In July 2019 BBC current affairs show Panorama did a report on antisemitism in Labour. Ironically many of the whistleblowers from this Panorama documentary were the people named in this leaked Labour report as having frustrated antisemitism investigations. Were it not for COVID-19, we can be sure the BBC would ensure this was properly reported on to ensure a balanced and factual news service had been provided. Or maybe not?
uk politics
UK: Too soon to end the lockdown
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, May 9th, 2020 - 17 comments
First Secretary of State Dominic Raab has said that lockdown changes being announced this coming Sunday will be ‘modest’ and ‘small’. This is hardly surprising when earlier in the week the national statistician Professor Ian Diamond said that COVID-19 infection rates could be increasing. In particular, the number of cases being reported in care-homes appears to be increasing. Adding to the pressure both the Scottish and Welsh ruled out any significant relaxation of the lockdown rules.
How this may play out
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, March 29th, 2020 - 212 comments
Developments on Covid-19 are happening at pace as we enter the make or break stage concerning the virus’s spread.
How does the government handle a pandemic induced world recession?
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, March 13th, 2020 - 152 comments
With the world’s economy in turmoil and infection rates continuing to surge the responses of different countries to the crisis shows markedly different results. And the issue could be the determining issue of this year’s election.
Starmer, Biden and Benji
Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, March 3rd, 2020 - 21 comments
Two leadership races and a General election appear to be going to conservative candidates. What does that mean for parliamentary democracy?
This result could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, February 10th, 2020 - 13 comments
Originally posted onNick Kelly’s blog
Nick is a Director of Piko Consulting and works as a Political Adviser in The House of Lords.
Listening to the results being reported while driving on that California freeway, I recall thinking ‘this result could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom’. On hearing that both Northern Ireland and Scotland had voted to stay part of the EU, in contrast to the rest of the country, it was hard to imagine that this would not become a significant issue.
The Fourth Estate struggling in the social media world
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 pm, January 27th, 2020 - 30 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Ahead of the 2020 General Election in New Zealand, Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that her party is committed to run a factual election and has signed up to a social media tool to help prove it. The 2020 NZ election will be an interesting case study of whether in the social media age there can be honest political debate free of misinformation and manipulation of facts.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 9: What the party needs to do now.
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, January 17th, 2020 - 12 comments
Originally post on Nick Kelly’s blog
The broader context of this defeat is that over the last century, UK Labour has won 8 out of the last 28 general elections. Overall the Labour Party is not a successful electoral force in the UK. What makes the 2019 loss harder, is that the party lost sections of its historical base in the North of England and the Midlands.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 8: What it takes to win
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, January 16th, 2020 - 6 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
The UK Labour Party in the 2019 election assumed that like in 2017, the release of their policy manifesto would see their support increase significantly. Assuming that 2019 would be a re-run of 2017 was a foolish mistake.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 7: Momentum and the Corbynistas
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 pm, January 15th, 2020 - 10 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Momentum and its supporters need to find a way of selling genuine social democratic politics to a conservative English public.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 6: New Labour & Blairism
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, January 15th, 2020 - 10 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Fact is that the world has moved on from the 1980s and 90s. Politics certainly has. The types of 3rd way or centre/centre right positions that Blair and Campbell think will win just won’t anymore.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 5: Antisemitism
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, January 14th, 2020 - 13 comments
Originally posted onNick Kelly’s blog
Why UK Labour lost? Part 4: Ooooh Jeremy Corbyn
Written By: - Date published: 3:13 am, January 14th, 2020 - 12 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Why UK Labour lost? Part 3: Its Brexit innit
Written By: - Date published: 6:14 am, January 13th, 2020 - 28 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Why UK Labour lost? Part 2: UK Labour’s Strange loyalty to First Past the Post.
Written By: - Date published: 2:56 am, January 13th, 2020 - 13 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog
Why UK Labour lost? Part 1: historical context
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, January 12th, 2020 - 2 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Royal Move
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, January 10th, 2020 - 28 comments
It’s great to hear Prince Harry and Meghan quitting as senior royals and going off on their own. Maybe others in the Royal Family should think of doing the same.
Get out now
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments
General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.
Goodbye 2019
Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, January 1st, 2020 - 8 comments
Throughout the world 2019 was the worst year for the left since 1979. What will 2020 bring?
Why the Tories won the UK election?
Written By: - Date published: 2:29 am, December 30th, 2019 - 9 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
What Cheeto, Bojo and Scomo are up to
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 21st, 2019 - 76 comments
It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with.
The British Election result 2019
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, December 20th, 2019 - 21 comments
Democracy is a precious thing, and not something that can be taken for granted. Having an electoral system where every vote matters is crucial to creating a decent society. It is time that the UK started seriously debating electoral reform and how to improve its democratic systems.
How to counter angry boomer campaigns
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments
The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads. What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?
Listening to left wing dissent
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 16th, 2019 - 178 comments
What stands out for me are the voices of the people who are saying actually, there were solid reasons for abandoning Labour, this is why I did. There’s something important here about really listening to dissent and being willing to engage with views that don’t make sense in the context of our own personal ideologies.
Is it better to deliver in Government or better to shine?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 14th, 2019 - 180 comments
Let’s frame this in leftie terms: can you get in, do grunty policy moves, and stay popular?
Lefties on The Standard: UK election edition
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 13th, 2019 - 197 comments
A dedicated post on The Standard providing a discussion space for left-wing people only.
Free Broadband
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, December 12th, 2019 - 7 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Brexit – sorry its not getting done anytime soon.
Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, December 12th, 2019 - 5 comments
Can the Conservatives get brexit done by January 31st as they are promising in the election? The short answer is no. The slogan is catchy, and taps into public sentiment. But it is also pure unadulterated bullshit. If the Conservatives do form the next government these words will haunt them, especially Boris Johnson.
The Missing Millions
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 12th, 2019 - 18 comments
Millions of people and an entire region of the UK left out of polling calculations….
Bouganville and Brexit
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 12th, 2019 - 2 comments
The island of Bouganville has just had a vote towards independence from Papua New Guinea. The result has interesting similarities with the Brexit vote.
Pop Media Bullshit – another example.
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, December 11th, 2019 - 10 comments
It’s said that in times of war, the first casualty is truth. Well, since truth is taking such a pummeling these days, it follows that we are at war, no?
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