So, according to the Honourable Member for Falkirk at Labour Uncut, politicians lie because the electorate lies too, so we shouldn’t be so hard on poor benighted souls like Phil Woolas when they get caught out. It’s not that they’re any worse than anyone else; they’re just under more scrutiny, that’s all – and who [...]
When Margaret Thatcher entered hospital recently, her impending demise began trending on Twitter. I could quote some #whenthatcherdies tweets for you, but you know what I’m on about. The fact that people were thrilled to hear of Mrs Thatcher’s ill-health simply isn’t surprising; the fact that so many celebrating her coming death weren’t even alive when [...]
Back when labour pushed through top up fees, Ken Clarke and his fellow Tories voted en masse against the move. Ken Clarke made the following intervention in the parliamentary debate: It is the ordinary student from the ordinary family who just fails to qualify for that help who will carry the burden of tens of [...]
Sometimes you can see why the Conservative Party runs such a tight and authoritarian PR machine. Quite simply some Tory MPs are off the wall. During Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on the student protests, the Conservative member for Harlow, Robert Halfon, made the following intervention: “Does my hon. Friend agree that yesterday’s mob fires of placards [...]
As you will know, Iain Duncan Smith recently revealed plans to force the unemployed to clean the streets for no more than their £65 per week in benefits. In response, the Guardian’s Jackie Ashley told us that labour was correct not to “howl with outrage” at the snowman-impersonating minister’s plans. Though she questioned some of [...]
The views of many of the demonstrators were anathema not only to incoming government policy but to the NUS. Within the confines of yesterdays organised demonstration there was no means of expression of this heterodox viewpoint. To go along with the demonstration as it was planned, would be to submit to a world of politics [...]
Much as it pains me to admit it, some of the stories in the rightwing press about people on the social housing list being placed in mansions in Hampstead or being paid six-figure sums in benefits are probably true. I haven’t investigated any of the stories in detail, and I’m well aware of the propensity [...]
The good folks at BBC iPlayer have made me well happy this Autumn, by showing repeats of the 1990s US show Due South, and I think it’s worth remembering what a true hero the protagonist, Benton Fraiser, is. For those unfamiliar with the show, the premise is that Canadian mountie Frasier works at the Canadian [...]
Last week the Fire Brigades Union called off their planned strike action on 5th November. Amongst those of us who believe a) that the firefighters have a legitimate grievance and b) they have the right to strike, there are two possible responses to this: We can think it was a good idea or a bad [...]
Marx has a wonderful term for the role that unemployment plays in capitalism. He calls it “the reserve army of labour.” The point of this concept is that whilst employing people allows a capitalist to accumulate value, having unemployed people allows you to drive down the price of labour. It’s a simple supply and demand [...]
