The “national unity” government idea continues to hog breathing space in Westminster gossip columns. Funny, I was the one talking about it years ago as a possibility when no one thought it could ever be a thing; now I really don’t see it happening. It’s too big a leap for too many MPs to take […]
Why the polling on a government of national unity should actually give Remainers hope and urgency
The pro-Brexit portion of the print media has been talking up a YouGov poll this week, done on the topic of what the public thinks about a government of national unity to halt no deal Brexit. It found that 44% oppose the idea of bringing down Boris Johnson’s government and temporarily replacing it with a […]
Here’s an important myth we need to nip in the bud here and now, as Johnson’s premiership begins
Boris Johnson anointed his cabinet yesterday, clearing out half of what was already there. I could say a lot about this – Patel as Home Secretary and Raab as FCO are both truly horrific appointments – but I’ll leave most of that to others. I’m more confused about what Johnson thinks he’s going to do […]
Here’s the problem with Unite to Remain
Heidi Allen, the ex-Tory MP for South Cambridgeshire, has launched a new campaign called Unite to Remain. The essence of it is to create a Remain alliance, one in which certain parties step aside in seats to allow Remain parties who have a better chance of winning a clear run. Allen herself pointed to the […]
A short summary of Labour’s latest Brexit position
I have, I admit, been cynical regarding Labour’s positioning on Brexit in the past. I said before the 2017 general election that they had landed on a policy regarding leaving the EU that would satisfy no one. Lo and behold, they ended up with 40% of the vote. So, who knows, perhaps this latest move […]
The magic Brexit myth goes on and on and on
I’ll know we’ve turned a corner at long last in this confusing political era we are unfortunately experiencing when political pundits of all stripes stop buying into the magic Brexit myth. By this I mean the idea that all it will take is one move, whatever that might be, and then Brexit will be “resolved” […]
Within the Remain side of politics, there is still too much complacency
This isn’t an article about who would win a second EU referendum and why (or why not) I believe that to be the case. That in itself is a prime example of Remainer complacency. No, this runs much deeper than that. Remainers have started in what looks like their millions to turn away from Corbyn […]
Could BoJo get away with a soft Brexit?
In all my wonderings about what Boris Johnson will do when he becomes prime minister, until very recently I hadn’t considered the soft Brexit option at all. I sort of ruled it out, leading to a very narrow set of options for Johnson on Brexit. I will admit that this possibility was opened up to […]
Why Boris Johnson as prime minister will be the death of Brexit
One of the great ironies that will be relished by historians in the semi-distant future is how Rory Stewart, the only candidate in the current Tory leadership who had a realistic plan for delivering Brexit, was derided as a Remainer, while they went on to pick Boris Johnson instead, who was the final nail in […]
The leadership contest demonstrates the Tories have lost the plot – for the time being at least
The Conservative Party has been morphing into something else since June 2016, something very different to what they have ever previously been. Amongst other things, they used to know how to win elections. How are they doing on that front these days? Lost their majority at the 2017 general election; lost 1,300 councillors at the […]