A couple of years ago, in the wake of the 2017 general election, I wrote a book called “Apocalypse Delayed: Why the Left are Still in Trouble” which advanced a theory about the Labour Party that is about to be tested, namely that they would lose, again. I also wrote about the woes of the […]
Why the winner of last night’s ITV leader’s debate could turn out to be Jo Swinson
For those of you who didn’t watch the leader’s debate on ITV, which hopefully was most of you, it was as dire as expected. Johnson just barked campaign lines in a chaotic, sometimes random way; he had nothing new whatsoever to say for himself. Corbyn looked tired and fed up and though he was a […]
Why it is ridiculous to say that the 2019 general election won’t tell us what the country thinks about Brexit
Here’s my main problem with the People’s Vote argument: it seems to be taken for granted in Remain circles that the 2016 EU referendum was a bad idea (which is was) but that the fix to this problem is to do it all over again. It’s like thinking the best way to treat someone whose […]
My prediction for the 2019 general election
I can already feel it: I will regret writing this article. Partly because I was so wrong last time, being sure right up until the reveal of the exit poll that the Tories had won a huge majority. I’ll also regret it partly because making any sort of prediction on how this election is going […]
Steve Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, makes an inadvertent pitch to Remain in the EU
Steve Barclay is the Brexit Secretary. I’m telling you this as some casual readers might not be aware of this fact given we’ve had so many Brexit Secretaries already. Anyhow, that’s what Steve does – now you know. His contribution to the Tory general election campaign thus far has been to make a video about […]
Why the Lib Dems shouldn’t stand candidates in Canterbury or Uxbridge
The Lib Dem PPC for Canterbury, Tim Walker, stepped down as the candidate last night. Many Remainers were overjoyed that Walker had decided to stand aside to help Rosie Duffield, a Labour Remainer, keep the seat. Then, LD HQ announced it was putting in a new candidate. Cue outrage from Remainers across social media. This […]
The Brexit party has stood down in Tory seats – is this a good or bad thing for the Conservatives? Here’s the calculation that will determine that
The big news from yesterday is that Nigel Farage will be standing down Brexit party candidates in all 317 seats the Conservatives won in the 2017 general election. Put aside the oddness of this criteria – the Brexit party won’t be standing in Anna Soubry’s seat, who is no longer a Tory MP and a […]
Why the Tories are still so far ahead in the polls
Despite the Conservative party getting their election campaign off to what has by consensus been a rocky start, they are still around 10-12 points ahead of their nearest competitor, the Labour Party, in the polls. Some people are confused as to how this can be – and what can be done by opposition parties to […]
Why you should vote Lib Dem this election, reason #132
The news this morning is that a Labour PPC has stood down from running after being accused of calling a fellow Labour councillor in the same area “Shylock”, his excuse being that he apparently had no idea that Shylock was Jewish. It’s not just the Tory campaign that is in meltdown then. Also nice to […]
The Day the Clown Cried: why Boris Johnson’s campaign is falling apart around his ears
In the spring of 1972, comedian Jerry Lewis went into production on a film he directed and starred in entitled “The Day the Clown Cried”. It was about a circus clown who is imprisoned in a Nazi war camp and finds his act appealing to the children there. It ends with Lewis’ character leading some […]