The trouble with “political theatre” is that life imitates art
“This Milkshake Spring isn’t political violence – it’s political theatre”, wrote Aditya Chakrabortty in the Guardian the day before yesterday. From Nigel Farage to Tommy Robinson and Carl Benjamin,...
View ArticleHave we vanished into the night?
The good folk at Lawyers for Britain have published a short paper by an eminent QC, recently retired, on whether or not the latest ‘extension’ of the ‘Article 50’ 2 year period for making arrangements...
View ArticleAn intersection
When I watched the by now viral video of a mob jeering at and throwing a milkshake over an elderly British Trump supporter, led by a screaming feminist called Siobhan Prigent, a number of lines of...
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The real fix facing Boris
I am going to assume for the purposes of argument that Boris Johnson will shortly become leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister. I am also going to assume that Parliament will prevent...
View ArticleWhy is Russia trying to influence other countries’ elections by means of...
“Nick Clegg denies misuse of Facebook influenced Brexit vote”, reports the Guardian. Umm, okay. A lot of people are saying “Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?”. Sir Nick Clegg, for those readers who...
View ArticleIf it saves just one life…
We have to do it, right? Politico reports, Some U.K. lawmakers think they’ve found a way to reduce British smoking deaths: Brexit. Large numbers of British cigarette smokers will switch to vaping once...
View ArticleTwo takes on the decline of foreign languages in British schools
“Brexit ‘hitting foreign languages in schools'” says the BBC, quoting its kindred spirits in the British Council – which for those that don’t know is the Muggle Wizengamot a worthy body formed in the...
View ArticleTears before bedtime
“Widdecombe’s ‘outlandish’ EU speech leaves Green MEPs ‘in tears'”, reports Somerset Live. A Green Party MEP has said that some of her colleagues were left “in tears” after a speech by Anne Widdecombe....
View ArticleDon’t think of it as a “power cut”, think of it as an “electricity holiday”
The BBC reports that the National Grid will “learn the lessons” after nearly one million people across England and Wales lost power on Friday. But what lessons will those be? The power outage happened...
View ArticleA reminder to Conservatives of why they should not abridge the right to keep...
Boris Johnson’s aides say they’ll ignore a vote ordering them to hand over WhatsApps and Emails Buzzfeed have been quick; the vote in Parliament to which the story refers took place only a few minutes...
View ArticleAn unmissable podcast
I am sure the Samizdatistas and the Samizdata commentariat alike are familiar with Brendan O’Neill of Spiked Online, as well as the brilliant and rather naughty David Starkey. Starkey appears as a...
View ArticleArs longa, vita brevis
The Guardian reports, “Sculptor Antony Gormley plans Brexit giants off the French coast”: Now, on the eve of Britain’s potential departure from Europe, Gormley is planning a new and dramatic...
View ArticleThe Way into the Planned Economy
If anyone can suddenly get a loan with a negative interest rate, then it is to be expected that the credit demand will get out of hand. To prevent this from happening, the ECB will have to resort to...
View ArticleGalileo in darkness
Kieren McCarthy has written an article for the Register that brings together two themes of interest to many Samizdata readers: “One man’s mistake, missing backups and complete reboot: The tale of...
View ArticleIf you want to be welcome, do not demand entry
The ceremonial of the State Opening of Parliament includes a moment when Black Rod, the Queen’s representative, approaches the door of the Commons to summon MPs for the Queen’s Speech. Tradition...
View ArticleName me one good thing about Brexit…
Start with this: Article 13: UK will not implement EU copyright law Universities and Science Minister Chris Skidmore has said that the UK will not implement the EU Copyright Directive after the country...
View ArticleSamizdata quote of the day
Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Be embraced, Millions! This kiss to all the world! – Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy, Beethoven’s setting of which is the Anthem of Europe. Sing...
View ArticleSamizdata quote of the day
There are no limits to our commitment to the euro. – Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. The linked Guardian article in which I found the quote is titled “ECB U-turn shows it...
View ArticleYes, we have no Eurobonds, we have no Eurobonds today
There’s a fruit store on our street It’s run by a Greek. And he keeps good things to eat But you should hear him speak! When you ask him anything, he never answers “no”. He just “yes”es you to death,...
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