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Is the British middle class an endangered species?

A gem, a gem. Andy Beckett in today’s Guardian asks number 373 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No.
Thank you to Patrick Hennessy.
The photographs, by David Yeo, are good too.

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 9:45 pm

2

New Improved Banned List

So, having discovered that “starting an article with ‘So’” has been left off the Banned List, I am now reissuing an updated version of this binding edict. The following are not permitted:

1. It’s the economy, stupid.
2. A week is a long time in politics. Or variants thereof, such as, “If a week is a long [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 4:32 pm

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Did Climate Change Make Cameron PM?

Hopi Sen asks number 372 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No by speculating that Labour did worse in the election because the unusually cold January and February deferred some economic activity from the first to the second quarter. The second-quarter growth figure published this week showed an unexpectedly strong recovery. [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 2:24 pm

3

Once again late and grudging, BBC admits error

It has taken the BBC six months to consider this complaint, but it has finally admitted that reporter Laura Kuenssberg’s report of the Chilcot inquiry on the day that Tony Blair gave evidence, on 29 January, was wrong. This is what Kuenssberg said in her BBC-journalist-interviews-BBC-journalist with presenter Emily Maitlis:
Well that interesting mention, as you [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 1:15 pm

4

Disinterest

Guy Keleny is still away, so I am standing in for him in the Errors & Omissions column in today’s Independent. In which I seek to save the distinct meaning of disinterested, among other things:
Tom Mendelsohn’s review of Lovebox – it is a pop music festival – on Tuesday said that Paloma Faith [right] went [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 11:45 am

11

Daily Mail’s anti-war campaign

I was very sorry to see Johann Hari, who once supported the invasion of Iraq, now repeating some of the most awful and untrue anti-war propaganda in an unconvincing article about Tony Blair, BP, Libya and oil in yesterday’s Independent. In it he says:
Many people were perplexed by Tony Blair’s decision to back George W [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 24 July 2010 at 10:54 am

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Why Clegg leans to the right

John Walsh has a lovely line in his “Notebook” today about why David Cameron’s National Citizen Service is slightly sinister:
For all his attempts to present the scheme as a jolly, inclusive, kids-together enterprise (Swallows and Amazons and Hoodies, The Famous Five Make A Movie With Some Local Oiks), weasel words keep escaping his cautious presentation.
But [...]

By John Rentoul | Eagle Eye | Friday, 23 July 2010 at 2:36 pm

2

Europe’s banks may be OK, but the wider economy is under stress

Markets don’t like surprises, and we know so much about the stress tests – through leaks – that the markets ought not be surprised about who passes, who fails and who scrapes by.
The fact is that most of Europe’s big banking groups are surprisingly well capitalised, both because they have managed to raise funds themselves, [...]

By Sean O'Grady | Eagle Eye, Econoblog | Friday, 23 July 2010 at 2:24 pm

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GDP figures are good but don’t get too excited

Let’s not get too excited about those admittedly very encouraging GDP growth figures. First, there was always going to be an element of bounceback. Bounceback from the bad weather in the first part of the year, and, more significantly a bounceback in firms building up their much-depleted stocks, what economist call the “inventory cycle”, which [...]

By Sean O'Grady | Eagle Eye, Econoblog | Friday, 23 July 2010 at 11:37 am

22

G20 death: Where error is irreparable, repentance is useless

Reading of the Director of Public Prosecution’s decision over the death of Ian Tomlinson at last years G20 protest, I’m reminded of Edward Gibbon’s memorable phrase: “Where error is irreparable, repentance is useless”. I pray that this does not become the leitmotif of this tragedy.
The announcement by CPS that they will not be bringing criminal [...]

By Samuel Muston | Eagle Eye | Thursday, 22 July 2010 at 6:29 pm