When Peter Hitchens came to the University of Lincoln last Monday, I spent a good two hours hearing him speak about a range of issues – predominantly Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. Hitchens came across as a very serious but funny man. At the moment, I can’t quite come up with the word to describe his style. Anyway, he made me laugh a lot – which is a rarity with political commentators – but there was one moment in his Q&A session when he talked about our former Pri

While the House of Commons was voting to bomb Daesh in Syria on that late Wednesday night, it seems as though the Labour party was also voting to go to war … with itself. And similarly when we saw the first airstrikes carried out just hours after the vote, the Corbynite militia fired their first round of ammunition at those who dared to disagree with their leader who, we keep being reminded, is the imperial proprietor of the biggest mandate in a Labour leader’s history. How c

This Labour leadership contest is getting rather exciting and colourful all of a sudden. Well, comparatively so anyway. Because up until last week, the so-called 'contest' had been as dull as dishwater - to call upon a cliche. The candidates who have been nominated to save the Labour party from its election blues are Liz Kendall, Jeremy Corbyn, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burham. Together, they have looked like a four-pack of kitchen scrubbers. You know the ones: yellow and green,

This time a fortnight ago, the country was trying to get to grips with just how the Conservatives had managed to put together an overall majority government. We had been told time and time again by commentators in the build-up, that a coalition or minority government was inevitable. Apparently it was certain that no single party could win a majority. How wrong everyone was ... And while most people (sane people too) had decided to go to sleep and wake up to the results in the

Getting underway very shortly is the second round of TV election debates. Last week, David Cameron and Ed Miliband appeared on Channel 4 and Sky News in separate Q&A sessions. Tonight, the British public will see the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, the Lib Dems, UKIP, the Greens, the SNP and Plaid Cymru. Here's a brief summary of their respective leaders: Conservatives - David Cameron: The current PM has a disadvantage because he has a record in government to defend. It

The ante has been well and truly upping over the last couple of weeks over the issue of Scottish Independence. The cases for and against have been rigorously pushed forward in various debates, interviews and media speculation. I can only imagine what it has been like in Scotland. If the amount of canvassing and leaflet-posting for a by-election in my constituency of Newark is anything to go by I feel really sorry for the Scottish people. I also feel sorry for Scots who are li

Last night, I attended a hustings event for the Newark parliamentary by-election. The by-election will be held on Thursday 5th June and comes about after disgraced former MP Patrick Mercer resigned following the cash for questions scandal. BBC radio and camera crews were there alongside representatives of the Newark Business Club, the Newark Advertiser and Radio Newark. This article isn't an analysis of their performances or my views on their policies. I will simply report to