Sunday National, 6th March 2022. And so to Glasgow. This weekend, Scottish Labour is meeting in conference. A full year has passed since Anas Sarwar took over as party leader, and racked up the party’s worst ever performance in a Holyrood election. But all’s change. The font is new. The banner reads “Future.” Neil Kinnock’s … Continue reading The best wee numpty in the world →

Sunday National, 27th February 2022. Quoting Neville Chamberlain is one of the conventions – you might say the clichés – of war reporting in Britain. When Germany annexed the Sudetenland in 1938, the Prime Minister notoriously described the occupation as “a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing.” The line … Continue reading The concentric circles of our empathy →

Sunday National, 20th February 2022. This week, the Welsh judge Sir Wyn Williams began taking evidence into what will prove to be the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history. Between 2000 and 2014, 732 sub-postmasters and post-mistresses were prosecuted by their employer for crimes of dishonesty, ranging from theft and fraud to false … Continue reading A Very British Scandal →

Sunday National, 13th February 2022. When Keir Starmer was mobbed by anti-vaxxers on Monday, the Labour leader was huckled to safety by a police patrol. The motley crowd cried him a “traitor.” One man shouted that he should be hanged, several times. The footage also recorded shouts of “paedophile protector.” It was an ugly scene … Continue reading On Anti-Anti-Politics →

Sunday National, 6th February 2022. The king has evil advisers. Well, pished advisers. And the king himself might have had a few. Anatomising the scandal still gnawing away at the leadership of the Conservative Party – now in its umpteenth week – there are different strands to the story, different details which have pissed the … Continue reading Shots Away! →

Sunday National, 30th January 2022. “I’m launching a crowdfunder and we’re going to court.” Even a few years ago, you’d hardly ever hear this phrase. Now the idea of funding legal actions through popular contributions – getting your trial by social media – has gained considerable traction. But until now, nobody has tried to put … Continue reading Crowdfunding Nation →

Sunday National 23rd January 2022. Like Julius Caesar but with rubber knives. One cherished cliché of the Tory party is that it is ruthless with it wounded leaders. Unlike Labour, which clings to proven losers till the bitter end, the Tory backbenchers like to think they can be relied on to apply extreme unction to … Continue reading The mini quiche coup →

Sunday National, 16th January 2022. When Murdo Fraser launched his bid to lead the Scottish Tories in 2011, he led with an unexpected argument. He wanted to lead the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party into oblivion.  In Darth Murdo’s vision, a new, right-wing Scottish party would emerge from the ashes of his old party, detoxified, … Continue reading Darth Murdos →

Sunday National, 9th January 2022. With his two faces, Janus is the patron god of the new year and also, it appears, one of the ruling spirits governing the Conservative Party. Just last month, Dominic Raab announced his intention to introduce a British Bill of Rights, replacing the “hated” Human Rights Act.™ The basic idea … Continue reading The light of day →

Sunday National, 2nd January 2022. Just how solid is the House of Windsor anyway? The future of the monarchy in Britain might seem unassailable as 2021 closes. In the UK, republicanism looks like a cause without a constituency. A statue of Oliver Cromwell stands outside the Palace of Westminster, but inside, everyone is expected to … Continue reading Grooms of the stool →