It’s not self-doubt
So, last week the news many of us had been dreading for months finally arrived: Boris Johnson, the inveterate liar, bigot and money-waster who has a trail of diplomatic incidents behind him, became leader...
Category: Tory stuff
My Jewish friend, your Asian friend
Yesterday I came across the outgoing edition of the Spectator at Smith’s and there were about four articles hymning Boris Johnson in anticipation of his crowning as prime minister, as was expected when it...
Boris Johnson and the Stasi
So, last weekend the story broke of a row between Boris Johnson, the man who looked until then as if he was certain to become the leader of the Tory party and Prime Minister,...
Is Greater London really London?
Yesterday I saw an article on Medium from Bob Pitt, a socialist writer who used to run Islamophobia Watch, on why Boris Johnson was able to twice win the mayoralty of a city often...
The sickening prospect of Boris Johnson as PM
Like many people following the Tory party leadership contest, I’ve been filled with a sense of dread that we are looking at Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London and the man who, as...
Stupid woman: sexist? Ableist?
Earlier this week Jeremy Corbyn was widely criticised in the media and on social media for supposedly mouthing “stupid woman” at Theresa May, the prime minister, during a parliamentary debate. Corbyn claims he actually...
Against the “liberal elite” media trope
A favourite claim of the alt-right, populist right, whatever you want to call them, is that their liberal opponents (whether they be in the Labour party, the Lib Dems themselves, the pro-European wing of...
A bridge to Ireland?
In an interview with the Sunday Times, which is paywalled, Boris Johnson, the former British foreign secretary recently notorious for his derogatory remarks about Muslim women, attacked the prime minister’s plans for Brexit, boasting...
Christopher Chope, upskirting and Parliamentary games
A Tory called Christopher ChopeGave perverts everywhere hope.‘Hooray!’ said these twits,‘We can film women’s bits!Maybe next make it legal to grope?’— Jonathan Coe (@jonathancoe) June 15, 2018 Yesterday a bill was expected to go...
The White People’s Party
Over the last few months there have been some low-profile media stories about Islamophobia at various levels of the Conservative party. Yesterday there was an interview on the Independent with a former Tory parliamentary...
Thinking of becoming a Tory?
This week someone dug up a Facebook post from October 2012 by a muralist called “Mear One” which shows a mural of a bunch of bearded figures (which he explains as representing Jewish bankers)...
Esther McVey and the Samaritans: a conflict of interest
This week it was revealed that Esther McVey, the new work and pensions secretary (after Justine Greening refused the job) in the Tory government, was on the advisory board of the Samaritans, the charity...
Propaganda is not care
I saw a graphic that was presented next to an article for childminders on how to teach ‘British values’, as now required by the government, and the schools inspectorate Ofsted (which also governs children’s...
Are the Tories evil? What is evil, anyway?
Owen Jones: Cruel? Certainly. Unforgivable? Beyond doubt. But the Tories aren't actually evil - Comment - Voices - The Independent Last week Sunny Hundal posted an article on Liberal Conspiracy in which he made...
Thatcher cannot be judged on the 1970s
BBC Question Time from Finchley, north London, 11th April 2013 (available in UK until 11th April 2014) Last night the BBC’s weekly Question Time programme was filmed in Finchley, the area of north London...
Because nobody gets raped in England, do they?
BBC News - Barbados rapes: MP warns travellers island is 'unsafe' Stephen McPartland, Tory MP for Stevenage, has been putting pressure on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to declare that Barbados is “not a...
Don’t be tempted not to vote!
Yesterday, in response to the abstention by most Labour MPs (and the party itself; forty Labour MPs voted against, including John McDonnell and Dennis Skinner) on the retrospective legislation to excuse the government for...
What don’t we know about the UKIP fostering case?
A number of newspapers, and the BBC, have reported today that a foster family from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, have had three children removed from their care allegedly becuase they are members of the UK...
Lynton and Boris – Islamophobia isn’t news
Islamophobia Watch - Documenting anti Muslim bigotry - Lynton Crosby told Boris Johnson not to waste his time chasing votes from ‘f***ing Muslims’ Lynton Crosby is the Australian electioneer who ran the campaign that saw...
Dorries, Galloway and the problem of MPs’ leave
Nadine Dorries, the conservative (with a small ‘c’) Tory MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, has been suspended from her party (and likely faces de-selection in the run-up to the next general election) following her travel to...