19 July 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: With the help of four Labour Brexiteers, the Government maintained a six vote majority to defeat an amendment to the Trade Bill which would have forced it to negotiate for the UK to remain in the Customs Union if they do not have a plan for
19 July 2018 Heard In Helsinki What did Trump say? By Neil Tidmarsh There they are, the two luckiest men in the world, sitting together, watching the Russia 2018 final. President Macron – le veinard! – the last man standing in every contest he enters. He steps up for the leadership of France – and
19 July 2018 Brexit Chaos Where now? By John Watson If the Devil is in the detail he is certainly welcome to it. The 104 pages of government white paper on the Brexit negotiations become steadily more confusing as one gets away from broad principles into how the solutions proposed are to be implemented. The
19 July 2018 Claymores at Chequers Après Theresa, qui? by J R Thomas Analysis of politics in these pages often tries to put things into an historical context, if only to show that there is nothing new under the sun. Scottish history has not figured much in these comparative musings but maybe the time has
19 July 2018 Not now NATO… 2% of GDP for defence spending is meaningless by Frank O’Nomics The UK may regard itself as one of the good pupils in the school of President Trump, being one of the few members of NATO that conforms to the (supposed) 2014 joint commitment to spend 2% of national
19 July 2018 Diary of a Corbynista Not even playing for third place by Don Urquhart 12 July The Chequers White Paper is to be published today. I shall go through it in great detail, highlighting things that are not properly thought through. Some Labour MP’s (Tom Watson has been mentioned) think it’s time to
12 July 2018 A Poodle Called Rufus Even politicians need friends. By J R Thomas Hot news from Westminster is that our now ex-Foreign Secretary has ordered a homburg hat, stripy trousers and a large box of finest Cuban cigars. And adopted a standard poodle called Rufus. Boris has always closely identified with WLS Churchill;
12 July 2018 Brexit Betrayal Alternative title? Hotel California Option Politicians vs Politicians vs People By Lynda Goetz “People didn’t know what they were voting for” said a good friend of mine on Monday evening as we (briefly) discussed Brexit and Boris’s resignation. How often have I heard that sort of patronising comment from those
12 July 2018 Iran In Crisis Economic, political and now ecological. By Neil Tidmarsh Last week, a man was arrested in Tehran for hoarding two tons of gold coins. Two tons of gold coins. Imagine that. How many suitcases did that fill? How much was it worth? Were the coins modern, or looted from an
12 July 2018 World Cup success – economic viagra or a big bill? Results on the pitch have mixed economic and social connotations. By Frank O’Nomics Retailers finally have something to smile about. After weeks of news stories of more and more stores reporting plans to close shops, England’s extended run in the World Cup
