Andy Davey

Flags, flags everywhere at the Labour Party conference. Starmer misses no opportunity to wrap himself in the Union Jack in a brazen attempt to steal Farage's clothes. I guess we'll see if it worked. [Telegraph Friday 2/10/25].

Burnham denies aiming to stand against Starmer but presents policies he said would “turn the country around” - higher council tax on expensive homes in SE, £40bn of borrowing to build council houses, income tax cuts for lower earners, 50p rate for the highest-paid. [Telegraph Friday 26/9/25].

At the Lib Dem conference, Ed Davey presents no new policies but asks for the support of disillusioned Tories in order to conquer the high peaks of power. Any whiff of electoral expectation from a Lib Dem leader is an inevitable reminder of David Steel's wild hubris. [Telegraph Thursday 25/9/25].

Shabana Mahmood, new hard-nut right-wing Home Sec, will lodge an appeal against a court ruling which blocked a migrant being returned to France. Meanwhile the first 1-in-1-out migrant is returned. Gloves off with the judges then. [Telegraph Friday 19/9/25].

Starmer got to escape his demons for a day playing pomp and circumstance with Trump at Windsor...but it's back to normal again. White tie back in the wardrobe. This is the earlier unexpurgated version (n pants!) [Telegraph Thursday 18/9/25].

Kyiv attack shows Putin’s talk about peace is all posturing; he rejects Western proposals for a “reassurance force” in Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed. Psychological warfare indeed. The psychopathic Lt Col Kilgore in Apocalypse Now seemed to fit. [Telegraph Monday 9/9/25].

Summer is hottest ever in UK. Labour's polling gets worse and worse. Farage has spent the summer "recess" making lots of noise about crumbling Britain, forcing the media to dance to his tune, not that of Starmer (who has no tune). [Telegraph Thursday 28/08/25].

With customary subtle irony, #Putin demands to be part of any decisions of Ukraine's future if/when peace descends. Meanwhile, he increases the bombardment of Ukraine. [Telegraph Friday 22/08/25].

Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering expansion of UK National Insurance (tax) to include rental income - currently exempt from the levy - to plug a £40bn shortfall in the public finances. Is that such a shock? [Telegraph Friday 29/08/25].

Gary is a prized asset himself - a refreshingly original analysis of our current plight.

Trump heads off to Alaska to meet his buddy Putin to sort out Ukraine. Will Zelensky be on the table? [Telegraph Friday 15/08/25].

A disastrous week for Starmer - almost lost a vote on welfare cuts. Big U-turn. Then Rachel Reeves in tears at PMQ. So Wes Streeting's wizard "10-year Plan" will restore the ailing Starmer. Well, that's what those paramedics are for, eh? [Telegraph Friday 04/07/25].

Ah, yes, Mystic Dan. Unspeakably depressing. Astonishing hubris from a rabid ideologue of the free market right. Utter nonsense delivered with eloquent "conviction". Now a Lord. Johnson and Farage; narcissistic opportunists. Gove just an opportunist. Hannan is the worst of them.

HS2 delayed again. The current schedule is declared undeliverable and when the line does open, it may initially have to run at slower speeds. [Telegraph Friday 20/6/25].

Rachel from accounts sets her sights on growth as her salvation in the Spending Review. Next morning, as if nobody had checked the diary, the ONS reports that growth has headed in the anti-growth direction in April. [Telegraph Friday 13/6/25].

Monsieur Sausage! You made it over here! Excellent!

A brand new statue of Stalin has been unveiled in Moscow (among many others). The cult of the Strong Man is being revived enthusiastically. Meanwhile, a Putin advisor argues that the Soviet Union in fact still exists, because of a procedural error. Uh-oh! [Telegraph Friday 30/5/25].

Starmer announces that a "brightening economic outlook" (0.7% GDP growth in Q1) has allowed him to partially reverse his politically catastrophic winter fuel pensioner payment cuts. On the same day, ONS announces that April budget deficit is a stonking £20bn.  [Telegraph Friday 23/5/25].

Starmer responds to the electoral shift to Reform by...mimicking them. He proposes that certain (unspecified) countries will become "return hubs", taking rejected asylum seekers for dispersal (I think). Labour voters may be asking what they voted for. [Telegraph Friday 16/5/25].

Despite poor performance in the elections, a threatened backbench Labour rebellions over disability benefits and winter fuel and a thinktank saying the NI tax is harming the economy, #Starmer will not be "blown off course". Hmmm. [Telegraph Friday 9/5/25].

Miliband may or may not introduce regional pricing variations for electricity. This seems to have sent the media into paroxysms of unabated anger. Will enraged middle England rise in revolt against the hated communist Miliband? Let's grab a coffee and wait and see. [Telegraph Friday 25/04/25]

Miliband may or may not introduce regional pricing variations for electricity. This seems to have sent the media into paroxysms of unabated anger. Will enraged middle England rise in revolt against the hated communist Miliband? Let's grab a coffee and wait and see. [Telegraph Friday 25/04/25]

guess it's time to bring out this old chestnut. Happy Easter innit

The IMF announces that "70 is the new 50" and we should carry on working unto dotage. Starmer announces that he will slash NHS waiting list by encouraging GPs to refer patients to outside specialists, rather than hospital docs. [Telegraph Friday 18/04/25]

Another day, another rollercoaster ride. It's such fun at TrumpWorld. Up, down, down, down, down... [Telegraph Friday 11/4/25]

Another day, another rollercoaster ride. It's such fun at TrumpWorld. Up, down, down, down, down...[Telegraph Friday 11/4/25]

Does the #EU, like #Zelensky (according to #Trump) not "have the cards"? Moreover, what chips are on the table when playing the Orange One? For the excellent
@EncompassEurope (via the esteemed @AdamsonPaul).

Where to start? #Trump celebrates Liberation Day when the markets liberated themselves from optimism. Trump wrestles the rest of the world to the ground with his "beautiful" tariffs. #Starmer still hopes for some kind of special trade deal. Yep, really. [Telegraph Friday 04/04/25]

just wonderful!

Rachel Reeves gives a very Spring like optimism to her Statement; mainly by ignoring the very real clouds over the hills. [Telegraph Friday 28/3/25]