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Author: TSE

Free speech, one each. The myth of the oppressed rightwinger and what it tells us about politics today

Free speech, one each. The myth of the oppressed rightwinger and what it tells us about politics today

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Life has hardly been tough for Toby Young. Admitted to Oxford University with BBC at A level after his father (the leading academic, Baron Young) phoned up on his behalf, he has glided through lofty positions without visible means of propulsion like a flying squirrel, mainly using the high elevation from which he started off to maintain his position.   In 2018, he suffered a rare setback. Despite having no obvious qualification for the role, he had been groomed to be a…

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Can anyone stop Sanders – looking at the contenders one by one?

Can anyone stop Sanders – looking at the contenders one by one?

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Bernie Sanders is rightly the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. RIght now he leads in national polling, delegates, popular votes cast and has gone 3 out of 3 (Including a blowout delegate win in broadly representative Nevada) for states that have thus far cast their votes. Who can challenge him though ? Examining the candidates officially still in the race and those with odds of less than 1000.0 on Betfair. So in broad order of plausibility… Tom Steyer – He…

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Ladbrokes make it 2/1 that RLB will finish third behind Starmer and Nandy in its leadership finishing order betting

Ladbrokes make it 2/1 that RLB will finish third behind Starmer and Nandy in its leadership finishing order betting

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Ladbrokes have this market on the correct finishing order in the Labour leadership market after the final round. The tweets by Matt Singh indicate that Rebecca Long Bailey is going to finish last but I’m always dubious when people talk about private polls and do not publish the polling tables. At 2/1, Starmer first, Nandy second, and Long Bailey third, it’s not exactly stellar odds when you remember the last public poll had Long Bailey in second place 25% ahead…

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Is the monarchy in trouble?

Is the monarchy in trouble?

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The British monarchy has its origins so far back in time, it’s easy to forget just how old it is. Its roots – in both Anglo-Saxon England and the ancient Kingdom of Alba – stretch back well over 1,000 years and it’s now comfortably into its third millennium. So, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s as stable and enduring as the rocks that form these islands themselves. You’d be wrong. The monarchy – as an institution – is far…

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A Journal Of The Plague Year. The politics of Covid-19

A Journal Of The Plague Year. The politics of Covid-19

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If you aren’t worried, you haven’t been paying attention.  Recent outbreaks of contagious illnesses – SARS, Ebola, bird flu – have been contained fairly efficiently.  So, many have assumed that the same will apply to the coronavirus Covid-19. That’s not inevitable.   On such occasions, everyone becomes an instant expert in epidemiology.  Let’s try to avoid that and concentrate on what we do, and more importantly, don’t know.  We don’t know with any reliability how many cases there are now (China…

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Trouble over bridged waters. Boris Johnson’s plan to link Scotland and Northern Ireland

Trouble over bridged waters. Boris Johnson’s plan to link Scotland and Northern Ireland

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While love can build a bridge, it’s far from clear that Boris Johnson can.  He planned one across the Thames, but that was scrapped.  Then he mooted one across the English Channel, to be shot down quickly.  Now he is shelling out public money to investigate the possibility of a bridge across the North Channel between Larne (half an hour from Belfast) and Portpatrick (50 lightyears from anywhere).  Is it going to be third time a charm for Boris Johnson?…

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The world is becoming even more partisan

The world is becoming even more partisan

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Every so often we see some polling that much like the polling of Tory Party members last summer that saw a majority of Tory members will to countenance the destruction of the United Kingdom as well as significant damage to the economy to ensure their Brexit is delivered makes you go wow. This polling from America which sees 62% of New Hampshire Democratic Party primary voters would prefer a meteor strike to wipe out all human life over Trump winning…

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Ethics man. God, mammon and investing

Ethics man. God, mammon and investing

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Those snowflakes are at it again.  Students of St John’s college, Oxford, have called upon their college to disinvest from companies that extract fossil fuels and thus contribute to global warming.  In response, the principal bursar has told them that could not be done at a drop of a hat, but he’d gladly turn off the gas in their halls of residence if that would make them feel better.  It seems that it would not. Contrary to the implication of…

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