Tory Britain

The Tory Party has long had a contempt for the people. Until Boris Johnson they used to be better at hiding it Gerry Hassan The National, 16 November 2021 The whiff of Tory sleaze, decay and arrogance is all around; Boris Johnson is clearly revealed as the chancer politician that everyone knew he was. But while the air is full of scandal much is passed off as caused by Johnson alone or by a few badly-behaved Tories, the problem is much deeper. British Toryism has always had a contempt for the people. Until Johnson they were rather good at hiding

Continue Reading The Tory Party has long has a contempt for the people. Until Boris Johnson they used to be better at hiding it

The British political crisis is deeper than Boris Johnson and the Tories Gerry Hassan Scottish Review, 10 November 2021 The UK is undergoing one of its periodic spasms of concern about Tory sleaze and corruption. Two complacencies underpin much of this coverage. The first is about Boris Johnson’s unique slapdash version of morality, monies and government. The second is that the decline in trust and crisis in institutions is merely cyclical and can be tackled with a simple change of government and political renewal – as happened in the past with Tory troubles and degeneration in 1997. This is different

Continue Reading The British political crisis is deeper than Boris Johnson and the Tories

Labour’s problems are about much more than Keir Starmer Gerry Hassan The National, 28 September 2021 Labour meet in Brighton this week for another conference in opposition and in the wilderness, with clear evidence of being collectively bewildered and confused. Not only that but Keir Starmer’s leadership is openly being questioned across the party – not just from the Corbynite left but on the centre and right from where he has drawn most support until now. No one seems sure what Starmer stands for, or even if he has the real skills needed to be a leader. Yet

Continue Reading Labour’s problems are about much more than Keir Starmer