Donors to political parties must be absolutely transparent in their activities, so Lord Ashcroft must declare if he is resident in this country, says Rachel Sylvester.

Tempers are fraying on the subject of interest rates and monetary policy, writes Patrick Minford.

Enough of politics as blood sport, says Andrew O'Hagan. The poverty issue is the one on which Gordon Brown must stand or fall as Prime Minister.

Dolly Parton would appreciate the manufactured row surrounding her lunch with Rotherham councillors, says Liz Hunt.

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to a more thoughtful public relations, by Su Barking.

Venezuela's rejection of constitutional reforms is immense in its symbolism, and humiliating for the self-proclaimed heir to Castro, Hugo Chávez.

The grotesque absurdity of Gillian Gibbons' arrest and incarceration is a testimony to the danger of allowing a rogue state to proceed unchecked.

English fashions go down a bomb in China, but we hardly thought to beat them at their own game.