Poor Michael Heseltine, the wily old fox, with a mane of hair that once gave him the nickname ‘Tarzan’, who has been cruelly cast as saying that Brexit clears the way for German domination, with scant regard for the context or the flutterings of his heart. As a matter of fact, he never used the word ‘domination’. Lord Heseltine, just turned…
It must be tough being Tom Watson, the Labour Party deputy leader, who waddles about disliked by the rank and file – although he at least has the support of parliamentarians, not to mention the media. For after Watson spoke of a ‘secret plan’ between the left-wing grassroots group Momentum and Unite, Britain’s largest trade union – adding that any…
When this author first read news of George Osborne’s impending editorship of the London Evening Standard, it felt like respite from the sordid world of everyday British politics. Osborne may have presided over six years of cruel and unusual and grossly politicised austerity, but at least – so went the thought as my eyes scanned the headline – he cannot…
The relevance of the House of Lords to public life in the United Kingdom was traditionally debated along party lines, until following their election in 1997, the Labour Party removed all but 92 hereditary peers. Further attempts at reform have largely stalled, but we continue to ponder whether the House would be better off at least partially elected, what electoral system…
With Donald Trump continuing to rail against trade deals via his own brand of virulent protectionism, while Theresa May paints a blurry picture of a post-Brexit Britain becoming a ‘global trading nation’ precisely in order to make itself great, at first glance it might seem like the two leaders are separated by more than an ocean. In fact many of…
His personal website says that playing alongside Kenny Dalglish and later Peter Beardsley, he led Liverpool Football Club to glory after glory across the blistering 1980s. It even stresses that when compared to the dour Scot, it was he not the Glaswegian who season upon season ended up as the side’s top scorer. With authorial flair he recounts a delicate…
When the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly last week in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, granting Theresa May the ability to invoke Article 50 and steam ahead with a hard Brexit, there was some muttering among members of the real and supposed opposition regarding potential amendments. The cursory bill, introduced by Brexit secretary David Davis after the…
When it comes to the most corrupt Member of Parliament, it is hard to choose. Could it be Theresa May for her dodgy dealings with Saudi Arabia and the wrongful deportation of tens of thousands of foreign students, Liam Fox for masquerading as a charity and scheming with Adam Werritty while Secretary of State for Defence, or Grant Shapps whose web…
In the United Kingdom Theresa May denounces immigrants while demanding a hard Brexit with no parliamentary oversight to tie her hands. In Turkey – after an election rerun and a faultily attempted coup – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to purge all opposition and seize control of media outlets as his presidential ambitions gather pace. What can bring two despotic nationalists on…
Rarely can any court, never mind a Supreme Court, have laboured so diligently on a point of no consequence. But thanks to the contrivances of the Conservatives and the Labour Party, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom today reached a historic ruling which is likely to prove utterly irrelevant. At stake was the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. The Supreme…
