Beyond Motherhood and Apple Pie

During American Psycho, Patrick Bateman delivers this speech: Patrick Bateman : We have to end apartheid for one. And slow down the nuclear arms race, stop terrorism and world hunger. We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, and oppose racial discrimination and promote civil rights, while also promoting equal rights for women. We have […]

The Grey Boy

It was my second year of teaching when Martin* first walked into the classroom wearing a grey shirt. He was a good kid. Top set but would often take it easy. Got his homework done, got his head down, and never gave me any issues. A student I was grateful to teach amid tougher groups. […]

Dismantle Height Supremacy

Ladies, your dating filters are keeping you single. I have a confession. I’m not 6ft. But I’ll tell you something, on every single dating app I was on in my single days, that stat went straight to 6ft. 6’1 if I was planning on wearing those boots with the chunky heel on the first date. […]

Everywhere is a Shithole

Spend long enough on social media and you’ll come across the person who has a location in their bio, ‘Cheshire / MCR’. These people wear where they live like a badge of honour. And it’s always struck me as odd. Look, as a throat clearing, I understand there is a practical element to this. Letting […]

Gin Lane ’22

You clicked on the link. Go figure. Thanks for stopping by. Years ago, I used this blog as a repository for my work. If you’re interested in reading some of it, please go for it, although I’d probably warn against doing so. I’ve left a few of the less tedious posts up as an archive. […]

Greater Birmingham needs a Super PAC

Published as a opinion piece on The Chamberlain Files. My colleague Paul Dale wrote at length yesterday about the ideas being discussed in recent contributions to the localism debate from Labour Party heavyweights in a series of lectures and pamphlets. He ended on a weary note, that devolution was always a day away, because he’s heard […]

Millennials need HS2

A post for the Chamberlain Files HS2 Week Special where I argue while speed, time and capacity are important, the greatest argument for HS2 is through its generational legacy. There’s something the silverbacks complaining about HS2 need to realise: HS2 isn’t actually for you. For the first time in the post-war period, the Baby Boomers (that’s ‘46-’64 […]

London’s Calling

Published as part of the #WM2015 series for The Chamberlain Files. According to Janan Ganesh, the jig is up: it’s time to accept that the UK is London-centred. For Ganesh this is the product of organic processes within the economy, and it in spite of politicians’ best efforts to promote regional rebalancing, they should be “humble” […]

Cleansing the Temple

In an interview with Total Politics, Archbishop Justin Welby stated that the Church of England is to try and compete pay day loan company Wonga ‘out of existence’ by establishing credit unions: “A plan for the church to develop credit unions [non-profit lenders] has been floated, with Welby proud that the church is “putting our money where our mouth is” in developing […]

Vivé le Local Association

‘Party’ has become a dirty word. Their only hope is the return of strong local party branches. In a recent article on Labour Uncut, Ben Cobley describes how he spoiled his Labour-Euro election ballot in protest of what he terms institutionalised fixing. He argues through a process of electoral ‘zipping’ that favours sitting MEPs, cronyism […]