Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness

In part 2 of his post, guest blogger Dr Phil Larkin reflects upon the prospects of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party and he predicts that the SNP has reached the peak of its powers. THE 2015 ELECTION ONE YEAR ON: REFLECTIONS AND PREDICTIONS (Part 2) Corbyn and the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn was made Labour Party leader in September 2015, after being nominated for the ballot by a number of Labour MPs, some of whom, like Sadiq Khan and Margaret Beckett, are kicking themselves for being so foolish. Corbyn was elected leader by over 60 per cent of the Labour Party membership, despite the reality that his views run counter to the vast majority of the Parliamentary Party on most key issues. During Ed Miliband’s time the rules on Party leadership were altered to give the membership a bigger say in the decision, and it was possible to join up online prior to the election for a fee of £3. I suspect that many who voted for him were younger members of the population with little or ...

The following is a guest post by Dr Phil Larkin MOVING THE NARRATIVE FORWARD: TOWARDS THE POLITICS OF NORMALITY Introduction So, over the past days we have seen Tom Elliott, the “traditionalist” UUP leadership candidate achieve a very convincing win over his “moderniser” opponent, Basil McCrea. Initially, this author was a little disappointed at this result, believing that the Party itself, as well as progressive, outward-looking unionism needed someone like McCrea, a science (engineering) graduate who completed his first degree at an English university. However, on reflection, it is possible that, if McCrea and moderate unionists stand their ground within the Party, and do not decide to abandon it, and if Tom Elliott means what he says about the UUP continuing to be a welcoming place for the likes of McCrea and his allies, then the Party will continue to have a future. I do not believe that the “modernising” rump of unionists should even think about forming a new political grouping,...

This is a guest post from Phil Larkin.  Thanks Phil!  It really is an impressive analysis. Introduction Having now had the weekend to digest the election results from Northern Ireland, I feel better able to make a number of comments and conclusions. Chekov and others may very well disagree with these, but, in summary, I believe that there are more reasons to be cheerful in the aftermath of the election than to be despondent, if, and only if, courage is shown by moderate unionists in these coming months. As someone from a ‘nationalist’ background, who currently lives and works in the south of England, and as someone who is a Labour voter, I approach the subject of unionism and unionist politics with a measure of caution. I have no wish to sound patronizing or lay claim to knowledge in an area where my understanding is limited. Nevertheless, as someone who is not unsympathetic to their position, and who cares about the shared future and prosperity of my own people of Northe...

Keith Gilmour has emailed a thought provoking list which should stimulate some debate. It consists of 65 means by which, its author contends, 'broken Britain' can be mended. Some are controversial, some are incontrovertible common sense, some are easier said than done. See what you think. 65 Ways to Fix Broken Britain By Keith Gilmour Recruit (and reward) whistleblowers to expose waste and inefficiency in public services Curtail the out-of-control 'I trip, therefore I sue' compensation culture Ditto the offence industry Encourage everyone to spring clean their possessions and give to charity shops anything they don't want or need Do more government advertising on the cheap via competitions (as when members of the public submitted to the BBC homemade 'London 2012' Olympics logos far superior to the one that cost us £400,000) Cut the bureaucratic overkill that puts many people off volunteering Scrap extraneous new database schemes Scrap quangos that duplica...

In a radical departure for ‘Three Thousand Versts’ I am publishing the first ever guest post (control freakery you see). Phil Larkin has kindly emailed a response to my article about Putin and WW2. It is much too well argued to be consigned to my inbox and Phil has kindly agreed to let me reproduce it here. I will respond to some of the points which it raises in due course. I always find Chekov's contributions on Russia, her politics, culture, and national identity fascinating. Although I have travelled throughout Poland (which I love) the Baltic States, and the Balkans, Russia largely remains for me, in the words of Winston Churchill, a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma. Throughout my travels, however, I have seen examples of Russian culture, the beauty of Eastern Orthodox iconography being particularly striking. I firmly believe that too many Western statesmen fall into the same category as myself, namely, ignorant, vis-a-vis Russia, something which causes many pr...