Our social contract – the ‘deal’ that makes us a civilised country – is under grave threat both practically and philosophically. And we are not talking about it. Practically, the UK is in a grave situation. We are in the midst of a serious cost-of-living crisis which will plunge over half of the UK population into fuel poverty […]
When I was first contacted with this story, my source asked me to listen and tell her whether I thought this story was at all weird. My immediate response on hearing what happened was “Bloody hell!”. I think that reaction will be shared by many readers and my comments on this incident are at the […]
It has been widely reported that Conservative Peer Baroness Michelle Mone and her family had received almost £29 million from a firm on whose behalf she had lobbied. She helped PPE Medpro to win government contracts worth over £200 million for providing personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. As the Financial Times writes: “The government came […]
So, in a straw poll of Twitter users organised by the new Chief Twit, Elon Musk, Donald Trump has been ‘elected’ back onto the platform after being banned in 2020 for reasons we all know. “The people have spoken,” tweeted Mr Musk. Haven’t we heard that phrase before, ad nauseam, since 24 June 2016? Musk’s […]
On 11 September I wrote a column on the US elections, anxiously throwing a few predictions around. I’m so relieved and encouraged to update this week that a majority of Americans rejected election denialism and minority rule. (with much gratitude!) The big news is the US Senate is still in Dem hands! (starburst emoji) The […]
Does anyone honestly believe that this shambles of a government has any democratic legitimacy right now? Has Rishi Sunak given any indication that he is upholding his promise to deliver a government of ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability? Gavin Williamson…known bully and enforcer via blackmail techniques. Sacked on not one but TWO previous occasions by earlier […]
Our first past the post system may have the advantage of familiarity and simplicity, but it is serving us very ill. The current government enjoys a massive majority in the Commons, allowing it to ram through legislation that damages our democracy, our human rights, the environment and so much more… and all despite securing only […]
As US midterm election results are still coming in overnight, a myriad of thoughts/feelings are cascading in my brain right now…Did the democracy-defending Democratic party pull a rabbit out of hat throughout the US? I was imagining a decisive landslide, unlike the US mainstream and Murdoch-funded media. So many purple (mixed red Republican and blue […]
Devon for Europe took their ‘democracymeter’ to the centre of Newton Abbot, gauging public opinion on the state of affairs in Westminster before going on to deliver a letter to the constituency MP, Anne Marie Morris, asking her to support calls for a general election. Newton Abbot has always been a tough gig, and the […]
Babe – the pig with the unerring snout for pigswill – returns for a satirical sojourn in the Sunlit Uplands and a political sketch. As the year moves into its closing phase, there’s never been a better time to root through the fallen fruit and leaf litter of Anthony Mangnall’s autumnal tenure as Constituency MP […]
Yesterday I sent this tweet, in dismay at hearing Nigel Farage’s voice, once again, on the radio – in this case BBC World at One. I wondered afterwards if I’d been right. So I listened again, to see what it is about Farage I find so dangerous, and ask whether I was reasonable to suggest […]
It can only be a matter of time before you get to hold the reins of power. The only possible way this cannot happen is if the current increasingly fascist regime finds a way to halt elections altogether – maybe by engineering a state of emergency, having pushed millions of decent people out of their […]
Sunak needs the ballast of the far-right and is curiously-led by the angry wasp that is the ERG – currently supporting the unfathomably unpleasant Suella Braverman. Sunak has said nowt. Just perfunctory praise for the most bafflingly re-appointed Secretary of State in political history. Attacking asylum-seekers with firebombs is terrorism. Terrorism. This goes unmentioned across […]
Maybe we should review all the false language that has been used by the Tory Party over the last twelves years as they have been dismantling the country? Part 1: ‘Brexit Benefits’ & ‘Brexit Dividend’: Ok, so this was supposed to be an incentive for people to relinquish all the genuine benefits of EU membership. […]
Suella Braverman is under severe pressure to resign as her story falls apart and a pattern of behaviour emerges. Sadie Parker spells out why she must, must go… If Rodgers and Hammerstein were invited to write about the political soap opera of British politics this past few weeks, they might be tempted to re-write the […]
Rishi Sunak is not the first prime minister from an ethnic minority – Benjamin Disraeli was ahead of him by 154 years. Tom Scott draws out some fascinating parallels. Politicians like to think they’re making history but, with some exceptions, they are seldom much interested in history more than a few years old. Still, one […]
On Friday I joined a small group of Devon for Europe supporters at a “flash protest” in Totnes. Anthea Simmons, our campaign manager, delivered a letter to MP Anthony Mangnall demanding his support for a general election. We also ran a “democracymeter”, asking passers by to answer questions about the state of our nation by […]
On Monday evening, as Rishi Sunak was being welcomed at Conservative HQ as the latest new party leader and Prime Minister, a group of Devon For Europe activists gathered in Exmouth to campaign for an immediate General Election. Outside East Devon MP Simon Jupp’s off-the-beaten-track office, in a very fresh sea breeze, we set up […]
We liked Marcus’s Twitter compilation of crimes and misdemeanours and thought you would, too. A useful aide-memoire… Will the Conservatives REALLY choose this self-obsessed serial liar and incompetent? Please note that there are a few typos which could not be corrected by us. Please excuse these! and let’s not forget the Russia connections! even the […]
My blood is boiling. What is there to say about a political party which has absolutely trashed this country’s reputation, cratered the economy, run-down the NHS, increased poverty, increased social inequality, broken the law, taken Russian money, implemented corrupt practices to favour their cronies and donors, presided over the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands, […]
Cometh the hour, cometh the man (or woman)? If only. The Tory leadership contest threatens another selection of lightweight, venal, self-interested candidates wholly unsuitable to lead our country through its current crisis. Liz Truss’s public appearances to promote her campaign over the summer or to defend her suitability since taking office were puddle-deep in content […]
Dear Mrs Murray, On Monday, the following petition was debated in Westminster Hall: Call an immediate general election to end the chaos of the current government Call an immediate general election so that the people can decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK. More details: Sign this petition 645,670 signatures Unsurprisingly, […]
The first is a timely reminder of the role played by the Brexit-supporting, Conservative-backing right wing media: The second is very possibly Led by Donkeys’ most important work to date: And the third, highlighting the dreadful legacy of Brexit and emphasising the ideology behind Truss et al: Finally, here’s an extract from a video of […]
I have been thinking. Maybe the collapse of Truss’s voodoo budget is even more important than people realise? “But it is huge!”, you cry, “biggest story since the fall of Boris!” Yup – I think it may be bigger than that. Way bigger. Here is what I am thinking… The Brexit train had many passengers; […]
If I was asked to sketch a typical Tory minister, they would probably look a lot like Jeremy Hunt. That probably means there’s something reassuringly establishment about JH which is doubtless settling a lot of the country right now after the financial shocks of the last few weeks. But who is the new chancellor? Look […]
Ominously omnishambolic, the government’s budget has brought the country to the brink of financial implosion. The markets were horrified by a lack of clarity and credibility. An important feature has been the impression that the prime minister and the (now former) chancellor can’t add up and have been talking … blather. Andrew Levi explains. Nightmare […]
Dear West Country Voices, Recent events in politics have brought several things to the forefront of my mind. I wrote previously about the need for electoral reform, but now another revelation has become crystal clear to me. What I have seen in the previous few weeks has led me to believe that, as well as […]
As it appears that the mainstream media are finally beginning to take an interest in the insidious power of opaquely-funded think tanks, Ian Shaw expresses, in his inimitable, quirky style, his contempt for the current government and his concern for the influence these shadowy backers wield – hitherto largely ignored or. worse still, showcased and […]
The rumour mill is going nuts, with MPs increasingly alarmed by Lettuce Liz and Kamikwasi Kwarteng and the destruction and havoc being meted out on the country by their crazy far-right ideology and batsh*t policies. It’s taken the party long enough to catch up with the public, who have been screaming their disapproval via the […]
Naples. Day Three. Gets me every time. A whole week this time to gulp the fumes, walk the gorgeous bashed-up steep streets all day, drink meloncello and queue up at Michele’s L’Antica Pizzeria. The churches, the paintings, statues, the Capella Sansevero. The gorgeous smell of laundry in the San Giuseppe neighbourhood. The sudden wealthy Chiaia […]