The security services are a rum lot. All that intrigue gets to you eventually, and that’s not counting those who sign up with less than laudable intentions. Harold Wilson was paranoid but not necessarily wrong. So when Jeremy Corbyn’s MI5 file finds its way onto the front page of the Daily Telegraph, even those notContinue reading "The Labour Party knew what Corbyn was, and they made him leader. Now the country knows"
Ten Labour MPs that Tories should vote for
The Conservatives are going to win the election — that much we know. The question is what kind of opposition Britain is going to be left with. If a slew of moderate Labour MPs are swept out, the Corbynite grip on the party will strengthen. The leader will not go and Labour will take aContinue reading "Ten Labour MPs that Tories should vote for"
The one question Theresa May should ask Labour voters — in order to win them over
Prime Minister, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you have been denounced in the letters page of the Daily Telegraph. One correspondent huffs: ‘I wonder if Theresa May and her small group of advisers closeted in Westminster are aware of the fact that each initiative they introduce in anContinue reading "The one question Theresa May should ask Labour voters — in order to win them over"
The Not-So-Darling Buds of Theresa May
If you seek a symbol of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s inscrutability, look no further than a recent edition of the Sun, the conservative tabloid that is the United Kingdom’s most popular newspaper. The Sun handed a double op-ed page to the Tory leader to stump for votes ahead of the UK general election on JuneContinue reading "The Not-So-Darling Buds of Theresa May"
We cannot let this be the final chapter for libraries
The Coatbridge of my childhood had four corners: The school, the church, the video store, and the public library. Today, only the church survives and the status of religion being what it is, I wonder for how much longer that will be. My school, St Ambrose High School, the educational pride of the Lanarkshire town,Continue reading "We cannot let this be the final chapter for libraries"
Labour’s manifesto reveals one thing: the Left has run out of ideas
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Labour, Noam Chomsky goes and endorses Jeremy Corbyn. ‘If I were a voter in Britain, I would vote for him…He’s quiet, reserved, serious, he’s not a performer,’ Chomsky told the Guardian. But the more you read of Chomsky’s endorsement, the more you wonder if heContinue reading "Labour’s manifesto reveals one thing: the Left has run out of ideas"
Theresa May is the Mrs Brown’s Boys prime minister
Theresa May’s appearance on the One Show was awkward, halting, and unrevealing. It was a million sofas away from Tony Blair’s smooth and easy chat show turns. It was in truth rather dull. It was a resounding success. May, accompanied by husband Philip, fielded questions about when she knew she wanted to be Prime Minister,Continue reading "Theresa May is the Mrs Brown’s Boys prime minister"
Generation’s life chances sacrificed on the altar of independence
If the SNP was being marked on its handling of Scottish education over the last decade, it wouldn’t get an F — it would get expelled. Education was central to the Nationalist pitch in 2007, back when they still pretended to care about things other than BBC mind control and Union Jacks on punnets ofContinue reading "Generation’s life chances sacrificed on the altar of independence"
My survival plan for Labour (it’s not to get Diane Abbott to count the votes)
At risk of giving away the ending, the Labour Party is probably done for. Assuming the polls aren't fantastically wrong and the British people haven't lost their minds, Jeremy Corbyn is heading for defeat on June 8. The potential scale of the routing is being described as 'historic', since it looks set to be unparalleledContinue reading "My survival plan for Labour (it’s not to get Diane Abbott to count the votes)"
Stuck in the middle with Ruth
Ferguslie Park has one claim to fame and one claim to infamy. The Paisley housing estate inspired the title of Stealers Wheel’s second album; Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, the folk-rock band’s founders, were born and raised in the town. Ferguslie Park is also the poorest place in Scotland. The Scottish Index of Multiple DeprivationContinue reading "Stuck in the middle with Ruth"
Stephen Daisley 