Tag: political
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Number 10 of the… North?
Andy Burnham is our prime minister. Third time was, indeed, the charm for the ruthlessly ambitious career politician who has been treated as the king across the water for some time. That’s not a criticism. Ambition is important, but I don’t quite understand some of the people buying into his contrived persona of a happy-go-lucky…
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Routine
The text alerts come first,then the aerial footage of the parking lot,red and blue lights washing over the stucco wallswhile parents wait behind the yellow tape. On the television, the spokesmen take their placesto recite the standard liturgy.They call it an unspeakable tragedy,an isolated act of evil,a storm that no one could have predicted. They…
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The Keirful Goodbye
With Reeves wiping tears from her eyes,Sir Keir said his final goodbyes.He walked out the door,To a clap from the floor,Beneath the Westminster skies.
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Fourth of July
An old charter sat on its pedestal, edges worn from years of hands that claimed to honour it. Lately, a few visitors have begun lifting pieces from it; small ones, easy to pocket, easy to pretend were never there. The pedestal still stands. The room still applauds. But anyone looking closely can see what’s missing,…
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Shed a Keir
The party machine made that small, decisive click;that indicates when a part has worn down and everyone finally admits it. No drama. Just the quiet swap of one name for another waiting in the wings, already practising its posture. People nodded, half‑expecting it, half‑pretending they hadn’t been waiting. And in that unceremonious shuffle the whole…
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The Constitutional Knot
Parliament’s particularly picky politicians peddle patchy policies with performative precision, while backbenchers bicker in brisk, bitter bursts about budgets, borders, and broken‑bus‑routes. Meanwhile, ministers muddle through midnight memos and misfired mandates, making major matters mysteriously more muddled. Across the aisle, opposition orators offer oddly optimistic options, only to wobble, waver, or wildly withdraw when the…
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The “Hand-Me-Down” Seat: Why the Makerfield By-Election Feels Like a Betrayal
When Josh Simons resigned his seat on May 14th, he didn’t just step down; he explicitly vacated the space to clear a path for Andy Burnham. This kind of calculated seat-swapping, where a constituency is treated like a personal asset to be gifted from one party figure to another, leaves a sour taste in the…
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The Sneaky-Sneak’s Sneaky-Sneak Scheme
In the halls of Holyrood, dusty and grand, Where the leaders all gather to govern the land, There was a great kerfuffle, a hullabaloo, About money that vanished; a million? Or two? “Oh, where is the cash?” cried the people, quite loud, “It was meant for the Cause! It was meant for the crowd!” But…
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If The Newsroom Was a British Show
I love Aaron Sorkin’s show, The Newsroom. I think it’s one of the best pieces of television ever made. It’s also a show with a truly incredible opening sequence, wherein the main character lays out why the United States of America is, despite the propaganda, not the greatest country in the world. Here’s the clip:…
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Velvet Moss & Shivering Light
The stars were caught in a tangled net, Of willow bows and violet regret, When a man with a coat of velvet mossStepped over the bridge that no one would cross. He carried a lantern, hollow and wide, With a flicker of maybe trapped inside. He wasn’t searching for silver or gold, Or the stories…