As ever, a fortnight is a long time in politics and for its psychological consequences. As we approach the festive season we’re having to contend with arctic temperatures, a deepening cost of living crisis and a prime minister who is surely on the ropes given the number of challenges he is facing but not resolving.Continue reading “Sunday 11 December”
Tag Archives: NHS
Sunday 13 November
As ever, a week is a long time in politics, and any Conservatives who fantasized that Rishi Sunak would be the one to rescue them from the mire they’ve made must surely now see that as a lost cause. Right from the start his poor judgement has been apparent, including appointing and keeping on SuellaContinue reading “Sunday 13 November”
Saturday 5 November
Yet another rollercoaster fortnight has passed, during which we’ve seen the accession of Rishi (which some erroneously persist in calling ‘election’); dismay in many quarters at his Titanic deckchair rearrangement including the reappointment of disgraced former Home Secretary Suella Braverman; the delay of the Autumn Statement until 17th November; heavy media coverage of the £50bnContinue reading “Saturday 5 November”
Saturday 22 October
Of all the stormy weeks we’ve seen in UK politics recently, this last fortnight must qualify as the most tumultuous, during which, astonishingly, we’ve seen the PM’s sacking of her Chancellor, her absence from the House for Labour’s Urgent Question, (leaving Penny Mordaunt to endlessly stonewall the inevitable questions), poor performance at her second PMQs,Continue reading “Saturday 22 October”
Sunday 9 October
Another turbulent few weeks have passed, the new Chancellor and PM going AWOL for weeks after their ‘election’ before delivering a devastating ‘mini-budget’, the significant feature of which was subjected to a U-turn less than two days later. Within a month of taking office, Liz Truss was fighting for her political life, many of herContinue reading “Sunday 9 October”
Sunday 25 September
What a momentous few weeks it’s been, from the ‘election’ of Liz Truss as PM by a small minority of Conservative party members, following weeks of long drawn out contest when the government was effectively absent, the death and funeral of the Queen after a 70 year reign, to the announcement of key government policiesContinue reading “Sunday 25 September”
Saturday 20 August (shorter post)
As the UK continues to battle the combined effects of crises in the cost of living, energy supply, the water industry, the NHS and travel chaos continues with further transport strikes, it seems extraordinary that our prime minister departed for another holiday, Downing Street astonishingly declaring that he would only be contacted if ‘anything urgent’Continue reading “Saturday 20 August (shorter post)”
Saturday 13 August
Assailed, as we are on a daily basis, by news of deepening crises in the water and energy industries, in the NHS and cost of living, which put further downward pressure on our mental wellbeing, it surely beggars belief that we are expected to tolerate for weeks on end a ‘zombie government’ (in the wordsContinue reading “Saturday 13 August”
Sunday 31 July
Our politics this last week has been even less of an edifying spectacle than usual, with (Boris Johnson is said to have connived at this weeks ago) the two Conservative Party leadership candidates fighting like ferrets in a sack, only equalled, it seems, by their supporters and some in Whitehall briefing madly against one orContinue reading “Sunday 31 July”
Saturday 23 July
So the would-be ‘king of the world’ has finally gone, deposed by those who supported him for so long for fear of losing their own seats…. but not so fast. It already appears that some commentators like Simon Jenkins could be right about this being too easy an assumption: during the deluded and unreal leadershipContinue reading “Saturday 23 July”
Politics and mental health - the missing link? 