07 December 2017 Time For Reform It isn’t just Brexit. By John Watson Which is the precedent? The US in 1775 or Britain in 1536? Will the current period go down in British history as the start of a trip towards independence from Europe, or as the beginning of a social revolution? Both of them,… Continue reading Issue 132: 2017 12 07: Time For Reform (John Watson)
Tag: Conservative
Issue 102: 2017 04 27: The Distortion Of The Political Process (John Watson)
27 April 2017 The Distortion Of The Political Process The election – just too simple. By John Watson No one likes shortages. The worst, of course, are of food or wine. There is nothing more irritating than to arrive at the shop and find that the treat you had promised yourself has already left the… Continue reading Issue 102: 2017 04 27: The Distortion Of The Political Process (John Watson)
Issue 101: 2017 04 20: Draining the swamp (John Watson)
20 April 2017 Draining The Swamp Mrs May’s appeal to the people. by John Watson Gosh, for a political magazine like the Shaw Sheet, the year 2017 has cherries on it. We were looking forward to the French and German elections, popcorn at the ready, sauvignon blanc in the fridge, avidly reading Richard Pooley’s articles… Continue reading Issue 101: 2017 04 20: Draining the swamp (John Watson)
Issue 59: 2016 06 23: A Jolly Voting Day (John Watson)
23 June 2016 A Jolly Voting Day Quiet, too damned quiet! by John Watson In most parts of Britain, voting day is an oasis of peace. Before it, came the last stages of the campaign, the opposing factions shouting their wares like coster-mongers in a Victorian engraving. Afterwards will come the recriminations and the wrangling… Continue reading Issue 59: 2016 06 23: A Jolly Voting Day (John Watson)
Issue 56: 2016 06 02: The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan (John Watson)
02 June 2016 The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan Are we looking at a future prime minister? By John Watson On Monday I watched the news on television. That isn’t something I always do. Normally I pick up what’s been going on from all sorts of different sources: the press, websites, the car radio,… Continue reading Issue 56: 2016 06 02: The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan (John Watson)
Issue 51: 2016 04 28: Academies – A Step Too Far (John Watson)
28 April 2016 Academies – A Step Too Far The row about whether all schools should have to adopt academy status is an unwelcome distraction. By John Watson You would have thought that the European referendum was sufficiently exciting. A Cabinet split into two factions, a decision which will determine Britain’s place in the world… Continue reading Issue 51: 2016 04 28: Academies – A Step Too Far (John Watson)
Issue 38: 2016 01 28: Labour’s Lessons From Defeat (John Watson)
28 January 2016 Labour’s Lessons from Defeat What we expect from Mr Corbyn. By John Watson The closure of Kellingley colliery may represent the end of deep mining for coal in the UK but the reader certainly has to do a lot of digging to extract from Margaret Beckett’s report “Learning the Lessons from Defeat”… Continue reading Issue 38: 2016 01 28: Labour’s Lessons From Defeat (John Watson)
Issue 8: 2015 06 25: End Austerity Now!
25 June 2015 End Austerity Now! by J R Thomas Last Saturday was a day to enjoy one of the great British ceremonial traditions. Ranked alongside Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament, this was that great and enduring ritual of March Against [Insert Cause Here] to Parliament. The chosen cause this… Continue reading Issue 8: 2015 06 25: End Austerity Now!
Issue 6: 2015 06 11: Exams – a bipartisan approach is needed
11 June 2015 Exams – a bipartisan approach is needed by John Watson It is that time of year again. The summer is the exam season and it is also the time for new proposals regarding the examination system. This time it is Tristram Hunt, Labour’s education spokesman who says that, had Labour taken power,… Continue reading Issue 6: 2015 06 11: Exams – a bipartisan approach is needed
Issue 4:2015 05 28:Fading Icons: Tory Tanks on the BBC Lawn
28 May 2015 Fading Icons: Tory Tanks on the BBC Lawn by R J Thomas It’s not been a good decade for the BBC. Leaving aside the embarrassment and trauma of the Jimmy Savile debacle, the searing competition from the satellite broadcasters who have got their acts together to produce very fine critically acclaimed drama… Continue reading Issue 4:2015 05 28:Fading Icons: Tory Tanks on the BBC Lawn
