It can’t be overstated what a milestone the Institute of Directors praising, even cautiously and with plenty of caveats, a speech by Jeremy Corbyn happens to be. That a properly socialist Labour leader could get praise from groups that are the backbone of British capitalism says a lot about how the Tories have allowed Brexit […]
Archives for February 2018
How does Corbyn’s speech today change the dynamics of Brexit?
In examining Corbyn’s Coventry speech, one main question needs to be asked: does a Labour government feel more likely after it, or less likely? I have to say that it not only feels more likely, but much more likely. The Tories need to grasp what a threat the speech and what it sets out poses […]
Why I wouldn’t get your hopes up about a coherent Brexit plan from Labour after this week
There has been a flurry of new information from major shadow cabinet figures about Brexit this week, after what seemed liked an enforced silence on the topic. Unfortunately, it all makes as much sense as it usually does. John McDonnell has jumped on the extremely irritating “a” customs union with the EU, not be confused […]
Why does the media still feign surprise at Theresa May’s political moves?
“Exclusive: Cabinet did not agree to Theresa May’s strategy for Brexit transition period, senior ministers say” reads a headline in today’s Telegraph. It may just as well have read “Exclusive: humans require oxygen to live”. One of the more annoying things about the age we live in – and given Donald Trump is president of […]
The right-wing press is fighting the wrong battle with Corbyn – again
The “Corbyn consulted with Commie spy” story has run across pretty much every newspaper you would consider right of centre in Great Britain now. It is clearly part of a concerted effort to change people’s minds about the Labour leader. If they can’t get to the young lefties who would never read The Daily Mail […]
Why Brexiteers finally turning against the Good Friday Agreement is so dangerous
On Friday, former NI-Secretary Owen Paterson tweeted “The collapse of power-sharing in Northern Ireland shows the Good Friday Agreement has outlived its use” with a link to a Daily Telegraph article written by Ruth Dudley Edwards. The crucial paragraph from the Edwards piece is the final one: “Realists believe the GFA has served its purpose […]
Could the vote to Leave the EU ultimately lead to a more pro-European Britain?
Despite what some Remainers may have you believe, Brexit looks pretty set to happen. With both the government and the official opposition wedded to it taking place (while taking up over 80% of the available vote), it is hard to see what blows it off course. Unless, of course, it is actually impossible for the […]
Examining Boris Johnson’s EU speech – well, one sentence in it at least, which was enough
My most basic feeling about the BoJo speech on the EU is: why do we need another one of these from a rogue cabinet member? Can’t the government just come up with a collective position and then announce it? How am I supposed to take the intentions set out in the Boris speech other than […]
Why having no tariffs is as utopian having no immigration control whatsoever
Policy Exchange have released a report today entitled, Global Champion: the Case for Unilateral Free Trade. There are many good points raised in it. The paper reminds us that free trade is a good thing, for both rich and poor, and that a lot of the myths surrounding it are just that. “‘Food security’, for example, […]
Hear me out on this: I’m starting to think we might actually need hard Brexit to happen
It may sound very strange for a Remainer to say that I think hard Brexit has become necessary. But that’s where I think we might now be. Despite a terrible, shambolic set of negotiations so far by Theresa May and her cohorts; despite forecasts of economic doom, particularly for the North East and the Midlands, […]