Where is this year going? Way back on Jan 7 Jeremy Corbyn (remember him?) asked in the House of Commons ‘where is the Prime Minister?’ In reply, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary since 2019, replied ‘The Prime Minister is busy running the country’. If only that were true. It is another of those myths which … Continue reading Running the country
What is so good about sovereignty?
During the whole in/out of the European Union debate the question of sovereignty has repeatedly raised its head, but what does it mean and why is it so important? It is a word that seems to be self-fulfilling in that sovereignty is the ‘Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign … Continue reading What is so good about sovereignty?
Lost postal votes
The more I think about the way that we conduct our version of democracy, the more I become concerned about its lack of democracy. I have described in many previous blogs, among other things, how first past the post leads to a minority government but my mind has now become occupied by seeming anomalies in … Continue reading Lost postal votes
A better vote allocation
The only thing I like about our first past the post system is that it is local by nature. We all vote for someone who represents our constituency. I have made the point however on many occasions that when all the votes are counted and MPs elected the majority of the public are let down. … Continue reading A better vote allocation
Tomorrow is a sad day IMHO
For me and many others, tomorrow is going to be a sad day. Our last in the European Union, for the time being at least. Ever the optimist! Others, I am sure, will be celebrating. You may be one of them. It was never an economic argument to me but I don’t understand leaving one … Continue reading Tomorrow is a sad day IMHO
The times they really are a changing
Ah the vagaries of local politics. This blog is dedicated to my friend Charles who I engage with regularly over politics online, yet rarely when we actually meet up with each other. He and I are of very different persuasions which leads to some interesting conversations and only goes to show that politics need not … Continue reading The times they really are a changing
It’s all Greek to me
OK, so Johnson can recite a passage from The Iliad, Homer’s epic poem but why does this matter? Does it show him to be clever and deserving of his position in society, or is there something more to it? Before I go any further, I can confirm that I have read the Iliad, in English … Continue reading It’s all Greek to me
Conservative win or Labour loss?
A conversation with someone on LinkedIn about the 2019 General Election got me thinking about the result. It had been hailed as a great success for the Conservative party and in terms of seats it certainly was. The party saw a rise in the number of seats in the commons of over 10%, from 317 … Continue reading Conservative win or Labour loss?
Chasing Rabbits
I’ve been a bit down lately, which isn’t like me. I’m very lucky and am normally in good spirits but not so much in the last few months. My shine has gone off and even Christmas hasn’t the lure that it has had in the past. I can’t put my finger on it but suspect … Continue reading Chasing Rabbits
We call this democracy?
Once again we are to be governed by a minority party. In the mother of all parliaments we have a voting system that allows the minority to be in power. In living memory, no party has been elected that has had more than half of the popular vote. The Conservatives nearly made it in 1955 … Continue reading We call this democracy?
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 