No spin. No waffle. Just politics.
Politics is all around us. From the price of a bus ticket to decisions on climate change, education and defence. For many people, especially young people, politics can feel distant, confusing, irrelevant and boring. This blog is here to help change that because the more we’re involved, the better it will be.
THE BLOG
- The Week in UK Politics #19 – Recess #4 (Ukraine Edition)
During this vacation season with Parliament in recess it is hard to avoid taking a look at Russia’s Ukrainian War. I wish I could avoid doing so. It’s embarrassing. Last week Vlad scored an absurdly predictable win. Putin took up… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #19 – Recess #4 (Ukraine Edition) - The Week in UK Politics #18 – Recess #3
Britain Can’t Make Its Mind Up. Don’t let your indecision/Take you from behind/Trust your inner vision/Don’t let others change your mind. Classic 1981 Summer fluff with exceptionally poor lip-synching from Bucks Fizz riffs on 50 years of UK indecisiveness. - The Week in UK Politics #17 – Recess #2
Meritocracy vs “Positive Discrimination” The tension between meritocracy and positive discrimination has shaped numerous debates in British politics since the mid-20th century, focusing on how to ensure fair access and optimal outcomes in education, employment and the conduct of public… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #17 – Recess #2 - The Week in UK Politics #16 – Recess #1
It is traditional for governments to try to slip out news of their most depressing failures in the dying moments of Parliamentary “term” in the hope that MPs and journos alike are keener to hit the fleshpots of the Mediterranean… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #16 – Recess #1 - The Week in UK Politics #15
END OF TERM ENNUI The spigot of daily UK “news” wound down this week as Parliament headed towards recess (Commons – 22nd July, Lords – 24th July.) “The Grid” is, it seems, an effective news management system: about 75% of… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #15 - UK 16 Year Olds Will Get Vote
The Government announced that they will extend the vote to 16 and 17 year olds in time for the next General Election through the introduction of a new Elections and Democracy Bill to be brought forward by the Department for… Read more: UK 16 Year Olds Will Get Vote - The Week in UK Politics #14
STORMCLOUDS GATHER Hot on the heels of last week’s Welfare Reform climb-down and the forewarning of incipient rebellion gathering amongst Labour backbenchers over Education policy changes involving SEND, comes an underwhelmed reaction to the announcement of the Anglo-French “One In,… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #14 - The Week in UK Politics #13 (lucky for some)
U-TURN IF YOU WANT TO… It turns out that watching slow-motion car crashes is not so much fun. Following the reinstatement of pensioners’ winter fuel payment just a month ago, “justified” by HMG’s sudden discovery that the economic catastrophe that… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #13 (lucky for some) - The Week in UK Politics #12
NEWS VS POLITICS Harold Macmillan was a wise old bird. His reply to a question about what he feared most: “Events, dear boy, events” neatly encapsulates how easy it is for politics to be knocked off course by news. Some… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #12 - The Week in UK Politics #11
DYING HERE, BOMBING THERE Suicide Assistance Enabled On Friday the Commons voted by 314 votes to 291 to pass Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill to legalise medical assistance for suicide for people with fatal illnesses judged likely to have less… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #11 - The Week in UK Politics #10
ISRAEL AND IRAN GO TO WAR Israel’s sudden commencement of war against Iran on Thursday night dwarfed the significance of the winter fuel allowance reinstatement and the spending review in the UK. Israel launched Operation Rising Lion in an attempt… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #10 - The Week in UK Politics #9
REFORM SHENANIGANS Zia Yusuf stepped down as Chairman of Reform on Thursday evening and then seems to have had a bit of a moment and announced on Saturday that he would instead take up a new role heading the DOGE-lite… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #9 - Youth Issues
Younger UK voters aged 18-24 report their five biggest political issues as: – Economy – Crime – Housing – Environment – Education according to the YouGov weekly tracker survey that has been running since 2011. Although younger UK citizens share… Read more: Youth Issues - The Week in UK Politics #8
O CANADA! King Charles popped over to one of his other gaffs for a whirlwind 48-hour tour. He met First Nation representatives and heard some impressive drums, inspected various groups of Mounties, went to a community festival, laid a wreath… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #8 - The Week in UK Politics #7
POST-BREXIT “RESET” On 19th May Keir Starmer hosted Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa (he’s the EU Council President) for a “Reset Summit” at Lancaster House in London. Negotiations were reported to have gone down to the wire, but… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #7 - The Week in UK Politics #6
IMMIGRATION, ASSISTED DYING, BENEFIT CUTS (+ THE CHAGOS, UNIVERSITIES) It’s been one of those weeks in UK politics where the leakers and the sneakers conspire together to “warm the pot” on some issues that will boil over in the coming… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #6 - Turkish Psychodrama
No prizes at all for commentators who thought that Russia’s commitment to peace negotiations was only a ruse to keep the Donald talking and delay any real discussions of peace terms. Under huge American pressure, Zelensky called Putin’s bluff and… Read more: Turkish Psychodrama - The Week in UK Politics #5
UK-US TRADE DEAL + UK IMMIGRATION “RESET” A “game-changing” US-UK trade deal and a “significant” UK immigration reset, or an enormous confection of nothingness? US-UK Trade: worse than it was, better than it might have been. On 8th May Donald… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #5 - The Week in UK Politics #4
REFORM RISES, RIVALS FALL Reform UK Shocks the System If you thought UK politics was just Labour vs. the Tories forever think again. Reform UK, led by the ever-controversial Nigel Farage, pulled off a political upset this week that’s got everyone… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #4 - The Week in UK Politics #3
BIG SHIFTS, BAD VIBES Britons feel like crap. This may result in some electoral desperation at the local and mayoral elections next week. Reform UK are capitalising on the sense of despair at “Broken Britain” and the apparent inability of… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #3
Quiz #1
What has just happened to the UK’s industrial electricity prices? They are insanely, uncompetitively expensive. Any ideas why? We’d be interested to know… QUIZNIGHT #1