All progress is war on the past and millennials are particularly merciless combatants. The arrival of Friends on Netflix UK has had this neo-Victorian generation reaching for its fainting couch. Through woke eyes, the hit NBC sitcom isn’t a diverting entertainment but an artefact of racism, sexism and homophobia. If you were a twentysomething duringContinue reading “The one where millennials don’t get Friends”
Monthly Archives: January 2018
Poisoned, partisan – no wonder the public are tired of a tribal Holyrood
It’s not a good sign when a sketch writer worries about a breakdown in civility at Holyrood. Parliamentary rammies are our bread and butter; a debate that goes off smoothly is a waste of good ink. Yet last week’s rancorous bout of First Minister’s Questions left me cold and, if I’m honest, troubled. I amContinue reading “Poisoned, partisan – no wonder the public are tired of a tribal Holyrood”
Why I love Australia
Right, so I have this random love for all things Australia. I’ve never actually been but I’m sort of obsessed with the country, the people, the politics, the culture, the idiosyncratic ways. I’m not saying I’m stalking the Commonwealth or anything but it should probably have some Vegemite handy to keep me at bay. (It’sContinue reading “Why I love Australia”
It was worse than chucking out time at the Queen Vic
WILLIE: You lied! NICOLA: You’re a pathetic attention seeker! KEN: Leave it out, the pair of you! Bit early for EastEnders, I thought, checking my watch. No, this was First Minister’s Questions, from the hallowed chamber of the nation’s parliament, and Nicola Sturgeon was in the middle of a slanging match that would get herContinue reading “It was worse than chucking out time at the Queen Vic”
Failed Football Act was never going to rid our nation of its sectarian stain
I was eight years old before I learned I was a Catholic. We went to Mass every week and the crucifix that stared down at me from above the blackboard at St Monica’s Primary School was something of a giveaway. But that just meant I was a Catholic. What was this Catholic thing all about?Continue reading “Failed Football Act was never going to rid our nation of its sectarian stain”
There’s been a murder… of open government
‘You have the right to remain silent,’ intones the detective when he finally gets his man. It’s a familiar scene from US cop shows and, from the end of the month, police in Scotland will mimic the procedure when placing suspects under arrest. If Nicola Sturgeon ever decided to pursue a criminal record — beyondContinue reading “There’s been a murder… of open government”
Why has the SNP inflicted this video on us?
I don’t know where people get the idea the SNP is intolerant of criticism. Scotland’s most open-minded party has released a new video that appears to be an attack on one of its critics dressed up as a party political broadcast. The video depicts a group of thirtysomethings gathered for a house party. They are Scottish butContinue reading “Why has the SNP inflicted this video on us?”
Labour’s beleaguered moderates must act now before it’s too late
When is left-wing not left-wing enough? Veteran Labour organiser Ann Black is finding out the hard way. Yesterday morning, she was the respected chair of the disputes panel, the party’s internal disciplinary committee, and responsible for investigating anti-Semitism and other accusations against members. Now, she is the respected former chair, ousted in a Momentum-led coupContinue reading “Labour’s beleaguered moderates must act now before it’s too late”
Hugs and puppies? Not a chance in Nicola’s bleak Brexit forecast
The threat of another independence vote is becoming an annual tradition in the SNP calendar. It seems to come round earlier every year, bringing joy to the world of nationalism and a bleak midwinter to the rest of us. Nicola Sturgeon has again raised the spectre of Indyref2, telling Andrew Marr that she will decideContinue reading “Hugs and puppies? Not a chance in Nicola’s bleak Brexit forecast”
A digital toolkit for young Tories
OMG. New Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis has announced a ‘digital toolkit’ to help young right-wingers battle the Left on social media. Lewis wants ‘more of our activists and people who support some of the principles we’re outlining… getting out there in the digital world saying so and spreading that message with us’. To that end,Continue reading “A digital toolkit for young Tories”
Stephen Daisley 