Category: Politics

Brexit is ‘unfinished business by a long way’

Jon Danzig

‘Brexit has failed’, says Nigel Farage. Brexit is ‘unfinished business by a long way.’ The former UKIP leader and leading Brexit protagonist admits that businesses may now be more heavily regulated than when the UK was in the EU. Mr Farage told BBC Newsnight last night: ‘We have not actually benefited from Brexit economically, what […]

The week in Tory…

Russ In Cheshire

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 […]

Fascism: time to believe the evidence of our eyes and ears as the ‘good chap’ model disintegrates

Anthea Simmons

‘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 […]

What can we learn from the council elections?

Mark E Thomas

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 etymology of Brexit

Mike Zollo

‘Brexit’: a word which inspires irrational passion in some, and sadness and loathing in so many of others. “Brexit means Brexit” – really? What is its etymology, its origin? The very word ‘Brexit’ is nothing more than a corny ‘portmanteau’ word, a blend of words in which parts of multiple words are combined to make a new […]

‘I’m alright, Jack.’ Letter to the editor

Editor-in-chief

‘‘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 […]

The Bayside/FuturePlaces story…a reminder. Letter to the editor

Editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: Bayside Restaurant was funded by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, ostensibly to pilot the feasibility of beachfront eateries. It was open on the seafront, between Bournemouth and Boscombe piers, for just one month in August 2022. From the start, it was dogged with controversy, first about the poor quality of service and […]

A plea to Keir Starmer for electoral reform – letter to the editor

Editor-in-chief

Dear Keir Starmer I hear that you are now not going to support the introduction of real, meaningful electoral reform in the form of proportional representation. Have you forgotten 2019? The Tories completely played a broken, undemocratic and unrepresentative first past the post system and pretended it was a “second referendum” on Brexit. This has […]

A short guide to tactical voting in the BCP Council elections

James Bean

Four years after its first election, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) faces another day of reckoning on May 4, 2023. Since the 2019 poll that formed this new, unitary authority, BCP has had two administrations, three leaders, three votes of no confidence, racked up record debts, achieved national infamy, flirted with insolvency, and even […]

The BCP Council box (of horrors) set!

Editor-in-chief

We are about to put out a piece on tactical voting in the upcoming elections. We thought you might like a little refresher/reminder of what has gone before in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole! In chronological order: Well done! You’re nearing the end of this saga…May 4! Don’t forget your photo ID!

Is the country safe in the Conservatives’ hands?

Mark E Thomas

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 […]

Political gunslingers

Andrew Levi

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 […]

‘Why can’t we be more like the French?’ Letter to the editor.

Editor-in-chief

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 […]

State of denial

Andrew Levi

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 […]

Labour – your silence on so many issues carries a price

Richard Haviland

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 […]

Send MPs on a Brexit awareness course – letter to the editor

Editor-in-chief

Dear West Country Voices, This week we heard of a six-month ban and a speeding fine levied against Robert Jenrick, our esteemed immigration minister. He is the one who has to appear in parliament when his boss, Suella Braverman, either can’t be bothered or doesn’t feel up to answering difficult questions. Most of us will […]

Stop gaslighting us! The CPTPP deal is PANTS!

Anthea Simmons

Let’s leave aside for a moment the whole issue of democracy, sovereignty and ‘taking back control’ which is covered in this article from Jon Danzig, and instead call out the abject gaslighting and lies being spewed out to defend a lamentable deal that has some real nasties hidden inside it. It’s not for nothing that […]

When did WE have a say on this?

Jon Danzig

Britain is joining an 11-member Asia-Pacific trade bloc, the CPTP. The UK government thinks this is a suitable replacement for our membership of the EU. But when did we have a say on this? When did Parliament consent to this? Brexiters often claim that the EU is undemocratic and that we should have had a […]

“I hate what Brexit’s done to this country!”

Anna Andrews

“I hate what Brexit’s done to this country”, one woman said, “I just hate it.” I looked encouragingly at her and she went on, “Britain’s just going down the pan, isn’t it?” It seemed that, once started, she couldn’t stop and, knowing she would get a sympathetic hearing, she told me about how her daughter […]

BBC… or is it Pravda? Letter to the editor

Editor-in-chief

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. […]

Johnson isn’t a liar… he’s a bullsh*tter

Russ In Cheshire

Boris Johnson is not a liar. He is a bullshitter. There is a difference. A liar knows (and cares) what the truth is, and is attempting to conceal it. A bullshitter doesn't care. For a bullshitter, whatever he says becomes the new truth. Bullshitters don't think they're "lying", because (in their minds) the utter shite […]

The postal vote mailshot from the Conservatives – legit or not?

Eleanor Rylance

Many people across the country will this week have seen an envelope from their local Conservative Party slither its way through their letter box. Inside, if they live in an area where the Conservatives do not control the local council, they may have found a letter of dubious literary merit, telling voters how terrible the […]

We smell burning…

Anthea Simmons

If you didn’t watch the Johnson lie/excusathon, here’s a potted summary. Disappointingly, the King James Bible did not spontaneously combust at the touch of the former PM’s mendacious fingers, but the smell of burning boxer shorts was definitely in the air. The Privileges Committee’s questioning, under Harriet Harman’s quietly authoritative chairmanship, was a model of […]

Why so nasty?

Mark E Thomas

In 2002, Theresa May famously said to the party faithful, “Yes, we’ve made progress, but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s a way to go before we can return to government. … You know what some people call us: the nasty party.“ Since regaining power, however, it does not seem as though the Conservative Party has been […]

Hunt’s defeatist budget needlessly fails to tackle our problems

Mark E Thomas

Hunt’s latest Budget shows the UK heading for a dismal future. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK is now facing two years with the sharpest fall in living standards since records began. The economy will contract again this year. The level of taxation is at the highest for many decades. Our growth […]