Category: Week in UK Politics
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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 offices. Recent policy shifts, such as the government’s proposal to reserve civil service internships for…
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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 or more exotic holiday destinations than to pursue the latest delay to HS2, or estimated…
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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 what we think of as news turns out to be just propaganda. The British Malaise…
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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 Housing, Communities and Local Government. Angela Rayner and Rushanara Ali will pilot the Bill through…
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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, One Out” illegal arrivals pilot scheme. Then a spat between the Deputy Prime Minister and…
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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 they thought they had inherited from the Conservatives had miraculously cured itself, comes the inevitably…
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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 days you set out to explain proposed NHS structural changes, you can instead get sandbagged…
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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 to prevent Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, bombing nuclear facilities, missile and drone launch capabilities…
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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 team that is going to nip around Reform-controlled County Councils to suggest ways of reducing…
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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 the general population’s identification of the economy as the most significant political issue facing the…
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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 at a war memorial, dropped a hockey puck, chatted in the sunshine. So far, so…
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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 they announced a post-Brexit agreement encompassing defence and security cooperation, fisheries, agrifood barriers, carbon border…
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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 weeks before the House rises and Westminster moves to the South of France on 22nd…
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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 Trump and Keir Starmer announced a hoooooge trade deal in a cringe-making joint press conference…
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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 talking. In the local elections, they bagged a massive 677 council seats and took control…
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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 mainstream politicians of all stripes to “grasp the nettle” and set out some possible solutions.…
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AN EASTER ROUND-UP OF UK POLITICS. Climate change, gender identity, industrial policy and local government finances are leavened by one of the most ridiculous political corruption scandals of recent years. Climate Policy Clash: Miliband v Farage UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband criticised Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and the Conservative Party for spreading “nonsense and lies”…
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TWOP IS LAUNCHED! Welcome to the first of my weekly political roundups! Every week I will try to break down the biggest UK political stories in a simple and easy to understand way. NHS Waiting Times Still a Major Concern New data this week showed that NHS waiting lists are still very high, with over…