If you’re looking for somewhere to run an event on the future of the Labour, an exploration into intellectual socialism and a cushy middle-class-but-left-wing debate, Latitude is the place to pitch your tent. Little wonder, then, that Thursday night of the festival was dominated by one particular event. The New Statesman’s ‘Politics of Hope’ was […]Read More
Tags : british politics
Social media is a powerful tool. It can start revolutions, both political and cultural. We have seen increasingly important events happen on social media, to the point where some events have shaped history (the Arab Spring, to name one such event). So, naturally, everybody wants to exploit social media for their gain. This includes political […]Read More
We were told it would be a “big” budget, but it wasn’t. Unless you’re counting big savings, big public sector cuts, and a big hole in the finances of millions of families dependent on state assistance to live. And alarmingly, with his unquenchable thirst for fiscal orthodoxy, George Osborne has slashed at a new demographic […]Read More
This week, modern British politics lost one of its greatest and most loved characters. Charles Kennedy was among the rarest of politicians; a man of principle, loved by his constituents, admired by his peers and respected by all those who had the fortune to meet him. It is rarer still to find someone who, upon […]Read More
As part of Bury St Edmunds’ Festival of Ideas, Opinion Editor Tony Diver interviews Guardian firebrand and leftist sweetheart Owen Jones. I walk with Owen Jones to Oakes Barn – Bury’s newest real-ale pub – and, surrounded by the watching eyes of the townsfolk, he begins to divulge his plans to rejuvenate the British left. […]Read More
The run-up to the recent general election dominated social media and the press for several weeks. It engaged thousands of voters and non-voters with the arguments and policies of the six or seven main parties, and sparked debate and discussion over the key issues. It also highlighted the reasons to turn out and vote: images […]Read More
Members of the #Milifandom all around the country were crying into their cornflakes come Friday morning. They had no words, just James Blunt’s ‘Goodbye My Lover’ on a constant loop. Thousands were left bewildered at Labour’s catastrophic defeat. Labour’s hopes were increasingly raised throughout the campaign, only to be shattered on the night. A blanket […]Read More
Greetings dear reader, if you stumbled into the kitchen this morning not from bed, but from the television, with the voice of David Dimbleby ringing in your ears like political tinnitus. Greetings, if you watched last night’s seats be counted through the gate of government like multi-coloured sheep, herded by the familiar pomposity of the […]Read More
Nick Clegg is an excellent politician. Not only that, but he’s also a pretty decent human being. Five years ago he made the honourable decision to form a coalition government with the Conservative party, and in so doing put aside party politics and did what he thought was best for the country. Although many people […]Read More
If the Scottish independence referendum of last year did anything (other than destroy Labour’s voter base in Scotland), it issued a much-needed reminder to the political class that the United Kingdom is made up of four nations, all with their own individual character, culture and sensibilities. Indeed, that means England, too. For all the hot […]Read More
Dear Ed Miliband, Shabana Mahmood, Gloria de Piero, Louise Magee, Lucy Powell, Patrick Henegan, Ian McNichol, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Ben Nolan and all of the other members of the Labour campaign team who have asked me to donate money to the party at this election, I signed up to the Labour Party mailing list because […]Read More
Ed Miliband is unstoppable. He might have started this election campaign as a man, but he’s ending it as a meme. Ever since he tentatively quivered “Hell yes” to Jeremy Paxman, Miliband’s slow march to cool has been impressive. This represents Miliband’s lift off. “Am I tough enough? Hell yes I’m tough enough” he replies, […]Read More
During the countdown to this year general election, one party has repeatedly stood out for its controversial policies and leader: charismatic lizard look-alike Nigel Farage. That party is UKIP. The UK Independence Party lies on firmly on the right wing of the British political spectrum, as evidenced through the numerous Tory defectors to UKIP over […]Read More
The SNP is the largest political party in Scotland in terms of membership, with over 105,000 members, and they have had a majority in the Scottish parliament since 2010. This is a big deal as – let’s be honest – most of us before September last year didn’t even deem the SNP as relevant. But once the referendum […]Read More
The most exciting thing about this general election is that the two-party system has essentially been made redundant. This has inevitably given rise to many minority parties who would usually find themselves on the very fringes of the British political system. The Green Party are arguably the most radical of these minority parties: their pledges […]Read More