The commentators                    14-10-14

...on British politics

Victorious leaders are like teachers, explaining to voters why they are what they are. The ability to communicate accessibly and constantly is not an extra, but a pre-condition to successful leadership.  Labour can win, but it won’t if Ed Miliband and others do not or cannot explain why they should win.
- Steve Richards, Independent
If Mr Miliband continues to operate in isolation for the next seven months, refusing to listen and treating senior colleagues like strangers or rivals, Labour will lose. To avoid that, either Labour must be willing to change its leader, or its leader must be willing to change himself. The latter is obviously the better, less bloody course, but it relies on Ed Miliband having the courage and humility to seek his colleagues’ help.
- Damian McBride, The Times
Philip Johnston
We have no long-term vision because we are not sure where we want to go and our politicians have put off asking the question for far too long. Now, shoved along by events and facing the political consequences of indecision, the debate is at full clamour, though whether we can still conduct it sensibly is itself a moot point.
- Philip Johnston, Daily Telegraph
Ukip has tapped into the growing despair of the public at the relentless transformation of our country. Voters are increasingly angry at a social revolution imposed without any mandate and are making their feelings clear at the ballot box.
- Leo McKinstrey, Daily Express

I am fully behind Tristram Hunt’s proposal to improve our schools by making all teachers read a hippocratic-style oath at the moment of graduation. True, the whole thing does sound a little like it was cobbled together to give Hunt something to talk about at a conference. And, if you want to be really cynical about things, you could suggest that it only exists because his entire recent fact-finding mission to Singapore was a complete bust and this idea is basically just a ham-fisted stab at damage limitation.
- Stuart Heritage, The Guardian
Thursday 25 September Judges for the Editorial Intelligence comment awards announced their shortlists today, with ten nominations for the FT, nine for the Times, five for the Guardian, four for the Independent - and two for SubScribe. 
The Times and Sunday Times scored a clean sweep in nominations for the main award of commentariat of the year, which will be decided between David Aaronovitch, Camilla Cavendish, Daniel Finkelstein and last year's winner Caitlin Moran.
Guardian's Jay Rayner was shortlisted in the food writer category, but said that he did not wish to be considered as that award is sponsored by Tesco. 
The awards will be presented on November 25. See the full shortlists here
Once again we are being told that we are all going to have to work until we're much older. We also learn that fiftysomethings now have to wait longer for their inheritance windfall to help them into retirement. In other words, those even older pesky parents are refusing to die. There's no mention of the millions who will never receive an inheritance, however delayed, from parents who have spent a lifetime living hand-to-mouth. 
Nor, of course, are there any suggestions about where these "older people" are supposed to do their longer working, a key point when go-getting companies (especially national newspapers) make it a point of honour to shove desk-blockers out of the door as soon as is decently possible after their fiftieth birthdays.
- Press review
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Comment digest courtesy of
Editorial Intelligence
October 13
British politics
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October 10
Isis and UK politics
October 9
British politics
October 8
British politics
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LibDem conference
October 6
British politics
David Cameron





October 3
Party conferences
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Cameron's speech
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Conservative conference
September 30
Conservative conference
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War on Isis
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Scottish referendum
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