The Outsider’s Diary
Dizaei Rascal
‘The task of reversing the damage to “Broken Britain” may be beyond the ability of any political party, let alone any single leader’
Fog in Europia
‘As we stumble along, all we can do is trust our instincts. But that is precisely what our politicians fail to do’
Clegg’s Cowardice
‘Having been caught out lying about Jenny Tonge, Nick Clegg took refuge in objecting to a personal accusation of racism that had not been made’
Conference Charades
‘The Tories want to help people save their local pub. I can do that by drinking in it. Shouldn’t they be saving this country’s sovereignty?’
Who’s Who in These Riots?
‘The English Defence League say they aren’t the British National Party. But some of them are members and I’ll have nothing to do with them’
Resolutely Regressive
‘I know the Cameroons would like to forget Margaret Thatcher but that really doesn’t mean the rest of us have done so’
Revolution!
‘The British people have said for years that they don’t want mass immigration. The main parties ignored them. This is venality’
Public Enemy No. 0
‘The Home Secretary’s job is huge, but it seems to have been reduced to the role of radio critic with a visa stamp’
What’s in a Name?
‘Today, everyone is a progressive. Nobody says, “‘I’m entirely regressive myself.’”
Unfamiliar Troubles
‘The claims made for the Northern Irish peace process are unproven—but they are also unhelpful to the point of uselessness’
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal