Every year prior to arriving at Labour conference, I feel a weird sense of dread; that somehow this year, everything will turn openly ugly. Then I get to the conference and remember how much fun I have at Labour’s annual national get together each and every year. This edition is no different. I was nervous […]
What I learned at the “Tory Glastonbury”
Yesterday, I headed out of London on the M4 to rural Berkshire for George Freeman’s “Big Tent Ideas”, lazily referred to in the media as the “Tory Glastonbury”. Several things to say about it: one, although the focus of the whole thing was undeniably reviving the fortunes of the Conservative Party, particularly amongst young people, […]
Labour’s leadership rule change slips by with almost no fanfare
The battle over the “McDonnell amendment” ends not with a bang, or a punch up at conference or talk of potential splits, but with a profound whimper. The political press have barely even commented on a change waved through the newly shifted further to the left National Executive Committee taking the need for 15% of the […]
Is Switzerland now bad? Why I’m struggling to understand the Leaver argument these days
Despite being a Remainer, I am trying as hard as I can to understand the Leaver position, particularly as Brexit appears to be inevitable. I try and keep an open mind about it all as much as is humanly possible. But man, the Brexiteers are making it hard to keep this up at present. I […]
Theresa May has misplayed Boris and now this is how it is coming back to haunt her
A quick recap for those who don’t bother keeping up with this sort of thing any longer: Boris Johnson’s long awaited thoughts on Brexit 2.0 were published in the Telegraph this weekend. Many wondered if he might be about to say Brexit was a bad idea in the first place, which seems naïve now. Of course, he […]
This is the biggest problem the Lib Dems face in terms of re-building: the Steven Tyler problem
I have just written a book for Biteback entitled “Apocalypse Delated: Why the Left is Still in Trouble”. If you’re interested in the book, you can check it out here. There is a whole chapter in it on the Lib Dems and why I think they struggle to regain the levels of support seen pre-2010. […]
What I wish Tony Blair’s institute had said about immigration instead
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 […]
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 […]