Were Lord Nelson to see the current state of the Royal Navy, his shock would surely be shared by Vice Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, commander of the enemy fleet at Trafalgar.
Significant parts of the political debate, on left and right, are based on official statistics which are wrong. And the wrongness more often seems to be in one direction – towards the gloomy, the pessimistic and the negative.
Starmer’s attacks on Brexit and its impact on the economy are as predictable as they are risible. If we want an honest conversation about growth, productivity, and our place in the world we must not let recycled myths be part of it
The Danes ration choice, the French ration equality, and the Swiss ration time. In the UK we refuse to ration all three – meaning we must instead ration graduate’s wages, because nobody will talk about what an alternative to tuition fees actually means.
Welfare should be a safety net, not a way of life. It should support people back into work, not write them off. We will vote against because, for all their self righteousness, Labour won’t see that ‘fairness’ cuts both ways.
White Western man infantilises both himself and others by his insistence that his imperialism is the root of all evil.
We have been a happy vassal of the US since Suez and it is a feat of mental unpleasantness to opt for anything else – only now that miserable slavery is on the table does the thought of accepting mental unpleasantness raise its head.
Though Trump would like to see the transatlantic alliance dead, it is too strong for any one leader to destroy. Better to ally ourselves with the transatlantic majority in Congress, to make any attempt to seize Greenland harder.
Treating illness before it escalates is both compassionate and fiscally responsible. A system that balances fairness with flexibility would strengthen, not weaken, public confidence in the NHS.
To be fair the length of suitable Belgian coastline is considerably less than the French, but the most important thing is to slash/puncture the boats. Do this often enough, the message spreads, potential migrants are dissuaded, the demand dries up and the gangs are out of business.
People’s recollections of recent political news were dominated by tax rises, crime, U-turns, winter fuel, problems in the NHS and – above all, whatever their voting history – illegal immigration.
The Shadow Justice Secretary is harassed and attacked at migrant camps in northern France – and sees no evidence of the preventative efforts for which Britain is paying £800 million.
Starmer needs to make it crystal clear that there can be no state recognition for Palestine without the hostages first being returned to Israel.
The greater danger likely lies in unthinking adoration of the totems of whatever qualifies as “international law”. That tendency is obviously very strong in the Starmer government, starting with the man himself.