Taking a chance on Chuka

Chuka Umunna, formerly of Labour and ChangeUK, is now a Lib Dem. As might have been entirely expected, reactions are split. Some praise his conviction and look forward to absorbing him into the Liberal cause, whilst others damn his weasel ways and call (not for the first time, nor unreasonably) for a by-election. After all, …

Rory vs Boris

The results are in and the first ballots cast. Four contenders are out, with six remaining. Already Boris Johnson has more votes than most of the candidates combined, though he holds only around a third of the support of the entire MP electorate (330 in total). It seems impossible that he could fail - except, …

An Absence of Negotiation: May vs Trump

It seems like a contradiction: one represents the ultimate populist, celebrity leader; one, the ultimate traditional, Conservative establishment. Yet both have held their respective governments to ransom over problematic foreign policy: for Trump, the trade war; for May, exacerbating Brexit. Both have reached for the claim to hold a people's mandate in order to override …