Since June 23rd of last year, people have gone to town arguing for their version of why people who voted Leave did so. Some are sure it was all about immigration; at the other end of the spectrum, it was just a chance to give Cameron and Osborne a kicking. Of course, reality is more […]
Until centrism can unite around a single figure and/or force, it will continue to lose ground
I chaired an event at Lib Dem spring conference in York last weekend. It was about 2017 and the challenges ahead. During the Q&A, one chap from the audience asked me “who is the main figure that centrists can unite around?” – the fact that even he, a Lib Dem activist, didn’t think it was […]
Could Galloway win Manchester Gorton? Could the Lib Dems win it?
Labour have finally picked their candidate for the Manchester Gorton by election, probably set to take place on May 4th alongside the local elections, but who the hell knows. Given they now have a candidate in place, I don’t see why Labour wouldn’t one, want it over with as soon as possible; two, on that […]
Mhari Black had a point about Scotland v London. But her statements’ omissions were telling
Mhari Black has been facing a lot of flak on social media for the things she’s being saying about Scotland in relation to London and the two places’ relative political power. This tweet from her summarises her position to date: “Scotland has 59 MPs. London has 73. The second largest country in the UK can […]
Are chocolate companies “destroying Christianity”? I try and get the scoop
In a world of so much ridiculous news, for instance when the leader of the Labour Party thinks it’s a good idea after a fight with his own MPs to make a video in which he makes light of the incident, a piece of visual entertainment in which he also says that Labour MPs shouldn’t […]
How the Momentum-Unite coalition could mean not only the end of Labour, but the end of the organised Left in Britain
Tom Watson was on the Today programme today, trying to walk his usual tightrope. The hard left had done something stupid, and Tom had to show he understood how bad it was without either going overboard and doing more damage to the Labour brand, or laying the blame at Jeremy Corbyn’s door. He was on […]
The Dutch elections do not mean we’re out of the wilderness yet. France could be very different
In the wake of Geert Wilders relatively disappointing election showing this week, many pundits are quick to declare the populist wave over in Europe. They have extrapolated from the Dutch result that France will not become the domain of Marine Le Pen after the first week in May. I would advise a lot more caution […]
The real official opposition to May’s government, in descending order
Preface: the Labour Party does not make this list, or indeed, even come close to doing so. At present, they do not constitute an opposition of any description. Yet politics abhors a vacuum, so other forces have inevitably filled the void, albeit not as well as a unified, real official opposition would do. The SNP […]
The Right is using the budget hiccup to lay Brexit’s problems at May and her chancellor’s doors alone
The mostly commonly cited trope in Westminster these days goes along the lines of “Queen May”. The prime minister is so in command of all she surveys that she is becoming infallible. This ignores the problems coming her way in regards to the Union, but unlike what some pundits are saying, I don’t that even […]
My two pence about the #toryelectionfraud thing
For some time now, readers of mine on social media have overwhelmingly requested I write about one particular topic, that being the story around the Conservative Party having possibly overspent in certain places during the 2015 general election campaign. Today, I’ve relented and here is the result. Two things to say off the bat. One, […]