• 11 Nov 2023, 5 p.m.

    It sounds like the Met are being refreshingly candid about the intentions of both groups, describing a peaceful 300K strong protest and a few hundred people on the other side intent on trouble - they even described them as right wingers. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, Stephen Yaxley-MortgageFraud (thank you JP) is there.

  • 11 Nov 2023, 9 p.m.

    It's been pitched all week by the government that the met have allowed the march to go ahead so I imagine this is a fuck you to the PM.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 9:43 a.m.

    So, Braverman has gone, which may well be what she wanted all along. And there seems to be some suggestion that David fucking Cameron is going to be Foreign Secretary.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 9:51 a.m.

    And as he isn't actually an MP, he'd have to be given a seat in the Lords in order to be a minister, showing what a fucked up constitution we have in this country.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 9:56 a.m.

    It's not the constitution of this country that's fucked up. It's the stupid supine people, who let themselves get repeatedly mugged off like this.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 10:06 a.m.

    I'd assumed that he was already in the Lords.

    It's arguably fucked up that we restrict members of our executive to members of the legislature - there's a good argument that in a country with a well structured constitution, the two should be entirely separate (although that's not exactly working out too well in the US).

  • 13 Nov 2023, 10:10 a.m.

    We should probably have a go at trying to elect a government that works in the best interests of the country and it's people, before we try to run.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 10:47 a.m.

    We live in a time of an unbelievably thick populace who are easily twisted into hate. Right Wing populism scares the living shit out of me. Its not just us though. That Trump is in a strong position to become President once more after ...oh God the list of his batshit mental stuff is endless. Suggesting injecting bleach should be enough. Trying to overthrow Democracy should be something to suggest caution as well. People are cunts.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 10:48 a.m.

    The separation of legislature and executive in the US isn’t the reason they’re a basket case. That would be the two-party system, corrupt electoral practices, insane amounts of money (also corrupt), and slavish adherence to the rules set down by a bunch of rich slave-owners hundreds of years ago.. ruled upon by a judiciary that is the product of the same terrible set of factors.

    That said, I don’t think the UK would have better people heading up the organs of state if they recruited from a wider pool. It would still be donors, cronies, schoolmates, and some Hollywood names (ooh, let’s make David Beckham the minister for sport, that sorta thing). If you populate those positions with chancers who are out of their depth, you might be better off overall because at least some of them will know what they are and listen to what they are told by people who do know what they are in about.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 11:03 a.m.

    We would have a half a chance at a true democracy, if there was real scrutiny and independence of moderating bodies - like the fourth estate. But that these things don't happen (and don't think for a moment that things like Braverman can happen without the wider connivance of other establishment structures) means that we are living in a deeply corrupt society that works in favour of a specific constituency, and not the wider people. I know that a lot of people like to think that they are living in a fair and developed democracy subject to repeated accidental 'ooh, look, another mistake'. I just don't buy that, it doesn't tally with the evidence as I see it. We are a corrupt and rotten country, ruled by a conspiracy of vested interests. Where those interests dictate the political thinking, the reportage of events, and remove independence from the institutions to ensure compliance with the wider goals of specific interest groups.

    These people will not be creating new structures that impede their ability to exercise control over you.

    Until the people are prepared to stand up and demand better for themselves, those who stand to gain from their compliance and servitude will continue to dictate what we are, and increasingly what we can do.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 8:10 p.m.
  • 13 Nov 2023, 8:26 p.m.

    The notable bits of reporting on this latest government low.

  • 13 Nov 2023, 9:10 p.m.

    Harry Arter: “Hold my beer”

  • 14 Nov 2023, 4:55 p.m.

    Not sure if Braverman is trying to get Sunak out now, force an election or just positioning for the post-election leadership contest.

    Pretty clear at this stage that Sunak has given up on the red wall seats and is just trying to not lose too many traditional Tory seats in the south.

  • 14 Nov 2023, 5:16 p.m.

    Unless the police are in possession of information not in evidence from the game video, that is a ludicrous decision. The entire hockey world is pretty much united in recognising it as a horrible accident.

    Players get hit with skates all the time. Jacob Lauko got a skate in the eye two weeks ago. Unless they've got Petgrave telling Johnson he's going to do him and how, this can only be a decision based on a complete lack of understanding of the dynamics of hockey.