David Foster

Expelling a group of elected MPs from a PLP would not be democratic if all they are doing is disagreeing with government policies - if individual MPs break rules, that's another matter. Remember what happened when Mr Johnson took this 'chuck them all out' approach - 'collapse of Stout Party'

I shouldn't, but I still judge Americans by their shoes, inter alia.

Aim: get most votes in most seats; to improve the chances of achieving this: first strive to keep the votes you already have in the bag. Which requires looking after the bag, as well as the voters.

After a while one does get to the point where there's no choice left. Very liberating.

A sound national economics does not require unquestioning acceptance of increasing concentrations of wealth.

Single sex schools have a lot to answer for.

Also. It is the nature of politics to divide - just as water is wet. And to have a debate relies on there being differences. Party discipline is important but has to accommodate tensions if we want to keep big numbers in the same tent. Leadership 101.

“I shall say this only once” - cool, but maybe not with a beret unless it just has to be. Danger of cliché.

‘Moderation even in moderation’ as the Greek might have had it.

Decivilization

The misunderstanding at work here seems to be that it’s the certificate which has to pass the interview.

Don't know

Gosh. Great stuff. (If I may).

‘Allegedly’

I would like to know precisely what the temptation is.

But, yes it’s a challenge.

Important to remember that the views and actions of some people with power are not general among any population. Acting as if they are surrenders to illiberality by default.

Greed

The Supreme Court's tariff decision extends far beyond tariffs It stops Trump from deciding not to spend money Congress appropriated, and from going to war without Congress's approval

The Supreme Court's tariff decision extends far beyond tariffs
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...

Does suggest they've misunderstood some fairly fundamental things about the sport.

It starts with a view that anything that is not illegal is a ‘free for all’. Without a superseding ethics as the ground for action, the law becomes just a tool for power. Reliance solely on the law for relief misunderstands its limits and weaknesses.

🤎

Of Princes and Potentates From the marshes between Cley-Next-The-Sea and the sea itself, one can see, at night, a lantern glimmering in the east tower of St Nicholas Church at Blakeney in Norfolk, England.

Of Princes and Potentates
open.substack.com/pub/acgrayli...

Apply the duck principle

Positive or Negative excitement? Thinking about the Luddite tradition. Which was strangely both socialist and conservative (discuss)

Those of us who were lucky enough to travel do find it hard to understand those who haven’t moved - until we spend some time living and working in such static communities. I don’t say places, because US military bases overseas have often been quite closed in societies.

The psychology of all this merits more open examination. Political challenge alone just leaves these people more angry and deluded - is it too much to call it a social empathy deficit disorder?

Not a grilling then? 😉

But I quite enjoy your dad’s stuff

Non sequitur:

Just in case you’ve missed them

Modris Eksteins

Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age (1989)
Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, World War II and the Heart of Our Century (1999)