Is Sunak going to make it to the election?

Is Sunak going to make it to the election?

One of the things that intrigues me about the current betting markets is that there is so little speculation on the future of the prime minister. Normally when a leader was so far behind in the polls port so long there would be lots of reports of rebellions in his or her party about being replaced. A lively betting market would be about who would be the next prime minister. Yet with 100+ Tory MPs set to lose their jobs…

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What is terrorism – a personal definition.

What is terrorism – a personal definition.

The Oxford Reference dictionary defines terrorism as: “The calculated use of violence or threat of violence to inculcate fear. Terrorism is intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” On the face of it this seems like a reasonable definition but, as we have seen in numerous examples over the last century, it is a definition that fails in the face of the complexities of asymmetric warfare and…

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Sunak is no real improvement on Truss

Sunak is no real improvement on Truss

As predicted by many of us, Sunak throwing red meat to the right has consequences as he bleeds even more votes to the centre left as they repulsed by rhetoric of Sunak and his Home Secretary, who had to resign in disgrace only to be reappointed as Home Secretary six days later by Sunak. TSE

Make the Nation happy again – switch off social media

Make the Nation happy again – switch off social media

Possibly the worst invention of the last 25 years. How else can we describe social media? What was meant to brighten up our lives has made us anxious and at times depressed. So, lets switch the whole thing off and reclaim a simpler more satisfying life. Who’s going to miss it? Maybe some creepy marketing execs who can no longer stalk your every purchase or bombard you with rubbish you don’t need, but the planet will be the better for…

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Local matters

Local matters

The recent parliamentary by elections will be subject to endless detailed analysis, but they are just two data points. There are many more council by elections, several every week: can they tell us anything about how voters are viewing the parties? Any individual council by election may be subject to local factors; but taken together, a picture may emerge of how a party is performing overall, and how the electorate feel about them. Let’s look at how the Conservatives have…

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Xi Whizz, where did my century go?

Xi Whizz, where did my century go?

According to the long list of “inevitable” events this is meant to be China`s century, a century when it overtakes the West and becomes the world’s hegemon. However, as we approach the first quarter things appear to be going seriously off the narrative. No longer is China the world’s most populous state, as we look forward its population is about to fall off a demographic cliff. The current 1.4 billion Chinese will decline to about half that by the end…

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Is this the best way to deal with two massive elections at the same time?

Is this the best way to deal with two massive elections at the same time?

The Times are reporting that Officials have warned cabinet ministers that holding a general election while the US also went to the polls would come with “huge” security risks. The prime minister is considering holding an autumn election in the hope that the economy will have improved enough to close the gap with Labour. An autumn contest could overlap with the US election on November 5 next year — a scenario not seen for decades. A Whitehall source said ministers…

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