UNTIMELY MEDITATIONS
some thoughts on history and politics
A blog on various political issues from a historically informed perspective
Some uncomfortable reflections on British citizenship
New Labour's plans for identity cards were swept aside in a storm of protest. They were deemed to be an assault on the liberties of the...
The assault on democracy: the British way
The electoral trends might be going the Conservatives' way, but Alexander wants to sew things up. So the boundaries of constituencies are...
Relaxing the restrictions: please press the pause button
Alexander will lift more pandemic restrictions on Monday, and this is one promise to which he intends to stick. However, the so-called...
Vaccination and altruism: the case of Ohio
The state of Ohio in the United States has, as a result of despair at the low vaccination rate, begun to offer incentives for...
We must have that inquiry now
Alexander has finally bestirred himself to announce a public inquiry on the causes and course of the pandemic. The terms of reference,...
A note to readers of this blog
In response to the welcome and constructive comments of a loyal reader, I have modified the blogpost, 'Driverless cars: who thinks that...
Working class Starmer vs. working class Rayner: who wins ?
Some of the older readers among you may remember when the Labour politician Michael Meacher (who died in 2015) took the political...
The state vs. the market: what the pandemic shows us
It has often been claimed during the course of this pandemic that it has highlighted social inequalities. This is true ; however, it has...
The Labour Party's political cringe
It has become apparent during the past year that Labour has refrained from criticising the government too much over the panedemic (it has...
Three tentative ideas for the Labour Party
First, start looking for votes in places which have not voted for Labour MPs before (Hastings, Worthing), but where the Conservative vote...
Some provisional reflections on the Labour Party
I intend to write a fuller analysis of the problems facing the Labour Party whwn I have undertaken some more reading on the subject....
Some more reflections on the SDP and the re-alignment of the Left
There have been several opportunities for a re-alignment of the Left since 1918 : at the time of the minority Labour government in...
Some reflections on a televised discussion between Michael Foot and Edward Heath on the EEC (1975)
Many, if not most, Brexiters will claim that Britain's sovereignty (or what they would perceive as Britain's loss of it) was never...
Reflections on the Social Democratic Party ; or, the chimera of a progressive re-alignment
It is now forty years since the formation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), by Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, William Rodgers and...
The builders have it made
Construction companies and property developers are significant donors to the Conservative Party. The government has just passed...
Driverless cars: who thinks that this is a good idea ?
The government is going to permit driverless cars on the roads at some point this year. Ever since the gruesome twosome of Ernest Marples...
Never knowingly underfurnished ; or, the pleasure dome of Downing Street
And the people looked on the Ozymandias of Downing Street, and heard his decrees. They gathered in the taverns, imbibed the magic...
Wake up, people !
Alexander has made clear his disdain and contempt for everyone, except for those donors to the (misnamed) Conservative and Unionist Party...
Some reflections on a televised discussion between Eric Heffer and William Rodgers (1980)
This discussion, first broadcast on Thames Television in June 1980, and now available on YouTube, is remarkable. Relationships in the...