Keir Starmer may have built his credibility on Brexit and the demand for a people’s vote, however, he’s now accepted leaving the EU is a matter of reality. This has unsettled many left Remainers who backed him, but will it really hurt him in the way it hurt Jeremy Corbyn? Most likely not, but why?Continue reading “Will Brexit hurt Starmer?”
Tag Archives: UK
Brexit Above All Else
Brexit is nowhere near being over. Regardless of whether a deal is concluded between the UK and EU, the process of disentangling the two will be felt for decades to come. Mostly, in the British Isles. One can only begin to catalogue the consequences: Ideological, political. Cultural, economic. Legal and criminal, even. We could goContinue reading “Brexit Above All Else”
The Losing Side
The British premier can’t be happy with the results of the US election. Boris Johnson’s fantasy of an Anglo-American pivot away from Europe has been dashed. In his rush to the EU’s emergency exit, Johnson fears a Biden presidency because it could mean no free trade deal once we have left. The Biden Administration couldContinue reading “The Losing Side”
The Singapore Option
‘Singapore on the Thames.’ Unless you’ve been under a rock, such fantasies of UK 2.0 have been a constant throughout Brexit. Nevermind, of course, that Singapore is a former British colony. It’s the turbocharged, hypercapitalist city-state bit that matters. Once a part of Malaysia, Singapore superseded Hong Kong as the leading Asian financial centre. SingaporeansContinue reading “The Singapore Option”
Life After Brexit
The Battleground was launched in January 2019 in response to the rise of populism around the world and the failure of traditional media to account for this paradigm shift. The centre-ground has collapsed, yet its institutions remain in place as a cruel reminder of what was. Even as the UK leaves the EU, the European project isContinue reading “Life After Brexit”
Plague Diary: Visit to a Small Country
Standing on the white cliffs of Dover on a good day, you can look across the English Channel and just about see the French coast. It’s no coincidence that these cliffs are a part of the national mythology. All monuments on the coast either refer to the valiant struggle of World War Two or harkContinue reading “Plague Diary: Visit to a Small Country”
Plague Diary: Far-Right Dreamland
Setting fire to the 5G mast, the perpetrator clearly thought they had achieved something worthy of recording and posting online. The world had to know that 5G was a danger to the survival of humankind and how best to deal with that threat. There are dozens of such videos on the Internet. The UK hasContinue reading “Plague Diary: Far-Right Dreamland”
Plague Diary: Following the Herd
The UK stands out for its eccentric response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Conservative government has a strategy to ‘delay’ the height of the crisis to make it easier to manage. This might sound rational, but what this means is leaving more people vulnerable to catching the virus. The hope is that this will helpContinue reading “Plague Diary: Following the Herd”
Joshua White 