Every day in Toryland seems crazier and more disturbing then the last, doesn’t it? We are in the middle of a climate emergency and a cost-of-living crisis. The energy companies are making outrageous profits from ordinary people. The Tories have shrugged off landmark defeats in two by-elections as nothing, while Labour ties itself in knots […]
The position of Foreign Secretary is one of the Great Offices of State. It requires tact, command of a brief, outstanding communication skills, and a real interest in the wider world. Here’s a look at recent incumbents, picking a random starting point of June 2016. In January 2017, Boris Johnson accused the then French president […]
In the UK today, it’s largely accepted that we should cherish and celebrate a culture of inclusion. We like to promote acceptance and diversity in all things – from religion and ethnicity, to age and sexual orientation. We even value diversity in the languages we speak to one another. Why is it then, when it […]
Sometimes the challenges facing those of us who would like the UK to remain a civilised country with a functioning democracy and a strong social contract seem daunting. This article suggests that we may be able to learn a lot from Greek mythology. The way Hercules killed the Hydra – a 10-headed venomous serpent – […]
They really don’t care, do they, these Conservatives? They don’t care how they’re seen by the public. They don’t care if they break the law. They don’t care about the optics of selecting accused/under-investigation rapists retaining the whip. They don’t care about trashing the economy/the environment/the NHS/people’s lives or the UK’s reputation. Instead, they appear […]
Dear Chris I see with interest that you are advertising for a secretary/PA. I’m wondering what happened to the last one, but that’s just my natural curiosity. I’m thinking it was just too much for them working with someone who’d gone from full-fat Tory to skimmed Green overnight … well, since the May local elections […]
Part I: pop on the galoshes of despair, and let’s wade into The Week In Tory ! Warning! Contains strong language… and how could it not? 1. Remember that time, ages ago, when Boris Johnson was found to be a liar, ditched by his party in a 354 to 7 vote, humiliated in front of the […]
The following Conservative MPs do not think Johnson is a liar or that truth and parliamentary democracy matter. They did not vote to support the recommendations of the privileges committee. Some may have had legitimate reasons for not voting: ill/paired etc Christopher Chope Chris Loder Richard Drax Conor Burns…knighted by the liar Johnny Mercer Derek […]
I doubt anyone in main media is going to write a decent article on the Lords regret & fatal motions, so I am going to give it a shot. Before we start, some things to understand.This was NOTHING to do with the actual bill. This was all about the government using a statutory instrument to […]
Dear Sir Conor, The topic of my letter to you today is constitutional overreach by the government. I have long been concerned by recent governments’ excessive use of Henry VIII powers and statutory instruments (S.I.), allowing ministers to make rules that govern us all without proper democratic scrutiny by our elected representatives. Imagine my horror […]
In his honours list published June 9, Boris Johnson has nominated seven new members of the House of Lords, a tradition granted to outgoing Prime Ministers (yes, even those who left in disgrace). In addition, Mr Johnson named six new knighthoods, including Jacob Rees-Mogg. (He had wanted to give his dad a knighthood, but reportedly […]
Green MP, Caroline Lucas, has announced that she will be stepping down at the next general election. Caroline will not be giving up politics, however, and intends to continue campaigning on “the challenges that drive me – the nature and climate emergencies”. I am posting an edited extract of what was arguably her most important […]
In late 2015, I began work on the book which was finally published in 2019 as 99%: Mass Impoverishment and How We Can End It. The book’s original working title – which was deemed too cheesy for publication – was The Frog, the Elephant and the Jellyfish. Recent events in the UK have made me reflect on […]
I was beginning to despair about the state of our politics and voter apathy. The multiple assaults on democracy, the poor, the environment and the truth perpetrated by successive governments under Johnson, Truss and Sunak, voted in by a minority, have left our democracy looking very weak indeed. Many have tuned out of politics altogether. […]
In the interests of research, I took out an offer subscription to The Telegraph*. I recently received this nasty little email from editor, Chris Evans, entitled ‘The woke blob is taking over Britain’ and, quite frankly, it boiled my blood: ‘Dear Reader, The Civil Service has grown increasingly powerful in recent decades, using weaponised wokery […]
Flippant image, serious message. ‘When a person shows you who they are, believe them the first time.’ (Maya Angelou) On the one hand, it’s quite a relief to have some of the far right shed the final scraps of respectability and reveal their true, ugly selves. But, on the other, the abandon – even relish […]
This article looks at how far and how fast the Conservative Party has shifted to the extreme right, and what we can do about it: Leading Conservative Party members have been warning us for a long time about the extremist trends in their party; It is not just economic policies that have become extreme: they […]
For a change, I’m going to begin the latest edition of The Week In Tory with some news about Labour. Don't think this makes things any better, because it doesn't. I implore you, by all you hold dear, not to read this. Under Labour, NHS wait averaged 9 weeks. After 13 years in power, the […]
The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill received its third reading in the House of Lords on May 9 and is now in the final stages – consideration of amendments – before royal assent. The Trade Union Congress estimates about 5.5 million public sector workers will lose the right to strike as a result of this bill. They […]
‘It couldn’t happen here.’ ‘This is not Nazi Germany.’ ‘It’s completely over the top to use the ‘F’ word.’ ‘Fascism? Come on! That’s hyperbole!’ As regular readers will know, we’ve been strongly opposed to the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill and watched in horror as the Lords’ amendments were disregarded. Indeed, Braverman then proceeded […]
The results of the Council Elections are now in, and it is a good time to ask: what have we learned? Our take is that: The results were worrying for the Conservatives; but They were deeply worrying for democracy; so We can be confident about the next election but not complacent. The results were worrying for the Conservatives […]
The Conservatives are now criminalising peaceful protesters for no more than demanding that we follow the science and stop drilling for new oil and gas. What are people supposed to do when their Government ignores the world’s scientific experts who say we are ‘firmly on track to an unlivable world’? Would you sit meekly on […]
‘‘I’m alright, Jack.’ : a remark indicating smug and complacent selfishness.’ Collins Dictionary Most people will associate this saying with the 1959 film by the Boulting brothers, which highlighted the enormous gap between management and workers, upper and lower class folk. It is a comedy with a very strong message and well worth a view to see how little has changed in […]
Tomorrow, lots of voters across England will be heading to the polls for their local elections. This year, many will be turned away for lacking approved forms of ID. Whether it is Frank*, 77 and retired, who explained to us that he has, “a freedom pass with a very poor photo which may not be acceptable, […]
After 13 years in power, the Conservatives want us to believe that the UK is safe in their hands. This article explains how, given a just a few more years, they can complete their transformation of the UK into a playground for their donors – at our expense: There has been a successful, but gradual, unwinding of […]
The Labour Party’s recent ‘attack ad’, suggesting the prime minister was soft on sexual abusers of children, raises profound, urgent questions about how a tolerant society can best defend itself against those who would wreck it, says Andrew Levi. You want to fight fire with fire? Easy to say. Who should pull the trigger, when […]
Dear Editor, The French Revolution was a defining period in the social history of France. Totally fed up with a ruling class that lived in ridiculous splendour whilst ignoring the plight of common people – ‘Let them eat cake‘ , the masses rose up and took drastic action. ‘Madame Guillotine’ was kept very busy, not […]
Brexitism is destroying Britain, says Andrew Levi. If our political parties fail us now, we face an existential threat. Munich, 1938 During the United Kingdom’s long march into the European Communities, leading to membership in 1973, then the referendum in 1975 on whether to stay in, ‘anti-marketeers’ invoked the appeasement of Hitler at Munich to […]
I learnt two things about the subject of child grooming gangs on Monday’s edition of The News Agents podcast. Firstly, there’s no evidence of over-representation of any ethnic group within these gangs. Secondly, some allegations have indeed been ignored because of “cultural sensitivities”. It's right to be horrified by the latter while recognising the vitally important […]
Dear Editor, Once again, I find myself in complete agreement with the analysis of one of your contributors (Jim Grace, writing about the Conservatives’ capture of the BBC). Although I don’t watch Match of the Day, following the Lineker debacle I made a formal complaint to the BBC about long-term right-wing bias within that organisation. […]