Dear Editor Thank you for your great article on gaslighting. It made me wonder if there’s a ‘how to spot a climate change denier’ type exercise or set of questions anywhere? There seem to be various myths which are trotted out in meetings or conversations as excuses for inaction – not just fear of change […]
The other day I heard Sir John Hayes MP, close confidant of Suella Braverman, saying that the “culture wars” are an important aspect of politics because they are about values. The implication being that they are a good thing. I also heard him saying that – in any case – it was the “other side” […]
Could have done 100, to be honest, but it would just be even more depressing. It’s important that we don’t let the Conservatives get away with these and other dreadful lies: New gas drilling will reduce domestic bills. Desperate people arriving on boats are the cause of all our woes. Government has no control when […]
How many people have been nudged, goaded or battered into believing that the NHS is now beyond saving? How many have been nudged, goaded or battered into believing that privatisation for some or all services is the only way forward? What a very clever campaign the Conservatives have fought! How very happy their many private […]
It’s amazing how, as a country, we seem to let Sunak and this government do things which are bad for us, bad for our kids, bad for the planet and then suck it up while they tell us it’s all good or use their actions to create more division and anger in society. It’s pretty […]
There is something disconcerting about wild creatures behaving in an unnatural way, like the pigeon that turned up in our drive one Saturday afternoon. However close we got, he made no attempt to move away from us, seemingly unable or unwilling to fly. It was a hot day, so we gave him water and he […]
We all have at least one neighbour who has become despairing about the state and trajectory of the UK. And despair is not a basis for change. This article suggests three simple and powerful messages that you can share with anyone open-minded enough to listen and which, once they are aware, might give them cause […]
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 […]
“The 7 million-plus NHS waiting list, the 2 million-plus fall in the labour force, the world-beating rate of inflation and spiralling mortgage rates are all the result of a succession of bad policy choices made by Conservative Ministers at crucial times in the past 13 years.” Words of truth and wisdom spoken by a Labour […]
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 […]
The next government – whether Labour or Tory – won’t be able to negotiate wholesale revisions to the Brexit agreement with the EU even if they want to (and it appears, anyway, that neither Labour nor the Tories want to). Why? Because the EU has indicated that it is not interested in any revision of […]
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 […]
Now that he can officially be referred to as the liar he is, we call on Sunak to rescind Johnson’s shabby list of (dis)honours for cronies and fans, many of whom continue to show contempt for the work of the Privileges Committee and thus disrespect for our parliamentary democracy. Please sign this petition. Thank you. […]
Warning: contains strong language and adult humour! Here we go… 1. Let’s start with PartyGate, and joyless claymation ethics droid Rishi Sunak decided to sue his own inquiry for having the temerity to ask to see the things he always said it could see. 2. He said he wouldn’t hand over WhatsApp messages that are “unambiguously irrelevant” . […]
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 […]
It’s no accident that 1,060 plus Conservative councillors lost their seats in the May elections. People are fed up to the back teeth with Conservative policies: sewage in the rivers, cuts to social care, education, the NHS. They’re sick of reading about cronyism and they have a growing sense that many of the current batch […]
We are delighted to publish this piece from the co-founder and CEO of Make Votes Matter. Klina is from Totnes. Creativity and big ideas inspire us, enliven us. Conversations about process, on the other hand, tend to make some people switch off. So you might doubt the mobilising power of electoral reform as an issue. […]
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 […]
One year ago today, I submitted a major complaint to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (BCP). The full case touches on potential negligence, misconduct, corruption & perhaps even breach of law. I’ve chased many times, & met with senior BCP officers. But a year later, BCP has failed to respond at all. This defies reason. […]
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 […]