By Dr Jonathan S. Swift ISBN: 9-781739-092009 Published By The Bruges Group There cannot be many people who are not aware of the virus classified as Covid-19 by the WHO in March 2020 – indeed some people may have ...
The Acts of Union is the present constitutional foundation of the United Kingdom. As the late Lord Trimble, the unionist architecture of the Belfast Agreement, said: The Acts of Union is the Union. The Northern Ireland Protocol "subjugates" (in the w...
Thirty years ago, twenty-three Conservative Members of Parliament voted against the Maastricht Treaty. Our main concern was that it opened the door to the abolition of the Pound and its replacement with what became the euro. Some twenty-seven years l...
British politicians and mainstream media have claimed that Russia is responsible for "turning off" our gas supplies, amid hysteria over Ukraine. That's not the case, the culprit is closer to home. In late 2021, the British government paused the devel...
The day of writing this article is the 16th May, which was the birthday of Bertram Edward Bennett (Bertie Bennett to all who knew him), who was my father. He was Born in the slums of Birmingham in 1915. As a young man and being a devoted socialist, h...
The HMS Caroline, a de-commissioner light cruiser docked at Alexandra Dock, near Belfast Harbour The Government's Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, introduced to the House by the Foreign Secretary, is a move to ameliorate the existing issues with the N...
By Barnabas Reynolds. The Brexit Freedoms Bill aims to end the special legal status of EU law. It will also simplify the removal of retained EU law. Here Barnabas Reynolds explains the advantages for the City – and the economy. The UK has recently be...
Today marks 34 years since one of the most memorable and historic speeches ever made by a US President, and one that changed the course of history, it is of course when President Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and told Genera...
There are some things in life that should never mix, pineapple and pizza, baking soda and vinegar, but perhaps more than both of those examples is sport and politics! This last year has emphasised that more than anything, from taking the knee before ...
Twilight of the Gods" was Richard Wagner's last in the cycle of music dramas called, "The Ring of Nibelung," which is based on old Norse mythology prophesying war among beings and gods that results in the burning and remaking of the world. It is alwa...
In all the photographs I have seen of Sir Keir Starmer he has an abstracted gaze - 'puzzled' was Lytton Strachey's word for Dr Arnold. It is the inward look of a man serving some greater cause. And so he is. Starmer is an ideologue, not a democrat. Idealists build an internal model of the world that is distorted, like Minecraft or Lego, and use it ...
When Angela Raynor, deputy Prime Minister, called Conservative voters Scum she was using a Socialist tactic. So too was David Lammy, now Foreign Secretary, when he described Conservative MP members of the ERG (a group that supports Brexit and Democracy) Nazis. When challenged he said the label was "not strong enough". Socialism has always been nurt...
The UK is overpopulated. Someday we could face food shortages. Not for the first time. At the start of 1939 our population was below 48 million yet we were importing 60 per cent of our food - 55 million tonnes a year. By the end of that year, when the Nazis were sinking resupply ships in the Atlantic, imports had crashed to 12 million tonnes. Reade...
Just a week before Christmas in 1947 I came into the world by cesarean operation in the long gone Loveday Street hospital in Birmingham. My home with my parents, Bert and Rose, was at the bottom of a yard where I then spent the next seven years of my life until my parents managed to organise a mortgage to buy their first house. Like many places aro...
To address the global digital divide, we will first need to have a closer look at what the digital divide is? It basically refers to the gap between those who have access to modern communications and technologies and the ones who don't, which ultimately leads to the disparities to participate in the digital world. With the modern age of AI evolutio...
Renewable energy plays a crucial role in UK's energy security, referring an access that's reliable and affordable to the energy supplies that are necessary for economical and societal functioning. The renewable energy has become a major source to ensure energy security as the UK transitions towards an energy system that's more sustainable. In ...
The candidates for the Conservative leadership have been announced and are each hoping to be in the final two to be voted on by the membership. Why the Parliamentary Party ultimately get to restrict that choice is neither here nor there. It was in comparatively recent history that they themselves were not given that choice, but the leader was appoi...
Would Tony Benn be arrested today? For this is what he said in 1991 at the time of Maastricht: 'Riot is an old-fashioned method of drawing the attention of the Government to what is wrong… Riot has historically played a much larger part in British politics than we are ever allowed to know.' His point was that, deplorable though it might be, it coul...
During the reign of Tony Blair a slow fuse was lit under the values the vast majority of British people value as normal. Simply, democracy and fair play were the norm. Immigrants who happily integrated were welcome. Of course there were roughs who hate everybody, but by and large Britain was a success. Compared to most other countries with diverse ...
Western economies have become mired in low productivity resulting in insufficient funds to pay for essential services. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon. For the first couple of hundred thousand years of man' s history on this planet productivity was stagnant. This was not due to a lack of technological innovations. Huge advances were made in the...
There are three certainties that come with every Labour Government, these are: Labour always raise and find new ways to tax the population, they are hypocrites and every Labour Government has left office leaving the country in one hell of a mess. Sadly, nothing will deviate from this statement regarding our newly elected Socialist masters. As...
Not since the assassination attempt of the late US President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., has there been an attempt on the life of a president or presidential nominee prior to last week. A 20-year-old male with no criminal history borrowed his father's rifle, made his way onto the roof of a warehouse 150 yards from where former President Dona...
The unthinkable has happened, a conventional war on the continent of Europe, but the military has been slow to adapt. Yes, Europe has seen bloodshed since 1945; terrorism, militias fighting in Balkanised countries, unmatched airpower imposing diplomacy on those breaching the peace. However, our security cannot be taken for granted. The invasion of ...
Can we stop the cross-party lurch towards Armageddon? I love Quentin Letts' cheeky wit but in describing last week's PMQs as 'a bore' he missed this explosive moment from Rishi Sunak: 'I know at first hand how important it is that our Prime Minister can use his prerogative power to respond quickly militarily to protect British national security, so...
Reform and Trump have similar objectives. These have generally been mischaracterised as far right, but this new wave of populism is more about nationalism vs globalism than it is about left vs right. It is primarily concerned with what is seen as the theft of our national democracy in pursuant of global goals by international bodies that include th...
16th December 1944, western Europe. Hitler launches his last great gamble in the west. Fanatical Nazi soldiers were unleashed on unsuspecting Americans resting far away from where they thought the fighting would take place. The Battle of the Bulge was underway. This film explains the key role that the controversial victor of El-Alamein, Field Marsh...
In Covid-19: The Birth of a Killer, Dr. Jonathan S. Swift masterfully unravels the tangled web of political intrigue, scientific mishaps, and personal ambitions that led to one of the most devastating events of our time—an accidental release of a newly-produced deadly airborne virus from the Wuhan Biological Weapons Research Facility, within the Wu...
The United Arab Emirates is causing increasing concern in democratic capitals. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted western nations to impose sanctions on them. The purpose was to constrain Russia's ability to wage an illegal war through economic sanctions. Although a bullies appetite is never sated this has not deterred the UAE and to a lesser ex...
We have just witnessed a six week long surrender culminating in a humiliating defeat that the vanquished have greeted with joy. The glad handing between Starmer and Sunak might lead people to imagine that England's footballers had triumphed, not that Sunak had failed. After the Conservative triumph in 2019, it quickly became obvious that the so cal...
I'm just going to say a very few brief words to mark this occasion and to mark some of the very significant problems that the conservative party faces going forward. And frankly, it now has to decide whether it really wants to be the Conservative Party. Firstly, a little good news there's not much of it about I'm afraid but over the last few months...
This was the 'coral anniversary' of the Bruges Group's founding and the mood was very thoughtful, given the historic defeat in last week's General Election. Addressing the meeting was Bruges Group Chairman Barry Legg. His key point was that the Tory Party has not been Conservative for decades. One questioner from the floor said that in a fairly lon...
Britain's political scene is sporadic, but one constant stayed through it all: skyrocketing national debt poor judgment in allocating public spending. Since 1988, national debt has gotten out of control, and now sits beyond GDP. Parliament's economic judgment have faltered post-Thatcherism, with successive prime ministers failing to replicat...
On 23rd June 2016 (St George's Day) the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union. This was an historic moment. We could say this was the 7th Brexit in history. And it is not complete yet, as we shall see. In effect, this was not the first Brexit, not the first time that Britannia separated her destiny from that of Europe. In 43 AD ...
So, now we have "change", whatever that means (it isn't clear); the Labour version of that word (whatever that is) allied with the Lib-Dem version, but certainly not Reform's meaning of the word. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has split itself to oblivion. The parliamentarians and wider party were split as well, with the latter's wishes as to le...
Taiwan has long considered its island nation separate from mainland China, but the Chinese Communist Party have become dangerously close to tempting the United States into another war by circling the tiny nation-state with warships in recent weeks. Chinese President Xi Jinping has held that cooperation between the United States and China is a focal...
Four years ago Sir Keir Starmer asked Gordon Brown to plan "the biggest ever transfer of political power out of Westminster and into the towns, cities, and nations of the UK." This may sound good but it isn't. Far from ushering in a golden era of democracy it attacks what may be our country's most precious possession, the ability to hold power to a...
Some years ago, at a Cambridge University event, I talked to a young lady PhD student. She explained that she was hoping for a career in HMRC or the Treasury. To boost her opportunity she was preparing her thesis on the subject 'Flat tax inefficiency and economic damage'. It was a social event and I did not engage her starry eyed subservience to or...
The Labour Party of today came into being as we know it around 1900. Its roots lie in the trade union movement of the 19th century and thanks to such people as Keir Hardy the Labour Party was formed. However, there is an irony in the fact that over a hundred years later, the only people who can afford to vote for the party that was formed to repres...
Sir Keir Starmer's plans relating to the UK's future relationship with the EU are unclear, but then again, his ever-shifting image and (apparent) political position (embracing Corbynism and Blairism), in an attempt to appeal to both Left and Right, Middle and Working class, the old red wall and staunchly pro-EU constituencies, does rather confuse e...
As we move ever closer to the 4th of July, we deserve to hear the plans of those parties most likely to form the next government – the detail, and how any 'wish-list' would be costed. Until detail is supplied, then any manifesto promise, or gimmicky card 'pledge' is meaningless, as there is nothing specific against which to hold a newly-elected gov...
Back in 1997 I walked the streets locally and knocked on doors with the Conservative candidate in what was regarded as a safe constituency. It was a thankless task, but a worthy one and in spite of a cold response and some derision he was elected with a respectable majority. I remember standing outside a polling station as a Labour van went by blar...
Multiple credit cards and a carefree attitude to paying-off bills was at one time the preserve of the more feckless section of society. These days it seems to be a universal ill of local finances and it is a trend that central government has fostered. As local authorities teeter on the brink of insolvency – indeed by any 'normal' accounting assessm...
The discourse on Conservatism and its future remains alive and well. Elections may worry us, and new challenges may emerge, but the Bruges Group's resolve remains unshaken. On the 8th of July, we cordially invite you to a Drinks Reception to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Baroness Thatcher's Bruges Group. The reception will be held in the b...
Until July 5 we're enjoying a blessed holiday from Westminster prodnosing - no Covid-era gaggles of MPs in meeting rooms giggling 'Whatever can we make them do next?' Actually, for some of that time they had interim arrangements that let them WFH. Insofar as they worked at all - nono, that's not fair: many are grafters; but here is an extract from ...
Ask a child to tell you where their centre is and they'll point at their belly button. It's obvious. It's in the middle. Politicians of the legacy parties bleat incessantly about the 'Centre'. Apparently, no one ever won an election to anything unless they were precariously perched on a fence. Where has that got us? In reality the 'Centre' is the e...
ONS projections show a UK population increase of 6.6 million by 2036, of which 6.1 million will be due to immigration. Annual net migration of 315,000 will lead to a projected population increase of nine million people by 2046. That's eight cities the size of Birmingham. According to Migration Watch, "a child born today to an indigenous British cou...
A phrase has come into the Zeitgeist – calling people the "Trump of their field." Elon Musk is the Trump of business. Meloni is the Trump of Europe. Many leaders still do not know how to react to former President Trump; to his decision to control immigration; 3+% economic growth and, especially, to the absolutely justified desire to implement...
Online businesses have been on a steady rise in the past decade. Researchers attribute this to the accessibility of the internet as well as the minimal startup capital. With online businesses, you do not need to worry about having physical inventory, physical equipment, or even paying for overheads that exist in a conventional business. However, du...
In 1997 the Tories used a now infamous poster caricaturing Tony Blair as having a demon's eyes. This was so over-the-top that it probably backfired. Yet two years later I was asking friends if they thought Blair was mad. They looked at me as though I was; though perhaps they see things differently now. He was the reason that for the first time in m...
President Biden has said he will not use his power to pardon his son Hunter if the latter is convicted in his gun trial. This may be a purely hypothetical scenario in any case, given what appears to be the political-partisan capture of much of the US justice system. Hunter might be as likely to secure an acquittal in Delaware, which elected Biden p...
Ben Pile reported in The Daily Sceptic that the Guardian recently published its survey of 'climate experts'. For the purposes of creating this story, the Guardian's Environment Editor Damian Carrington contacted 843 'lead authors' of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's reports (IPCC) and 383 responded to his questions. The actual substa...
Football clubs are valuable social assets. Their heritage typically goes back to the late Victorian period, when football emerged as the most popular sport of the working class. They have had close association with other local enterprises, particularly breweries (McCrae, 2008), and club directors were often significant employers in the area. ...
A Study by Jeremy Wraith Download PDF File Here
Keeping people safe should be a top priority no matter where you are. With potential dangers virtually everywhere, any number of situations could take a turn for the worse, leading to an endless range of negative consequences. In mental health and correctional facilities, though, creating safe spaces becomes particularly crucial. In settings like t...
The regulations for casinos and gambling are different depending on where you are. The UK has a body called the UK Gambling Commission which ensures that gambling is fair and safe for all. This Commission operates under laws passed in 2005. On the other side of the English Channel, each country in Europe can have its own regulations but they must a...
Transcript of the conversation: the Italicized script is Sir Christopher Chope's responses We are in conversation with Sir Christopher Chope, Conservative Member of Parliament for Southampton, Itchen from 1983 to 1992 and then Christchurch from 1997 onwards. Early in his career he was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environmen...
Words can define eras. Harold Wilson's government was full of people who, like their union paymasters, 'Acquiesced' so they could keep their jobs. Today, all of a sudden, all sorts of politicians, journalists and business people have discovered their contemporaries are guilty of egregious behaviour (not themselves of course). Are they all guilty of...
"Finished", "stuffed", "toast" . These have been the words and worse that many otherwise loyal Conservatives used about their own party recently. However, now that the election has been called in spite of such pessimism, there is hope for the beleaguered Tories.: A week is a long time in politics, said Harold Wilson, so how much longer a...
The World Health Organisation, with the support of governments, public-private agencies, profit-seeking multinational corporations, academic institutions, charities and foundations, has been allowed to become a medium for the international marketisation of medical tech and vaccines, and, if we are not careful, the use of these may become mand...
Many people feel that the political system isn't working for the people; that the major parties agree with each other too much and against our interests. But is 'direct democracy' the answer? It was practised in ancient Athens, where all the voters (free men) could be accommodated in the assembly and hear the arguments. They were a small, homogeneo...
Every now and then, like most people, I come across something which I feel others need to know about and e-mail details of whatever that has got my ire, or offended me, to many who I feel should be equally rattled. Usually when something has got my goat and I send the offending item around to my contacts, I may get a few people who, out of politene...
Other reasons for getting out I have put together some material which I think should help to get the UK out of the ECHR completely and thus, also, enable us to stop the small boats. The failure to achieve this has been given as a major reason for the Tories' forthcoming debacle. There are plenty of people, even in Parliament, who are upset ab...
Many people today choose to grow cannabis. They enjoy watching the plants go from seeds to buds and appreciate having control over every step of the process. What should a new grower know before embarking on this incredible journey? Germination Seeds must germinate and sprout before they can grow, and this process typically takes four to ten days. ...
Attending one a Politiea event earlier in the year regarding stopping the boats on behalf of the Bruges Group it could be summarised as somewhat hesitant of the bill only providing half measures to combat immigration. The discussion revolved around the legal conservative perspective regarding the policy of "stopping the boats" through the...
How to destroy a country may not be an everyday item on the minds of many as they go about their daily lives. Most people living in this country have other things to to think about such as their jobs or juggling the household finances, a big question may be, if they lash out on a treat will they have enough money left to pay the rent or the mortgag...
According to the experts, Kier Starmer will be Prime Minister by March next year at the latest. On one level it makes little difference. The Conservative Party is indistinguishable from the Liberal Democrats, they are indistinguishable from Labour. Starmer pretends that Labour has moved right, to the centre ground. The reality is that while Cameron...
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has done it again. As the President's chief foreign policy advisor Blinken has again created damaging diversity and exclusion within the ranks of the lead organization intended to promote Biden's foreign policy agenda. This month, Tony appointed Zakiya Johnson as the foreign ministry's Chief Diversion and Exclusio...
Saturday's Grand National was predicted to see £300 million collectively staked by over 10 million punters. Per capita that is less than a cheap ticket to a Premier League Football match - and the winner I Am Maximus came in at 7/1, very nice for those who got it right. But that merely is the tip of the ...
'Big crash coming' says Jimmy Dore, introducing his guest Paul Stone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zBEofwgshI&t=20s They agree that the economy is being mismanaged, because interest rates are too high and the debt is ballooning. The problem is that everything depends on facts and interpretation, and about the only fact that is unchallengeab...
In an ever-evolving world where safety is paramount, bulletproof technology has expanded beyond traditional body armor. Here's a look at seven everyday items that now offer ballistic protection, often flying under the radar due to their inconspicuous nature. Ballistic Blankets Ballistic blankets, such as the NIJ IIIA Bulletproof Blanket Shield by A...
Alex Reinshagen | The Bruges Group March 19, 2024 The current US Administration (and Congress) needs to get its act together. The entire world - friends and foes alike - see how weak America is on the world stage. The United Kingdom would be correct in taking on more of a leadership role in keeping us from plummeting into WW III. Because right now,...
The Tory party having abandoned Conservatism is now drifting like a metaphorical Marie Celeste. From the Heroic 80 seats to a potential near zero. An updated story of "From Hero to Zero". Rishi Sunak having usurped the leadership plays Captain Ahab uninterested in the calamity he has unleashed. The plan is working he cries while the Tempest rages. ...
We have a two-tier pension system in the UK whereby MPs and public sector employees have a defined benefit or final salary pension, whereas private sector employees have a defined contribution or money purchase pension. This raises the question: should the pension arrangements of MPs be aligned with those of employees in the private or public secto...
Going back centuries alchemists were convinced they could turn base metals into gold, despite none of them being able achieve this, these days we laugh at them for their obvious foolishness and ignorance. Going forward in time, as machinery and technology advanced, a new breed of people were convinced they could invent a perpetual motion machine, l...
Friday March 1st Rishi Sunak stood at a podium outside ten Downing Street. Like a trainee teacher lacking any form of sanction, he confronted a rebellious class. He did not quite say, "You are all very naughty", but it wasn't far-off. Lots of words, a threat to back the Police if they ever get off their knees. He had harsh words for two group...
Your body is like a machine, so it needs specific attention in various places and regular maintenance for optimal health. Also, building and maintaining strong muscles contributes to great strength, thanks to stronger bones and lesser risks of fractures as you get. Aerobics and other exercises strengthen your heart and lungs. However, strength trai...
We are in trouble. It started when Ted Heath told lies about the Common Market and its true intention. Since then, a certain type of self-serving politician has lied about everything from expenses to democracy. According to Nick Robinson, Lindsay Hoyle can be forgiven for caving into Starmer because, "he's only human and wants to keep his job". The...
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Assume for a moment that the world achieves net zero carbon emissions and that no more fossil fuels are being produced or consumed. How might life change on Earth? Firstly, let us assume that with no fossil fuels being burnt the CO2 concentration in our atmosphere falls to pre industrial levels of around 280 parts per million. CO2 is an essential r...
We live in a world increasingly beset with wars and rumours of wars, proxy wars and proxy-proxy wars. However, all forest fires begin with a spark or sparks and everything has a context. An unwillingness or inability to understand context is one of the ills of modern life. The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia early in 2022 has a context tha...
https://amzn.eu/d/7V5gojUWar is again on the agenda. Different versions of authoritarianism are set against each other driving the rival camps from crisis to conflict. BRICS verses Build Back Better is the new divide. The principles which gave Britain and her allies victory in the last great conflagration have largely been forgotten. With...
We live in a small village in Kent. Our 'Medical Centre' in the next large village has gone digital. Repeat prescriptions are only accepted if one uses the NHS Ap. It has a box where you can write a message. Oddly it has a notice stating "You can add a note about your prescription here. Your note may not be seen or replied to, so if you have an imp...
In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was founded and its many scientists mandated by the UN Environment Programme and World Meteorological Organization to "make policy relevant – as opposed to policy-prescriptive – assessments of the existing worldwide literature on the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of climate c...
Straws in the wind The NHS The NHS is crumbling and cannot continue for much longer in its current form. Free healthcare for all at the point of need was possible in the late 1940s and early 1950s but with ever more costly and complex interventions this is no longer the case. None of the modern imaging equipment had been invented when t...
By Niall McCrae, paperback, 196 pages, ISBN 978-1-7393152-8-3, eBook ISBN 978-1-7393152-9-0, The Bruges Group, 2024 This is a passionate attack on the new global elite, a small group of people who have risen to the top of corporations and political parties, who have such a high opinion of themselves that they believe they are entitled t...
By Christine McNulty Plato believed there exists an inescapable duality, a conflict between mind and body. He viewed human emotion as an enemy and saw reason as a "charioteer commanding horses: the unruly passions" - a view that has echoed down through the centuries.But the history of human achievement is a powerful testimony to the fact...
By Niall McCrae Green in Tooth and Claw is not so much about climate change, but the elite forces that use fear and ignorance to push their agenda. Niall McCrae's fact filled book is a must read for all who value freedom and honesty. A variety of self appointed 'elites' belong to organisations that have been manipulating democracies to ...
Why have the Conservatives increased the burden of taxation on individuals earning between £100,000-£150,000, whilst at the same time reducing the burden on those earning over £150,000? Is this, yet another example, of how Conservatives have become out of touch with their key supporters?Under the last Labour Government taxable income between £100,0...
Prince William was recently reported (wrongly as it turns out) as wanting his eventual reign to break with the Church of England, which led to questions as to whether that was desirable or even possible while retaining the monarchy itself. Now, sources claim that His Royal Highness will do no such thing, but that he does not share the dee...
Is the World Economic Forum's annual shindig in the Swiss Alps becoming an embarrassment?As more and more people wake up to the hypocrisy of those preaching from the podium and the dystopian designs of the Great Reset, the air is chilling. Yet the show must go on. The WEF may be floundering, as observed by James Pinkerton in the 'Rise and Fall of D...
Successful American and British military action against Houthi targets in Yemen may not achieve positive results without negative consequences. There are four seas that rule the supply chain world - the Caspian and its link to the Black Sea with its waterway to the Mediterranean with its canal to the Red Sea. This is a lot more than grain and oil b...
When your goal is to get repeat, happy customers, you need to be on top of your customer service game. Nothing can be left to chance. The good news is that customer service is completely within your control if you're willing to put in the time and effort to make it work. To get more satisfied customers who are willing to leave you the raving review...
Concrete is a durable construction material used to construct many permanent structures. However, wet concrete requires temporary formwork to mold it into the desired shape. The formwork holds the concrete together until it is firm enough to withstand external impact. What is the best material to build these temporary structures? This question is i...
Increasing numbers of people have become concerned about a dangerous condition sweeping the planet. Every time there is an annual COP meeting the hundreds of delegates attending, all looking forward to these lavish events after flying in from all parts of the world in their private jets, who require sustenance and are rewarded with tables groaning ...
Reform or Revolution? This is the question. One way or another there will be no more "status quo" on our current course because: if Labour wins, we will have socialism; if things do not change, history shows there will be violence (a revolution). The parallels between the present and the French Revolution (as well as the fall of Rome) are self-evid...
Reproduced with permission of Blue Anchor In this blog I'm going to run through the main economic consequences of Brexit. After the vote to leave The Guardian started a regular tracker to chart its impact on the economy. But as the Remainer predictions relentlessly turned to dust and the good news kept piling up, they quietly dropped this feature. ...
The United Kingdom is renowned for its higher education system, boasting some of the world's most prestigious universities. These institutions are revered for their academic excellence and the unique experiences and opportunities they offer. This article explores the best universities in the UK and what makes them stand out. University of Oxford Th...
A year ago, I wrote suggesting that many of the current Conservative MPs would rue the day they ditched Boris. The blog was published in October 2022, and identified three key reasons why people had voted Conservative in the 2019 election: (1) Boris's call to 'get Brexit done' – this reflected the national mood when 'leave' won the referendum in 20...
AI is a direct threat to formerly trustworthy and secure sources of information, image and data. In a recent open letter, AI-expert signatories of which included Elon Musk urged a pause in AI training to reflect and take stock. "AI research and development should be refocused on making today's powerful, state-of-the-art systems more accurate,...
Far from being located in the sky, cloud data centres are very large and earthbound with real effects on energy security There are differing statistics on the amount of electricity drained by data centres globally, but it is substantial and as cloud expands to and within developing nations, it will increase. There were already around 3.6 bill...
There's been much talk of a swing to Labour in recent months - the Tories, by some measure appear to be 20 points behind. We must ask ourselves, what's behind this polling and how is it being conducted. There are some worrying signs. From our statistics, one thing is for sure: There is no "swing to Labour" - or at least, not a sign...
The conservative party is constipated. Bringing back Cameron makes it worse, not better. The One Nation group of MPs led by Damien Green are Europhile. Despite the failing performance of the EU's major economies they still worship the 'project'. It's hard not to believe that their shenanigans are not deliberate sabotage. They have no hope of rejoin...
"We don't want to fight, but by jingo if we do…" was the music hall song from which the word jingoism originated. John Hobson, in his Psychology of Jingoism of (1901), referred to music halls of stirring up the crowds in favour of war, but that those who shouted loudest had no intention of fighting themselves. Social media is the modern equivalent ...
Germany is a relatively young country. Created as a 'Customs Union' it quickly became an Empire as Bismark consolidated power through a war with France. In 1871 all members of the Zoll Union became provinces of the Empire, with the exception of Luxembourg whose ruling Duke opted out. Bismarck introduced reforms such as health insurance, but mainly ...
Kids can be very cruel, when I was at the start of my teenage years at school in 1961 the banter we used was often quite cutting. If anyone wanted to wind another lad up they would often use an insult using the abbreviation of a word which inferred the other lad's sexual leaning were not quite what was expected from a member of the male species. Th...
The Ukraine war drags on. It nearly ended in 2022, but the adversaries thought better of anything so untidy as a peace treaty. Since then, thousands of lives have been lost in an internecine struggle where intransigence has become policy and revenge a war aim. Montgomery cautioned the USA in the 1960s that its war in Vietnam was "insane" because it...
This is a fascinating study of British society and politics. There have been various popular insurgencies, including pro- and anti-Brexit, pro- and anti-Scottish separation, pro-Corbyn. Superficial explanations abound - social media, big tech, dark money, tabloid newspapers, fake news, lying campaigns, Farage, Russia, a slogan on a bus. But, as Goo...
The UK's national governance is being corroded by a failure to identify and take the steps necessary to re-emerge as a sovereign country after leaving the EU. This is causing lower economic growth and an ungoverned clash of cultures which threatens the credibility of our system itself. The problem is that we are seeking to maintain large elements o...
The National Interest Advancing freedom, Brexit, and the British national interest. Speakers include;Sir Christopher Chope MP, Bernard Connolly, Barry Legg, Barney Reynolds, The Rt Hon. the Lord Lilley, PC and Sir Bill Cash MP. Location:Pall Mall Room, Army & Navy Club36-39 Pall Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5JN Speakers ...
We should be suspicious of anything that tries to wrap itself in the Union Flag. Do you remember the episode of Yes, Minister in which the government blackmailed Eurocrats into renaming our 'Emulsified High-Fat Offal Tube' as the 'British Sausage'? Similarly in 2014 the coalition government sought to define 'British Values'. These were designed to ...