Welcome to contemporary British politics! A realm of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, and more and all and only your very favourite things; where little shops, china cups, and virginity are each saved and strawberry jam served in all of its varieties; a veritable world…
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…
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…
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…
Squeezed awkwardly between the dainty lace of a ‘bralette’ and the dirt and grime which is conjured by the colloquial north-easterly term ‘brook’, this month ‘Brexit’ made its belated entrance into the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. The dictionary is updated four times a year, and its editors could only wait so long in the vain hope that the…
Mere hours after Theresa May ate a three-tiered Brexit cake, made specially for the Prime Minister by some of her closest advisors and aides, she emerged from the bathroom looking several pounds lighter, her cheeks gently perspiring and rosily aglow. Alas the colour they had taken soon masked an embarrassment, for an untoward piece of tissue paper had fixed itself…
Who knew that amid all the agonising over Brexit, the loudest grumbles of all would come by way of our tummies? Truly it seems that the way to every British person’s heart is through their stomach. For whichever side of the table you’ve opted to dine at – and even if you’ve mostly contented yourself at home with a few…
Ever since the people of Britain voted broadly in favour of some form of Brexit, agitated parties on both sides of the debate have weaponised everything which falls under the swiftly setting sun, from currency and stock market rates and business arrangements, to the size and availability of our favourite supermarket foods. In short, every shift has become a consequence of…
