When will the Six-Day War finally end?

This week, Israel is marking the 50th anniversary of its improbable victory over Arab assassins. Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser saw annihilation of the Jewish state as a uniting mission for his project of pan-Arab nationalism and had declared: ‘Our path to Palestine will be covered with blood.’ In June 1967, he enlisted Syria and JordanContinue reading "When will the Six-Day War finally end?"

In this fight, victory will come from our best weapons: British stoicism and decency

Even at times of panic and disaster, we cannot help but be British. Scenes of horror flooded our TVs this weekend but the clip that will stick with me is Richard Angell, a Labour campaigner who assured a BBC reporter: 'If me having a gin & tonic with my friends, flirting with handsome men, hangingContinue reading "In this fight, victory will come from our best weapons: British stoicism and decency"

Jeremy Corbyn has just given the best speech of the election campaign

Campaigning starts again tomorrow, but in his speech in Carlisle today Jeremy Corbyn made what is – for any Labour leader – a fairly obvious point: You cannot protect the public on the cheap. The police and security services must get the resources they need not 20,000 police cuts. Theresa May was warned by the PoliceContinue reading "Jeremy Corbyn has just given the best speech of the election campaign"

Will Britain Pass the Jeremy Corbyn Test?

With seven days to go until a general election called in expectation of a landslide Conservative victory, Theresa May is suddenly facing the prospect of an extraordinary reversal. Two weeks ago, polls consistently put her 20 points ahead of the opposition Labour Party, but if a week is a long time in politics, the pastContinue reading "Will Britain Pass the Jeremy Corbyn Test?"

Sorry, Comrade Sturgeon… but nobody’s buying this clap-trap

It’s been a decade since the SNP faced any real opposition and it shines through in their manifesto. For the past ten years, the Nationalists have coasted, their gravity-defying poll numbers affording them the luxury of defining their opponents and steering clear of difficult decisions. Now Professor Newton has caught up with them and theyContinue reading "Sorry, Comrade Sturgeon… but nobody’s buying this clap-trap"

Paul Nuttall is nationalist but a hopeless one

Paul Nuttall doesn't want to be a hangman after all.  There was some doubt over the weekend when the Ukip leader said he'd bring back the death penalty and would even pull the lever himself. Naturally, this left Andrew Neil somewhat curious and so he used his election interview to enquire if Nuttall had beenContinue reading "Paul Nuttall is nationalist but a hopeless one"

The SNP is on the attack because it has nothing to defend

If it wasn't for their election blunders, the SNP would have no campaign at all. After an Edinburgh nurse grilled Nicola Sturgeon on live TV over the SNP's one percent NHS pay cap, Nationalist frontbencher Joanna Cherry told the BBC the healthcare worker was the wife of a Tory councillor. Not that it should matterContinue reading "The SNP is on the attack because it has nothing to defend"

The three lies that Jeremy Corbyn told Andrew Neil

We learned something important from Jeremy Corbyn’s interview with Andrew Neil: The Labour leader wants to be Prime Minister and will do whatever it takes. His soppier critics often announce their sympathy for a man who would be much happier on the backbenches. Do not believe a word of it. Listen instead to what he told the BBCContinue reading "The three lies that Jeremy Corbyn told Andrew Neil"

Robert Peel gets a third term

What does Theresa May actually believe? It's the question perplexing MPs, journalists, and those members of the public admirably slogging through this election, powered only by Nescafe and matches. The confusion is understandable; Mrs May's record is inconsistent. She's the moderniser who became an unabashedly authoritarian Home Secretary, the scolder of 'the Nasty Party' whoContinue reading "Robert Peel gets a third term"