Category Archives: politics

A Nation Turns Its Back and Gags

I shall never be able to play The Smiths again without thinking of Prime Minster David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague sharing a hotel room — and Cameron complaining about Hague’s disappointing endowment.

December 9, 2010 – 3:32 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in commentary, politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Why We Still Love The People’s Premiere

In that autobiography you may possibly have noticed former British PM Tony Blair is currently touting, the one called ‘A Journey’ (a title that masterfully captures the sublimely faux modesty of its subject), Blair compares himself to Princess Di. ‘“We were both, in our own way, manipulators” — good at grasping the feelings of others …

September 2, 2010 – 7:06 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in commentary, politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (14)

The New Metro-Politics

By Mark Simpson So, pretty, svelte – and somewhat swish – David Milliband and his million-dollar smile, who was gushingly described by Hillary Clinton as ‘attractive’ and ‘vibrant’, is the front-runner in the Labour leadership contest to replace the big clunking grimace of Gordon Brown with something more electable. It seems highly likely that soon …

May 20, 2010 – 3:32 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in metrosexual, politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (74)

CleggCam: The ‘Progressive Partnership’ Giving it to You Both Ends

A few months back I wrote a piece for The Times arguing that straight couples should be allowed to have civil partnerships. But now that I’ve seen the UK’s first straight civil partnership ceremony in the Rose Garden of Number 10 Downing Street I’m not so sure. In the romantic Spring sunshine the groom and the …

May 12, 2010 – 10:38 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in politics | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

I Agree With Alex

By Mark Simpson So the Scots Nationalist Party has failed in its court action to force the BBC to include their leader Alex Salmond in the final TV leaders’ debate. Everyone south of the border working in politics and the media seems to be very much agreed that this was the ‘right’ outcome. Except for …

April 28, 2010 – 6:43 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in commentary, current affairs, politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (9)

Oh Do Stop Nailing Blair to the Cross: He Enjoys It

Tony Blair’s Jesus Christ Sings Edith Piaf performance yesterday at The Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, giving testimony at the Chilcot enquiry into Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War, disappointed a lot of people who hoped he would get nailed, or at least express a few regrets. I’m not one of them.  Now, I enjoy a …

January 30, 2010 – 11:09 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in commentary, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (15)

Limo Liberals Take The High Road to Defeat

By Mark Simpson Claiming the moral high ground is, in my view, the lowest form of politics. No doubt this means that, like the voters of Pennsylvania, I don’t read The New York Times enough. We’re really missing out. Yesterday’s haughty editorial in the wake of Senator Clinton’s convincing victory in that key state, despite …

April 25, 2008 – 3:26 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in Barack Obama, commentary, Hillary Clinton, politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

Who’s the Diva? Hillary or Obama?

As camp comic Kenneth Williams might say: ‘ark at ‘er! An entertaining, often incisive, if rather, er, campy, Huffington Post article ‘The Diva’s Camp’ about Hillary’s diva power (and why this turns off ‘Obama-colytes’) compares Hillary Clinton to Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest: ‘Hillary Clinton is possessed by the spirit of Joan Crawford. Like that notorious …

April 10, 2008 – 8:26 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)

The Bitch is Back: Hillary Comes Out Clawing

After being written-off and told to give up, Hillary has earned grudging respect By Mark Simpson (Guardian CIF, 6 March 2008) What is American voters’ problem? The media, on both sides of the Atlantic, has been telling them for weeks that dreary Hillary was “finished” and that Tuesday’s primaries were going to be her “Alamo” — …

March 6, 2008 – 8:26 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

The Kingdom of Diana

An extract from The Queen is Dead: London, 5 October 1997 Dearest Steven, Greetings from the Kingdom of Diana. I never thought I’d live to see a revolution in this country, but that’s almost what happened here after the Princess of Wales took a ride in a car driven by one of those Parisians who make you …

September 4, 2007 – 8:58 pm | By Mark Simpson | Posted in celebrity, politics, popular culture | Comments (1)