22 March 2018
Diary of a Corbynista
Sabre-rattlers need to give it a rest at least until Arsenal have dispatched CSKA Moscow
by Don Urquhart
15 March
The sabre-rattling will achieve nothing but sending home 23 people who are probably Russian spies and therefore potential murderers can only be a good thing. So also is the £48 million investment in a new chemical weapons defence centre. There’s not much doubt that Putin is a ruthless thug – one of many unfortunately. We are a nation of shopkeepers who have to pay protection money or things get broke. We should improve our intelligence gathering, beef up our police force and fight the criminals more effectively on the ground. It might be time to dust off the old Untouchables videos and study how Elliot Ness dealt with the mafia of his time and place.
16 March
The Education Policy Institute is an independent think tank which reports that an increasing number of council-run schools have run out of money.
Nonsense, says the Department for Education:
We do not recognise these findings. The fact is, thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, standards are rising in our schools.
Latest figures show schools hold surpluses of more than £4bn and we are providing support to help them get the most out of every pound they spend.
They cannot both be right.
17 March
After Thursday’s report highlighting the financial plight of council-run schools, yesterday saw the publication of a report by Kreston UK on academies, which are apparently in a worse financial state than council schools with 80% running a deficit.
Nonsense says the Department for Education:
Academy budgets are more strictly controlled than those of council-run schools and so their finances are likely to be in better health overall.
They cannot both be right.
18 March
At the 2016 European Championships, Russian hooligans injured over 100 English supporters, beating two into a coma.
Last Thursday in the Europa Cup round of 16, Arsenal dispatched AC Milan and CSKA Moscow were successful in Lyon. In the next day’s draw for the quarter finals the London and Moscow teams came out of the hat together. CSKA visit the Emirates on April 5th with the return leg at the VEB stadium on April 12th.
The rhetoric emanating from British government spokespeople regarding the Skripal poisoning holds Russia as responsible with little if any attempt to distinguish between the Kremlin kleptocrats and the poor devils they exploit.
One of my few areas of expertise is in the psychology of football crowds and in particular their inability to make subtle distinctions in matters of blame. The utterances of our leaders will make some elements feel entitled to take some kind of specious revenge on whatever Russians they can get their hands on. I am also not optimistic about the reception the Gooners will receive in Moscow.
So it would be a great relief to me to see Gavin Williamson and his colleagues shut up and go away, at least until the Arsenal have completed their Russian fixtures.
19 March
Leading Remain campaigner Sir Stuart Rose famously expressed the view that Brexit would lead to wage increases which would not necessarily be a good thing.
Yesterday the Travelodge Chief Executive Peter Gowers became the latest business leader to forecast disaster as a result of Brexit. Like so many Brexit commentators on both sides he presented statistics which were both meaningless and unverifiable.
Between now and 2029 the hospitality industry will have a shortfall of one million workers.
Travelodge pays minimum wage and offers uncertain hours often with an inexperienced member of staff having sole responsibility for a hotel overnight. Mr Gowers might try looking at working conditions and career progression in his firm rather than relying on a cheap docile immigrant workforce to keep his show on the road.
20 March
Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
This statement has frequently been made by people on both sides of the negotiation and stood at the head of the December Phase 1 agreement.
Barnier and Davies held a joint press conference to present the transition plan as agreed and similar pats on the back did the rounds as in December. Laura Kuenssberg was on the BBC presenting this as a great leap forward.
More cautious analysts pointed out that it was only 75% agreed. Today Rees-Mogg and others in the European Research Group will be throwing fish in the Thames from a boat as a protest against a “sell-out” of the British fishing industry.
The Irish border question is unresolved. Irish politicians make much of the fact that we have agreed to a Backstop option (Northern Ireland remaining in the Customs Union) if all else fails. So it appears to be an agreement which is a million miles away from anything the House of Commons will approve.
Is it a coincidence that this one-sided agreement was concluded at a time when we needed the backing of the EU in our vendetta with Russia?
21 March
Another high street stalwart, Carpetright, has announced its intention to close a number of stores. Among other factors they blame unsustainable rents which was also a theme with Mothercare and New Look.
In 2008 the UK economy was in trouble and to get the economy moving the government printed £375 billion and gave it to the financial institutions. The idea was that these fine bodies would invest in projects in the real economy thus creating jobs and wealth all round. In practice they used it to create new financial instruments which simply swirled round the city. The exception to this was property. They were very happy to lend to landlords who could provide a secure return. House prices and rents went through the roof. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Quelle surprise!
