The hostage crisis in Algeria takes centre stage this morning.
11.43
We need a global response to the terror threat that is painstaking, tough and intelligent, that has an iron resolve #Algeria
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) January 20, 2013
11.30
Gove vs Teaching Unions round 8,000, 000 – anyone else think Mr. Gove is doing it deliberately. Yeah…
11.27
The only thing of interest that Douglas Alexander has said is that it is significant that Former Cabinet Member Liam Fox is being consulted on a the Prime Minister’s Europe speech. It shows just how divided the Tory party is on Europe, and how toxic an issue it is for the party.
11.18
Liam Fox takes issue with @afneil for suggesting he is being “groomed” for a return to cabinet,but there was a def twinkle in his eye #bbcsp
— Isabel Oakeshott (@IsabelOakeshott) January 20, 2013
11.13
“If you want the status quo vote Liberal Democrat” says Fox, gloriously misrepresenting the position of people still actually holding ministerial office.
11.11
Fox says that he wants a fundamental conversation about the nature of the relationship between the UK and EU, and ‘effectively wants us to return to the common market’, instead of a checklist of powers that the UK get back.
11.10
25 bodies discovered inside Algerian siege gas plant: Algerian TV
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) January 20, 2013
11.09
Ouch. Liam Fox gets skewered by Andrew Neil who points out that his Strategic Defence Review did not acknowledge Algeria, Mali or The Magreb – the areas that are currently at the forefront of foreign policy issues.
11.05
There will be a discussion on performance related pay later in the BBC Sunday Politics programme. The New Statesman have an interesting story today, with the Tory establishment turning on Gove:
10.43
Pat Buchanan gets a next dig in. He says that Obama does not feel the ‘special relationship’ as emotionally as older generations and dislikes British colonialism because his father waas born in Kenya.
10.41
Pat Buchanan says that the biggest foreign policy issue looming for Obama is Iran. He believes Netanyahu will be re-elected and that he will wish to push America towards supporting a conflict with Iran.
10.17
Jock Stirrup says he does not believe that British boots on the ground in Mali, beyond perhaps training and specialist advice, would be undesirable.
10.07
Douglas Alexander on with Murnaghan. He is one of the more impressive members of the Labour front bench team, but looks amateurish after the consummate performance of Hague.
09.58
Farage gets the final words: “Cameron gave a cast iron promise on a referendum on Lisbon. It’s an issue of trust.”
09.51
The Cameron Europe speech will happen this week, with a time and a place announced tomorrow. Oh good.
09.43
The Algerian Foreign Minister told Hague that the terrorists were going to blow up the gas plant where hostages we being held, hence mthe need for fast and strong action. Hague is being very diplomatic and not criticising lack of communication from Algeria before the various assaults.
09.33
Spielberg on talking about his film ‘Lincoln’, not sure I fancy it to be honest. He makes an interesting point though that Lincoln may not have been able to make it “to a mayor of a town or city,” in our modern media ae.
09.29
It haas clearly got very personal with Cameron. Farage says there is little possibility of an alliance with the Conservatives with Cameron as leader. The question rather ignores the point that UKIP have no MPs, and are unlikely to have any after 2015.
09.25
Nigel Farage interestingly start talking about the economy when Vine asks himm what ‘job done’ would be. He is clearly trying to establish UKIP as widespread political party not a one issue pressure group.
09.17
Has there every been a peacetime Foreign Secretary who has had as much to deal with as William Hague?
There is now a huge amount of talk of the anti-terror focus moving towards North Africa, after intervention in Mali and the crisis in Algeria.