Tag: political
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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…
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A Ban Today, a Precedent Tomorrow
They stopped Hasan Piker from entering this “United” Kingdomwith a decision already madesomewhere far from the desk in front of him. His ETA revoked,his name flagged,his presence declared“not conducive to the public good,”a phrase so vagueit can stretch to fitanyone a government finds inconvenient. No charges.No hearing.No explanation beyond implication. Just a door quietly closingon…
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The Case of the Forgetful First Minister
In a house near a hoose on a bright Glasgow day,A reporter popped up with a question to say: “Did your spouse do the thing with the funds in the can?”And she blinked and replied,“I don’t recall being married to that man.” She checked in the cupboards, she checked in her shoe,She checked in a…
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The Victory Lap of Not Knowing Anything
Sarah Wood is the leader of the Reform Party group on Kirklees Council. As such, she ran to lead the council, of which her party holds a plurality, but no majority. Here is Cllr. Wood, demonstrating her grasp of the council that she feels equipped to lead: The Victory Lap of Not Knowing Anything The…
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Unite the Kingdom (But Only the England Bit, Obviously)
The Unite the Kingdom rally in London was billed as some grand patriotic moment, a unifying force, a national stand, a big tent for the whole UK. And then you look at the crowd and half of them are wearing “Make England Great Again” hats. England.Not Britain.Not the UK.Just England; loudly, proudly, and with the…