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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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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

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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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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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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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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Where does time go ? It struck me that the first quarter of this century is just over a year away and what 25 years it has been. We started this century on a high, the world was at peace, the Millenium Bug didn’t kill civilisation, Britannia was still cool. The West was dominant and helping struggling nations get onto the wealth ladder. A young business-like President called Vladimir Putin had just taken his first steps to sorting out the…

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This does not bode well for the SNP, although there may well be time for him to turn this around, at least for the Holyrood election in 2026 if not the Westminster election. I do expect Yousaf to see an improvement in his ratings given the events in Israel and Gaza, not just because of the circumstances of his in-laws but the way he has comported himself generally which has earned him praised from Jewish community. TSE