The dust settles

Ok, so we were in with a shot of helping form a government. And then it turned out that Nick Clegg was just squeezing for a better deal with the Tories. Well, perhaps it’s for the best. Labour needs some time to reflect, and perhaps John Reid was right, it was too much clutching at… Continue reading The dust settles

End of an era

Well, Gordon has effectively gone. Although I’m not exactly his number one fan as Prime Minister, I have to admit that he is a political heavyweight, a brilliant political strategist and was an outstanding Chancellor, and therefore a huge loss to Labour. And where are the rest of the political heavyweights – in ANY party,… Continue reading End of an era

Egg-on-face time for UK press

So, a hung parliament is official, as of half an hour ago. The media, who have largely been braying of a Cameron walkover, were wrong (see front pages here). The Guardian, who foolishly talked of the “Liberal moment” having arrived, was wrong. The pundits were largely wrong. The exit polls, which no-one believed last night,… Continue reading Egg-on-face time for UK press

Catholic church: denial rules on child abuse

A great and nicely balanced article in The Economist yesterday reflects on the recent revelations in Ireland, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. It’s clearly not intended as an anti-religious message, and certainly tries to acknowledge the good works that the Church has done and the current guidelines for priests which do much to stamp out… Continue reading Catholic church: denial rules on child abuse

Co-ops need a level playing field, not handouts

As previously reported and welcomed on this blog, the government is giving profile co-operative ideals a way never before considered, as argued in this piece in the Guardian. It’s a big idea, whose time has clearly come, and I endorse it wholeheartedly. However, I was concerned by the tone of the article, which talked about… Continue reading Co-ops need a level playing field, not handouts

World’s most powerful nation votes to further harm its political system?

I was saddened to hear of the recent decision by the US Supreme Court that governments cannot limit corporate donations to political parties. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not – at all – one of those knee-jerk anti-Americans that you often find in Europe (especially, I’m afraid, Continental Europe), saying what can you expect… Continue reading World’s most powerful nation votes to further harm its political system?