Since the December 12th general election became assured, Remain Twitter has gone crazy. We wanted a People’s Vote! Now that we don’t have it, people have to vote tactically! Tactically, do you understand? Here are some quick thoughts on the subject of tactical voting and in particular, how it relates to the 2019 general election […]
Archives for October 2019
Why I think a People’s Vote is a bad idea
I wasn’t going to say what I’m about to say in this article. I was going to remain silent on this topic. Yet the combination of Remainers on Twitter putting out some variant of “Want a People’s Vote before a general election, please” and the visible, public melting of the People’s Vote campaign itself has […]
Why we need a general election as quickly as possible
Over the weekend, a lot of Remainers vented their unhappiness on social media toward the Lib Dem/SNP plan to put forward a bill that might allow parliament to bypass Labour and allow a general election to happen in December. It was said that these parties were acting in their self-interest and that what we need […]
We are stuck in Brexit purgatory again. It is difficult to see an immediate way out
I’ll admit that I am still hoping for a general election in 2019, although I think the possibility of it is fading quickly. Corbyn doesn’t want to ram it through against the will of the PLP – although I do think he wants an election, as it is the only way for him to avoid […]
The Withdrawal Agreement Bill has been “paused”. What happens now?
Last night, Boris Johnson reaped what he had sowed. The programme motion, that which would have set out a timetable for him to get the WAB voted through parliament in time for him to keep his October 31st promise to the nation if every other step had worked out for him from there, was voted […]
Why the Lib Dems should vote for the customs union amendment (probably)
Things are moving very fast in British politics at the moment, so this article may become redundant quickly. But it looks from here like the following is going to happen: Bercow will disallow MV2 on the Boris Withdrawal Agreement; Johnson will shrug and move the bill that enacts it, the problem with this being it […]
Here’s why Labour MPs in Leave seats should not vote for the Withdrawal Agreement on Saturday
I would like to address this article directly to those Labour MPs who are in seats that voted heavily to leave the EU in the 2016 EU referendum, and as a result are seriously considering voting for Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement on Saturday. I will use this space to try and talk you out of […]
What Extinction Rebellion tells you about the problems of the wider left
Last night, ITV cameras caught Extinction Rebellion protesters standing on top of tube trains on the Jubilee line at Canning Town. Judging by the footage, the protest was not a success. Prospective passengers on the platform got so angry with the protestors, one of the XR chaps got physically dragged off the top of the […]
Why Remainers should be worried if a People’s Vote comes to pass
There was a good article in the Spectator by Nick Cohen yesterday about the People’s Vote campaign and how while they have done well to advance the cause of getting a second referendum seriously considered, they haven’t done a lot of thinking about what to do if a referendum actually happens. What ideas will the […]
How Brexit being reduced to nothing whatsoever may soon become official government policy
In the 1969 film “Putney Swope”, directed by Robert Downey Snr (yes, Robert Downey Jnr’s father), the chairman of the board of an advertising company dies in the first scene. The board thus need to elect a new chairman. Putney Swope, the only black man on the board, is elected by accident – since the […]