Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks currently claiming asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy, is only the last in the long line of distinguished anti-Western campaigners, so adored by the liberal left. Assange may or may not be guilty of rape, and you may or may not agree with the motivation of Wikileaks as a liberating… Continue reading Thank you Julian Assange: you have shown your true colours and got George Galloway to show his
Author: robert.marchant
Britain outside the EU – an Andorran aside
The lovely town of Encamp, Andorra This last weekend, the Centre Left took time out on a team-building weekend in Andorra (it was quite a wrench moving all the editorial staff and the IT infrastructure, but all for you, dear reader, all for you…) Tucked away between France and Spain in the Pyrenees, it’s a… Continue reading Britain outside the EU – an Andorran aside
Corby is a not just a by-election Labour ought to win: it is one it cannot afford to lose
The average reaction of most Labourites to last Monday’s news from Corby must surely have been: we never really took to you as an MP, but hey, thank you so much, Louise Mensch. To have pulled out of her marginal seat after only two years in the job, forcing an unwanted by-election in the middle… Continue reading Corby is a not just a by-election Labour ought to win: it is one it cannot afford to lose
Standard Chartered: these are the real ills of modern banking
Banks, eh? On the British left, we’re often so busy disliking them in general that we don’t always take the time to differentiate between their misdemeanours. While we’ve been exercising ourselves greatly about irresponsible bankers who have largely been operating within the rules – and where arguably we ought to be looking first to governments,… Continue reading Standard Chartered: these are the real ills of modern banking
Don’t look to François Hollande for inspiration, Ed
My fifth post for the New Statesman, essentially about why I think François Hollande’s maths is fundamentally flawed, is here. UPDATE: I should point out, that the excellent Chris Dillow, who understands these things (he is a professional economist, as well as a very good blogger) agrees with me on the pensions question.
The new Cold War warms up in Iran
One thing I sometimes forget is that people born before, say, 1980, didn’t really grow up, like I did, being aware of the constant background noise of the Cold War. That is, even for people in their early thirties, it’s as distant a memory as the Second World War was for my parents’ generation. For… Continue reading The new Cold War warms up in Iran
Labour has the chance now to reject race politics in Tower Hamlets – it should take it
It was with a heavy heart that Labour Uncut uncovered a little-reported nugget from seasoned east end politics commentator Ted Jeory: the expulsion of five Tower Hamlets councillors from the Labour party. Actually, no. It was rather with delighted surprise and relief. At last. One of the councillors, Shahed Ali, tried to compare their floor-crossing… Continue reading Labour has the chance now to reject race politics in Tower Hamlets – it should take it
Soothing factional politics within Labour: 9/10. Connecting with the public: 2/10
Durham Miners’ Gala – view of the platform I’ll let you into a guilty secret: I’m a sucker for brass bands. As a Yorkshireman who grew up about thirty miles from Durham, and a Labour activist with half my family from South Wales, I am still stirred by the solidarity thing. I probably have as… Continue reading Soothing factional politics within Labour: 9/10. Connecting with the public: 2/10
Labour approaches a tipping point
“The future is unwritten” said Joe Strummer. He was right. We really can change the future: really. Because politics is driven by people and events. That said, many of these people and events are in turn, whether we like it or not, driven by power. It’s significant that even the word tends to bring to… Continue reading Labour approaches a tipping point
Paranoia and Progress
It’s my last blog for a couple of weeks as the Centre Left is on holiday, but I thought I’d post a quick final thought about the attempts of the GMB and Unison to have the New Labour thinktank, Progress, ejected from the Labour Party. Nick Cohen writes brilliantly today in the Observer about the… Continue reading Paranoia and Progress