands the need for a better distribution of wealth and who will help protect the vulnerable from the Government’s slash-and-burn economics.

The Mayor can boost London’s economy

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:12:01 BST

The latest poll in the mayoral contest puts Boris Johnson ahead of Ken Livingstone by a short head, though by a larger margin than the YouGov poll earlier this week. The interesting aspect of it is why. What emerges from the findings is that Mr Johnson is trusted on the economy: those surveyed favour him in a recession.

Confidence is the key to rising out of this double dip

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:54:49 BST

It was probably around early February that hopes rose that Britain would dodge a double-dip recession.

Londoners on the Left do not have to vote for Ken

Paddy Ashdown — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:29:08 BST

I understand why many voters on the progressive wing of politics are struggling with voting for Ken Livingstone. His campaign has been sad, desperate and divisive. He has just one big idea — a seven per cent cut in Tube fares. It’s a perfectly decent policy at a time when fares have risen for years on end but the problem is he can’t do it and he knows it.

Lucy’s a heroine for women who don’t want kids

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:54:29 BST

A funny thing happens if you say you don’t want children. Distant rellies/colleagues/people you have only just met think it is acceptable to reply, “Oh, you’ll change your mind,” accompanied by a knowing look, as though they think they can shine a spotlight on your soul and see maternal impulses unknown to you.

BSkyB’s hard lessons for ministers

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:21:08 BST

The “quasi-judicial” role that the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, occupied in respect of the Murdoch bid for BSkyB was not quite the same as that of a judge in court but it should still have been dispassionate and neutral. His position in determining the future of the bid is certainly difficult to square with the emails now in the public domain that suggest that there was a continuous flow of information from Mr Hunt’s office to the Murdoch camp.

Housing is our city’s pride and greatest shame

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:05:33 BST

The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a steel tower on the Olympics site. Peter Crouch is a talismanic footballer who plays for Stoke City. Both are ungainly 377ft monuments with a loosely sporting theme but they are not interchangeable. If you move 500 families 167 miles from the base of one to the base of the other, they are probably going to feel the difference.

Why it matters how women look on television

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:58:21 BST

Never mind the gladiators — Mary Beard versus AA Gill is the kind of rumble at the Colosseum any self-respecting Roman would rush to see. The professor and the provocateur are worthy foes. Mr Gill is a newspaper critic who was uncharmed by the sight of Ms Beard discussing goings-on in the ancient world without having submitted to the diktats of BBC makeover.

Murdoch’s revenge exposes Britain’s out-of-touch elite

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:48:49 BST

When Jeremy Hunt spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday, he was mightily relieved by the level of support offered to him by his boss. The Culture Secretary is presently slated to appear before the Leveson Inquiry at the end of next month. Understandably, he would like to bring forward that appointment so he can — he hopes —clear his name speedily, and quash the wilder speculation triggered by James Mur-doch’s testimony and the extraordinary 163-page dossier of emails released by the inquiry yesterday afternoon.

It’s never been so easy for the rich to get richer

Ferdinand Mount — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:18:22 BST

They looked so bedraggled. I have never seen such a desolate demo as the Occupy protest outside St Paul’s cathedral last autumn. As I stumbled through the damp encampment, I could hear no what-do-we-want chant. As with all the protests against the bankers’ bonuses and the festering inequality in Britain, you felt that you were hearing an expiring whimper of impotence rather than witnessing the start of a giant protest movement.

Mr Osborne’s big week on the economy

Evening Standard Comment — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:48:36 BST

Today's March public borrowing figures will be some relief to the Chancellor: while higher than expected, they mean he just hit his overall borrowing target of £126 billion for the last financial year. The bigger test comes with tomorrow’s economic growth figures for the first quarter of 2012. They will be at best low; if the economy shrank, it will mean we are officially in recession again. Bank of England figures yesterday showing a collapse in banks’ lending to businesses do not bode well. The growth figures could not come at a more delicate time for the Government, after weeks of post-Budget wobbles and with key local and mayoral elections next week.

The City should beware the changing eurozone

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:06:18 BST

For the first time since European monetary union in 1999, France may end up with a Socialist government, following Sunday’s first-round victory for François Hollande.

The traditional cast of politics is breaking down

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:32:05 BST

The relationship between Ken Livingstone and the Evening Standard has had its tense moments in the past, so we were determined to be more generous with the coverage this time around. It has been an open race.

Evening Standard comment: Our mayoral race is a national test too

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:46:19 BST

The latest mayoral opinion poll shows that despite Boris Johnson’s recent poll leads, this remains an extremely close contest: the Mayor’s two per cent lead is within the margin of error. It also proves that, with no sign of an end to the Government’s woes, this London mayoral election is the most crucial yet for the national political scene.

Now is not the time to tamper with the Lords

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:41:23 BST

It is madness. Britain is still balanced on the edge of recession.The conversations I have with people I know are all edged with a deep anxiety about how to afford their lives and pay for their homes. How is the Government responding to these profound concerns? Why, by announcing its intentions to engage in a battle to reform the House of Lords. As a demonstration of supreme political detachment from reality it would be hard to beat.

Leveson’s legacy must be to keep our press free

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:55:00 BST

Last week I was in Ethiopia, where I saw how a free press can be intimidated by a state that is willing to use the law to stop journalists holding the powerful to account.

Pulitzer pullout seems almost a masterstroke

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:55:00 BST

Every time a lousy book becomes a massive bestseller, we’re told to rejoice because it Gets People Reading. That’s daft. Once you’ve acquired basic literacy there’s no reason to suppose mouthing along to The Da Vinci Code is any more improving than watching CBeebies, playing football or dabbing poster-paint on your own forehead with half a potato cut into the shape of a triangle.

Popular, cool and dancing ... Hillary is now on a roll

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:39:13 BST

Everybody seems to have had a good time during and before President Obama’s recent trip to Colombia, except the President himself. The Secret Service, we learn, thought up a way of testing security (their mission) by inviting 20 or so prostitutes to their hotel rooms — rooms which were left awash with whisky and cocaine. This kind of thing, insulting to any president, must be particularly galling to Obama: it seems to show his men do not take him seriously — for reasons we might venture to guess at.

All aboard the Queen’s jubilee bandwagon

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:36:06 BST

On your marks, get set, go! No, I am not talking about the Olympics but preparations for the Diamond Jubilee. The nation cannot contain its excitement as June 3 looms with its myriad pageants, street parties, flotillas and concerts. It seems we are all monarchists now.

We must avert this needless Tube strike

Evening Standard Comment — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:05:31 BST

Recent rows over Tube workers’ Olympic bonuses have obscured a more immediate threat: the strike that now looks set to disrupt the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines for much of next week. Maintenance workers on those lines work for Tube Lines, once a private consortium although — since its collapse in 2010 — a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. As a result of that odd corporate history, they do not enjoy the same pension rights as other TfL employees, the cause of this strike; TfL insists they have good pension rights. Talks between the RMT union and TfL broke down yesterday.

Boris and Ken’s plans for London are so parochial

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:54:27 BST

Here is an admission for an incurable election addict: I am beginning to wish the mayoral race was already run. True, the candidates have shown a talent for arguing, swearing and crying. But the calibre of ideas that London’s savvy electorate is being asked to vote for remains dire.

Now Tesco has to win its customers’ hearts and minds

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:07:10 BST

There are certain ingredients required when a company issues its annual financial statement. Profits are always good, preferably rising. Turnover also going in the same direction is handy. And if the company has done well enough to pass money to its shareholders in the form of a dividend payment, all the better.

Show your best smug face to the online world

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:00:44 BST

It was the tale of the toddler turd that did it. A friend (loosely defined, as most Facebook friends are) posted an update on the site, revealing that little Charlie had managed his first potty poo unaided — a declaration that the phrase “too much information” was born for, as was the de-friend button. Scatological over-sharing aside, it was the showing off — however silly — that irritated.

Qatada fiasco foils Mrs May’s careful plan

Evening Standard Comment — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:39:57 BST

Ministers will no doubt argue over the precise details of the farce surrounding Abu Qatada’s appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Home Secretary Theresa May insists she sought this week’s fresh deportation order after the ECHR’s appeal deadline; the Court says Qatada got his appeal in just in time. Either way, though, a new round of appeals by the notorious terror suspect was always highly likely.

Don’t let the philistines destroy London’s arts, David

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:34:47 BST

This is a worrying time for arts and culture in London. The Government has cut funding for the Arts Council by 30 per cent, hitting valuable cultural organisations big and small across the capital.

Abu Qatada has put the European Court back in the spotlight

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:52:57 BST

On the long march from judicial idiocy towards common sense, Theresa May’s statement yesterday to the Commons about the Abu Qatada case was a significant and statesmanlike step forward. Tempting as it must be simply to ignore previous rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and put the jihadist cleric on a plane to Jordan, she was right to play by the rules and launch new deportation proceedings. A Home Secretary who breaks the law — even when the law is an ass — disfigures her office and risks much more than personal embarrassment.

Will employers now ‘hire a hoodie’?

Evening Standard Comment — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:49:05 BST

Today's 35,000 drop in the unemployment figure is welcome news, the first such fall since spring last year. Youth unemployment also showed a slight drop. Ministers will be particularly encouraged by the rise in private sector employment. Yet there are still 2.65 million unemployed — the number of jobless Londoners rose — and the rate for 16-24-year-olds, more than 22 per cent, remains disturbingly high. That is behind the Government’s call today for employers to “hire a hoodie”. Employment minister Chris Grayling says that companies should give “surly” young men a chance.

Take a hard look at the Games’ ‘ethical’ sponsors

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:28:18 BST

It's one hundred days until the Olympics and already we’re wondering who is going to win all the races. Who will win the running race? Who will win the swimming race? And which of the multi-million-pound sponsors will win the race to be the least appropriate Official Partner?

Ken’s fare cut works for Londoners and the Tube

Andrew Adonis — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:47:24 BST

London would not be hosting the Olympics in 100 days had we not invested in its transport system. With the mayoral campaign dominated by the row over whether we have to choose between investment or cutting fares, Londoners should recall who is really responsible for the current improvements: Ken Livingstone.

For Boris and Ken the car is still king of the road

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:25:20 BST

The creation of a Mayor for London was meant to stimulate a new type of politician who would offer brave new ideas for the city. Unfortunately, the paucity of thinking on transport in the manifestos from the two main contenders suggests the experiment has failed — despite their ongoing row on the question of Tube fares.

Inflation figures add to ministers’ woes

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:05:06 BST

Today's inflation figures for March provide yet more bad news for the Chancellor. The rise in the Consumer Prices Index to an annualised 3.5 per cent, driven by higher food prices, may well turn out to be a blip in the long term. But it makes the Bank of England’s forecasts, especially its prediction that inflation will return to the Bank’s two per cent target by the end of the year, look increasingly thin.

Must we sit quietly for yet another childcare fairytale?

Lucy Mangan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:56:44 BST

I don’t go to sleep at night without a prayer of thanksgiving for the fact that, as a result of a disgustingly fortunate conflation of circumstances, I do not have to face the boiling horrors of finding childcare for my 11-month-old son.

Let the rich pay tax and then give to charity

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:26:12 BST

In the lexicon of political equivocation, can I tell you what a “consensus” is? It’s a U-turn, as in Treasury minister David Gauke saying he’s going to reach a consensus with charities about the Budget proposal to cap tax relief on donations to charity.

Can independents ever break the mould of politics?

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:50:26 BST

The independent candidate for Mayor, Siobhan Benita, was not allowed onto the platform for the Evening Standard mayoral debate last week.

Closing the Tube for weeks won’t work

Evening Standard comment — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:42:50 BST

Today's mayoral poll confirms that Boris Johnson is maintaining his lead over Ken Livingstone in the May 3 race — for intriguing reasons.

Privacy is like virginity: impossible to get back

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:05:30 BST

Recently I interviewed a gay theatre director and asked him if he had had any problems coming out to his parents. He looked at me as if I was clinically insane and said: “I wouldn’t dream of telling my mum and dad what I do with my d***.”

And so the great Grand National charade goes on

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:57:25 BST

On Radio 4 the other day, a nice man in an impressively fence-sitting organisation — didn’t catch the name but the gist was Expressing Concern For Equine Welfare While Not Actually Calling For The Grand National To Be Banned — was spaffing on about how horses and men had been steeplechasing for years to the benefit of both species.

The Met is getting to grips with racism

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:27:27 BST

The Metropolitan Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, says in an interview with this paper today, that “I hope we are always shocked by a police officer being a racist”. He is right. He says that, notwithstanding the Met’s referral of 10 cases of alleged racism to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the number of these cases is proportionately very small. But one case is, as he says, one too many, as he must make clear to the Commons Home Affairs Select Committe on Tuesday.

Mitt won the race — but can he win over his party?

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:11:51 BST

The same dramatic week that saw George Zimmerman arrested and charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin brought freedom for Mitt Romney. His chief remaining rival in the Republican race, Rick Santorum, fighting back tears, suspended his campaign.

Both wings of the church don’t want me

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:18:20 BST

God help the next Archbishop of Canterbury. A Church of England vicar in Croydon this week persuaded half his congregation to join a Catholic order 500 yards up the road, explaining to his parishioners that the Anglican church was telling traditional worshippers to “bugger off”. What’s more, Anglicans were feeding congregations a diet of “pap and banality”.