After a decade of paralysis, at last the direction ahead for Britain is clear December 18, 2019 What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, as we prepared to ring out the noughties, Britain was in the grip of a financial crisis after an excess of good living had turned sour. Gordon Brown’s government was in its death throes, its desperate economic position highlighted the following year by the outgoing chief [...]
The chaos of Brexit is nothing compared to the risk of Jeremy Corbyn December 12, 2019 Every election is important, but some elections are indisputably more important than others. In the British context, the clearest examples of the past century have been 1945 and 1979. In both cases, the electorate decisively rejected the pre-election consensus that had held sway for an entire epoch. In 1945, Labour’s New Jerusalem and capture of [...]
We cannot afford to be timid about calling out the threat of radical Islam December 5, 2019 Once more, the spectre of terrorism has come to impact upon the daily lives of those living and working in our capital city. Last Friday’s London Bridge attack was sadly unsurprising in terms of its occurrence, although that in no way diminishes its horror. Two young graduates, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, were cut down [...]
China’s human rights abuses should silence the declinists and self-haters in the west November 27, 2019 One of the most damaging tendencies of contemporary western modernity has been the growth of declinism and self-hatred within our societies. The declinists argue that the era of western leadership is over, and that the future belongs to the east. They are content to go quietly into the night, rather than recognise that the rise [...]
Keep calm, and don’t get carried away by lurid rumours about the Russia report November 20, 2019 One of the great mysteries of this election campaign to date has been why an unpublished report should be the cause of great and sustained political hysteria. This document has been cited by numerous sources as of pivotal significance to national security. Even Hillary Clinton — remember her? — has popped up to opine solemnly [...]
In his pursuit of power, Farage is gambling with Brexit itself November 13, 2019 Single-issue campaign groups are curious beasts. They spring up, sometimes overnight, when the need arises. In many cases, they succeed in achieving their stated goal, and all the blood, sweat and tears involved in facilitating change is recognised as worthwhile. However, there is a bittersweet irony at play during the very moment of triumph. Victory [...]
The Berlin Wall is not just a piece of history – the manner of its crumbling contains lessons for the present November 6, 2019 Thirty years ago this Saturday, on 9 November 1989, one of the greatest symbols of oppression the world has ever known began to be dismantled. The Berlin Wall had stood since 1961, built by its East German masters to encircle Allied-controlled West Berlin. But it was much more than simply a barricade. It became the [...]
Can Boris Johnson magic the most important rabbit of all from out of his hat? October 31, 2019 Dynamo and Derren Brown had better watch out, for there is a new challenger looking to break through and compete for the title of Britain’s finest practitioner of magical arts: Boris Johnson. For his first act, our putative contender conjured up a Brexit deal with the EU that had previously been described as impossible to [...]
This House divided must act with honour, stop hiding, and seek a new mandate from the people October 24, 2019 At times of crisis, it is sometimes tempting to seek solace in scripture. As the US Civil War approached in 1858, a senatorial candidate for Illinois – a certain Abraham Lincoln – clearly thought so. In his famous “House Divided” speech – during what proved to be a failed campaign but one that set him [...]
However worthy their cause may be, eco-rebels are not above the law October 17, 2019 Imagine a city in the grip of a crime wave, where the hard-pressed police have to draft in officers from other parts of the country to maintain order in an increasingly fractious situation, where ordinary citizens find their daily journeys to work and school disrupted, and where local businesses suffer the effects of day after [...]
