This, from Terry Reintke, the German Green MEP, I found incredibly moving. Here is someone who is aware of who and what Britain is, speaks marvellous English and understands that Brexiters are actually now a minority. I feel the need to thank her very profoundly…. Read more
Category:
Brexit
About the decision, background and process of the UK leaving the European Union.
The right wing mind again – Is the reduction in libraries the killer blow to aspiration?
My previous piece has, I partly regret, led me to revist a blog I wrote some time ago suggesting that voting Conservative was aspirational, regardless of your own circumstances. Because I’m now beginning to wonder if not only the pupils but the parents in our difficult schools have low self-esteem. And some significant numbers of… Read more
‘Our government structures are derelict’
I think the sentiments in this Caroline Lucas speech during the European Withdrawal Bill debate are worth spreading widely. All the discretionary ministerial powers are in this bill. We have thrown away democratic control on the basis of just 44% of the total votes cast. The ‘mother of Parliaments’ is woefully unfit for purpose and… Read more
Brexit is the end of EU leavers
There is an informative and depressing article in the Irish Times suggesting that as Britain has shown what a disaster leaving the EU is, so the right wing anti-Europe headbangers, like Marine Le Pen, have ditched the idea of leaving Europe ( including, remarkably not leaving the Euro, so I’m not sure they have got… Read more
‘Unleashing the potential’ of individuals entails continuing education
Yet the ‘Guardian’ reports that 3.8 million fewer people are in adult education compared to the beginning of the decade. This is of course, the inevitable result of austerity, though how spending less on education can ever represent good value for anyone, let alone a currency issuing government is quite beyond me. How much more… Read more
Were the Postal Votes really up by 19%?
The ‘Herald Scotland’ has reported concerns over Conservative links to an election count firm involved in postal voting. Yet the irony seems to be that the problem in England and Wales is even worse. As AC Grayling suggests: Mere speculation, but: dodgy postal vote spike, dodgy Tory funding, Kuenssberg breaking electoral rules – what’s the… Read more
A memorial to 2019 and – regrettably – a sneaking suspicion for 2020
Best wishes and hope (albeit – personally – in increasing desperation!) for everyone who has been kind enough to read us and visit, for 2020. May we all endeavour to change the course that seems to have been set…. Read more
The Germans sum it up very nicely
The banner says ‘Democracy is the enemy of the people’, whilst our leader is asking whether the people want total Brexit? [The cartoon is by Marian Kamensky]… Read more
The unmaking of Britain
This is an interesting article from the former BBC and FT jounalist, Chris Cook, on ex PM Cameron’s book, which is well worth reading (the article that is – not the book!) It is a pretty excoriating piece on the vacuousness of Cameron – with which sentiment, unsurprisingly, he suggests, Dominic Cummings amongst others, agrees…. Read more
A little inspiration when everything feels pointless and awful…
Rather belatedly I feel I should point to Jack Monroe’s blog where she very courageously and inspiringly – for me anyway – suggests we should: But first, we rest. We recharge. We reconnect with one another. We hold one another up, and steady, and put one foot in front of the other. We make sure… Read more