There is not much to praise in Labour’s handling of the Syria vote. I won’t recount the full extent of the shambles here because it falls into the life is too short category. But at least Labour is having an argument and allowing a free vote, which reflects the moral complexity of the situation. Labour […]
There can be no doubt as to the robustness of the response of the French government to the terrorist attacks of last month. A contact who works with François Hollande in the Elysée Palace says that the atmosphere there is one of “great calm” and that, for all the horror of what has happened, the […]
One of the least convincing aspects of the current discussion in the UK about whether or not British firepower should be deployed in the bombing of ISIS in Syria is the invoking of the 1930s analogy by armchair generals. Neville Chamberlain always gets a bad press in these situations, whenever conflict is mooted, as though […]
This is the weekly newsletter from Iain Martin, editor of CapX. To receive it by email every Friday, along with a short daily email of our top five stories, please subscribe here. Another day, another attack by Islamist fascists in their war on innocents who do nothing more provocative than check into a hotel, go […]
On the plus side – they’re a bunch of losers who are going to lose. On the negative side – it’ll take some time, and another version of IS will take their place unless the ideology which underpins their fanaticism is diluted. To do this, even while military action is ongoing, we must stop saying […]
The total scumbag “Jihadi John”, the British misfit Mohammed Emwazi turned ISIS jihadist who became infamous for his role in a series of murderous videos, may have been killed in a strike by American forces. The US is 99% it got him. Here’s hoping they didn’t miss. The only downside, tweeted someone on hearing the […]
Even the biggest critics of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn can surely see that no matter what he did at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday it would never have been enough to satisfy his opponents. If he had dressed up as Winston Churchill, and announced that next week he is joining the Royal Marines, he […]
The only surprising aspect of Russia’s military intervention in Syria is that anyone in the West should be in the least bit surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin has embarked on this dramatic initiative. Ever since the turn of the last century and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Russians have case covetous eyes […]
Sell Obama, buy Putin. That is the market shorthand for the geopolitical situation that has developed in the Middle East. Vladimir Putin has spectacularly wrong-footed the West in Syria. At no time did Britain, America or any other intruder into that hornets’ nest have any coherent policy, beyond the inane mantra: “Assad must go.” This […]
The year is 2020. Inside Number 10 Downing Street, the chief of the UK’s defence staff (Russell Brand) has arrived to give Jeremy Corbyn, the new Prime Minister, some really “heavy” news. The Islamic State has acquired a nuclear weapon or three. There is confusion about potential delivery systems and how exactly the terrorist state […]
Barack Obama has delivered seven major addresses to the UN General Assembly during his tenure at the White House – he will give his final address next year before departing office in January 2017. Much like his campaign appearances, Obama’s UN speeches contain a great deal of fanciful, soaring rhetoric, but little of actual substance. […]
I like a good joke designed to wind-up the Scottish Nationalists as much as any Unionist. The more excitable supporters of Scottish independence tend to be even more thin-skinned than fans of the hard left’s Jeremy Corbyn. Whenever they are challenged, both groups start shouting, like the supporters of a cult who cannot hear anything […]
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