I’m amazed that the Conservatives have banned the Mirror from their battle bus. Really? What on earth are they frightened of? It might, I suggest, be the truth… This government seems to believe in Thatcherism. When its failings are plain for all to see. Or it suggests that a now different course is still part… Read more
Category:
Politics
Parallel currency may be the key to understanding the Brexit mindset
I have a friendly electrician who is married to a Scot and who is a rampant Brexiter. He thinks Scotland is nuts to want to sacrifice a 300 year, or rather longer, association with the rest of Britain, in favour of the EU. He has a point. Getting out of the EU after 45 years… Read more
N. Ireland GE2019 – North Belfast and the DUP
Introduction This is the first of a series of six posts on GE2019 in Northern Ireland each of which will highlight one party and one constituency. This post features the DUP and the North Belfast constituency. The second on Sinn Féin and Foyle is available here. Subsequent posts will highlight Sinn Féin (SF), the Social… Read more
Conservative Government mismanagement of the NHS is plain for all to see
The news last week that the delays and target failures in the NHS are substantially worse than ever before is regrettably, unsurprising. Dr Rachel Clarke has pointed out that since the Conservatives have been in government, surgical waiting lists have soared to 4.4 million; district nurses have been culled by 50%; 15,000 hospital beds have… Read more
Immigrants help us…
This is straightforward Labour Party evangalism, for which I perhaps ought to apologise, but I (and I reckon that many of our readers might well) agree absolutely. It is a counteraction to the untruthful Tory idea that immigrants are a problem, when in fact immigrants are invariably younger and more active than most and do… Read more
Labour is showing that the economy comes second to the planet
The recent John McDonnell speech in Liverpool, on ‘Borrowing to invest’ suggesting City financiers can no longer prescribe government financial terms seems to be Labour really setting out who is in charge: The days of the City dictating the terms to the rest of the country are over. The finance sector will be brought in… Read more
Sovereignty – thy name is Brexit…
I thought the wonderful, and cruel logic of this letter worthy of wider attention. It might provoke one or two wry smiles but it also demonstrates all too clearly the idiocy of Britain’s current position… Sovereignty may be a zero sum game, but no man is an island. Indeed all of John Donne’s poem speaks… Read more
Brexit health dangers writ large
This post is – even more than usual – unashamedly political. But I’m afraid this clip below demonstrates beyond all doubt how a US trade deal would be so dangerous for the UK. Yes the US is an ally. Fine, but exactly how much must we be required to limit our resources for medication to… Read more
In touch or not?
Jo Johnson has tweeted this and Tom Kibasi of the IPPR has suggested that his daily newspaper reading suggests he is not in touch with his constituents. It is, of course, an arguable case. But to me, it is much more likely that in reading this trio of newspapers – the FT, The New York… Read more
Bullsh*t bureaucracies
There is an interesting short video below where David Graeber’s ‘Bullshit Jobs‘ and the NHS meet. What I take from it is that whilst bureaucracy helps to separate power and responsibility, it is the preserve of educated middle classes (so called) who feel decidedly uncomfortable in their bullsh*t jobs. But of course, paying them off… Read more