14 December 2017 Keep Calm And Carry On Davis puts his foot in it. By John Watson Blab, blab, blab, blab. The ink was hardly dry on Mrs May’s agreement with the EU Commission on the three preliminary issues (the Divorce Settlement, the status of EU nationals already resident in the UK, and the Irish… Continue reading Issue 133: 2017 12 14: Keep Calm And Carry On (John Watson)
Tag: Theresa May
Issue 124: 2017 10 12: Mrs May’s Speech (John Watson)
12 October 2017 Mrs May’s Speech A look at the substance. By John Watson “I am no orator, as Brutus is.” So spake Shakespeare’s Mark Anthony, before proving, of course, that he was a very good orator indeed. Mrs May could use the same words with more justification. She is no natural on the podium and… Continue reading Issue 124: 2017 10 12: Mrs May’s Speech (John Watson)
Issue 124: 2017 10 12: A Sense Of Belonging (Lynda Goetz)
12 October 2017 A Sense Of Belonging A primal need. By Lynda Goetz I happened by chance to listen to part of a programme on Radio 4 this morning on the choral history of Britain. In it, the British baritone and composer Roderick Williams OBE was exploring the way music used to be much more… Continue reading Issue 124: 2017 10 12: A Sense Of Belonging (Lynda Goetz)
Issue 123: 2017 10 05: Week in Brief: UK
05 October 2017 Week In Brief: UK Brexit JOHNSON RETREATS FROM LIMB: Last week Boris Johnson continued his attempts at backseat driving, telling The Sun that the Government must raise the minimum wage and pay more to public sector workers. He was also said to have set further red lines for Brexit saying that the transitional… Continue reading Issue 123: 2017 10 05: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 122: 2017 09 28: Week in Brief: UK
28 September 2017 Week in Brief: UK Brexit MAY IN FLORENCE: In a speech on Friday, the Prime Minister proposed a two-year transition period which would, in effect, put off much of Brexit until 2021. During that period Britain would no longer have any representation at EU level but would continue to participate in the… Continue reading Issue 122: 2017 09 28: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 121: 2017 09 21: Boris like Marmite (Lynda Goetz)
21 September 2017 Boris Like Marmite A shambles, a clever tactic or an unacceptable, disloyal attempt at a power grab? By Lynda Goetz Boris does seem to have the same effect on people as Marmite – you either love him or hate him. His 4,200 word ‘speech’, actually delivered as an article in the Saturday… Continue reading Issue 121: 2017 09 21: Boris like Marmite (Lynda Goetz)
Issue 119: 2017 09 07: Week In Brief: UK
07 September 2017 Week In Brief: UK Brexit NEGOTIATIONS: The nation returns from its holidays to find that not much has moved in the negotiation between Mr Davis and Mr Barnier. The EU still insists that further progress on three issues – the “Divorce Bill”, the rights of EU citizens who already live in the… Continue reading Issue 119: 2017 09 07: Week In Brief: UK
Issue 116: 2017 08 03: Flexible Government (John Watson)
03 August 2017 Flexible Government The need to bring the other parties on board. By John Watson Remember Napoleon as he stood with his victorious officers before the tomb of Frederick the Great at Potsdam: “Hats off, gentlemen. If he were still alive we would not be here”. No soldier has ever received a better… Continue reading Issue 116: 2017 08 03: Flexible Government (John Watson)
Issue 113: 2017 07 13: Week in Brief: UK
13 July 2017 Week in Brief: UK Government news TEACHERS PAY: Education Secretary Justine Greening has confirmed that the 1% cap on teachers’ pay is to remain in place. The education budget is under pressure because of pledges to spend an additional £4 billion on schools which were made before the decision to scrap free… Continue reading Issue 113: 2017 07 13: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 112: 2017 07 06: Entryist Politics (John Watson)
06 July 2017 Entryist Politics The knives of McDonnell. By John Watson The Ides of March are still many months off but, if the press are to be believed, Mrs May would do well to keep an eye out on her visits to the Palace of Westminster. It would be nice to think that those… Continue reading Issue 112: 2017 07 06: Entryist Politics (John Watson)
Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Diary of a Corbinista (Don Urquhart)
22 June 2017 Election Diary of a Corbynista Extracts by Don Urquhart 18 April Theresa May has announced a General Election on June 8th. I would be delighted to see a united Labour Party in Parliament. What’s the point of people like Alan Johnson? 19 April Alan Johnson obviously agrees; he is standing down. 25… Continue reading Issue 110: 2017 06 22: Diary of a Corbinista (Don Urquhart)
Issue 109: 2017 06 15: The need for a new leader (John Watson)
15 June 2017 The Need For A New Leader The Conservatives need to move on. By John Watson It is hard to know how to take Teresa May’s decision to remain Prime Minister. Is this just an interim step while the Conservative party considers behind closed doors who should lead it next, or does she… Continue reading Issue 109: 2017 06 15: The need for a new leader (John Watson)
Issue 109: 2017 06 15: Week in Brief: UK
15 June 2017 Week in Brief: UK Fire HIGH RISE FIRE: Grenfell Tower, a 24 story residential block of flats in West Kensington, caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday. The block, which was built by the Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council in 1994 and refurbished last year, contained 120 flats. It was gutted… Continue reading Issue 109: 2017 06 15: Week in Brief: UK
