The Caerphilly by-election was a surprise win for Plaid Cymru. Just a week ago a Survation poll predicted a four-point lead for Reform. But if Reform are unhappy, then Labour are crushed. Caerphilly by-election: what’s occurring? After every election the spin doctors try to amplify their s...
I’m guessing you know what friend-zoned means. Or clickbait. When we lack a word that succinctly describes a concept we can’t quite describe, it’s called hypocognition. When we find that new word or phrase something clicks. It helps us express our thoughts. There is power in naming somethi...
What is the government’s job? To fight for the soul of the nation? Usher in an era of ‘patriotic renewal’? Or scapegoat minorities? You’d think so, given the noises of Westminster party HQs. I’d prefer them to run the country well. That begs the question, run the country in whose interests...
A far-right rogues gallery came to Newcastle on Saturday 27 September. A pitiful band of racists congregated behind police lines. And yes, racists is the correct term. Or fascists. Nick Tenconi led the UKIP march calling for mass deportations and spreading conspiracy theories. They teamed ...
You know when you have one of those moments that sticks with you? It was the Majority Conference recently in Newcastle. I’d just got back to the venue, the impressive Great Hall in the Discovery Museum. The hall was filling up. All the volunteers in their Majority T-shirts. The high-qualit...
The obsession with flags is called vexillomania. A flag is just a symbol. It’s tribalism – which side I’m on. Tribalism in football is mostly good natured banter. I’ve been to European games and international games where it has built bridges with foreign fans. That’s what responsible a...
Collapse, verb: to fall into a confused mass or into a flattened form by loss of rigidity or support. (Oxford English Dictionary) Last week saw the Green Party win Newcastle’s South Jesmond by-election, coming from third place. Labour, defending the seat, fell from a 42% vote share to 17%....