Although these things are somewhat subjective, yesterday’s budget could probably be considered a hit in pure political terms. Yes, some pundits, particularly on the left, have critiqued elements of it, such as the tax giveaways to the middle-classes. Yet there is no sense of danger here, of something on the level of the 2012 “omnishambles” […]
Archives for October 2018
Interpreting John McDonnell’s latest interview on Brexit – yes, I do go beyond “It’s laughably crap”, don’t worry
So, what is there to say about Brexit anymore? We’re all just waiting for the May-EU drama to play out, for the prime minister to present the deal to parliament – and then the actual unknowable, namely will such a thing get a majority in the Commons or not. As has been obvious for a […]
A brief history of how we got to where we are, Brexit, Corbyn, everything. In less than a thousand words
Perhaps the biggest theme of this era across the West is that politics has become completely polarised; that Left and Right have gone to further extremes, with the Centre being ignored by the electorate. I’m going to try and explain here, in the simplest terms I can, why this happened. Again, I will be simplifying […]
Imagining the May 2019 Euro elections – in the UK
So, that whole UK-EU negotiation thing is almost all wrapped up, right? I haven’t bothered to look at the news over the last week or so, but I don’t need to in order to know that May got the cabinet and the DUP to accept the backstop and now everything’s pretty much on plan for […]
Another look at a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. The question is not whether it would be good or bad, but actually in any way achievable
An article in the Telegraph this morning declares, “US ready to negotiate free trade deal with UK ‘as soon as’ Britain quits the EU, says Trump envoy”. This, of course, has nothing to do with the timing of May having to come to terms with the EU on the Irish backstop question this very day. […]
We’re down to four possible Brexit scenarios – here they are
Dominic Raab heads to Brussels for a chat with Barnier – but nothing is agreed regarding the backstop. A feeling of drama grips the bubble, while calm continues in the rest of the UK, and indeed, in Brussels itself. Where does “hell week” leave us then? There are only really four ways I think Brexit […]
How Theresa May’s Brexit negotiation is reaching its inevitable conclusion
There is said to be cabinet “unease” around the latest May proposal for dealing with the backstop issue the UK seemingly unwittingly signed up to in December 2017. Namely, that until a super-whizz bang trade deal between the UK and the EU can be agreed and implemented, the UK essentially stays in the Customs Union. […]
Here’s a connection between free market fundamentalism and Brexit I’d never realised before
I was having a chat with a prominent Brexiteer this week, as you do. I said to him that while I had to concede there was a Brexit that could provide for an economic boost in the abstract, in hard reality it was going to be tough precisely because business thinks that it will be […]
While it’s easy to enjoy the schadenfreude involved in the Chris Williamson deselection story, there’s something serious underneath
Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North and amongst Corbyn’s biggest supporters, is one of the major cheerleaders for the mandatory re-selection of all sitting Labour MPs as well as deselection of MPs critical of the leadership. He is now apparently under threat of being deselected by his own CLP. This is most likely a […]
This feels like 2012 in some ways – only Labour are in a much worse place now
All of the analysis of conference season seems to come down to two main points. One: that Labour conference was buzzing while Tory conference was stale. Two: that Theresa May managed to clear the low bar set for her and is thus safe until the end of March next year. The first one is at […]