Sometimes seeing is not believing. I am thinking of when maps are presented to show the results of an election. Take the 2017 UK parliamentary election for example. A standard map projection of the UK, the type we are used to seeing in any atlas, shows England almost entirely Conservative blue. Ignoring the other parties … Continue reading When maps are not good enough
Why I’m hoping for a hung parliament
Strong and stable leadership, that is what we were promised, indeed that is what we are promised every time we come to an election. Our first past the post delivers decisive results and doesn’t leave us with a hung parliament, at least that is what those in power say and to paraphrase the words of … Continue reading Why I’m hoping for a hung parliament
History in straight lines
Whatever happens with Brexit, at some time in years to come there will be someone to write the biography of the latest Prime Minister. Depending upon whether the outcome is good for him or bad, the author will describe his actions and how they contributed to his unmitigated success or utter disaster. If the outcome … Continue reading History in straight lines
I want to pay more tax
A couple of things happened this week to make me think about taxation. It could have been serendipity. The first was a visit to my accountant and the second was that I finished reading the book ‘Utopia for Realists’ by Rutger Bregman. I was at my accountant (Tynerede in Bellingham) to sign off on my … Continue reading I want to pay more tax
Respect the Referendum
So many times people have asked me the same question when talking about Brexit, ‘Do you not respect the referendum?’ My position is clear when it comes to whether we should leave the union or not though it is severely challenged by such a question. Yes, I respect it as a referendum though I think … Continue reading Respect the Referendum
Until the referendum
I came across this on Quora Digest, an app where people can ask questions for others to answer. Politics looms large in the content they send me. It was from Marco Geleijnse, who studied at Radboud University Nijmegen ‘Until the referendum in 2016 I couldn’t care less about the EU. I thought of it like … Continue reading Until the referendum
Rent in twain
The veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Brexit has rent this country in two. Gone are the traditional party lines of boss versus worker, white versus blue collar and in has come a new schism. You are either a leaver or a remainer. The referendum of 2016 … Continue reading Rent in twain
Collaboration is good
Another distasteful outcome of the current political crisis is the poisoning of the English language. Words that have perfectly good meanings have become tainted. Obvious ones such as leaver and remainer have become tarnished with age, color and educational attainment. Each side of the argument uses these innocent words as pejorative. That, however, is the … Continue reading Collaboration is good
Brexit as a chaotic system
Who knows what to believe these days? Come 1st November we are either going to be out of the Europeen Union or still in. We are going to be at the start of a golden era for a resurgent United Kingdom or floundering like a banana republic. We will be living in the land of … Continue reading Brexit as a chaotic system
Weapon of choice
Is Facebook the new Prime Minister’s weapon of choice? It seemed an odd choice of platform to use when he announced his latest wheeze, an unofficial Prime Minister's question time, apparently online. The headlined idea was to allow real people to ask questions of him which he could then answer. Of course, I imagine the … Continue reading Weapon of choice
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 