Nile Gardiner, foreign policy analyst, former aide to Margaret Thatcher and contributor to the Telegraph expressed his own view very succinctly on January 19th. He wrote on Twitter that the incident with Rishi Sunak travelling in a car without a seatbelt was ‘a complete waste of police time’. He was right, it was a complete … Continue reading A waste of police time
Integrity and accountability
Sunak stood on the steps of 10 Downing Street and pledged to bring integrity and accountability back to the government in recognition of the dubious and undoubtedly corrupt practices of his predecessors. It wasn’t long though before his proclamation was in tatters as he brought back the disgraced and discounted Braverman into office. No doubt … Continue reading Integrity and accountability
Why can’t Capitalism change?
Image thanks to Huff Post It’s a system that has served us well, so they say. It has undoubtedly driven up living standards for many across the world and allowed untold population growth. It has brought convenience to many and removed toil for millions. Yet all ideologies come to an end and capitalism is approaching … Continue reading Why can’t Capitalism change?
Long-termism
The thud of the Byline Times on the doormat marks the passing of another month. Can it really be over four weeks since the last one arrived? It is one of the few newspapers that I read as I get most of my journalism online yet it is still comforting to be able to sit … Continue reading Long-termism
Save the NHS
In survey after survey when people are asked what they are most proud about in this country, the NHS comes top or high up for the majority. The love of the institution cuts across all political divides and has an almost religious fervour. It is odd that in this predominantly small c conservative country a … Continue reading Save the NHS
Cancelling cancelling
Jeremy Clarkson, a man for whom I have very little time, has written an article about people I don’t care about in a newspaper that I will never read. That’s not a great line to start a blog, yet I know all about the article. It was all over twitter with people highlighting what a … Continue reading Cancelling cancelling
You’ve got to have faith
Image thanks to Worship House Media Do you remember religion? There’s a lot of it about these days, at least there is supposed to be. A clue is in the name. These are supposed to be among the holiest of holy days yet you might be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Peace on earth and goodwill … Continue reading You’ve got to have faith
Why bother with PMQs?
Prime Minister’s Questions is a peculiarly British piece of political theatre where members of parliament get to ask the Prime Minister questions. A clue is in the name. There is a protocol behind how questions are asked, alternating between the government party and opposition. MPs have to put their questions forward in advance and they … Continue reading Why bother with PMQs?
Less than half
According to the information gathered during the 2021 census, less than half the population of England and Wales describe themselves as Christian. At 46.2%, this was a dramatic fall from 59.3% seen in the last census carried out in 2011. This is interesting as the number does not necessarily reflect the number of people going … Continue reading Less than half
The right to determination
Image thanks to NewsMD Following yesterday’s UK Supreme Court ruling that the draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill is outside the powers of the Scottish Parliament the media has got the wrong end of the stick. It has followed the angle of what this means for independence and how it affects those in favour and those … Continue reading The right to determination
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 