MPs don't particularly socialise (your time is divided between office and constituency, with maybe the odd dinner with colleagues), so I never had a view about Mandelson's wealth or otherwi… (View Post)

Not that I noticed during 13 years in Parliament - it's not that I deliberately refrained from making money, but I can't even think of an opportunity that MPs have to make it, though they&#… (View Post)

The Swiss accept that it's necessary to have a neutral person doing formal things like hosting state dinners and handing out medals, but no reason to make a big fuss over it, so they rotate the … (View Post)

Every leadership election poses a choice between the candidate closest to your views and the candidate most likely to succeed electorally. Comment tends to favour the latter overwhelmingly, but there… (View Post)

I was a bit pessimistic on the basis of my 3 days there, but necessarily I could only cover some of the wards. It looks as though Burnham will get a decent margin. (View Post)