Opinion

The die-hard Republican state is growing frustrated with its leaders, says BONNIE GREER The first time most people in the United States, or probably anywhere else, heard the term ‘the Lower 48’ was around the time that Senator John McCain introduced his running mate, the then governor of Alaska, in the 2008 presidential election. Alaska […]

Readers give their verdict on the Lib Dems using conference to pledge to revoke Article 50 – while Labour used theirs to carry on sitting on the fence. MP Jess Phillips talks about traditional Labour voters who back Remain being “parked on the Lib Dems’ drive” because of Brexit, “and they will go into the […]

Boris Johnson is running out of options to find a way out of the Brexit mess – but he still has the option of a second referendum. An honourable man would resign his position, but Boris Johnson is not an honourable man. His next-best option is to rescue himself and help bring an end to […]

A new referendum on Brexit is now practically inevitable. But what exactly should the question on the ballot paper be, asks AC GRAYLING. It is common cause among all – and ‘all’ means the ever-increasing majority – who want a second referendum to be held, that ‘Remain’ must be one of the options on the […]

Sebastian Reichel, who has grown up, studied and worked in the North East of England could not vote in the EU referendum. His encounter with the Brexit Party left him even more uncertain about the UK leaving the EU. I have lived in the North East of England for most of my life. I grew […]

Ahead of a crucial vote on the conference floor young Labour activist GEORGIE HARRIS writes why Labour must back the pro-Remain motion this afternoon. The votes on Brexit today will be a pivotal moment for Labour’s future. Delegates will have to decide between whether Labour will pledge to campaign to Remain or whether they will […]

With a possible recession and trade war with China looming, even Republican strongholds are no longer guaranteed to plump for Trump, says BONNIE GREER. North Carolina, the state where Donald Trump has arguably received his most urgent wake-up call regarding 2020, is known as the Tar Heel State. That name may have come from the […]

Readers consider the possibility of an election pact between Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and the Conservatives. Having dealt with the moderates, it is Dominic Cummings’ feuds with fellow Brexiteers which will alienate the prime minister’s remaining parliamentary supporters and reduce the chances of a deal with the Brexit Party. Cummings has called the European Research […]

A general election would be a proxy vote on Brexit – but it still will not resolve Brexit. Readers call for a People’s Vote. Judging by the three little words flung at journalists recently by Dominic Cummings as he left the basement of his flat, “trust the people” looks likely to be a central theme […]

MITCH BENN asks why the PM would compare himself to the Hulk – a personification of uncontrolled anger, fury, and whose alter ego is desperate to escape. It doesn’t seem to take much these days to get me feeling old. Mind you, that’s been the case since I was about 24; sometimes I wish I […]

Young anti-Brexit and Labour activist NATHAN BORODA on his expectations for next week’s Labour conference. More than 70% of young people voted to Remain in the EU in 2016, and at least 80% of those enfranchised since, like me, would vote to Remain if given the chance. It is undoubtedly true that for those who […]

JAMES BALL says the Lib Dems are doing what they do best: bite-size, populist politics based on the principle they won’t have to deliver on promises. Even to those not following the news closely, the big news out of the Liberal Democrat conference probably didn’t feel all that new – the party has made it […]

The government has been accused of hiding the ‘full picture’ in its release of Yellowhammer documents after Department of Transport files were leaked to the press. The contradicting reports suggest that Yellowhammer documents have significantly played down the impact of a no-deal Brexit on potential disruption to ports. The documents, which were seen by the […]

MIKE BUONAIUTO is calling for urgent action against the light-touch approach Facebook takes towards political campaigning on its platform. Ever heard of the anonymised, political Facebook groups that gather data and then disappear within weeks of opening, with no obligation to declare any of their funding to the Electoral Commission? Or how it’s impossible to […]

JAMES BALL on the unwritten rules in politics that are damaging the system and why. It’s a common saying that the UK constitution is unwritten. It’s also a false saying. Much of the UK constitution is written, albeit across multiple laws, treaties, and parliamentary procedures – and in the last few weeks, a good few […]

BONNIE GREER on why the relatable average Joe from the quieter states of America, is the rival Trump should fear most. Joe Biden – Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images Delaware is one of those places where, when many Americans begin to talk about it, they start their sentence “with respect”. Quiet, boring old Delaware, some […]

MITCH BENN on Boris Johnson becoming the first prime minister since 1894 to lose his first commons vote and also reducing his from +1 to -43 in a week. So this time last week, you may or may not recall, I was bewailing the near-impossibility of submitting a regular current events-based (and specifically Brexit-related current […]

JAMES BALL warns a repeat of Labour’s 2017 election campaign will seal Britain’s fate Westminster voting intention. “If a general election was held tomorrow, which party would you vote for?’ Source: YouGov, 2-3 September 2019 – Credit: Source: YouGov, 2-3 September 2019 In a week of what feels like perpetual round-the-clock political turmoil, it is […]

BONNIE GREER on why the grassroots are not a good place for a black presidential candidate to be. A few stats about California, the Golden State… n Last year it emerged that its GDP had surpassed that of the United Kingdom. If California was a country it would be the fifth most productive in the […]

Readers have their say on the ‘stop the coup’ protests – and say that it is the perfect opportunity to win over Brexiteers. Last Saturday I protested at the ‘Stop The Coup’ march in Birmingham. However, unlike many I took the view that this wasn’t just about Brexit, it was about upholding the basic values […]

As a comedian, MITCH BENN knows how it feels to stand before a crowd that’s booing you. Here’s when it happened to Prime Minister. Of all the disparate elements in the jumble of intermittently remunerative hobbies which in my case passes for a ‘career’, writing this column is one of the most rewarding (and indeed […]

Clacton’s ruthlessly pro-Brexit Boomers are an inspiration. Brexit is expected to cause a long-term loss of some 10% of GDP, or around £200bn per year. Government revenues are around 35% of GDP, so a 10% drop means £70bn less for public spending. But state pensions cost £90bn a year, and 65% of voters over 65 […]

To win back Remainers from other anti-Brexit parties Labour must now commit to urgently revoking Article 50 regardless of a People’s Vote. Let me be clear: the best way out of the current Brexit impasse is to go back to the people in a final say referendum with an option to remain. I am one […]

ALEX NETTLE argues the best way to stop a no-deal Brexit is urgent reform to our constitution to give everyone a voice in parliament – and that means looking at proportional representation. Those of us opposing no deal are facing the fight of our lives this week. The unprecedented power grab of proroguing parliament at […]

Up until recently Jeremy Corbyn was accused of taking a leaf out of the Communist Party book, but now it is the ERG’s views on democracy that put the Tories in that territory. Boris Johnson, the man who lied during the 2016 referendum campaign and used dubious methods to become prime minister will, of course, […]

We are in a fight between a flawed and tainted semi-democracy and a proper democracy, writes AC GRAYLING. One of Boris Johnson’s cabinet colleagues has already confirmed unequivocally what we all know: that prorogation is a deliberate effort by Johnson to suppress parliament because he knows that he will not get a ‘No Deal’ Brexit […]

JAMES BALL on the Conservatives’ latest Facebook campaign targetting Remain MPs. If you’d believe some of the more excitable corners of the internet, if you want to see who will win the next election, you need look no further than who’s winning the battle of online advertising on Facebook. And with the government confirming suspicions […]

The Edinburgh Fringe is over for another year and Mitch Benn says it’s been a good one. So the Edinburgh Fringe is over for another year; I’m not going to start bandying figures about but suffice to say I’ve had a really good one, both in terms of audience numbers and response. This is gratifying […]

Following our article on the Eurotunnel in which a regular passenger called for a ‘quality rail experience’ some readers have lept to the defence. I enjoyed reading Victor Lewis-Smith’s article about his experiences with Eurotunnel (TNE #156), but it made me think that there must be two such services. The tunnel I use is nothing […]

Bonnie Greer looks at Donald Trump’s popularity in Tennessee My late mother was born in Nashville, the eldest of six. I always think that, somewhere in her, that fact haunted her after she moved away with her parents to the north. She would show me, sometimes, her Nashville baby picture. Then I would forget. But […]

Readers give their views on a the prospect of a trade deal with Donald Trump, and what it will bring to our food shelves. With no-deal getting closer and the necessity of a trade deal with America therefore growing, I detect a media push to persuade us that the infamous chlorinated chicken is not all […]

David Cameron declared sunshine would win the day. But the Scottish Tory leader’s resignation shows the party no longer has room for social liberals We must respect Ruth Davidson’s given reasons for quitting as Scottish Conservative leader. She has held the role for eight years – effectively a generation in today’s febrile politics – and […]