Archive for the ‘British current affairs’ Category
What is the Qatar spat all about? And why have there been so many foiled and successful terrorists incidents in the UK recently?
June 6th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In a perceptive article in today’s “Guardian” newspaper, Paul Mason examines “Britain’s game of thrones in the Gulf”. On the clash between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he agues: “The issue torturing the Saudi monarchy is Iran. Obama made peace with Iran in 2015, in the face of Saudi and Israeli opposition. Qatar is diplomatically closer […]
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Is political opposition in Parliament dead?
June 5th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
This was the title of a Drive Time programme recently featured on a radio station called Voice of Islam and I was invited to contribute to the item. The programme was billed as follows: “We spoke about the role of the opposition in Parliament and whether it was as effective as it could be. The […]
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Could Labour really win the General Election?
June 2nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
We started the election campaign with Theresa May being much more popular than her party and Jeremy Corbyn being much less popular than his party. As the campaign has gone on, there is no doubt that May is doing less well and Corbyn is doing rather better than expected. Equally it is clear that the […]
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How well does the British Parliament scrutinise legislation?
May 9th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In the British political system, almost all legislation is proposed by the Government and much of it comes from promises made in the manifesto of the relevant political party at the last election. At the beginning of each annual session of the Parliament, the main Bills to be considered are announced by the Queen in […]
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Britain’s poorest households pay more of their income in tax than the richest
April 26th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Britain’s poorest households pay a greater proportion of their income in taxes than the richest, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Analysis of the ONS’ Effects of Taxes and Benefits publication, released this week, found: The poorest 10% of households paid on average 42% of their income in tax in […]
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How do people decide how to vote in an election?
April 19th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
The calling of a snap General Election in the UK was a genuine surprise; the result is unlikely to be one though. A survey published on the day of the announcement put the Conservatives on 44% and Labour on only 23% while, when asked who would make the best Prime Minister, 50% went for Theresa […]
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Who will speak for liberal Britain?
April 3rd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
“In the film adaptation of James Ellroy’s LA Confidential, Officer White (Russell Crowe) makes a home visit to an elderly woman whose daughter is missing. There’s an unpleasant smell coming from the basement. “A rat died behind a wall,” the woman, who is called Mrs Lefferts, says. Crowe investigates and discovers a decomposed body hidden […]
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How ‘dark money’ is undermining democracy in Britain (as it already has done in the United States)
April 2nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In today’s “Observer” newspaper, there is a news item about how unregulated political expenditure – especially online using social media – seriously influenced the outcome of last summer’s EU referendum and threatens to undermine the fairness of future elections in the UK. The piece opens: “An urgent review of “weak and helpless” electoral laws is being […]
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Can things get any worse for the Labour Party? And when will Corbyn realise that he has to go?
March 31st, 2017 by Roger Darlington
As a lifelong member of the British Labour Party, I despair at the current state of the party and the appalling leadership that it has. In an article in today’s “Guardian” newspaper, John Harris underlines just how bad things have become for the party as the country approaches Brexit: “This is, then, arguably the most […]
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Who is Inspector Sands and why does he receive so many announcements?
February 28th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I travel a lot on the London Underground system and in recent weeks I have heard several announcements calling on Inspector Sands to go to the control room. What’s all this about? The Inspector Sands voice message is an automated message which is activated when the station fire alarm sounds. The message gives staff an […]
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