Much has been said about David Cameron suspending collective cabinet responsibility in regards to campaigning to leave the European Union. Some have decried this move as some sort of weakness or betrayal (even though it has been clear for some time this was precisely what he was always going to do, and all previous examples […]
Archives for January 2016
If Labour take an anti-NATO position, it will be even worse for them electorally than an anti-Trident one
Post-reshuffle and post-Maria Eagle, Corbyn has no one involved in Labour’s defence review that he doesn’t see eye to eye with. The near-future of Labour defence policy now rests on the shoulders of Emily Thornberry and Ken Livingstone. If that didn’t give you a little shudder, nothing will. The latter of those two illustrious figures appeared on the […]
My review of “Star Wars”: the Force Awakens”
I have tried to fill this with as few spoilers as humanly possible I finally saw it the new Star Wars movie, after a couple of weeks of deliberation. As some of you will know, I was no great fan of the prequels (this is putting it extremely mildly). But the trailer to The Force […]
Why is Jeremy Corbyn so focused on stopping Trident renewal anyway?
Consider for a moment how much Corbyn has staked thus far in the name of trying to stop Trident renewal from taking place. He has greatly annoyed the trade unions over the issue, never more so than at Labour conference in Brighton last year when he told the GMB he would make the party line be pro-EU […]
Why yesterday made me feel genuinely sorry for Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn stood outside of King’s Cross station yesterday to protest about rail fares. Let’s stop right there for a second: the leader of the opposition, one of the most powerful men in the country, a member of the Privy Council who can appear on television pretty much any time he likes and reach millions […]
Why are the Corbyn team’s dealings with the media so mind-bendingly terrible?
Before all the Corbynistas jump in here and say I’m just nitpicking for things to attack Jeremy over, hear me out. Back before Corbyn became leader but such an outcome was increasingly obvious I stated that I thought he would enjoy a honeymoon period. A time when his straight talking take on numerous issues would […]
The odds of these things happening in 2016
After 2015 produced unpredictability on an epic scale, making guesses at what will happen this year has become tricky sport. So instead I have decided to look at a few possible 2016 events and gauge their likelihood. Wish me luck: 1. Corbyn ending this year on the backbenches There has been bold crystal ball gazing […]
My back pages: reflections on Hungary, Britain, liberal democracy and the European Union
The following is an original draft of an essay I did for the European Liberal Forum book, “Member State Violation Against Democratic Principles – What Can the EU Do?”, detailing my experiences in Budapest in the summer of 2015. As 2016 commences, I thought I might share it with you. In June of 2015, I […]
Why liberal views are often seen to be lacking emotion
I will spend at least the first portion of 2016 explaining why I think the UK should remain part of the European Union; part of me looks forward to the challenge, part of me dreads it. Already the debate has fallen into a predictable pattern: the Leavers speak from the heart while the Remain folk […]