Melanie Phillips

He is hardly known for his liberalising zeal -- indeed, many of his critics would claim that he is the most authoritarian Home Secretary for years in his attempts to prove he is tough on crime.

Yet now, by deciding to downgrade the law on cannabis, David Blunkett has scored a truly spectacular own goal.

Published in: Daily Mail

In keeping with its legendary reputation for winning international hearts and minds, Israel's government has developed a revolutionary model of diplomacy.

Published in: Jewish Chronicle

In the new order of war, the kind that is now raging in Israel, there are many different front lines. There are the heavily-guarded El Al airline check-in desks at airports around the world. There are the Israeli caf

Published in: Miscellaneous

What price freedom of speech now?

The BBC has forced Robert Kilroy-Silk to resign as presenter of his TV show after describing Arabs in his newspaper column as 'suicide bombers, limb amputators and women repressors'.

Harry Hammond, an elderly evangelical Christian, was convicted in 2002 of a public order offence a

Published in: Daily Mail

At long last, America is now grasping the nettle. In a bold move, President George Bush is launching a $1.5 billion programme to promote marriage and help couples stay together.

In doing so, he is consciously facing down one of modern society's great taboos.

Published in: Daily Mail

Daffodils are on sale in some of our shops unseasonably early.

Published in: Daily Mail

Until four days ago, conspiracy theories that Princess Diana was murdered were thought to be restricted to Mohammed Fayed, green-ink letter writers and those sad internet freaks who have nothing better to do but recycle the latest fantasies posted into the ether by any old crackpot or mischief-maker.

Last Tuesday, the r

Published in: Daily Mail

Three weeks from now, the government's reclassification of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug comes into effect.

Published in: Daily Mail

This week, the Prime Minister comes back to political earth with a bump as he finally publishes his plans for university top-up fees and assesses whether his desperate damage limitation exercise against the threatened huge Labour rebellion has worked.

Various carrots are being dangled to buy off the rebels, including do

Published in: Daily Mail

I read David Aaronovitch's JC column last week with more than usual interest.

Published in: Jewish Chronicle

The Archbishop of Canterbury's sermon on Christmas Day reportedly will attack the detention without trial of Muslim terrorist suspects in Britain and in Guantanamo Bay.

Published in: Daily Mail

There is one overwhelming fact that cries out for attention from the shocking revelations that have emerged after the conclusion of the Soham case.

It is that the history of both Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr was dominated by irregular sexual activity including obsessional and violent sexual behaviour, serial relationship

Published in: Daily Mail

The capture of Saddam Hussein is absolutely tremendous news, a great day for the people of Iraq and for everybody who believes in life and freedom and the need to fight to preserve them.

Published in: Daily Mail

Next to kissing babies on the stump, announcing a raft of measures targeted at improving the lot of children is the stock-in-trade of politicians with an eye to populist appeal.

It also wrong-foots the opposition.

Published in: Daily Mail

The Health Secretary, Dr John Reid, has announced that 'bug-buster' officials are to be appointed in every English hospital to combat the alarming rate of infections caused by poor standards of hygiene. And what is the most crucial purpose of this urgent,

Published in: Daily Mail

The government claims that the Domestic Violence Bill which was published yesterday will put the 'needs of victims' at the heart of the criminal justice system. In fact, it does something very different.

Published in: Daily Mail

The government is in a blind panic. Desperate to stave off defeat over its flagship proposal to introduce university 'top-up' fees, it is throwing a couple of bones to its rebels.

Published in: Daily Mail

Former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has compared Tony Blair's decision to support the invasion of Iraq to Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia. Hitler, he said, also claimed to be protecting the rights of an indigenous population.

Published in: Jewish Chronicle

Today's Queen's Speech is expected to include a proposal to give gay partners the same 'rights' as married people. The argument is based on equality.

Published in: Daily Mail

Following last week's terrible carnage in Turkey, there are still grave doubts over whether this country has even now woken from its apparent trance to grasp the full nature of the threat we all face, and what needs to be done to counter it.

After the bombing of the British consulate, al Q'aeda threatened it would now t

Published in: Daily Mail