Recently in Politics Category

Why has the Health and Social Care Bill stalled? Is it really for a listening exercise, as the prime minister would have us believe? Or is David Cameron simply buying time to rid the nation of an increasingly unpopular health secretary in a mini shuffle?

The bill is the one issue that truly divides the coalition, with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at the weekend hailing the latest changes to the initial proposals, leaving Andrew Lansley (pictured) with the gait of a dead man limping. 

It is clear that the damage caused to the coalition by the bill as well as some of the campaigning by the "No" camp in the alternative vote referendum needs to be mended.

What better an opportunity for Cameron to woo disaffected Lib Dems and disarm Labour leader Ed Miliband's weekend courting of them by bringing in a big beast from the centre (if such a creature exists). Ministers of whom Margaret Thatcher tired were unceremoniously despatched to the Northern Ireland office. On recent performances, Lansley would count himself lucky to get Sark. He is surely about to go back to his constituency and prepare for non-government.

The biggest name to replace him would probably be business secretary Vince Cable. Such a switch would remove a prickly thorn from the prime minister's hip bone, now showing signs of wear and tear after being joined to Clegg's for a year. It would also send a message to the Lib Dems that their party can lead government policy in important areas.

But a less obvious choice was alluded to in The Guardian's politics blog: David Laws. The erstwhile rising star of the Lib Dems resigned from the government 17 days after the coalition formed over breaching expenses rules.

He referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner whose verdict is expected this week.

A sympathetic ruling could see the former Treasury No 2 back in government in a pivotal role and could prove crucial to patching up the coalition.

For now.

Picture: Richard Gardner/Rex Features

Since his hard-earned skiing break in the exclusive Klosters resort, George "Don't call me Gideon" Osborne has doubtless been knuckling down to find more ways to erode our living standards in time for his next Budget statement on 23 March.

He is fortunate that advice from all quarters is in abundance.

Yesterday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, seen as a tad pinko by some Tories, pointed out that the chancellor may need to borrow less in the next financial year, but at the same time urged caution.

By coincidence, Conservative Home carried an article by Ryan Bourne of the Centre for Policy Studies calling for "more draconian" public spending cuts.

In a rather bizarre endorsement of masochism, the article thunders: "More companies in the UK should be failing". It adds that public spending cuts are not happening quickly enough.

Reading like an charter for economic anarchy, it appears to be chanting "Bring on the bankrupts!", "Bust, not boom!" and so on.

The call for further cuts will appeal to many on the Conservative right, already fearing that the Liberal Democrat elements in the government are holding back progress - or should that be regress?

London mayor Boris Johnson has added his voice by calling for tax cuts, conveniently ignoring the fact that low earners will be helped by the gradual raising of the personal allowance to £10,000 by May 2015. But he didn't really mean them, did he?

Pressure does appear to be mounting on Osborne to prove that he can operate shorn of Lib Dem influence, perhaps by reducing the higher rate tax or slashing public spending or both.

If Osborne is confident that the economy will pick up, the temptation might be to press further ahead with the "more draconian" public spending cuts feted by the Tory right, albeit risking industrial or even civil strife.

But i he is persuaded to cut, cut and cut again, he can almost certainly expect to return to Klosters next year looking like the Eddie the Eagle of politics as he falls off the top of his mountain.

Picture: Rex Features

Many a time I have pondered: what IS the Big Society? I am in good company. Children's minister Tim Loughton is mystified too.

So much for the idea that it would be the rebels among the Lib Dem backbenchers who would pull the magic carpet from under the feet of the coalition.

Expressions of dissent in recent weeks suggest that David Cameron would do well to look at the fellow travellers from his own party. 

Few might remember the name Duwayne Brooks but they will recall the name of his friend, Stephen Lawrence, murdered in a racist attack in south east London in 1993.

The power is all Nick Clegg's for a fortnight as the Camerons take a holiday - and the junior partner (is that the right description, Dave?) in the coalition got off to a rotten start in the increasingly rotten borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London.

There have been some cracking double acts in the past: Little and Large, Kylie and Jason and Rhubarb and Custard, to name a few. I thought the latest one to watch would be Clegg 'n' Cam but my eyes are trained on what is surely the coalition government's oddest couple: equalities minister Lynne Featherstone and her boss, home secretary Theresa May. 

Last night I watched an election broadcast that started with some black and white film accompanied by the ominous sound of air raid sirens. I feared a Nazi attack, then Nick Griffin popped up on the screen.