Anthony Painter explains how Britain's weak economy is limiting Labour's room for manoeuvre: "What is the difference between the austerity state and the Brexterity state? There was a way out of the austerity state. And in fact, ahead of the EU referendum, things were starting to recover. They recovered enough to give the Conservative party a majority in the 2015 election. Sometimes you have to think we are cursed. That majority enabled them to follow through on an insane referendum. The rest is, well, not yet history." "Due to the collapse of my country, which surrendered to Russia in full ...
The latest edition of my weekly political polling round-up, The Week in Polls, is out. As it says: It is widely accepted that both Kemi Badenoch and the Conservative Party are polling badly at the moment. That is, after all, what the polls widely say. It is also widely assumed in commentary that Badenoch's poor polling is a problem for the Conservative Party. That her poor performance is dragging her party down (with the implication for some that a change of leader is, or may become, the solution). But perhaps it isn't her that is the problem? For there is ...
Ed Davey gave the closing speech at the Spring 2025 Liberal Democrat Federal Conference in Harrogate: We meet at a time of great peril. For our continent, and for our country. Because Donald Trump is not only betraying Ukraine. It's not only their sovereignty he's selling out. It's our security. The security of Europe and the security of our United Kingdom. And that is unforgivable. Putin might be able to fool Donald Trump into thinking that his ambitions do not extend beyond parts of Ukraine, but we know better. Just look at what he's already doing in Georgia, in Moldova, ...
Speaking on the BBC, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper says that Donald Trump is an "unreliable and unpredictable partner" to the UK: Sign up to get the latest news and analysis "*" indicates required fields Email* Enter Email Confirm Email Name* First Last What would you like to receive?* Liberal Democrat Newswire: monthly newsletter The Week in Polls (once a week political polling round-up) Mark Pack blog posts and council by-election results (max 1 email/day) Lib Dem news from party website, media and Twitter (max 1 email/day) Official Lib Dem news from Scotland (max 1 email/day) Official Lib Dem ...
Paul Simon issued his album The Rhythm of the Saints in 1990, four years after Graceland. It uses Latin American and South American music as its basis, just as Graceland had used South African. Here the North American voice is not the introspective Simon, but a brash persona. And the song, for me, is about hope and redemption coming from the poor. Now listen to the Brazilian drummers on The Obvious Child from the same album.
Turkey Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a high. His Syrian proxy is in power in Damascus. The Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan has called on his followers to lay down their arms and disband. Kurdish fighters in Syria are doing that and amalgamating their forces with those of the new Erdogan-backed government. It is the perfect time for the Turkish president to go after his domestic opposition. And that is exactly what he has done. This week he arrested his chief political opponent—Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu– on charges of corruption and aiding and abetting terrorists. Funnily enough, the arrest ...
I have made my position clear on the proposal to change who manages the candidate pipeline. And, whilst the speeches in favour were impassioned, and the problems outlined all too genuine, I remain unconvinced that "moving the deckchairs" actually does anything to address the complex issues that make approving and selecting candidates so challenging. I did, and still do, support the espoused goals of the movers. All of the issues they raised in terms of diversity, democracy and career development are entirely valid and should be the focus of all of us involved in the "candidate pipeline". But the status ...
Blackness Road in 1967, photographed by Hugh Pincott :
For those who do not remember, Torchwood was a Dr Who spin off, created by Russell T, Davies which aired from 2006 to 2011. IMDB records that the members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fought to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. The name is an anagram of Doctor Who. The series was set in Cardiff, and the team was led by Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman. Its most controversial episode involved killing off Ianto Jones, played by Gareth David-Lloyd, at the end of the second series in the ...
