The Times report The Conservatives are expected to use their party conference to hold the hustings between the final two candidates for leader amid concerns that the party doesn’t have enough money for a longer contest. The 1922 committee, which represents backbench MPs, and the board of the Conservative Party are this week expected to set out the timetable for the contest. Under the plans being considered MPs will whittle down the contenders — there are expected to be as…
The Trump campaign has a great deal of thanks to give to Evan Vucci. For it is he that has taken what will be the defining photo of the 2024 US election. Whether you like it or not, the picture is not dissimilar to that most iconic of American photos – the flag raising atop Mount Suribachi during the final stages of the Pacific War (Iwo Jima). This I believe will resonate particularly with older voters and strengthens Trump’s (Although…
OFSTED. At the moment, OFSTED is undergoing a review led by Christine Gilbert into its performance and practices. Why Gilbert, I have no idea. It seems unlikely that any changes will happen before the review concludes. Labour have pledged to bring in report cards instead of overall judgements, but how that works in practice, if it ever does, remains unclear. The unloved curriculum framework, which may be politely described as a fucking train crash, seems set to stay for now…
If Sunak had delayed the election by a fortnight then the circumstances of election day may have been different if England had won Euro 2024 both in England and Scotland. I don’t think the outcome of a soccer tournament would have shifted many, if any, votes in England or Scotland. The National’s front page confirms that Scottish Nationalism is nothing but civic and joyous. It’s all moot anyway, as a patriotic Englishman it pains me to say this but Spain…
Are all historians fascists? One might be forgiven for thinking so. Consider the ‘great’ leaders of history. Who comes to mind? (At this point I feel I should apologise to historians for butchering good scholarship to make a rhetorical point, but please bear with me.) On the basis of historical precedent it’s hard to argue that historians looking back on the early 21st century would pick anyone other than Putin as our greatest leader: I hope it doesn’t need to…
TSE
In the early 2000s in Manchester a lot of heterosexual women used to go to The Village in Manchester because it was mostly full of LGBT men and they knew they wouldn’t get hit on. Eventually heterosexual men started to follow and a minority got upset when LGBT men used to hit on them, I mean as a man you go to a gay bar/club you should expect to get chatted up on, so losing your mates and pissing off…
What happened in London at the General Election? As elsewhere, London was a story of Labour success and Conservative disaster. Of the 75 Constituencies, Labour won 59 (+10), the Conservatives 9 (-12), the Liberal Democrats 6 (+3) and the remaining seat was won by Jeremy Corbyn standing as an Independent in Islington North. As for vote share, Labour won 43% (-5), Conservatives 20.5% (-11.5%) and the Liberal Democrats 11% (-4). The Greens won 10%, Reform 9% and the other 6.5%…