People using food banks don’t know how to cook from scratch, claims a Conservative MP. What cheek, says Allegra Stratton: it’s time our MPs woke up to the struggles of ordinary people without their privileges.
Tact, diplomacy, intellect, command of a brief, and an ability to communicate effectively are core attributes of a Foreign Secretary, the face that Britain shows to its global partners. Trouble is, the last four holders of this prestigious post have spectacularly failed to live up to its requirements.
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The UK Prime Minister stands accused by the Nationalists of “placating” the DUP, who are preventing Sinn Fein from convening a Northern Ireland Executive. Despite coming second in the NI Assembly elections, the DUP arguably have more leverage on the UK government today than they did when their former leader Arlene Foster formed a coalition government with Theresa May, in 2017.
Boris Johnson has come down heavily against working from home. But the evidence points a different way. Millions now take advantage of different ways of doing their jobs, including dividing their working life between office and home.
There is probably potential for greed in us all but it seems paradoxical that the worst proponents should be those with most; and that these can have such impact on the lives of those less greedy. Perhaps love of money really is at the root of evil.
James Cory-Wright revisits a cricketing mecca in a new book about Sussex’s County Ground; salutes a goal-scoring Lewes goalkeeper; and reflects on the fate of two Borises: Becker and Johnson.
In the local elections, there were successes for Labour and Greens. There was a historic win for Labour in Worthing, and Labour also took back charge of Crawley, but the Greens ended Labour control in Hastings. Rick Dillon argues that these wins were as much to do with local issues as with Partygate.
Highly bureaucratic and difficult to navigate sums up the process faced by those fleeing to the UK from the war in Ukraine. The Nationality and Borders Bill and plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are the latest examples of a hostile environment which turns refugees into criminals. Vivienne Griffiths argues that we need safe routes for all refugees.
The May local elections are being seen as the chance for voters to give their verdict on prime minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative government’s record of failing the young, the vulnerable and ordinary families. In Sussex there will be several key contests; but while parties go head to head, there have also been signs of greater compromise and partnership.
France stands at a political crossroads, with first-round voting in the Presidential election resulting in a run-off between the centrist President Macron and right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen. Dorothy Smith analyses the policies of the two candidates and the crucial role that voters for left-wing Melenchon will play in the final round.
Many of the public are content to continue with a PM whom they believe to have deliberately misled parliament and the public over Partygate, despite the thousands unable to say goodbye to loved ones during lockdowns. Alison Rees wonders what it will take for people to demand Boris Johnson’s resignation, when standards in public life have already sunk so low.
We must call out lies and lazy language when it can cover up the truth or cause hurt and offence to others. With the language used in the new populism at play in this and a number of other countries, it is important we develop a new form of hearing-aid – one which can distinguish between excuses, lies, bigotry and truth.
Alison Rees argues that the West ignored warning signs from the buildup of aggression in Russia, including the annexation of Crimea and alleged influence of US and UK elections. Seeing horrific events in Ukraine unfolding from the safety of our homes, we feel some responsibility and guilt about our inability to influence the outcomes.
More high winds like Storm Eunice can be expected, so before thousands more face prolonged power cuts, it’s time for some practical solutions, says Jeremy Tucker-Wall.
“I know it’s March but I must say that February is always the longest month, despite Dudley, Eunice and Franklin’s best efforts to liven it up.”… Welcome to the first Sussex Bylines ‘digested month’ by James Cory-Wright
In any other country, the buying of seats in the legislature, the donation of huge amounts of money to one political party in return for favours, and billionaire oligarchs purchasing property in the heart of the capital, would rightly be described as corruption. Why should Britain be treated any differently, Tom Serpell asks.
In 2020 the Government approved an eye-watering £27bn for major road construction despite the rising costs of dealing with Covid. Here in Sussex several schemes are planned over the next 10 years by a government that seems hell-bent on encouraging travel by road – at the expense of bus and rail.
The Conservatives may need to elect a new leader within weeks if Prime Minister Johnson, already precarious in his role, is removed either by his own hand or by his fellow MPs, if not by the Metropolitan Police. Nonetheless, could a weakened Johnson be politically more attractive in No.10 than any of the alternatives?
Highlighted by MP Nusrat Ghani’s description of the discrimination she has faced, Islamophobia remains deep-rooted within the Conservative Party against a background of supportive media headlines and the implementation of policies that discriminate against people of colour and ‘othered’ faiths. Is the Tory party setting itself up for a fall?
English cricket has been a disaster area in recent years, with the number of wickets lost at an all-time high, and runs scored at an all-time low. It’s a metaphor for the state of English politics, argues James Joughin, as he lists the mis-steps, mistakes and outright lies of Boris Johnson and others. Is it karma, or something deeper?
Sue Gray, the civil servant charged with investigating lockdown-breaching parties at 10 Downing Street, will not produce the silver bullet critics of Boris Johnson are hoping for.
There are a constant stream of examples as to why this government, majority or not, should be called to account. But does not each event already seem to be ancient history, even though it happened only a few weeks ago? Each egregious episode, each headline, is followed hot-foot by the next. Although each one stains the government’s record, the next pushes its predecessor back into oblivion.
In the light of all the propaganda, no doubt some people were persuaded by the slogan’Get Brexit done’, to change their vote at the last general election, imagining that, after Brexit, things would change for the better. On the day the UK officially left the EU, 31 January 2020, Britain’s exit was presented by Boris […]
When British troops quit Afghanistan in August it was only the latest retreat in 200 years of war. James Joughin examines the history of Britain’s doomed attempts to subdue this central Asian country, and the part played by troops from Sussex
Under Home Secretary Priti Patel, what was once the policy of fringe British National Party crackpots is now at the heart of government. Her response to the deaths of 27 refugees at sea is playing politics with people’s lives.
Boris Johnson’s government is mired in allegations of sleaze and corruption, and despite the PM’s protests, it doesn’t look as if they are going to go away any time soon.
Most of us belong to tribes, but Boris Johnson has ruthlessly exploited this in the pursuit of power. Could it be his undoing, asks writer Tom Serpell.
It’s far from being the case that most people hate ‘migrants’. In Sussex, Ginny Foster reports on a Sanctuary movement active in offering a welcome so lacking from our political leaders and mainstream press.
Can our society and way of life survive the triple threat of Brexit, Johnson’s government, and climate change? Or are we headed towards a total collapse of civilisation as we know it? Tom Serpell ponders what lies ahead if we don’t take action now…