UKIP announced the day before last that their membership swelled by over 2,000 in January, bringing the total number of official ‘Kippers to 34,000 – only 10,000 behind the Liberal Democrats. While this leaves Britain’s “fourth party” still a long way behind the Conservatives in terms of membership (which is around 100,000 or so – the Tories […]
ED MILIBAND WILL DO WHAT HE HAS TO COME MAY 8th, 2015
Nick Clegg revealed in a very recent BBC documentary that he would be open to working with Labour in a coalition should the electoral maths point in this direction. On the surface of it, this doesn’t even technically qualify as news. Clegg has said many times that he wishes to keep his party equidistant […]
“STAR WARS, EPISODE I” RE-IMAGINED
I recall vividly the first time I ever saw Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, or Star Wars as it was simply known then. I was four years old and it was on its original cinematic release. I loved it. So much so that I wet myself. Literally. I didn’t want to leave […]
WITH OSBOURNE’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE POUND, THE SCOTTISH REFERENDUM CAMPAIGN IS NOW OFFICIALLY OVER
As someone who himself has taken part in a Yes campaign in a national referendum, I can guess what those battling on the side of Scottish independence are thinking and feeling this morning after the three main British parties united to scupper the idea that an independent Scotland could simply expect to continue using the […]
THE CRISIS IN ITALIAN POLITICS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR REFORMERS IN BRITAIN
Italy and its failing political system remains an albatross for British electoral reformers. I don’t know how many times I have heard from politicians who are not particularly inclined to support any change to a voting system within the United Kingdom say something along the lines of: “Just look at the Italians. We wouldn’t […]
GEORGE ORWELL REVIEW, PART 1: DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON, BURMESE DAYS AND A CLERGYMAN’S DAUGHTER
George Orwell was a huge influence on me when I was younger. I read Nineteen Eighty Four as a thirteen year old and thought it was quite possibly the greatest thing I’d ever been exposed to up until that point, with the possible exception of the first Ramones album. I went on to read all […]
THOUGHTS REGARDING THE NEW HANSARD SOCIETY REPORT ON PMQS
The Hansard Society has made some recommendations around how to improve perceptions of Prime Minister’s Questions in a new report entitled Tuned in or Turned off? Public attitudes to Prime Minister’s Questions. Also, how to get more people outside of the Westminster bubble to watch the bloody thing every week. I like some of the […]
MARK HARPER’S RESIGNATION AND THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DEBATE
Over the weekend Mark Harper, the now ex-Minister of State for Immigration, resigned. The reason, of which I’m sure you’re all familiar already, is that he had been caught employing an illegal immigrant as a cleaner. Many will (and have already been) using this as a chance to enjoy the schadenfreude of it all; […]
NATIONAL VOTERS REGISTRATION DAY: MY THOUGHTS FROM OLD KENT ROAD
“I don’t know. I don’t care.” This was the response I received from a middle aged woman of medium height and medium build to the question I’d been asking all day: “Are you registered to vote?” I was blocking her path into the ASDA on Old Kent Road as she answered me, and I stopped […]
ENDING KEVIN PIETERSEN’S ENGLAND CAREER IS A BIG MISTAKE
My defining memory of Kevin Pietersen as an England player comes from a match in 2010. It was Day Three of the England v Pakistan test at the Oval. I was there on the day with ten friends; it was my stag do. Possibly the magnitude of the event for me personally is what has […]