Theresa May’s ‘Dear John’ letter has now dropped onto President Tusk’s desk and, to euphemise a saying popular among The Young People, feculence just got actual. In the early, sunlit days of New Labour, the left-wing comedian John O’Farrell had a skit on how the Tories, after a generation of dominating British politics, found theirContinue reading “Parliament must take back control of Brexit”
Monthly Archives: March 2017
Sit down, roared Ruth. And down sat the First Minister.
Parliamentary clashes are all about the leaders but sometimes you have to peer past them, to the next generation, to grasp the mood in any given party. Nicola Sturgeon had come to Holyrood’s independence debate as the First Minister, in rhetoric at least, and issued a plea for civility. She told MSPs: ‘Many others acrossContinue reading “Sit down, roared Ruth. And down sat the First Minister.”
Forget ‘virtue signalling’ – ‘empathy patrolling’ is the new moral phenomenon
I’ve had just about enough of being told how to feel about what happened last Wednesday. I feel angry. I still feel shock. I feel a keen ache for the families of those murdered, especially the loved-ones of PC Keith Palmer. I feel that cold spite that works its way into your heart atContinue reading “Forget ‘virtue signalling’ – ‘empathy patrolling’ is the new moral phenomenon”
Brexit won’t drive us into the SNP’s arms – nor can it fix the Union’s flaws
Theresa May will not deliver a good deal for Scotland from the Brexit negotiations. That much we know already. The Prime Minister is in Scotland today as she prepares to invoke Article 50. That her scramble north of the border coincides with the precise moment the rest of the country realises she’s put David DavisContinue reading “Brexit won’t drive us into the SNP’s arms – nor can it fix the Union’s flaws”
Scotland’s messianic age
An old joke sees a Jewish man accosted by some burly types on one of Glasgow’s rougher streets. “You a Catholic or a Protestant?” demands Thug A. The man, panic in his voice, insists: “I’m a Jew!” Thug A takes a step back. There is a pause but the tension remains, until Thug B pipesContinue reading “Scotland’s messianic age”
A sense of decency shouldn’t require a committee meeting
It is always the police, our selfless human shields, who suffer the first blow. Whatever you do for a living, whatever drudgery it brings, it is humbling to remember that there are men and women whose job it is to stand between you and danger. There is much we do not know about what happenedContinue reading “A sense of decency shouldn’t require a committee meeting”
#Indyref2 debate: Her sleeves were rolled up and she was ready
Nicola Sturgeon called this second referendum for a dare. She must have. There is no way she thought it was a good idea to put herself front and centre in a spectacle of the sort that played out in the Scottish Parliament yesterday. MSPs packed the chamber to decide whether to ask Theresa May forContinue reading “#Indyref2 debate: Her sleeves were rolled up and she was ready”
Martin McGuinness – a man who put the ballot before bullets
Ulster is where memory burns long and forgiveness comes slow. The death of Martin McGuinness will pass without the spilling of sorrow by many Unionists in Northern Ireland and here in mainland Britain, where the IRA’s terror campaign paid regular, outrageous visits, there will be those who mutter a cold ‘good riddance’. Douglas Murray writes: ‘[W]hileContinue reading “Martin McGuinness – a man who put the ballot before bullets”
Zut alors! Nicola’s double speak over Europe has got us all tongue-tied
Nine months ago, the shackles either broke or the roof caved in. To those unmoved by Brexit, good luck to you; you get to march merrily on, oblivious to the tumult thundering around you. Bliss was it in that dawn to be at IKEA/ But to be choosing sofa throws was very heaven. How theContinue reading “Zut alors! Nicola’s double speak over Europe has got us all tongue-tied”
No peace after the PM’s victory in Four-Day War
A thousand iPhone screens lit up all at once. The humming of government-issued BlackBerrys carried the buzz. Impromptu chat groups sprung up and precious scraps were shared via direct messages. It took ten days between an anonymous tip-off and the discovery of Guy Fawkes and his 36 barrels of explosives for the Gunpowder Plot toContinue reading “No peace after the PM’s victory in Four-Day War”
Stephen Daisley 