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Haunted By 'Courage' A slew of books shine light on the Blair-Brown years. But one of them is particularly telling. Newsweek, July 7th 2008 Israel Lulled by the good life Palestinian and Israeli leaders are engaging in peace talks. Yet, while people on either side of the wall inhabit different worlds, the prospects are bleak. New Statesman, November 22nd 2007 Stitch-up Britain's US ambassador leaves after four years dogged by Iraq. David Manning talks exclusively to John Kampfner about a president, a premier and the deceptions on the eve of war. New Statesman, September 13th 2007 Londongrad - a problem of Britain's making The relationship between the Kremlin and London is perhaps the most complex of all, as the new hyper-capitalist Russia seeks to assert itself on the world stage. New Statesman, July 26th 2007 An angry man lost Alastair Campbell's diaries provide less of a political insight into the Blair era than a psychological portrait of people driven by fear and loathing. New Statesman, July 12th 2007 Jacqui Smith's rise, no thanks to me t would need a line of unrivalled wisdom to top the thoughts of Eric Hobsbawm. So I went in search the next day at Glastonbury, where I found . . . New Statesman, July 5th 2007 A very corporate loss of nerve With licence fee negotiations at a critical point, the word from the top is clear: ministers must be placated. The muzzling of BBC journalism that began with Hutton is far from over. New Statesman, October 10th 2005 Interview - Patricia Hewitt 'People need to stand up against the perverted form of Islam that a minority of Muslims wants to impose'. Patricia Hewitt interviewed by John Kampfner. New Statesman, July 25th 2005 Interview - Gordon Brown It's strange when a politician urges people to make the politicians try harder, but that is the Chancellor's message. Gordon Brown interviewed by John Kampfner. New Statesman, July 4th 2005 Interview - Jose Manuel Barroso Europe - The self-confessed friend of Tony who must now pick up the pieces. Jose Manuel Barroso interviewed by John Kampfner. New Statesman, June 6th 2005 John Kampfner considers a Labour conspiracy theory The next few months threaten to resemble the dying years of John Major. The lesson is that authority, once lost, is seldom regained. New Statesman, May 16th 2005 Blair's departure should be speedy Prescott and other Labour veterans will now plan the move to a Brown leadership. By helping them, the PM can perform one last service to Labour. New Statesman, May 9th 2005 The reckoning Election 2005: the bogeyman - MPs are ready to oust the PM if he tries to brazen it out after a big victory. If they don't, they fear, he will do to their party what Thatcher did to hers, and send it into terminal decline. New Statesman, May 2nd 2005 Is he dreading what Blair's thinking? Election: The deal - If Labour wins another landslide, as now seems possible, will the Prime Minister decide to go on and on? New Statesman, April 25th 2005 Nightmare on Downing Street If the Conservatives under Michael Howard really did win the keys to No 10 next month, what kind of Britain could we expect? Would we leave the EU? What would happen to the minimum wage? New Statesman, April 18th 2005 The anxiety election: this time it's tribal Labour is going back to first principles, talking about investment in public services rather than "reforming" them. But can disgruntled supporters really trust Blair? New Statesman, April 11th 2005 Antisocial behaviour brings out the worst in me The teenage boys who terrorise my street are probably neglected and abused. I know I should care. But a little demon inside tells me I don't. New Statesman, April 4th 2005 John Kampfner tells Labour to stop the silly stunts Labour's problem is its core support. The danger, according to the polls and the focus groups, remains a refusal to vote rather than a switch to the Tories. New Statesman, March 28th 2005 What Britain really thinks What is going to matter most to people in the coming general election? Do they really loathe Tony Blair - or still quite like him? Could they ever vote for Michael Howard? New Statesman, March 21st 2005 More Britannia, less cool The immediate aim of Gordon Brown's latest, and possibly last, Budget was to rejuvenate the significant part of Labour's core support that has grown disillusioned. New Statesman, March 21st 2005 John Kampfner knows when Brown will be back I am told that Gordon Brown was not consulted about Labour's misguided posters, or about the six election pledges. Nor has he seen a single draft of the manifesto. New Statesman, March 14th 2005 The Bling Bling List It's the super-rich who have done best under Labour. The top one per cent have seen their wealth rise at a rate that the rest of us can barely comprehend. New Statesman, March 7th 2005 Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century I read two books and I am bombarded with two visions of the Continent... If only either was true. Both books make compelling if in-complete accounts of our still unresolved relationship to the European Union. New Statesman, February 28th 2005 Revealed: Blair's six election pledges Labour spring conference - It was going to be just five promises, all intended to project a progressive message, but now asylum and immigration have been hastily added to the list. New Statesman, February 14th 2005 NS Interview - Ruth Kelly Labour spring conference - She has a new vision for comprehensive schools - and promises her religious beliefs won't stand in the way of sex education. New Statesman, February 14th 2005 John Kampfner on the EU's straight banana factor The task facing pro-Europeans is bleaker than at any other time in Tony Blair's two terms. So risky is the cause that even David Beckham won't endorse it. New Statesman, February 7th 2005 NS Interview - Ken Macdonald Guantanamo was a legal black hole, says the director of public prosecutions, but he sticks up for Belmarsh and Blunkett. New Statesman, February 7th 2005 John Kampfner observes Operation Bush Dance As the government gently distances us from Washington, Jack Straw's low-key diplomacy in Iran has become crucial to the future of British foreign policy. New Statesman, January 31st 2005 NS Interview - Peter Hain The Leader of the Commons says Blair has done better than Attlee, and we can still vote Labour even if we opposed the war. New Statesman, January 31st 2005 John Kampfner ponders the election imponderables The Tories will talk of "the Blair government": they are convinced that, whatever the shortcomings of their own man, the Prime Minister is Labour's weak spot. New Statesman, January 24th 2005 John Kampfner wants to know a secret (or two) What was the Attorney General's advice on Iraq? How does Blair get all those free holidays? Now is our chance to ask - and your chance to join in. New Statesman, January 17th 2005 Blair dithered because his confidence has gone John Kampfner suggests the PM's best plan was to have come home and directed relief tasks quietly, without announcing it to the media. New Statesman, January 10th 2005 NS Cover Story - We punish the man, but protect a corrupt system Who is guiltier, a minister who fast-tracked a visa or a Prime Minister who lied about the need to go to war? The Budd inquiry proves that real justice will continue to elude us under Blair. New Statesman, January 1st 2005 Power for a Purpose 2005: General election year - As Tony Blair heads for a third election campaign as Labour Party leader, John Kampfner and Peter Wilby, in a comradely spirit, offer him a draft manifesto, Power for a Purpose, designed to transform him into a proper social democrat while keeping his party in office. New Statesman, January 1st 2005 NS Interview - Denis Macshane The minister for Europe on how the euro (''that damn currency'') has become a fetish and how he told Chirac home truths. New Statesman, December 13th 2004 NS Cover Story - Blunkett: new Labour's fallen icon The Home Secretary has always occupied a special place in Tony Blair's government: he is the man who can reach the people his boss can't. New Statesman, December 6th 2004 John Kampfner finds ministers on the defence Tony Blair, the Karl Rove of British politics, made a crucial mistake with the Queen's Speech: he talked tough on security rather than the causes of insecurity. New Statesman, November 29th 2004 The law chief who bowed to Blair EXCLUSIVE: The NS reveals how, on the eve of the Iraq invasion, Tony Blair and George Bush leant on Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, to change his mind on the legality of the war. New Statesman, November 22nd 2004 John Kampfner on the only friend Tony has left Even "new Europe" has now parted from Tony Blair on Iraq. The PM has been reduced to phoning Hungary's centre-right opposition, begging it to scupper plans to withdraw troops. New Statesman, November 15th 2004 Blairites celebrate too soon For a brief spell, those at No 10 could allow themselves to let down their guard and show what they really thought of Bush. Blair, it seemed, was off the hook. Then came the reality. New Statesman, November 8th 2004 NS interview - Geoff Hoon The Defence Secretary denies concern about Iraq is growing in Labour ranks and hints that we should expect more wars. New Statesman, November 8th 2004 John Kampfner on tactical voting against Tony Downing Street strategists fear that voters may be so eager to get Tony Blair out of No 10 that, for the first time, Lib Dem-inclined people will vote for the Tories. New Statesman, November 1st 2004 America - How toxic George hurts his pal Tony The London connection - If Bush falls, Downing Street fears, more damaging details about the UK's road to war may come out. New Statesman, October 25th 2004 John Kampfner on the man who would be Gladstone The man who would be Gladstone is unfurling all kinds of visionary reforms. The problem is that, for the electorate, the question of Iraq simply won't fade away. New Statesman, October 18th 2004 The gambler As he goes above his party and the British electorate, alienates the Chancellor, and tries to fix the succession, the Prime Minister is showing reckless courage by going for broke. But will he pull it off? New Statesman, October 11th 2004 The NS Interview - Michael Howard The Tory leader says Blair lied about Iraq and argues that Labour's core beliefs make it powerless to deliver on choice. New Statesman, October 4th 2004 John Kampfner on Labour's deep unfashionability New Labour is no longer the party of shiny, happy people, and it is no longer fashionable. This may be no bad thing: the party will learn patience and gain intellectual strength. New Statesman, October 4th 2004 John Kampfner on Blair's sixth war Blair's announcement of a new war - his sixth in seven years - did not go down well with his guest, the Iraqi leader. Nor did it with one diplomat who described it as "grotesque". New Statesman, September 27th 2004 NS Interview: Jack Straw The man who tried to prevent the Iraq war now goes through contortions to justify it. This is the unhappy world inhabited by our Foreign Secretary. New Statesman, September 27th 2004 Brown seethes as Blair reneges on deal John Kampfner reveals that the PM really did agree to go. Don't bet against an exasperated Chancellor soon issuing a challenge to his rival. New Statesman, September 20th 2004 Colin Powell, the anti-hero Some of the protagonists in the Iraq war are waiting to be judged by history. Others are not leaving it that long. The most assiduous self-justifier is Colin Powell. New Statesman, September 20th 2004 Special report - A president craves understanding "Would you like it if people who shoot children in the back come to power, anywhere on this planet?" Vladimir Putin gives our political editor a homily, over tea and fruit cake. New Statesman, September 13th 2004 John Kampfner drags politics further into the mire The great and the good denounce journalists for dragging politics into the mire. If only they knew. The lobby works in perfect harmony with the various new Labour factions. New Statesman, September 13th 2004 John Kampfner on a Blair-style coup in the Lib Dems Lib Dem traditionalists fear that a Blair-style coup could make the party pull back from its commitment to a 50 per cent rate of tax, and take a hawkish tone on asylum-seekers. New Statesman, September 6th 2004 John Kampfner reveals Operation Bush Distance The PM has at last grasped the extent of Bush's unpopularity in the UK; and his officials are alarmed at Washington's belligerent talk on Iran. Operation Bush Distance has begun.. New Statesman, August 30th 2004 John Kampfner dissects the European Commission With a new European Commission president who is keen to show he is no one's poodle, can Tony Blair still secure an advantageous deal for Britain in Brussels? New Statesman, August 23rd 2004 NS Interview: John Stevens The head of the Met says if people don't trust the politicians, then it's the police who have to take the lead. New Statesman, August 2nd 2004 The PM's greatest triumph Lords Hutton and Butler have given him the final imprimatur of the Whitehall establishment. Even Blair's critics now expect him to continue into a third term. New Statesman, July 26th 2004 Blair is weighed in the balance and found wanting Lord Butler, behind the soft language, has coruscating criticisms. If the PM gets away with it, it will be because of failures in the British system of accountability. New Statesman, July 19th 2004 The old charm still works Like ageing rock stars who have seen better days, the Third Way family gathered on 12 July in the grandeur of London’s Guildhall for an evening of nostalgia. Bill Clinton did what he always does... New Statesman, July 19th 2004 "The questioning was polite, but probing" The phone call was quintessential Whitehall. Would I, Lord Butler’s man inquired, care to clarify one or two points raised in my book? New Statesman, July 19th 2004 John Kampfner finds ministers with legal worries Ministers are worried about a court case that challenges the lawfulness of military action in Iraq. The Foreign Office argues that any ruling would prejudice the national interest. New Statesman, July 12th 2004 NS Interview: David Blunkett The Home Secretary says of his colleagues ''we sink or swim together'': none should presume on taking another person's job. New Statesman, July 5th 2004 John Kampfner sees a return to the domestic agenda The political spotlight has moved from Iraq to public service reform, and the government is talking of choice and restructuring. So far, the voters seem unimpressed. New Statesman, June 28th 2004 NS Interview: Patricia Hewitt One of Blair's most trusted allies says Britain could pull out of Europe if the people vote ''no'' on the constitution. New Statesman, June 28th 2004 Blair gets ready to say "sorry" There won't be a direct apology, because the PM still believes he was right on Iraq, but his advisers' escape plan involves expressions of regret for misleading the country. New Statesman, June 21st 2004 John Kampfner reveals the new "trickle-up" theory After "trickle down", in which more wealth for the rich helped the poor (or so the Tories said), comes "trickle up". If there's less poverty, the rich pay less tax (or so Labour says). New Statesman, June 14th 2004 D-Day for British politics The electoral landscape is bleaker than ever before, with fringe parties of both left and right set to do well on 10 June. The war in Iraq did not create the public alienation from the main parties, but it has raised it to an entirely new level. New Statesman, JUne 7th 2004 John Kampfner meets the man in charge of prisons "I read the other day," said Martin Narey, "that Finland has three children in prison; that's three. We have 2,900." The prison service chief thinks our incarceration rate is "scary". New Statesman, May 31st 2004 What Brown would do in No 10 We know about his economic policies. But where does the Chancellor stand on wars, Israel, schools, and law and order? New Statesman, May 24th 2004 Now even the Blairites talk about the PM's exit Cabinet ministers are talking openly about when and how Blair will go, and what will happen afterwards. Some still want him to stay beyond the summer, but admit the chances are only 50-50. New Statesman, May 17th 2004 NS Interview: Charlie Falconer It can't be easy being Charlie Falconer. He is Scottish. He is unelected. And he is a close friend of Tony Blair's. Still, he wears his burdens lightly.. New Statesman, May 10th 2004 John Kampfner admire's Jack Straw's game plan There is a bull market in Jack Straw shares: the Foreign Secretary has become a political force. Will he be a good deputy when Gordon Brown is PM? Or even more? New Statesman, May 3rd 2004 John Kampfner sees Blair's foreign policy collapse To make the case for Europe, the Prime Minister will have to show foresight and zeal, commodities that have been lacking on Europe from the moment he took office. New Statesman, April 26th 2004 Book Review: On the defensive John Keegan, the veteran defence editor of the Daily Telegraph, is a man for whom I have considerable respect - although I disagree fundamentally with him about Iraq and Tony Blair. New Statesman, April 26th 2004 Second-class allies In the ten countries that will soon accede, support for the EU has now given way to disillusion – not least because of new migration policies. New Statesman, April 19th 2004 John Kampfner learns about Tony Blair's nightmare Terrorism, race and asylum have combined to become the most potent mix in modern politics. But Blair cannot, even if he wanted to, pull up the drawbridge. New Statesman, April 12th 2004 John Kampfner predicts a delayed general election Tony Blair, insiders say, is considering delaying the election until autumn 2005 or even spring 2006 so that he can first push the EU constitution through parliament. New Statesman, April 5th 2004 NS Interview: Charles Clarke The war? Absolutely fine. Blair? He'll run and run. Howard? Pathetic. Absolutely nothing fazes the Education Secretary. New Statesman, March 29th 2004 Iraq has made the the Chancellor timid Brown is moving reluctantly towards Blair's position on income tax: for a third election, pledges of no rise in the basic or top rates. The war has made it hard to set a radical agenda on redistribution. New Statesman, March 22nd 2004 Nowhere to go but out Iraq one year on - Blair has given up hope that the war be seen as a triumph. The best prospect now is a modicum of democracy and stability in Iraq. New Statesman, March 15th 2004 War and the law: the inside story The Attorney General's legal case for invading Iraq last year looks ever more flimsy. John Kampfner uncovers the truth about an issue that just won't go away. New Statesman, March 8th 2004 Great sushi, shame about the election John Kampfner in Moscow finds mega malls on the horizon and some of Europe's most fashionable bars and clubs. But voting? Why bother? New Statesman, February 23rd 2004 Nanny bans Greg Dyke As I was preparing material for pieces on the Hutton inquiry, I found that my home computer kept seizing up with infuriating frequency. I switched it on and off, checked for viruses, all to no avail. Then I realised what was wrong. New Statesman, February 23rd 2004 John Kampfner finds diplomacy is back in fashion A brief era of history is over. Diplomacy, compromise and moral relativism are back in fashion. That's why Gaddafi is our new friend and why Prince Charles has been to Iran. New Statesman, February 16th 2004 Those WMDs - The blame game John Kampfner reveals the inside story of how Blair agreed to a second inquiry on the run-up to the Iraq war and how the security services will resist his attempts to pin the responsibility for misjudgements on them. New Statesman, February 9th 2004 The Hutton report - How a judge let Blair off To Hutton, there was no case to answer: a grubby journalist had impugned the PM's integrity. But this naive report will make it harder than ever to find out why we really went to war in Iraq. New Statesman, February 2nd 2004 John Kampfner asks if we'll ever go to war again By undermining public confidence in intelligence, Tony Blair has made it very hard for any future British PM to convince the people of the case for war. New Statesman, January 26th 2004 NS Special Report - The journalist as God A seasoned foreign correspondent, John Kampfner thought himself inured to conflict. Then he went to Rwanda and had to decide whether babies should live. New Statesman, January 26th 2004 John Kampfner compares Blair to a cruel husband After universities, Blair will move on to other public services and propose again to raise funds by charging users rather than relying on general taxes. Party activists will hate it... New Statesman, January 19th 2004 NS Interview - Charles Kennedy He says Blair is a disappointed man and his premiership one of missed opportunity. Has the Lib Dem leader also missed the boat? New Statesman, January 19th 2004 Hutton special - Can Tony pull off a Tory trick? The Scott inquiry into "arms to Iraq" was supposed to rock John Major's government - yet not one resignation ensued. Will new Labour manage the same with the Hutton report? New Statesman, January 12th 2004 John Kampfner wonders if we will ever join the Euro Who would have believed that, after seven years of Labour, we would be no nearer to joining the euro and still holding out for "red lines"? New Statesman, January 5th 2004 The year that brought Blair to book The Prime Minister once appeared to have the world at his feet. Now, all cabinet ministers are positioning themselves for the era after his departure. New Statesman, December 15th 2003 The Shops: how, why and where to shop I remember returning from Moscow and East Berlin... to the London of the self-indulgent mid-1990s and being overtaken by fury. New Statesman, December 15th 2003 John Kampfner finds Blair at Brown's mercy Blair has deliberately raised the stakes and put his leadership on the line over tuition fees, convinced that Brown will save him. Will the Chancellor offer one more lifeline? New Statesman, December 8th 2003 NS Interview - David Miliband The minister for schools says "I'd want to send my kids to a state school''. What does this odd choice of words mean? New Statesman, December 8th 2003 |
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