Archive for the ‘British current affairs’ Category
While British politics has calmed down a lot, American politics remains as exciting as ever
January 31st, 2020 by Roger Darlington
By the end of today, Britain will have left the European Union after being a member for 47 years. A foreign friend asked me if there was an air of excitement. I explained that, since the decisive general election of 12 December 2019, there has been a sense of resignation. Those who supported Brexit thought […]
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Where now for a devastatingly defeated Labour Party?
December 29th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
We have all given significant periods of our lives to the Labour movement, most recently as MPs and candidates in the general election. We have been horrified by the damage that Tory government austerity has wreaked in our communities, crippling our NHS, starving our struggling schools and transport networks, normalising street sleeping and failing to […]
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The British General Election: what now for our constitution?
December 14th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Two documents are never read by the overwhelmingly majority of people. The first is our constitution, not least because it does not exist as a single codified document, but it is nevertheless something vital to our democracy and needs reform but the right reform. The second is election manifestos because they are essentially only available […]
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The British General Election: what just happened?
December 13th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
First, some basic facts: This was the first December election since 1923. In most parts of the UK, the weather was wet and windy and the nights were long and dark. But turnout was 67.3%, only slightly below the 2017 election held in June. The Conservatives won 365 seats (with 43.6% of the vote) – […]
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How do people decide how to vote in an election?
November 15th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
The calling of a snap General Election in the UK was hardly a surprise: Boris Johnson was planning one from the day he became Prime Minister and, after failing to get his Brexit deal through Parliament, he decided to seek the majority he needs to get his deal “over the line”. The result may not […]
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Brexit bingo – on the day of the Commons vote and the people’s march
October 19th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
A drink is not compulsory each time you hear these, but it might not be a bad idea: “Customs border in the Irish Sea” “Get Brexit done” “The will of the people” “17.4 million people” “No more dither and delay” “A reckless Tory Brexit” “No-deal cliff edge” “Chlorinated chicken” “No one voted to be poorer” […]
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Discussion at the Labour Party Annual Conference in Brighton this week
September 23rd, 2019 by Roger Darlington
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How does the UK Supreme Court operate and what is it going to decide on prorogation?
September 18th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
The Supreme Court is a relatively new institution in the British constitutional system and few people know much about it. In my short guide to the British political system, I have provided a brief explanation of the Supreme Court here. The court really has two decisions to make. First, is the issue of prorogation “justiciable”? […]
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Can the positions of the political parties on Brexit get any weirder?
September 18th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
For three years, Brexit has been a moving picture with surprise after surprise. It’s a political soap opera that never ceases to amaze. So now we have three established political parties facing in very different directions but each with major doubts over their capacity to deliver their current position. The official Conservative view is that […]
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When a general election is actually held, could Labour win it?
September 9th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Most recent polls do not look good for Labour with Conservative leads of between 10% (Opinium) – 14% (YouGov). But there are many variables to consider and a major one is timing. ComRes has done a survey looking at voting intention before and after 31 October on the assumption that, before that date, there is […]
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