In all my years on Twitter, I have never been involved in such a storm. Yes, I have had spats over politics, who hasn’t? Most of the time these have been short yet intense, usually resulting in people getting abusive and giving up. I try never to be abusive or rude on Twitter. In my … Continue reading A storm in a measuring cup
Prorogue
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. It seems that every trick in the book is being considered to either implement or derail the Brexit process. Although not the latest wheeze the one that is getting most media coverage is the suggestion to prorogue parliament to prevent any challenge … Continue reading Prorogue
The Drowned and the Saved
I don’t wish to invoke the memories of Primo Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz, in anything as banal as my blog yet this is how I feel about the plight of humanity sometimes. We are caught in a bind, trapped between the amazing, exciting world ahead of us and the very real threat of extinction … Continue reading The Drowned and the Saved
Stick to the speed limit
You can get anywhere in a car using just a few rules, perhaps three. Stick to the speed limit, drive on the left and give way to traffic to the right. Yes, there are many more rules but these three allow most people to get to where they need to be without too much thinking. … Continue reading Stick to the speed limit
Pants on fire
In a now famous broadcasting moment, Rory Stewart, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice was interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live about Brexit, when he made the claim that ‘80 percent of the British public support this [withdrawal agreement] deal.’ Thankfully the presenter, Emma Barnett was quick to question him where this … Continue reading Pants on fire
Apathy wins elections
What a great service the Flying Scotsman from Edinburgh to London is. You can get on at Newcastle just after 7 o’clock and be whisked non-stop to your destination before 10. The people you get on with are the people you stay with for the whole journey. So it was last week when when we … Continue reading Apathy wins elections
NoT Clear
At the start of the year, like most of us, I made some resolutions. I even wrote them down to give them a little more impetus. It’s hard to deny something once it is in writing. One of them was to ‘Become a little more politically active, how I am not yet sure.’ I can … Continue reading NoT Clear
So we’ve had the European Elections 2019
It was certainly an interesting election, despite the poor turnout. Overall turnout was around 37% of the electorate, up from 35.6 in 2014 which still means that nearly 2 out of every 3 people did not exercise their democratic right. The picture in the North East constituency was even worse with just 32.7% turnout, from … Continue reading So we’ve had the European Elections 2019
Enough hot air
Another round of local elections but this time the usual parties have fared less well. The two main parties of Conservative and Labour have lost significant numbers while the Liberal Democrats and Greens have been successful. Independent candidates have also done very well while the UKIP vote has all but collapsed. The dust has not … Continue reading Enough hot air
The Nolan principles
This is a new one for me. One of the local candidates for ChangeUk brought the work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life to my attention, especially the seven Nolan principles. These are there to guide people who are in public service and commit them to the highest standards. You can find them … Continue reading The Nolan principles
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 