To add to TMay’s gloom the latest ORB Brexit trackers don’t look good for her or the government

To add to TMay’s gloom the latest ORB Brexit trackers don’t look good for her or the government

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Bojo, Fox and Davis simply don’t inspire confidence It’s been a pretty dreadful 24 hours for what we describe as the “Government”. On top of the stresses caused by the abuse scandal we now have what seems like a massive cock-up by the the Foreign Secretary and the Patel meetings in Israel. Liam Fox, the Cameron’s Defence Sec until he got fired, is hardly inspiring in his international trade role a function that would appear vital in the post-Brexit world….

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Westminster watershed. The sex abuse scandal could lead to far reaching change.

Westminster watershed. The sex abuse scandal could lead to far reaching change.

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Don Brind, who first began working at the Palace of Westminster in the 1970s and is still there gives his perspective When I first heard rumours of media naming and shaming it looked as though this would be Labour story. A lobbyist friend named a couple of Labour MPs who were said to be “lawyering up”. In the event it has been allegations about top Tories that have made the running. The most serious allegation, however, has been Bex Bailey’s…

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Latest ConHome party members’ survey finds no clear preference for who should succeed Mrs. May

Latest ConHome party members’ survey finds no clear preference for who should succeed Mrs. May

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This, surely, is TMay’s greatest strength At some stage in the next 20 month or so the largely male and elderly membership of the Conservative party will vote on who should be the next Prime Minister – so we need to keep an eye on the regular ConHome surveys of party members. Although these are not what can be described as proper polls with representative samples they have in the past been showing a broadly similar picture to what YouGov…

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The PB Cynic’s Dictionary especially complied for the times

The PB Cynic’s Dictionary especially complied for the times

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The first sexual harassment allegations against individuals MPs were made last Sunday. Now this. pic.twitter.com/MSFCK3Iwta — Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) November 5, 2017 Sexual harassment: Boorish behaviour, unwanted by the target. Not to be confused with flirtation or courtship. Often perpetrated by people who have not recently looked in a mirror or who have forgotten their age or marital status. Code of Conduct: Having some manners. Witch-hunt: The process of making grown-ups accountable for their behaviour. Addiction: Bad behaviour turned into…

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Spain’s government largely created the Catalan crisis and may not be able to end it

Spain’s government largely created the Catalan crisis and may not be able to end it

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The Catalan crisis has been simmering for years. It is also a lot more complex than most reporting would suggest. As things reach boiling point, a resolution may only be possible once Spain’s ruling PP leave power, says Joff Wild Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the Partido Popular he leads have spent 10 years playing into the hands of Catalonia’s separatists. And it could just be that they have made their biggest mistake yet. In invoking Article 155 of…

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POLL ALERT: Ignore the hype. Brexit might be going badly, but that doesn’t mean people are changing their minds

POLL ALERT: Ignore the hype. Brexit might be going badly, but that doesn’t mean people are changing their minds

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New numbers from the Polling Matters / Opinium series show that public opinion on Brexit remains stubbornly fixed writes a returning Keiran Pedley There is a whiff of decay around Westminster at the moment and it is not just because parliament is falling down. The sexual harassment scandal that engulfs the government looks unlikely to end with the resignation of Michael Fallon whilst Theresa May’s premiership limps on with 53% of the British public dissatisfied with her performance as PM…

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How the government is imperilling its Brexit Bill

How the government is imperilling its Brexit Bill

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Alastair Meeks on the government’s strategy on Parliamentary votes Take back control, Vote Leave said.  Marching in part under a banner of restoring Parliamentary sovereignty, they stormed the barricades and secured their referendum victory. Since then, however, the enthusiasm of Camp Leave for Parliamentary sovereignty has been flaky at best.  The Brexit-trumpeting tabloids went berserk when first the High Court then the Supreme Court found that the triggering of Article 50, the exit clause from the EU, needed to be…

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