As I write, Boris Johnson is still clinging on to power. That could change quickly. Prime Ministers are remembered as much by how the leave office as anything. Gordon Brown will be remembered for eventually leaving with his two sons and a level of dignity left, David Cameron for humming a care free tune as… Continue reading Boris and a question of character
Tag: Politics
Champagne Legalism
This week, Dominic Raab stood in for Boris Johnson at Prime Ministers’ Questions whilst the PM was at the NATO summit. Given Raab’s reputation for putting his foot in his mouth, I assume his main job was to demonstrate exactly why Boris is still Prime Minister. He didn’t disappoint. Convention meant that if the PM… Continue reading Champagne Legalism
What next for Boris?
Yesterday evening, Boris Johnson survived a “No Confidence” vote from his own MPs by 211 votes to 148. This meant that 41% of his own MPs declared no confidence in him. However, in fact, he fare worse than that. Between 160-170 MPs are on the government payroll as ministers/aides. It’s possible that some of these… Continue reading What next for Boris?
Resignation offers, integrity and grace
#Partygate and #Beergate continue to rumble on. In latest developments, Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that he will resign if he is issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice fine for breeching covid regulations. His supporters have suggested that this shows integrity and compares unfavourably with the way that the Prime Minister has refused to… Continue reading Resignation offers, integrity and grace
The future of Northern Ireland
Last week, Sinn Fein topped the poll for the Northern Irish assembly at Stormont. This means that it is likely that a nationalist will be the First Minister for the first time in the province’s history. Elections and devolved government in Northern Ireland are complex and so simply being the largest party doesn’t tell us… Continue reading The future of Northern Ireland
The problem of the non-voter
I thought I’d write a little bit more about the problem of the non-voter and who it is a problem for. My friend who is passionate that we all must vote shared this graphic with me as part of our conversation. This kind of graphic is often favoured by political parties when they are in… Continue reading The problem of the non-voter
Pints, cake and retrospective justice
#Partygate is the scandal that keeps on giving. In a bid to distract from their own troubles, the Tories have tried to put the focus on an incident during the local elections last year where Keir Starmer was videoed drinking beer in Durham. Their claim is that the leader of the opposition was also in… Continue reading Pints, cake and retrospective justice
Were the Sunaks’ tax arrangements that big a deal?
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has been under pressure because it recently emerged that his wife holds “non-dom” status and so has not been paying tax here on her income in India and elsewhere. The normal expectation is that you do have to pay tax here in the UK even from overseas. … Continue reading Were the Sunaks’ tax arrangements that big a deal?
Boris, Rishi #Partygate and standards in public life
We now know that the Prime Minister and his wife as well as the Chancellor of the Exchequer have been fined over the so called #Partygate. Meanwhile there are questions about Rishi Sunak’s wife -and therefore him benefitting from her Non Dom status so that she did not pay tax in the UK. Some people… Continue reading Boris, Rishi #Partygate and standards in public life
The cost of living crisis: Poverty and politics
I want to return to our discussion about poverty and the cost of living crisis. Over the past week, a lot of people will have been getting updates from their energy companies to tell them that prices are increasing, potentially doubling the cost of heating and lighting your home. For some this will mean a… Continue reading The cost of living crisis: Poverty and politics
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