'So excellent a king; that was, to this,Hyperion to a satyr' (Hamlet, Act I, scene 2) We know Donald J Trump to be a nasty and vindictive man, but even so his recent outburst against Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a man that most of the world holds in high regard, comes as something of a shock; yet … Continue reading The politics of envy: Trump and Zelenskyy
Category: politics
This is not the system we need to reform
I am uneasy with the present clamour from all sides of the Opposition for an immediate General Election. It is based on the spurious ground that Rishi Sunak has no mandate to be Prime Minister. In fact, he has all the mandate he needs – he commands the confidence of the House. He does so … Continue reading This is not the system we need to reform
Trickster Johnson continues to expose the weakness of our ‘unwritten constitution’
If the United Kingdom survives Boris Johnson’s disastrous premiership it may yet be grateful to him. No one man has done more, and in so short a time, to expose the absurdities of our archaic political system and the weakness of its ‘unwritten constitution’ in which vagueness has too long been mistaken for flexibility. Johnson’s … Continue reading Trickster Johnson continues to expose the weakness of our ‘unwritten constitution’
“Remainers’ Brexit”? he’s right, you know!
In the realm of contemporary politics, I must confess to confusing David Davis and Lord Frost. It may be my mind’s refusal to accept that Nature could permit such a waste of space as to suffer two such grey and uninteresting men of such dismal incompetence to exist simutaneously, or my incredulity that there could … Continue reading “Remainers’ Brexit”? he’s right, you know!
President Brexit’s last stand – a new version of an old lie
Jake Mogg may not be the subtlest of all the beasts in the field, but like the serpent in the garden (to use Dante's description) egli e bugiardo e padre di menzogne – he is a liar and the father of lies. The Brexit crew have a passion for 'Research Groups', for which I believe … Continue reading President Brexit’s last stand – a new version of an old lie
The question that Johnson must answer about Cummings
Either Dominic Cummings’s action in driving to Durham from London had some justification that excused it or it had not. That it requires excuse is unarguable, since the guidelines state clearly that infected households must isolate at once and that even healthy people should leave the house only for a narrow range of reasons and … Continue reading The question that Johnson must answer about Cummings
The Magic Money Tree: is Covid-19 a game-changer?
The idea of 'convention' and its associated activity of 'deeming' are fundamental to human activity, as I think I have said elsewhere. By 'convention' I mean the agreement to be bound by something, to deem it to have a power which in reality resides with us. The paradigm of this concept is when a child, … Continue reading The Magic Money Tree: is Covid-19 a game-changer?
Only the Conservative party can save us now
A catchpenny headline, I grant you, but I hope to persuade you of the truth of it. By any measure, yesterday in parliament was an extraordinary spectacle. Here we had the least successful prime minister of all time, whose government has not won a single vote since he came to office, who has lost his … Continue reading Only the Conservative party can save us now
Hijacking the common speech: A bad deal is better than a worse one, but no deal is better than both.
The use and abuse of language has been critical to the continuing political crisis initiated by David Cameron's ill-judged and badly-executed attempt to stem the flow of votes from his party to UKIP in the 2015 General Election. Recently I remarked on how 'just get on with it' and kindred expressions had been subverted to … Continue reading Hijacking the common speech: A bad deal is better than a worse one, but no deal is better than both.
This way to the oligarchy
An odd collocation: I came home from a visit to Stanley Mills to find that Dominic Cummings had said he wanted to ‘get away from rich remainers’ and ‘talk to ordinary people.’ As many were quick to point out, Cummings himself is exceedingly wealthy, as are his closest allies in the Brexit camp; so this … Continue reading This way to the oligarchy
COMPLEAT TROWZER 