The Spanish authorities now have no choice. Majority public opinion, across all regions and parts of Spain, demands that Catalonia be brought back into the framework of the Constitution and the rule of legitimate law is restored. The Catalan government did not, as it claims, obtain a mandate for independence. Only 42% voted at all […]
In the fog of what has become the Brexit battle it is hard to tell, as May confronts her fellow EU leaders in an attempt to get her way and move on to talks about transition, where we are headed. What we do know is we are lost in that fog close to a cliff. […]
The narrow, ordered life of a gentle but almost reclusive artist, Jane Block, is disturbed when a bequest, intended for her dead mother, passes to her. Mystery surrounds the nature of the inheritance and Jane is led on a sinister trail to secrets of the past, forcing her to confront her own fears and inhibitions. […]
Whoever investigates the NHS, the outcome is always the same. It is underfunded, understaffed and facing increasing demand. Backlogs and failures are now too numerous attract headlines. Yet as responses to emergencies reveal, it is world class in its skills, dedication and outcomes. The money issue is solvable. It is a mathematical impossibility to run […]
Reading between the lines of an opaque communique and especially seeing the expression on May’s face as she was driven away, it is clear that it was cordial and friendly but nothing was achieved by this well trailed dinner. Just as nothing concrete was achieved by her Florence speech. Maybe a cozier atmosphere but the […]
At the heart of the British State lies a secret to keep which a cabal of shadowy establishment figures is authorised to kill. At the centre of the drama is a family with baggage from the past which has access to the truth and determines to expose it. That provokes a battle of wits among […]
This blog has long lamented the inability of world coalitions to restore some kind of political consensus to underpin the fight against IS. Now that militarily IS is but a shadow of its former power and beaten back on every front, the worst possible thing would be for the victors to fight among themselves. Yet […]
It would be very foolish for the redneck Brexiteers to force a reshuffle which dumps Hammond. First of all he is the leader of a dwindling band of competent ministers in the cabinet who can think rationally rather then ideologically. Second because business confidence, already fragile because of Brexit chaos, would plunge further. But most […]
The report that NHS staff are to ask questions about a patient’s sexuality ‘to avoid discrimination’ suggests suggest a blunder somewhere. First of all discrimination of all kinds is illegal and one would imagine entirely absent from the NHS. If it is not, asking intrusive and personal questions gratuitously will not help. Of course, if […]
What matters here is this. The agreement to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons took years to conclude, involved all the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany and also the EU. All signed the treaty. The difference between civilised nations and rogue states is that the former sign agreements and stick to them […]