Someone I know who I would never have thought would say anything like the following told me recently: “Getting Corbyn as prime minister for a bit is looking not as bad as what the Tories might be capable of doing, on Brexit and on other things as well.” This is the major danger the Tories […]
If “no deal” Brexit turns into a disaster, the Tories will be out of power for a generation
I, as some of you who read my stuff often will know, am much more optimistic about the Conservative Party’s chances of winning the next general election, whenever that may be, than most people who write about this stuff. There are many reasons for that which I won’t rehash for you now, but a lot […]
What if Theresa May did give the “Alastair Cambell” speech, reversing Brexit? It would snooker Labour
Alastair Campbell wrote an interesting article yesterday about what Theresa May should do now – it is very good, and you should check it out in full. In it, Campbell writes an imaginary speech for Theresa May, one in which she levels with the nation about how impossible Brexit is to achieve whilst maintaining a […]
Can MPs actually prevent a “no deal” Brexit? Why I think Chris Grayling is right on this one
Over the weekend, John McDonnell said that Labour MPs would work with rogue Tory MPs in order to block a “no deal” Brexit whilst on the Andrew Marr show. Marr followed up this declaration with the counter-point, “But there is no vote on that in the House of Commons”, to which McDonnell replied: “When we […]
Is Theresa May really that bad a prime minister? An except from “Apocalypse Delayed”
This is a truncated excerpt from my new book, “Apocalypse Delayed: Why the Left is Still in Trouble”. If this interests you enough to want to read the rest, it is available here. One of the key features of the 2017 general election was what could be termed the “presidential aspect”: the relevant party leaders […]
Why this latest plan for a post-Brexit Britain is really stupid
It is fair to say that the great Brexit experiment is hitting a rocky patch. Yesterday, the prime minister gave an interview in which she was asked whether if the referendum was run tomorrow she would vote Remain or Leave. She declined to answer. For the “Brexit means Brexit” person to be wavering on this […]
Why the idea of a “progressive alliance” is a bad one – an excerpt from “Apocalypse Delayed”
The following is an excerpt from my book “Apocalypse Delayed: Why the Left is Still in Trouble”. If this is anyway interesting to you, you can find the book here. After the exit poll came out at 10 p.m. on 8 June 2017, the BBC interviewed several pundits on what it all meant. Zoe Williams […]
Why Theresa May needs to reshuffle her cabinet, extensively and quickly
Shockwaves from the speech disaster are still feel being felt. Grant Shapps was on Radio 4 this morning, urging an immediate leadership contest. “We can’t go on like this” he said. While Tory MPs are loath to have an election for a new leader just this second, May is starting to make it more likely […]
Why 2017 Labour conference was a lot like the 2015 Tory conference
It always feels good to get home after Tory conference every year, having successfully survived not only the Conservative conference but those that preceded it. One of the most interesting things about going to the different party conferences is seeing how much they vary in feeling on the ground compared to how they often get […]
Theresa May should sack Boris the moment Tory conference is over
Writing the Telegraph article the week of the Florence speech should have been bad enough to earn Boris a sacking. The fact that he is continuing to cause problems for May tells us that he is almost certainly looking to get sacked. May should give him what he appears to want, and as soon as […]