I read an article in the Daily Telegraph yesterday about how Labour has decided to target Sheffield Hallam next May. It has all the hallmarks of a story put out to fill space on the basis of little actual content. Some “senior Labour figures” had told the Telegraph that behind closed doors Hallam is being […]
How the Greens will do in the 2015 general election: a seat-by-seat prediction
Last week, I did a prediction of what will happen in fourteen UKIP target seats, ones identified by the party itself. I thought it might be fun to do the same for the Greens, particularly given that party had told the Guardian their own version of a “super-12” list. I will go though each of […]
Tory plans around student immigration are highly revealing
Plans for foreign students to essentially be chucked out of the country after their course finishes has been met with condemnation from all sides. That’s because it’s a silly policy. Supporters of the idea say that 70,000 students from outside the EU hang around to work after they get their degrees, not seeing that this […]
Saloth Sar goes to Paris
So the islanders loved my goddamn story so much, the big kahuna said he would give me whatever I wanted. I could have had John Daiquiri put to death if I so desired, but I had enough blood on my hands for one lifetime. Instead, I asked for Daiquiri’s boat, the one he sailed to […]
I’m warming up to the idea of an English parliament
I remember being at an Alex Salmond speech in London a few years back. It was post May-2011, maybe autumn 2012 or so. I recall being impressed with his oratory skills, but that’s not what really sticks in my mind about the event. What I’ll never forget was a bloke very close by me in […]
How UKIP will do in the 2015 general election: a seat-by-seat prediction
One of the big questions ahead of next May’s general election is this: just how well are UKIP going to do in the end? Will they achieve anywhere near the fourteen percent nationwide that they got in this week’s ICM poll? Or will their vote collapse, mostly heading back to the Tories? Actually, as interesting […]
The normalisation of Cuba-US relations was long, long overdue
Yesterday, The United States of America normalised relations with Cuba, fifty-five years after the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and twenty-five years after the Berlin Wall fell. That last figure tells the story of how overdue this move really was. The trade embargo still has yet to be lifted, and hopefully it will […]
The Tories still don’t get it: short of a majority, the only way to get an EU referendum is through another coalition
There was a fascinating article in the Daily Mail yesterday. The top line was Cameron saying he won’t do a deal with UKIP under any circumstances after the next election, no matter what. Well, Cameron didn’t exactly say it; rather a “Downing Street aid” did. Anyhow, it all seems to have been done with the […]
Lib Dems up three, Tories down three – the latest ICM/Guardian poll and what it means for the general election
ICM have done their monthly poll for the Guardian. Top line is that Labour have “opened up” a five point lead on the Tories. At least, that’s how the Guardian is headlining it. In the same poll, the Lib Dems are at fouteen, which is up three from last month. Most Lib Dems would take […]
The aftermath of the Scottish referendum should act as a warning to the Tories over an EU vote
On September 18th, 2014, the Scottish people voted by ten points to reject independence and remain part of the United Kingdom. You would have thought that this would have taken the wind out of the SNP’s sails. After all, independence is their raison d’etre – surely now that the Scots had rejected it, the party […]