Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change has issued a paper regarding immigration into Britain, particularly in relation to the UK’s membership of the European Union. It is authored by Harvey Redgrave, a very good policy man who used to work in Ed Miliband’s office during the coalition years. It is not without merit in some […]
“The Emoji Movie” isn’t the worst film ever made – it’s just ????
After my five year old daughter insisted on seeing “The Emoji Movie” and I thus resigned myself to having to watch it, I went through a phase right before viewing in which I was perversely looking forward to it. Reading the reviews, it seemed like the film was one of the worst ever made in the […]
There is no “natural end” to the current Tory government – the Left should stop indugling in this fantasy
One of the Corbynista strap lines is that we’ll have a Labour government very soon as there is a “natural end” to the current Tory government. That is rubbish and here’s why. First off, the Fixed Term Parliament Act changed more than people realised, at least from a constitutional perspective. It means that in extremis, […]
There is a perfect, horrible storm brewing in Northern Ireland
The seeming collapse of the power sharing talks in Belfast would be scary enough on their own. The ability for the Unionists and Nationalists to work together in the devolved Assembly is one of the pillars upon which the peace we’ve had for the last couple of decades in the region rests. Yet if that were all Northern […]
It is understandable if you’re worried about Brexit. But this is most likely how it will pan out
The UK political press is filled these days either with reports about how badly the Brexit negotiations are going from a British perspective, or not terribly convincing assurances from the right of centre press that, in spite of appearances, the negotiations are actually going amazingly well. In regards to the latter: one of my favourite […]
The fates of both hard Brexit and May’s premiership lie with one man – Jeremy Corbyn
There is a lot of crap being said in Westminster at present. On Radio 4 today, someone, I don’t who as I was only half-listening at the time, said that should Theresa May fail to get the Repeal Bill through, “Jeremy Corbyn automatically becomes prime minister”. This is unbelievable drivel. Imagine for a moment that […]
Is Theresa May staying on as prime minister for the next two years a good or a bad thing for the Conservative Party?
“I’m not a quitter” Theresa May has told the British press who have decamped to Japan to follow her tour in east Asia, when asked if she would be stepping down before the next election. “Yes” she answered when it was enquired of her whether or not she would remain Tory leader going into the […]
Everyone is massively overreacting to Labour’s change in Brexit policy
Over the weekend, Labour clarified its Brexit position. A little bit anyhow, which given how foggy it has been up until this point seems like a lot to most observers. Basically, Labour have said that during the transitional period, Britain should remain in the single market and the customs union. No further clarity on what […]
Not getting behind Gove as leader was the biggest mistake the Tory Right will ever make
Many a pundit has asked: why have Brexiteers been so grumpy during a period when the country voted for what they had campaigned for decades to brig about, and during which we appear to be headed for Brexit without question? In other words, why have they been such sore winners? I think a big part of it […]
How Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s approach to their parliamentary parties are the opposite of each other – and why that’s key
What undid Cameron’s premiership wasn’t the Brexit referendum; that was merely a symptom of the approach that he took that killed his political career. Which was that he was always too concerned with the whims of parliamentary party and bent over backwards to try and keep them onside. This was why he promised the In/Out […]