A few years back, Maurice Glasman, the academic and Labour peer, and Philip Blond, once described as “Cameron’s philosopher king” and founder and director of the think tank Respublica, would run sessions on “Red Toryism v Blue Labour” and how that were not all that far apart. The basic pitch was two pronged: one, social […]
First thoughts on Theresa May’s latest Brexit speech – why this should have been the spiel at Lancaster House over a year ago
Reports leading up to today’s speech were mixed. On one hand, Chris Grayling said that “the prime minister will recognise in the speech today that it is not about cherry picking, that we can’t have everything that we might like to have because we are leaving.” This seemed to suggest more realism, which was to […]
The Tories have now picked up one of Labour’s worst habits
It would be an understatement to say that Tory Brexiteers are less than pleased with John Major this morning. The former PM gave a speech to the Creative Industries Federation yesterday in which he gave Brexit a good talking down and called for a second referendum on the matter. It was a pretty in your […]
The Tories had better figure out a way to stop drifting away from business
It can’t be overstated what a milestone the Institute of Directors praising, even cautiously and with plenty of caveats, a speech by Jeremy Corbyn happens to be. That a properly socialist Labour leader could get praise from groups that are the backbone of British capitalism says a lot about how the Tories have allowed Brexit […]
Why does the media still feign surprise at Theresa May’s political moves?
“Exclusive: Cabinet did not agree to Theresa May’s strategy for Brexit transition period, senior ministers say” reads a headline in today’s Telegraph. It may just as well have read “Exclusive: humans require oxygen to live”. One of the more annoying things about the age we live in – and given Donald Trump is president of […]
The right-wing press is fighting the wrong battle with Corbyn – again
The “Corbyn consulted with Commie spy” story has run across pretty much every newspaper you would consider right of centre in Great Britain now. It is clearly part of a concerted effort to change people’s minds about the Labour leader. If they can’t get to the young lefties who would never read The Daily Mail […]
Corbyn isn’t “on the fence” on Brexit. Why is that so hard for Remainers to absorb?
Gina Miller, the Emmeline Pankhurst of the Remainer movement, tweeted yesterday: YOUTH TO CORBYN: GET OFF THE FENCE ON BREXIT, OR ELSE! What struck me as so odd about this tweet is that Jeremy Corbyn isn’t on any fence on Brexit. I can’t say he was never on the fence on EU membership – he […]
Explaining the Customs Union fudge and just how bad the “dream team” idea is
We’re on the perihelion of the government’s Brexit cycle – when the official position is closest to Rees-Moggness. After Hammond’s “slip” at Davos, admitting that a soft Brexit is what we’re headed for, May has to assert all manner of hard Brexitiness, with Downing Street telling us now that we will definitely be leaving the […]
The answer to populism is relatively simple: sustained competence
Appearing on This Week this week, Michael Portillo had this to say about Rees-Mogg as potential PM: “Because he is not in office he has the luxury of saying pretty much what he thinks, that he is clear cut and relatively charismatic and that he has ideas and that all of these things are what […]
If the Tory backbenchers finally pull the plug on May, who will become prime minister? A journey into the bizarre
Rumours swirl around Westminster that Conservative backbenchers have finally had their fill of May’s premiership; Graham Brady, the leader of the 1922 Committee, is now at the point of begging MPs not to put their letters in. Again, so the rumours have it. I’m still not so sure that her end at PM is quite […]