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"
MPs can no longer employ family members – and SpAds are delighted
It wasn’t quite our answer to the West Wing — too young, too cynical — but it filled a Bartlet-shaped hole in the TV schedule. Party Animals followed a clique of sexually bipartisan political advisers at Westminster in the dying days of New Labour. Matt Smith and Andrea Riseborough played researchers to a Caroline FlintishContinue reading "MPs can no longer employ family members – and SpAds are delighted"
Nicola Sturgeon has chosen grievance over governance
It was Hamlet as performed by the Govanhill Amateur Dramatics Society. Nicola Sturgeon mugged for the audience of journalists as she delivered her ponderous monologue. Flanked by saltires, framed by the adornments of Bute House, she was centre stage -- where she belongs -- and talking to, talking for, the nation. Pausing to mark theContinue reading "Nicola Sturgeon has chosen grievance over governance"
The Lost Generation who won’t get a pay rise in 15 years
On Budget Day, it's easy to become disoriented by the miasma of statistics. The Chancellor is hawking his numbers and the Office for Budget Responsibility theirs. The opposition chips in its take, followed by business leaders and unions. Then duelling experts start to pop up in TV studios, at which point you come to appreciateContinue reading "The Lost Generation who won’t get a pay rise in 15 years"
How Buffy the Vampire Slayer transformed pop culture
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Right there, those four ridiculous words, are why it shouldn’t have worked. What was this? Some low-camp Russ Meyer knock-off? Joss Whedon’s generation-defining TV hit debuted 20 years ago tonight. Its anniversary is being marked by the fans who adored it and the critics whose cool detachment it drove a stakeContinue reading "How Buffy the Vampire Slayer transformed pop culture"
Swinney the Slugger wins this political punch-up
The rest of them may as well have gone for an early lunch. John Swinney was standing in at First Minister’s Questions yesterday and having the time of his life. Nicola Sturgeon was in London for Her Majesty's unveiling of a memorial to the fallen of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. (She still managed toContinue reading "Swinney the Slugger wins this political punch-up"
If the SNP won the lottery, they’d complain about the cost of the ticket
What would you do with £350 million? Pay off the mortgage? Go on a world cruise? Buy Greece? The possibilities are limitless. Unless, of course, you are the SNP. The Nationalists are positively glum about the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget that Scotland will get an extra £350 million from the Treasury. The Barnett Formula,Continue reading "If the SNP won the lottery, they’d complain about the cost of the ticket"
If they want to stop indyref2, the silent majority cannot be silent
Nicola Sturgeon wants you to be afraid. She wants you to be afraid because people are easier to mislead when they’re afraid. Nicola Sturgeon wants you to be angry. She wants you to be angry because angry people take rash decisions. Nicola Sturgeon wants you to be cowed. She wants you to be cowed because thenContinue reading "If they want to stop indyref2, the silent majority cannot be silent"
Stephen Daisley 