The Independent's parliamentary sketch writer and columnist since 2000, Simon Carr was described by Tony Blair as "the most vicious sketch writer working in Britain today". "Poison," said Charles Clarke. In the 1980s he helped launch The Independent, and was a speech writer for the prime minister of New Zealand from 1992 to 1994. His working principle is "Indignation keeps us young."
We must rise above that inadequate story of pantomime villains. Entrepreneurial error and gaming rules in the pursuit of self-interest are nothing new, and the system should have been able to cope. It is that foolish lending of new money, that failure of the entire system of financial sector governance, which must be addressed.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 6:39 pm
I hope Mrs Tappin won’t mind my recording what a magnificent example of contained and understated courage she was. There’s still something of the old country left yet.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 4:14 pm
“The whole idea of climate being one number driven by another number is nutty.” Prof Richard Lindzen.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Wednesday, 22 February 2012 at 10:29 pm
Public anger over MPs’ expenses is still bubbling away, it must be a sign of something else, some referred pain – because in the matter of expenses this is the Pure Parliament. The new intake are untouched by the previous culture. The older MPs – many of whom really did “act within the rules” daren’t cross the line – in truth, daren’t put a foot near the line.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Monday, 6 February 2012 at 2:04 pm
Twenty Bills are being presented today in the name of John Mann. An unusual parliamentary procedure to do so in such bulk. None of them have a chance of proceeding (the session has run out of Fridays) but it’s often interesting to try and see what this opaque – not to say hermetic – MP is up to.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Tuesday, 31 January 2012 at 12:39 pm
His leader makes a “major speech” to relaunch his leadership of the Labour party.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Tuesday, 17 January 2012 at 10:41 pm
Cameron’s Trap is a pamphlet published by the Policy Network; it warns Labour against embracing austerity. Their advice may have been overtaken by Labour’s leadership over the weekend embracing austerity. But let that lie.
A group of Labour MPs, pamphlet writers, Stewart Wood and other interested parties met in a Commons committee room on Monday afternoon [...]
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Monday, 16 January 2012 at 10:50 pm
Norman Lamont was said to have been singing with happiness in his bath the day Britain fell out of the ERM. Is it possible the same thing might happen if Greece drops out of the euro?
They go back to the drachma which falls to half its euro equivalent. The world flocks to Greece for its [...]
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Saturday, 14 January 2012 at 2:46 pm
The exchanges between Miliband and Cameron over the rail fares increase have been scored by some as a draw. At the time, in the chamber it looked anything but. There may have been inaccuracies on both sides but Ed Miliband’s questioning went wrong immediately, he failed to press home his point, he flailed, his own side despaired. Whatever Lord Adonis says his intentions were, they are not relevant to the phrasing and failure of Ed Miliband’s attack.
By Simon Carr | Eagle Eye | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 4:13 pm
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