Generally I'm a fan of direct democracy: trust the people, I say, for that is always better than to trust the self appointed expert, especially as so many of those who declare themselves experts and leaders are mere charlatans, spinning prose to hit psychological buttons and thus rally the support of the deceived (that's my […]
To bang one's head against a brick wall or not to bang one's head against a brick wall, that is the question, or rather that is the question when talking with supporters of High Speed 2 (HS2). Once upon a time, as Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has for once correctly stated, it was opponents of […]
Britain is now, per head, the world's largest giver of overseas aid. If any issue shows the huge gulf between the Westminster village and the wider mass public then this surely is it. While David Cameron buzzes with pride at this accomplishment, the mass public shake their heads in horror and disgust at the £8 […]
By David T Breaker News that Steve Hilton wants to pull out of the EU and the ECHR is of little surprise to me; that he is frustrated with the snail's pace of Whitehall, and the seemingly endless U-turns caused largely by the opinion poll government that seems to have developed, is even less surprising. […]
By David T Breaker The Speaker, swathes of Parliament and most of the judiciary are less than happy about Lib Dem MP John Hemming's decision to use Parliamentary privilege to tell the nation the worst kept secret in recent history, and commentators across the spectrum are rushing to express their disdain. Politicians unhappy with the […]
Saturday's Rally Against Debt was a minor flop, to put it bluntly, with a mere 350 attendees according to Police estimates. The cordoned off zones empty, it was far smaller than expected. No amount of spin can claim that as a success, even a small one, and those of us concerned about our national finances […]
By David T Breaker Every year St George's Day comes, and swiftly goes, without much fanfare or fuss. Just as with great moments of our history, vast numbers of us don't even know when it is, and another great number care even less – they know only the leftist version of England as evil imperialist. […]
The state of the nation's finances could send even the staunchest Prohibitionist to the drink – we even allow the chancellor alcohol in the chamber to steady him through! Gladstone drank sherry, Disraeli a brandy and water, Howe a gin and tonic, Ken Clarke the very best whisky, Nigel Lawson a spritzer, and as for […]
By David T Breaker Living in Kent, it seems hard to imagine the county without the high speed 'Channel Tunnel Rail Link' – what is now the prosaically named HS1 – that zips through the garden of England, shadowing the M20 and M2 for all but a few deviations. I've always been a supporter, and […]
"Does a tree falling in an empty forest make a noise?" That was one of the questions in the short description of a philosophy option back at university which – my mind being far too scientific to consider the laws of physics capable of being suspended – made my pen veer irreversibly towards a course […]
By David T Breaker The countryside has the ability to stir strong emotions in the English psyche. Woodlands for the urban dweller hold a particular power; from children familiarised with the "deep, dark wood" of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood, the mystic magical forest realms of Harry Potter and Snow White, to […]
Andrew Neill's BBC2 documentary Posh and Posher was a tad chippy for my tastes but served a useful platform partially to highlight what is being termed the death of meritocracy – albeit confined in this instance to the political class – and also to fly the flag for grammar schools with the usual leftist friendly preface […]
By David T Breaker Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess – goes the song. The word "happiness" lends itself rather better to the public imagination and lyricists than "general wellbeing", which is no wonder why the news that the government is to measure "general wellbeing" has been headlined as measuring "happiness" – and […]
David T Breaker is studying Politics, Philosophy & Economics at the University of Essex and blogs at News Junction. After initial scepticism, he concludes here that there are good reasons why the English should celebrate St George's Day today. Every year it comes and, every year, it passes largely unnoticed. Today, of course, is St […]
By David T Breaker. The TV series Arrested Development didn't get many viewers in the UK; come to think of it the US figures weren't much better. The single camera sitcom about a dysfunctional family wasn't a huge hit, but those of us who became addicted to it were left with at least one irritating […]