Even by pre-election standards, the abuse Labour is throwing at David Cameron over what happened at Stormont today is pretty hot stuff. Mr Cameron’s Ulster cousins in the UUP (now joined in an electoral pact for Westminster elections) abstained in the critical vote this afternoon on whether to devolve justice and policing to...
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Ireland
Northern Ireland: where does Cameron go now?
Leaning on Israel?
Put simply, he’s in Israel to try to dissuade the Israelis from bombing Iran. There remains a strong thread of opinion inside the Israeli cabinet that argues that Iran is building a nuclear bomb and needs to be stopped in its tracks. Reportedly, Israel does not have a supply of the American developed...
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Have economists witnessed the birth of ‘Osbornism’?
An intriguing Mais lecture , from George Osborne tonight. It was overtly political, though there was little extra detail on actual policy. Osborne is the first opposition politician since Tony Blair in 1995 to give the lecture, which has become the pulpit-of-choice for British economic policy making. If Mr Osborne wanted to answer the ‘gravitas’ question posed in and out of his own...
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20 hotels for a walking weekend
If the winter has left you feeling sluggish, shake off the cobwebs with a ramble through stunning scenery followed by a cosy bed and a well-earned dinner in one of Britain's best rural hideways Rustic luxe 1. MONACHYLE MHOR, LOCHEARNHEAD, PERTHSHIRE 1At the end of a single-track road on Loch Voil, this gem...
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A late night at Hillsborough Castle for the PMs
The latest I hear from Hillsborough is that Martin McGuiness arrived at 6.30pm to join the talks . All the main players are now in the building. The two Prime Minister are expecting a late night. The two tricks now needed will be familiar to Tony Blair and former Taoiseachs. You have to...
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