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Author: David Herdson

Biden: Europe’s last American

Biden: Europe’s last American

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An old normalcy will do nothing to shake Europe from its complacency Chicago has produced more than its fair share of colourful politicians. Rod Blagojevich – recently pardoned by Donald Trump – was impeached in 2009 as Governor of Illinois for attempting to sell (among other executive actions) Barack Obama’s former senate seat after the latter was elected president. A half-century earlier, Mayor Richard J Daley ran the city like a fiefdom, making and breaking presidential campaigns along the way….

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Lucky. Trump’s farcial self-coup failed because of little more than the happenstance of his inadequate political awareness

Lucky. Trump’s farcial self-coup failed because of little more than the happenstance of his inadequate political awareness

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A lifetime of cod-dictatorship left him unprepared for the real thing Where did it go wrong for Donald Trump? Wednesday’s events will prove a watershed moment for his political career. Beforehand, he was absolutely dominant in the Republican Party, with the expectations of many that he would remain so even out of office. Now, that aura of raw power shines far more dimly – not merely because he finally crossed a line unacceptable to many in the GOP but because…

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David Herdson’s 2021 predictions

David Herdson’s 2021 predictions

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So that was Brexit. The defining political issue in the UK of the last half-decade is now done. Not that the story entirely ends there. Brexit was just one more chapter in the long story of Britain’s relationship with the continent, and as that geographic fact remains, so must the further development of that story. But not with the same intensity for the time being. 2021 will be the first year in several where domestic politics will not be dominated…

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Cockney Covid: is it already everywhere?

Cockney Covid: is it already everywhere?

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If it’s not, we should REALLY worry The gods have clearly decided that they’ve not done enough to us yet this year? Christmas? Pah. You develop a vaccine? Here’s a boosted version of the virus – which mutated in the same country that was the first to deploy a vaccine. Coincidence? Well, maybe. But the facts are clear. This new variant of Covid, which first became well-established in the Thames estuary areas and their bordering districts – Cockney Covid for…

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Merry Christmas: rising Covid cases, No Deal Brexit, recession and maybe lockdown

Merry Christmas: rising Covid cases, No Deal Brexit, recession and maybe lockdown

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Yet the government remains surprisingly popular – for now This is the end. Not the real end, of course. There is no real end; just the start of another chapter. But as far as Brexit goes, that’s it: no more can-kicking, no more transition periods, no more rule-taking. Out. There is a slim chance that the UK and EU might, even at this late stage, strike a trade deal. The two sides are still talking, genuine and quick movement clearly…

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That’s whose prerogative?

That’s whose prerogative?

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The government’s just introduced another constitutional time-bomb Rather quietly, the government announced this week the death sentence for the unfairly unloved Fixed-Term Parliaments Act. In truth, it was not that bad a piece of legislation; one which took a power away from the executive and handed it to parliament, at least in small measure. However, two snap elections in a row – one of which came about by circumventing the Act’s provisions – undermined any sense of a new state…

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Rebuilding a Nation: Unionists need to engage in a battle of both hearts and minds

Rebuilding a Nation: Unionists need to engage in a battle of both hearts and minds

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But it’s a task singularly ill-suited to Boris Johnson TV used to be so much simpler. When I was growing up, there were only three, then four channels (though Channel 4 didn’t start up until mid-afternoon). If you wanted On Demand, you had to use a Video Recorder. Viewing was entirely through the box (and TVs were boxy) and the only thing resembling an internet was Ceefax and Oracle. They were also almost entirely passively consumed: no ‘e-mail, text or…

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Trump’s Plan D – it’s all about the Electoral College

Trump’s Plan D – it’s all about the Electoral College

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He won’t give up until all the votes are cast and counted “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser”. So once said American Football coach Vince Lombardi. It is a philosophy Donald Trump takes to heart – though his record is somewhat patchier than Lomabrdi’s. Trump has a pathological, visceral fear of being seen to fail, to lose. Any other presidential candidate would have given up weeks ago, particularly as Trump has already set the narrative…

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