I know what you’re thinking – there are a lot of things missing from the Brexit debate. Some realistic form of what post-Brexit Britain might look like, some of you might say. What I’m going to talk about here is what Remainers are getting wrong – and why that makes Brexit almost certain to happen, […]
Archives for January 2018
If the Tory backbenchers finally pull the plug on May, who will become prime minister? A journey into the bizarre
Rumours swirl around Westminster that Conservative backbenchers have finally had their fill of May’s premiership; Graham Brady, the leader of the 1922 Committee, is now at the point of begging MPs not to put their letters in. Again, so the rumours have it. I’m still not so sure that her end at PM is quite […]
Why I don’t think a second EU referendum is a good idea
I’ll start by saying that if was simply up to me, I’d keep Britain in the EU. I was a Remainer before the referendum result, and nothing has convinced me since that leaving the EU would make the country better off. However, I also remain against the idea of a second referendum on the question. […]
Mark E Smith dies – a tribute to my favourite four songs by The Fall
In some ways, I think it’s probably remarkable Mark E Smith made it to 60. Well known for his drinking, not to mention his love of amphetamines (it comes up A LOT in Fall lyrics), Smith lived life on the edge for what seemed to be all of his adult life. None of this removes […]
Here’s what I don’t get about the hardcore Brexiteers at the moment
The news on Brexit lately has been mostly of a piece, for once. “Brexit: UK has already ‘agreed in principle’ with EU to Norway-style transition” ran a headline in the Independent on Monday. “Should we stay or should we go? Why the EU customs union issue is threatening to rip Tory party apart” was the […]
It was these two things that led to Britain’s recovery in the 80s – and why that’s relevant to where we are now
Warning: I am very likely to alienate almost everyone with this article. You have been forewarned. As most of us know (although there are still holdouts on the Left on this subject, which will become relevant later on), Britain was in a bit of a mess in the 1970s. The “sick man of Europe” the […]
The Labour Party takes one more step towards destruction – how it could unwind from here
I sometimes wonder what I would start my documentary about the death of the Labour Party with, years from now. Until today, I figured the first clip would be Ed Miliband’s resignation speech following the 2015 election defeat. While all of Scotland bar one constituency had been wiped out, and Ed Balls, his prospective chancellor, […]
Nigel Farage is simply ahead of the curve on the Brexiteer desire for a second referendum
Some have commented that Farage only wants a second referendum in order to be back in the national spotlight again. While that may well be amongst the reasons he has introduced this idea into the debate – that Brexiteers, even of Farage-grade, can be second referendum cheerleaders – I think you actually have to give […]
This is why Labour is really against a second EU referendum
I want to say at the start of this article, I’m still a little uneasy about the whole concept of a second EU referendum myself. This is because either result of such a referendum would bring with it major problems. If Remain won, there would be an undoubtable feeling of “the establishment kept asking the […]
This is the biggest problem the Conservative Party faces – and it’s not Brexit
Michael Gove was on Radio 4 this morning, talking about the environment but of course, was asked about Brexit and many other things affecting the Tories at present. Whatever you think of his politics, it is amazing how much better at this sort of thing Gove is than most of the rest of the cabinet. […]