The Daily Mirror has headlined Boris Johnson's presence in a photograph handed to the police, but it's Rishi Sunak's presence that is the more important for my money: Police have a photograph of Boris Johnson holding a can of a beer at his lockdown birthday party in June 2020, the Mirror has been told. The Prime Minister is pictured standing next to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who is holding a soft drink, in No10's Cabinet Room. Sources said Mr Johnson appeared to be raising his can of Estrella beer towards the camera in a toast. This does perhaps explain why Rishi ...
Remember Détente? If you do you are definitely getting on in years. It was one of the diplomatic buzzwords of the 1970s and played a major role in reducing East-West tensions and, many say, helped bring about the end of the Cold War. Well, if the world manages to avoid a war in Ukraine, it might be time to think about a revived Détente because the Russian problem did not end with the Cold War. Détente was a Cold War process which found its diplomatic expression in the Helsinki Accords. This semi-legal agreement was signed in the Finnish capital in ...
Fri 4th
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Neither Unionist nor Nationalist: The 10th (Irish) Division in the Great War by Stephen Sandford
Second paragraph of third chapter:On the eve of the First World War the officer strength of the British regular army was approximately 12,738 with a further 2,557 attached to the Special Reserve and 3,202 in the Reserve of Officers. Of a further 9,563 officers of the Territorial Force, only 1,090 had agreed to serve overseas in the event of war.2 While on the surface this may appear sufficient for an army that was 10,932 men (6%) under its peacetime establishment, it was totally inadequate for one that was to expand by over a million men in the first four months ...
For most of us, our go-to source when doing a bit of background research is Wikipedia. Sometimes when we are looking for simple facts (like the election results in a particular year) the online crowd-sourced encyclopaedia is all we need. Sometimes it provides the starting point for more in-depth research, especially if we need to verify the sources. Some years ago I was intrigued by an animation which showed the same Wikipedia page as it evolved over time. The number and frequency of changes was astonishing, which underlined the dynamic nature of knowledge, but also suggested that it should be ...
The 'mission' economy is a powerful and compelling concept. Our challenge now is to make it happen. Continue reading →
Here's the latest running tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held since the last May round of local elections.
There is a lovely example of how question wording influences the results of opinion polls in a new research report from The Constitution Unit, What Kind of Democracy Do People Want?
Alistair Carmichael has tabled a rather niche motion in Parliament – the Ministerial Disclosure Bill. This would force Boris Johnson to admit to any fixed penalty notices he receives for lockdown breaches. Alistair Carmichael will today be presenting a Bill that would require any Minister of the Crown to disclose that they have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. Will @BorisJohnson support such a Bill? pic.twitter.com/P1zHBqNQfU — Lib Dem Whips [IMG: 🔶] (@LibDemWhips) February 2, 2022 The Independent covers the story: Bill tabled to force Boris Johnson to reveal Covid fines which could total more than £12,000. On Tuesday ...
Thu, 12:56: Why Boris Johnson is beyond saving https://t.co/AEj8b5k9tn Great from Andrew Marr. Thu, 17:08: RT @Samfr: Hell of a resgination letter. Nothing in her job became her like the leaving of it. https://t.co/cIYnBHmr7r Thu, 17:50: RT @BelTel: BREAKING: Paul Givan resigns as First Minister "Today marks the end of what has been the privilege of my lifetime to serve as t... Thu, 18:18: January 2015 books https://t.co/5rfH16F20P Thu, 22:39: RT @dmcbfs: Paul Givan would make history if he resigns today. The shortest serving FM in UK history. 231 days, 42 days shorter than Alun... Thu, 22:50: A serious question ...
Could things get any worse for Boris Johnson? Well, today's headlines detail the fact that four of his top advisors have quit Number Ten over his behaviour, and in one case his misrepresenting facts in the House of Commons. In quoting an old adage, I am in no way implying any disresepect or slur on those four resignees, but their departure really does amount to 'rats leaving a sinking ship', a phrase that gives credit to the rats for their commonsense, while highlighting a lost cause, holed beneath the waterline. The Independent reports that Boris Johnson's leadership has been plunged ...
A lot of people think that I am mad. A lot of people think that politics, even at the local level, has never been more toxic. Those who decide to stand, often do it for a number of different reasons. I strongly feel that being a Councillor is not like a vocation; it is a vocation. You do it, because you believe in it, you feel a sense of civic duty. Most of the time, you want to make a difference and improve your local community. Standing is never easy. There are a lot of barriers and obstacles to overcome. ...
One Parliamentary by-election and six principal authority local council by-elections this week, with two defences each for Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats.
