Mike Holden - Politics blogs

                               In the last few days a handful of Republican activists have gone to the courts in Texas, in what can only be described as an attack on the democratic process which manages the US Presidential Election. This weekend, representatives from the Republican party went to the Texas Supreme Court to request that ballots cast in drive-thru centres in Harris County in the state should be discounted. When the Supreme Court rejected their request they immediately took their case to the federal court. Anyone old enough to remember Bush v Gore will know that in a US election the courts are often used to decide state elections, and the Electoral College system means this can affect the national result. But the Texas case is different – Republicans aren’t suggesting that specific votes should be invalid, they are objecting to an entire method of voting which has already been in use for...

“Level” is a word prominently in the news recently. UK/EU negotiations are faltering over Level Playing Field rules and before one of his trademark disappearances, Boris Johnson pledged to Level Up the country. It seems odd to suggest that levelling of one kind is essential while another considered unacceptable. “Levelling Up” - snappy slogan, great idea but does anybody know what it means practically, let alone trust this government to deliver it? COVID has had a massive impact on employment, with tens of thousands of jobs lost even before furlough ends. Over 10% of the North West workforce are employed in retail, many others in manufacturing & hospitality yet the government refuses to provide targeted sector-specific relief. On the other hand, millions of pounds of public money has (rightly) been spent on COVID information campaigns and PPE contracts - but almost all of it has gone to companies connected to government advisors and their chums without any tendering, connections ...

Last week government announced that it intends to prorogue parliament from the 8 th to the 14 th of October in preparation for a Queen’s Speech. This was not unexpected but the timing causes concern that it could lead to a No Deal Brexit on the 31 st of October. Whether this happens or not, this could be the most dramatic Queen’s Speech in living memory. According to the schedule, parliament will be suspended, legally this time, from next Tuesday until the 14 th Oct, with a Queen’s Speech on that day. The six-day prorogation is a more usual length of time associated with preparations for a Queen’s Speech, unlike the previous five-week long attempt which was of course annulled in the Supreme Court. The Queen’s Speech allows the government to set out its priorities and programme for the coming session, although this one will be unusual in that a General Election is almost certain before any government business gets underway in parliament, so it will be more of a Party Polit...

Opening scene - The State Funeral of Jacques Chirac, World Leaders lining the pews of a cathedral. In bursts Prime Minister Boris Johnson halfway through Ave Maria, tripping over the floral tributes and accidentally squeezing the thighs of a few female mourners on the way to the front. He takes a pew between Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel. It's like the final scene from Ocean's Eleven (Not the George Clooney version, the far better Rat Pack original ). As the eulogies are being delivered Johnson leans over to Macron and Merkel & whispers at the top of his voice: "Hey lads, I've got a plan. I've finally got a plan!" M&M look at him, shocked that he would interrupt a funeral, and more shocked that he has a plan. BJ: "No hard border in Ireland. Cracked it. I was looking at a map of Ireland with this thin line while I was painting a bus on a bit of wood & I suddenly thought 'Hang on, what if it's more of a s-m-e-a-r ?'...

An eye-opening announcement appeared in many of today’s news outlets that after a General Election any Labour majority government plans to negotiate a Brexit deal representing a closer relationship with Europe and put this to the vote. But not only would the party not force a united Leave/Remain campaigning position on its MPs in a 2 nd Referendum, the leader himself suggests he would remain neutral. This brought more howls of seemingly justified outrage from Labour supporters and/or Remain-minded voters. But in the context of a party heading for a General Election this may actually prove to be a smart move. Labour under Jeremy Corbyn have long faced criticism for their strategic ambiguity over Brexit, initially on whether there should even be a 2 nd referendum, and more recently on how to campaign if we get one. But that Labour now pledge to try to negotiate a new, closer Brexit relationship with the EU and put it to the public in a 2 nd referendum should come as no surprise...

Yesterday, government finally provided some much-needed clarity on exactly what their plans are and will be in coming weeks to break through the parliamentary deadlock, turn chaos into order and finally deliver the Holy Gail of Brexit, Do or Die. In various reports from several journalists yesterday, sources close to government and others have suggested that Prime Minister Johnson: -   Was considering bringing back a version of the Northern Ireland-only backstop. Has had meetings with the DUP in which he rejected any notion of a Northern Ireland-only backstop. Is trying to entice back into the party those Tory rebel MPs expelled under instruction from his SpAd for voting against him last week. Is appealing to One-Nation Tories to help him counter the “spears in my back” expected from the ERG & DUP when he brings a plan to parliament (those not so disillusioned with Johnson they’re quitting politics altogether, one assumes). Has begun “scoping” conversation...

Yesterday ITV political journalist Robert Peston wrote the latest in a series of articles which have been baffling in their unstinting praise of Boris Johnson and the Strategic Genius of Dominic Cummings. From someone widely respected for his previously impartial reporting, the recent swerve has been remarkable. However yesterday's piece went further than of late and descended into literal hero-worship. Superhero worship, in fact. The article was peppered with surprising assertions, beginning with the idea that a request by parliament for full disclosure of communications relevant to the PMs decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks was "a naked attempt to politically assassinate Dominic Cummings". This assassination only works of course if Cummings actually did ask/order Johnson to lie about why he shuttered parliament. Otherwise it proves his innocence and makes Dominic Grieve look like a vindictive man and a fool. From that high point it went downhill rapidl...

In the US and UK, many would argue that there is too much news right now – simply too much happening daily for the average person to absorb and process even a reasonable portion of it. But it seems to me there is room for a little more in the US, in the form of a Daily Democrat Press Briefing. Because in a world where Fake News is king, with a President who is the King of Fake News, a window opens to present the facts as seen from the other end of the spectrum. Berkley professor Helen Halpin (Twitter: @Helenhs) and others have suggested a daily event where the news of the day, and specifically Trump's latest falsehoods and outrages, can be discussed in an open Press forum, with questions, from a Democrat viewpoint. The question is - who would do it? Who represents the Democrat party in this way? Who is their front man/woman? The GOP obviously don't have what anyone would call a "leader" right now, but they do have a "boss" and a front man in Trump....

Guardian columnist Owen Jones tweeted at weekend, and expanded in a well-written article about why he thinks it dangerous to call for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal, suggesting that it would not only be ineffective but  counterproductive and divisive. I challenged him on his thinking, he told me to go away and read it before responding. So I have, and am. Here are the reasons why I think we absolutely should continue to fight for a People's Vote on the government Brexit deal, and why Labour should support it. Firstly, the way the referendum was won is increasingly brought into question, with the Electoral Commission actually talking about UKdemocracy being under threat . We all know that political campaigns indulge in bending of the truth and rules, and that both sides did so during the Referendum. But in this case every main plank of Leave arguments – EU budget contributions, immigration controls, EU laws, £350m per week NHS "Brexit Dividend" are prove...

Today I received an email from the Labour party, which is not unusual as I'm a member. Given the likely disaster looming for the country, and the party in the coming local elections  I felt compelled to respond.  The content of my letter to them is below. Brexit is no longer "the will of the people" but the party's continuing strategic ambiguity means hard-won Labour support is draining away. The most inept, incompetent and cruel Tory government in living memory are, incredibly, level in polls with Labour. I fear that upcoming Local Government elections will show very badly for the party. When people feel abandoned by their party they will vote elsewhere, or not at all. Members will leave in large numbers and sadly that may include myself.   Catastrophic economic assessments have emerged this week showing all sectors of the economy and all regions will be grievously affected by any form of Brexit. Those areas containing Labour supporters will be among t...

There is a constitutional and legal crisis about to break in the US any day now, and one of several stories breaking yesterday will appear in future history books as a pivotal moment that changed America forever. We just don't know yet which one it will be. Manoeuvres are underway by Donald Trump and his political and media allies to systematically dismantle the norms of US politics. It's very likely that the US political landscape will look dramatically different in one of two ways in coming weeks or months - either Special Investigator Robert Mueller will begin legal proceedings against the President of the United States for colluding with Russia to rig the Presidential election, or Donald Trump and congress will succeed in removing Mueller from the investigation, along with any trace of checks and balances preventing the US from becoming a de facto dictatorship. Neither of these outcomes can do anything other than hugely harm the UK/US "special relationship" a...

You may have noticed there’s been a lot of news in 2017. But UK news headlines have been swamped by Brexit and Trump, two stories straddling the news landscape like the Petronas Twin Towers. But like Kuala Lumpur itself, tucked away beneath the behemoths there are plenty of smaller and more interesting places to be found.  So journalist Michael Moran (@TheMichaelMoran) plus myself and a few like-minded souls have focussed on the quirkier side of the news this year, in a competitive search for #HeadineOfTheDay material which we exchange on Twitter (Michael acts as chief gatekeeper and distributor). Clickbait is a staple of online news but a good headline has always been used to grab a reader’s interest. There’s little point in carefully crafting an elegant and revealing article, then putting “ Man Does Thing ” in 100pt bold letters at the top – the attention (and more importantly the quantity) of readers depends on a good headline.  Sometimes the story turns out...