There has been a weird lack of any sort of media pieces about the end of the decade. This is in sharp contrast to say, the end of the millennium, where everyone and his dog had a go at such a thing; even the end of the noughties brought with them a cavalcade of self-reflection. […]
Archives for December 2019
Why Keir Starmer might have a better chance of becoming the next Labour leader than many think
This article could simply be some form of optimism rearing its head after having digested the general election result and decided to look on the bright side of life again. Bear that in mind. But I think Keir Starmer might have a much better chance at winning the leadership contest early next year than a […]
This is the only way the Labour Party can win the next election – and who I think the Labour membership will pick as leader as a result
A lot of people seem to have already conceded the next general election to the Tories. It is easy to understand why. Labour’s reaction to their crushing loss has not been inspiring. The Left have an arrogance that is truly breathtaking yet understandable: the membership have backed them every step of the way since 2015. […]
Here’s one thing that was definitely positive about the general election result
I know many of you are still hurting from what happened last Thursday; still trying to absorb its meaning. I think I’ve discovered what for me at least was the most positive thing about the general election result: it brings us back to representative democracy again, finally ditching the ill-conceived flirtation with direct democracy we […]
My “Labour membership” dilemma
Imagine you’re a liberal person like me. You found the general election campaign torturous because on one hand you didn’t want Boris to win, but you also wanted Corbyn to be politically annihilated, and the chance of both of those things happening simultaneously seemed slim. Ah, but there was one hope: what if the Lib […]
These are the two ways I think Brexit unfolds from here
As everyone will now agree, we are leaving the European Union in short order. Well, sort of. We lose our MEPs and seat on the Council in a few weeks time, once the Withdrawal Bill passes parliament, but after that we go into a transition period in which everything apart from our having a voice […]
Some initial thoughts on how the Labour Party could rebuild from this defeat and win the next election
Some of you might think I’m the wrong person to write this article. I’ve never voted Labour at a general election and I’ve spent most of the last four and half years slagging off Corbyn and telling anyone who would listen why everything Labour was doing was wrong. But that’s why I think I’m the […]
What went wrong with the Lib Dems 2019 general election campaign? Here’s a forensic examination
The Lib Dems have been crushed. Jo Swinson lost her seat; none of the defectors from the Labour and Conservative parties managed to either hold or take the seats they were contesting; the Liberal Democrats managed to overall net lose seats in an election where that seemed almost impossible going in. What follows is a […]
First thoughts on the 2019 general election result
Yesterday afternoon seems so long ago now. Back when we had some vague hope that somehow the Tories wouldn’t get a majority, yet Labour would lose badly enough to get rid of Corbyn. Tactical voting would work, it really would. Raab and Johnson are going to lose their seats. Now, we’re here in the early […]
My final thoughts on the 2019 general election before polling day
I know we have still have three days until it’s all over, but I don’t see what’s going to change in that time that will give us any more clarity on what will happen. It is now in the hands of fate. The polls over the weekend have the Tories going up a little and […]