Waiting for the BarbariansWhat are we waiting for, assembled in the forum? The barbarians are due here today. Why isn't anything going on in the senate?Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? Because the barbarians are coming today.What's the point of senators making laws now?Once the barbarians are here, they'll do the legislating. Why did our emperor get up so early,and why is he sitting enthroned at the city's main gate,in state, wearing the crown? Because the barbarians are coming todayand the emperor's waiting to receive their leader.He's even got a scroll to give him,loaded with titles, with imposing names. Why have ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1516"The scale of the beating handed to Labour in these local elections is difficult to convey just in words. You need to see numbers and maps, showing seas of red replaced by turquoise and green and yellow; you perhaps need to see the tears and feel the desolation longtime servants of the party are feeling this evening. That this defeat has been suffered in the heartland of the modern Labour Party - the stronghold atop which names like Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Lisa Nandy and Lucy Powell have built their reputations - is all the more harrowing."Lucy McLaughlin and Joshi ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Glenn Gibbins (Sunderland): suspended by Reform following allegations of racism. Jay Cooper (Sefton): declared "not welcome" by Nigel Farage following reports of him calling the Holocaust a hoax. Note: Daniel Devaney (Bradford) said he was pulling out before polling day but got elected anyway. It ... (more) |
Another stream of consciousness on the election results - England this timeSo we're up 155 councillors in England. We can give ourselves a big pat on the back, right? Well, maybe not. Let's look at London. A tale of two cities in one if ever there was one. In the leafy southern areas, our heartlands, our results were, to be honest, unhealthily good. While it is a testament to how well our councils in Richmond, Sutton and Kingston are doing and are regarded by local people, holding virtually all the seats just isn't conducive to good, inclusive government. Even though it would disadvantage us, perhaps we should really be pushing for ... (more) |
Barry McGuire: Eve of DestructionBack in the day, Three Wheels on My Wagon by The New Christy Minstrels was a fixture on BBC Radio's Junior Choice.,but there are some surprisingly adult things about it. The music for the song was witten by Burt Bacharach and the lead singer was Barry McGuire, who recorded the Dylanesque Eve of Destruction in 1965. It reached the top of the US singles chart and no. 3 in the UK. Eve of Destruction was written by P.F. Sloan, who is playing acoustic guitar on McGuire's recording. According to McGuire, this was only meant to be a demo version, but ... (more) |
Sunday fun: the uninvited guest at Ed Davey photocallYesterday, Ed Davey came up to Edinburgh to celebrate our very good election results He and Alex Cole-Hamilton filmed a video and had an unexpected guest. Enjoy. (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewIn a fit of pique Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. He also said that he was considering pulling soldiers out of Italy and Spain. Why these three countries? Because their leaders had the temerity to criticise the US president. Trump is cutting off Uncle Sam's face to spite his nose while shooting him in the foot. In short, it is a stupid move. America needs Europe. For a start. Europe is the largest financial pillar outside the United States supporting the US defense industry—it spends more than $100 billion a year. And the US ... (more) |
The Chain Saw Massacre of Labour and Tory PartiesIn my last blog I gave a candid view of yesterday's local elections and made some generalised predictions about what might happened and what it would mean for the Parties. I am not a psephologist (that's a posh name for pollster) so I take no real credit for saying that both the Labour Party and Tory Parties would be hammered. The Tories have lost 563 seats and the Labour Party have lost 1,496 seats. But remember there is a truth beneath these changes which need to be looked at carefully. Last year the Tories lost more seats than Labour. This ... (more) |
Which party has the biggest problem with antisemitism?The Independent reports that a new poll has found that the Green Party is not viewed as being the party with the biggest problem with antisemitism despite increasing pressure on Zack Polanski over his response to the Golders Green stabbing. The paper says that when asked which of the main five parties has an antisemitism problem, Labour and Reform were identified most frequently in a new YouGov poll, with both at 33 per cent, a quarter said the same of the Greens, while the Conservatives and Lib Dems registered 16 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.: The survey, conducted ... (more) |
In which I go on a guided walk round DesfordThis is The Old White Cottage in Desford, a village west of Leicester that I visited today. Having found myself agreeing to do so at a heritage fair held at the University of Leicester a few weeks ago, I went on a guided walk of the place. I'm glad I did, because there were several exceptional buildings to see and a lot of interesting history to hear. Visit the Desford Heritage website to see more. (more) |