“I think they agree with me on immigration… You see what’s going on throughout the world with immigration… I think that’s why Brexit happened.” The most noticeable thing about Trump’s visit will be the protests. For many of the attendees, the symbolism of an orange man-baby, hoisted on hot air above Whitehall, provides an apt […]
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At times this week it’s been hard to tell whether the flapping sound one can hear is that of England trying to avoid the build-up of excessive expectations, or of hard Brexiters fanning the flames of their ire.* Since Friday’s Chequers meeting, numerous individuals have been working themselves up into states of apoplexy about things […]
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Perhaps the most infuriating questions to ask a young child is “what you do what to be, when you grow up?” Well, I found it infuriating, at least. The question supposed that you knew what the options might – did I even know that ‘social media pundit’* was a thing back then? – and that […]
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As we await the European Council with something other than baited breath, I provide the regular update on progress in Article 50. More accurately, there isn’t any real progress, notwithstanding the joint statement produced a couple of weeks ago, which is more a declaration of resolve than evidence of advance on the key outstanding issues. […]
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Perhaps the least remarked aspect of this week’s Parliamentary shenanigans has been the distraction from the loss of another week of time to reach an Article 50 deal. Important as a meaningful vote in Parliament is, it does not intrinsically produce an increased chance of a deal being reached. Indeed, the confirmation of a push-back […]
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Following the Common’s debates on and around the Withdrawal Bill alongside my Twitter feed has been instructive at a number of levels, not least the volume of comment that can be generated around a man standing up. But one of the more striking moments was the comments surrounding the continuing lack of knowledge that many […]
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