Something that gets lobbed at liberals these days is that the reason we feel so befuddled is because politics has been inverted by Brexit and Trump, and that our confusion is simply us feeling what everyone else felt for several decades. I’ve tried to empathise with this position as much as possible, partly to understand […]
Archives for March 2018
Why does the Labour frontbench find anti-Semitism so hard to actually deal with?
It was Rebecca Long-Bailey’s turn. The hapless shadow BEIS secretary (just typing that now gave me a shudder) was the latest to be wheeled out to make some grandiose yet ultimately content free statement on behalf of the Labour Party on the subject du jour, namely how a). anti-Semitism was no longer going to be […]
Why, after the last week, I don’t think Labour can possibly win a general election
I should caveat that headline a little, since I’m now out of the game of predictions: as things stand, I just don’t see how Labour can possibly win a general election. We live in volatile times, and things can change very quickly, of course. Corbyn could quit and then Labour turns itself around in record […]
Why the Cambridge Analytica story leaves me uneasy, aka what’s wrong with the “web of douchebags” theory
The Guardian story around the supposed “dark arts” performed by the company Cambridge Analytica is still going strong. It has apparently caused a massive dip in Facebook’s share price amongst other things. I’ve reflected a lot on the story and read every article I can find about it, both in Britain and in the American […]
Here’s another problem a second referendum on EU membership might present
While most of the political world is engaged in the culture war around Brexit, I like to have fun thinking of all the possible constitutional and other assorted crises it might throw up. I thought of one last night that has to do with a possible second referendum scenario. Whatever anyone tells you, Theresa May […]
A review of the Brexity fish-centric protest on the Thames this morning
This morning, a fishing boat called Holladays sailed down the Thames loaded with right-wing MPs, Nigel Farage, and a bunch of journos. It was a protest at the fact that the transition deal May has negotiated will keep Britain in the Common Fishing Policy throughout, i.e. until December 2020. Farage as mentioned, was on the […]
Transitional period agreed between the EU and the UK – here’s what that really means
Today, Barnier and Davis held a joint press conference announcing that a transitional period, to last from the end of March 2019 until December 31, 2020, had been agreed by the two parties. However, as ever with these negotiations, it’s worth looking into the detail. There are days when that whole “Theresa May is a […]
Was the upbeat tone of the spring statement ill-advised? A closer look
Okay, I understand why, for many reasons, Phil Hammond didn’t want to give another doom and gloom statement from the Treasury about the economic conditions of today’s Great Britain. One, he’s starting to get typecast; two, he wants to seem medium-Brexity for the short term at least, so he had to inject some oomph into […]
Yesterday’s session in the House shows why I’d still rather have Theresa May as prime minister over Jeremy Corbyn
I think it’s fair to say I’ve never been the greatest fan of Theresa May as PM. I have often ranted here about her failings as leader of the Conservative Party and of the country. I even dismissed her in the opening page of my last book as “crap”. However, if it came down to […]
How we could be headed for a serious Brexit related constitutional crisis – but not the one you’ve heard about
I’m going to try and keep this as straightforward as I can – but a warning that this gets into heavy constitutional technicalities as a matter of course. That’s where we’ve got to now. Best for Britain, the Remainer campaign group, is launching a legal challenge against the government with the aim of getting a […]