Matthew Norman

Press Awards Columnist of the Year 2008, the political commentator Matthew Norman also writes The Independent’s media diary.

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This latest EU Tory party squabble has sent David Cameron into a tailspin and he can't stop spinning

What point can there possibly be in trying to decipher Mr Cameron’s thinking? He is not thinking at all. All he is doing is obeying the primary animal instinct for survival.

Iain Duncan Smith - smarter than Joey from ‘Friends’, but blind to the truth

Who will hire a man unable to differentiate fact from fiction?

Why do we prop up an industry destroying lives across Britain?

The digital roulette offered on fixed odds betting terminals is gambling's crack cocaine

Matthew Norman on Monday: Is the Tories’ top leadership plotter preparing to jump ship?

Adam Afriyie has treated readers of the Mail to his own Ukip-flavoured manifesto

A party political broadcast by the Tories: Prison’s like a holiday camp

In its footling way, this low-level bullying of inmates is undoubtedly good politics

Matthew Norman on Monday: Why must the Johnson family cloak themselves in obscurity?

Plus: Does anyone have a clue what IDS is on about? And Jonathan Aitken invites us to join him for a fantasy glass of champagne in Paris...or would that be Switzerland?

Branislav Ivanovic reacts after being bitten by Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez proves we can't expect a sport as amoral as football to show any teeth

It would be crazy to understate the significance of this show of babyish spite. Perhaps Lord Hutton should be recalled from retirement to head a full judicial inquiry.

Branislav Ivanovic reacts after being bitten by Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez shows we can't expect a sport as amoral as football to show any teeth

It would be crazy to understate the significance of this show of babyish spite. Perhaps Lord Hutton should be recalled from retirement to head a full judicial inquiry.

Matthew Norman on Monday: Champion of underdog battles for MPs’ rights to 38 per cent pay hike

Transport minister confirms his neo-Thatcherite instinct for honing in on the electorate’s paramount concerns

Matthew Norman on Monday: Introducing Maggie - the consensual PM

Francis Maude gave a contender for the Most Balanced Thatcher eulogy this weekend. Plus, why Lady T was an (almost) total supporter of democracy

Day In a Page

The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.