If you want to feel really gloomy, think back to the beginning of the 1990s. The West had won the Cold War. The Gorbachev era seemed to suggest that Russia was embarking on a path of stability and democracy. There were indications that the Chinese leadership was interested in cautious moves towards international legality. Other […]
Three and a half years ago, the British Monarchy appeared serene in its stability. After a lifetime of grandeur and service, a great reign had ended. In response, the national mood appeared to be one of solemnity and gratitude. Although there were complaints from fringe groups, they appeared to be speaking for no one except […]
Political predictions are a mug’s game. Think back to last November. The Tory Party was at Valley Forge. To call it demoralised would have been an understatement. Despairing would have been a more accurate assessment. Serious commentators wondered whether the party was finished. Certainly, its prospects seemed as bleak as those of its distant predecessors, […]
Wes Streeting is the most interesting member of the Labour front bench. He is also a lucky man. Not only has he survived a brush with cancer: he had been condemned to death before he was born. Under pressure from her mother, his mother had decided to have an abortion. At the last moment, she […]
When it comes to deploying trenchant language, the military are superb. In only five letters, a crisp, plosive obscenity, they provide a perfect description of the Starmer government: SNAFU – ‘situation normal, all fucked up’. If greater length is required, let us say that Keir Starmer and his colleagues are suffering a political, intellectual and […]
It has been a weekend of contrasts. On Trafalgar Day, we remembered Nelson’s glorious signal: ‘England expects that every man shall do his duty.’ Most of them did, helping to smash Napoleon Bonaparte’s sea-power. Agincourt Day fell on Saturday, another triumph against the French, which inspired Shakespeare to write the most magnificent speech in the […]
A Tory leader of the opposition has the hardest job in British politics. The Conservatives regard themselves as the true national party, and the natural party of government. They believe that they should almost always be in power, and that if they are out of office, it must be the fault of the leadership. So […]
Keir Starmer and Liz Truss have one thing in common. If either of them sought a political motto, they could both use the same one: ‘It shouldn’t have been like this.’ Following on from that, there is a further similarity. Neither is prepared to accept responsibility, and take the blame, for the resulting degringolade. Sir […]
Poor Peter Mandelson. I feel sorry for him. After all, someone has to, apart from the man himself. The great historian Macaulay wrote, ‘We know of no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality’ – in this case, as it often is, exacerbated by prurience. I have […]
The UK has been in an almost continuous political crisis since 2016. But it may be time to look beneath the surface turmoil and wonder whether deeper factors are in play. We may now be in a chronic politico-cultural dégringolade. (Most of what follows applies principally to England. The other nations are different.) Longer perspectives […]
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: the unpredictable versus the inscrutable. It all comes down to those two characters, to the horror of high minds in both Europe and America. International lawyers will hate the thought that the Russian arch war criminal may hang on to his ill-gotten gains. It always seemed improbable that Putin would […]
One can almost feel sorry for Keir Starmer. It was not meant to be like this. Not that he will find the comparison gratifying, but there is a parallel with George W. Bush. Remember back: Bush Jr watched his father take centre stage on global affairs with a massive domestic approval rating. Then the domestics […]
We can now draw a cautious inference about Rachel Reeves’s forthcoming tax increases. They are unlikely to include a wealth tax. Why? Because the Labour Left, which wants such taxes, might be less prone to grumble, now that it has been fed some red meat. This is in the form of an inquiry into an […]
Back in 1997, John Major’s government had turned into a Calvary. The economy was recovering, but no one seemed to be listening. Black Wednesday, when Britain was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), was a permanent cloud. In reality, leaving the ERM was good for the country, and there was no panic […]
A group of us were trying to make sense of Donald Trump and discussing leadership and weakness. Why was Margaret Thatcher so great? I offered an answer. Uniquely among modern peacetime leaders, Thatcher had an agenda and knew what needed to be done. En route, she displayed more tactical subtlety than some of her most […]
It is time to choose your favourite cliché. Grasp the nettle, bite the bullet. Whichever it is, Kemi Badenoch has done it. For years, many eminent Tories have been aware that the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its legal penumbra are causing problems here. But there were determined efforts at evasion. Just kick […]
Everyone is getting emotional, a Kremlin spokesman tells us, in a condescending tone. He is right. Everyone is, and much good it is doing us. Throughout the West, from the bond markets to the Black Sea – not to mention the South China Sea – we seem to be facing strategic weakness, economic uncertainty and […]
While the world has been focussing its attention on Ukraine and Gaza, potentially the most dangerous flashpoint of all has received insufficient attention: India versus Pakistan and the dispute over Kashmir. Equally, many media hours have been devoted to Donald Trump’s latest folie de grandeur, a new plane courtesy of the Qataris. In recent weeks, […]
The Tories have been here before. Indeed, it sometimes seems as if they have never been anywhere else. Since a brief interlude after the 1992 election, the Conservative Party has been bereft of morale. It is also worth remembering that the problems started under Margaret Thatcher. ‘Loyalty is the Tories’ secret weapon,’ said David Maxwell […]
The Chinese have formidable qualities, but they have rarely been credited with a sense of humour. Yet in that regard, we may be underestimating them. In response to the tariff contest, a number of witty, AI-generated memes have appeared, mocking Messrs Trump, Vance and Musk, depicting the three as unhappy-looking cobblers trying to replace the […]
