Herald 24/4/17 YOU could almost hear the sighs of relief in Brussels as Emmanuel Macron, the Tony Blair of French politics, came top of the first round of the French presidential elections. The one thing we know about the mercurial Mr Macron, a former socialist who set up his own party, En Marche!, to promote … Continue reading
ELECTIVE dictatorship is an ever present danger in Westminster’s antiquated system of government, where the Prime Minister still exercises the pre-democratic powers of monarchy. The Fixed-term Parliament Act of 2011 (FTPA) was one attempt to modernise our system by denying political leaders the undemocratic right to call an election at a moment of their own choosing: … Continue reading
On any level, the rape clause is an abomination. The idea of compelling victims of rape to revisit the experience and compile evidence in order to claim benefits is simply inhumane, not least to the children so identified. It is also unworkable. It will require bureaucrats to adjudicate on sensitive issues like marital rape and … Continue reading
READ IAIN EVERY WEEK IN THE HERALD AND SUNDAY HERALD. Whatever happened to Jeremy Corbyn? You know the controversial leader of the UK Labour Party who led the people’s revolt against Blairism and turned Labour into the largest mass membership party in western Europe. Has he been accidentally buried in his allotment? Is this … Continue reading
Read Iain in the Herald and Sunday Herald. Shortly before the 2014 referendum, I was asked what I thought Scotland might look like in the long term if it didn’t seize the opportunity of independence in Europe. I replied that it might resemble a tartan theme park with a shrinking population largely composed of pensioners … Continue reading
Did some misguided souls seriously believe that Donald Trump would be a less warlike President than Hillary Clinton? Well now we know. This intellectually-challenged POTUS, whose grasp of policy is so feeble that he can be turned around by a ten minute conversation, is an impetuous bully and clearly loves to show off. Hence his … Continue reading
IT’S war, by jingo. UK tabloids, exercising their customary dignified restraint, have been rattling sabres at the Spanish over Gibraltar. The Sun warned that that the British navy could “cripple” Spain. The Daily Mail said we had the “biggest Armada”. So come on “donkey rogerers” , as a Sun columnist called the Spanish people, if … Continue reading
“We will take control of our own laws”, Theresa May told Tory MPs in her Article 50 speech in the Commons, “and bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice [ECJ]”. Conservatives talk about Brexit as if it is some liberation from foreign domination. The recovery of British “sovereignty”. … Continue reading
Sunday Herald 26/3/17 IT’S understandable that people get frustrated with the media at times of national crisis like last week’s terrorist attack on Westminster. Why the saturation coverage? Why do the terrorists’ job for them by giving the oxygen of publicity? Why not take tea and carry on? Even I found it a little irritating … Continue reading