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The UK government has made it clear time and time again – Brexit means Brexit. From Theresa May’s recent speech, the UK will be leaving the European single market and exploring trading opportunities with nations outside of the EU, with a strong focus on the Commonwealth. Since the issue of …

One of the best bits from Tim Shipman’s book “All out War” is when he describes David Cameron’s attempt to negotiate some sort of deal with the other EU leaders. The account feels already like another country as if we could look back on those days from a perspective of …

Being in Canada during the rather exciting past year led to a number of conversations with people which left a sense of deja vu. This is not new; in 2014, whenever Canadians found I was born in Scotland two things invariably crept into our conversation: 1. Their Scottish Grandmother, who …

The NHS in Britain was formed in 1948 by a Labour Government with Clement Attlee as Prime Minister but the driver of this great institution as it was to become was the Welsh MP, Aneurin Bevan. Prior to 1948 Britons had to pay for health services. So, if you could …

For years, Russia, bordering on bankruptcy and in social chaos following the collapse of the Soviet Union, had been ignored in international affairs. Its former allies in Eastern Europe such as Poland and the Baltic States had not only become part of the European Union but also joined the former …

Today, Tuesday 17 January, 2017, UK Prime Minister, Theresa May will lay out the framework for Britain’s exit from the European Union – Brexit. It was an excellent blue print for a global Britain. President Trump has indicated a desire for the USA to conclude a free trade treaty with …

If you’ve ever played a card game that involves bluffing, you will no doubt be aware that it crucially depends on the players not being able to see each other’s cards. I can pretend that I have four aces only if my cards are hidden. This makes it possible for …

On June 23, 2016, the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland voted to leave the European Union. Since that time, the British people have had to wait for Brexit. Due to the fact that the previous government did no planning for Brexit, the Theresa May government …

Dear BuzzFeed, Forgive me for writing about you in the third person from hereon in (and please do read the whole thing before you let it you piss you off), Whilst I’m the antithesis of a ‘liberal’ I’d probably never claim to be a Trump supporter. However, one utterly fantastic …

The ambiguities inherent in a moral foreign policy became all too clear over Syria. Syria, the once-mighty military hard man of the Middle East, erupted into civil war in 2011. Syria was Russia’s only ally left in the region after the overthrow of many of the dictatorships by popular uprisings, …

The latest depressing news about Britain’s slide down the healthcare outcome rankings will only lead to more uncritical NHS-worship instead of the frank, rational and dispassionate conversation we need to have about end-of-life care for the ageing, failing National Health Service The Times’ Tim Shipman reports some awkward facts in the …

Every now and again someone in Scottish politics pops up and mentions the word federalism. This has become even more frequent since the EU referendum. Apparently the fact that Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to Remain in the EU, while England and Wales voted to Leave has caused a problem …

The government has approved a third runway at Heathrow. The existing two runways ran out of capacity in 1977, so the new runway will be almost instantly up against its maximum usage. Immediately we will need a fourth runway and a fifth. Otherwise we still won’t be able to fly to …

A very Happy New Year to you all. We all say it don’t we? With such an air of optimism, a new spring in our step. Out with the old and in with the new. As midnight chimes on December 31st we kiss and shake hands with loved ones, friends, …

The Iraq war of 2003 was a different matter altogether. In Tony Blair’s eyes, this was the epitome of moral foreign policy. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision to invade Iraq, Britain was deeply divided. That, in itself, is sufficient to condemn Blair. As with the Boer War, …

Not long ago, we heard the news that the management of the small, family-owned Ashers baking company in Northern Ireland had lost its appeal against a ruling that declared it had “directly” discriminated against a gentleman who requested a political cake. While same-sex marriage is not legal in Northern Ireland, …

Certain people I know and certain people I read have been describing the past year as something horrible. You only have to go back one hundred years to see how foolish this assessment is. Imagine you had just celebrated Christmas in 1916. There is every chance you would have lost …

So much noise is made about the Single Market that commentators forget that the EU forces us to be part of something much worse and much bigger. A Customs Union. The EU is the world’s largest anti-trade organisation. This means the 28 nations and 510 million people of the EU …

One does not need to be a snarling authoritarian to reject the anti nation state, globalist worldview – and if being wary about the survival of our rights and liberties in a post-patriotic world makes one a populist then so be it During his recent Intelligence Squared debate/discussion with Nick …

Twelve thousand merchant seamen gave their lives in the Great War, or so said the memorial that the author stumbled upon walking back to the hotel in London one warm November night. As a self-proclaimed obsessive on most-things-historical and with a particular reverence for World War One, to still encounter a chilling …