During the independence debate, I found it strange how Scottish nationalism was portrayed in the left-wing press. It was as if it were a force that was unimpeachable; the good guys railing against the bad. The unionist debate was always put forward in a way that was meant to emphasise what they saw as the […]
Archives for January 2015
Why people will tune in to watch an empty chair: the TV debates debate rages on
David Cameron, to recap, has said that he will not take part in the TV leaders’ debates unless the Greens are invited to take part. His sudden empathy and respect for Natalie Bennett has arisen as the situation required it; he needed a way out and this seemed to be it. He has gambled on […]
“Paddington” – a review (and a defence of muscular liberalism)
I had read a lot of things about the new Paddington Bear film before sitting down on Saturday in the local cinema to watch it: that it had a pro-immigration subtext, that it was anti-UKIP propaganda, that it was an attempt by the liberal cognoscenti to brainwash little ones throughout the western world to believe […]
When will the Chilcot Inquiry see the light of day? And how explosive will it be?
I have long speculated, usually to friends over alcoholic beverages, as to what the content of Tony Blair and George W’s conversations in the lead up to the Iraq War might have been. As many of them are potentially libellous, I shan’t divulge any of my pet theories on the subject here; sufficed to say […]
I think Cameron’s Greens bluff has made the TV debates more likely as opposed to less
After OfCom ruled that the Greens were “not a major party” (but that oddly enough, UKIP were), David Cameron said that he would not take part in the TV debates unless the Greens were invited to take part. The OfCom ruling and the TV debates are not directly linked, but the ruling does make it […]
How will Labour do in their top Lab-Tory targets in May? A seat-by-seat prediction
The following is a prediction of who will win in twelve seats during the general election, all of them currently held by the Conservative Party, all of them by majorities of less a thousand. Meaning, of course, that they constitute what may well be the top Labour targets in terms of taking seats from the […]
What is a liberal reaction to the Charlie Hebdo shooting?
First off, this is so obvious it shouldn’t need saying, but in such shocking times it is best to be clear about as much possible: condemn the atrocity with no equivocation whatsoever. As no one really is offering an unequivocal response, that shouldn’t need saying. But like I say, when a shock to the system […]
David Cameron’s European People’s Party problem
When David Cameron ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2005, he had a two pronged approach towards Europe: he would tell his party to shut up about it, and as a sweetener style adjunct to this request, would pull the Tories out of the European People’s Party and place them into a […]
Your weekly UKIP round up (it’s been that sort of a week already)
There have been so many brilliant UKIP related pieces of news this week thus far, I figured spending a whole article focusing only on one of them would be a waste. So I’ll run through the best ones – hang on tight. First off, obviously, the website thing. For those who may not be aware, […]
The Nutcracker – a review
I took my daughter, who is just shy of three years of age, to see “The Nutcracker” at the Royal Ballet last Sunday. This I plan to do ever year until she’s either an adult or decides to tell me she doesn’t really like ballet, whichever arrives first. Last year was the inaugural event in […]