Published inThe Silent Politician·May 31Member-onlyFreeportsPanacea or poison? Teesside Freeport was supposed to be one of the government’s flagships, extolling the virtues of Freeports and associated charter cities. Freeports are not charter cities. While similar, they operate under different legislative frameworks. This article is about Freeports and Teeside in particular. Freeports are Special Enterprise Zones…Freeport3 min readFreeport3 min read
Published inThe Polis·May 22Member-onlyCorporate CourtsProfits over people? TC Energy Corporation and Trans Canada Pipelines Ltd are suing the United States of America for US$15 billion(£12 billion) for cancelling their permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project . This was the fourth phase of a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta in Canada to refineries…Isds4 min readIsds4 min read
Published inThe Silent Politician·Apr 29Member-onlyPolice and PoliticsThe lines are blurring The Metropolitan Police have been found guilty of institutional racism, homophobia, and sexism. The report’s writer, Louise Casey, suggests it needs a radical reform or be broken up. How did we get to this stage? Who has ultimate responsibility for the police? What is the relationship…Police4 min readPolice4 min read
Published inThe Polis·Apr 17Member-onlyPolitics and the MediaSpinning the truth? What do you expect from your newspaper or your news program? The news? But does it matter how it is presented? Especially political news. Is there an obligation on your news source to “give it to you straight” and not put it through the political spin dryer? …Media4 min readMedia4 min read
Published inThe Silent Politician·Mar 15Member-onlyPolitics and climate changeThe heat is on The world is warming up, and the struggle to maintain the temperature rise to 1.5 Centigrade is proving problematic. Political inertia does not help. At the recent Cop27 held in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, the only major decision taken was an agreement to help vulnerable countries…Climate Change4 min readClimate Change4 min read
Published inThe Polis·Mar 1Member-onlyWorkers on strikeThe last resort of the poorly paid The UK is being hit with a series of damaging strikes by public sector workers. It would be easier to list the occupations which are not striking rather than those that are. …UK Politics3 min readUK Politics3 min read
Published inThe Polis·Jan 31Member-onlyNorthern IrelandThe Brexit Conundrum When the UK left the European Union (EU) it posed a dilemma in Ireland. Northern Ireland was part of the UK whilst the Republic of Ireland remained within the European Union. The EU needed a border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland to maintain the…Northern Ireland Protocol4 min readNorthern Ireland Protocol4 min read
Published inThe Polis·Jan 5Member-onlyImmigrationBorder Control — post Brexit Immigration was one of the main driving forces for the Brexit decision. Up to that point the UK had accepted immigrants from both Asia and Eastern Europe. There was some unease that immigrants had lowered wages and had taken jobs away from the British people…Immigration4 min readImmigration4 min read
Published inThe Polis·Nov 30, 2022Member-onlyBrexitThe Tories Unfinished Symphony The fact that the UK is no longer on the register of the European Union (EU) members is true, but the real, total exit from the EU is far from done, in so many different ways. …Brexit3 min readBrexit3 min read
Published inThe Polis·Oct 20, 2022Member-onlyAuthoritarianism1984 was a novel, not a manifesto When does firm, strong government stray across the lines to become authoritarian? It depends on your definition of firm, strong government. A good government puts the needs of the people first. An authoritarian government puts the needs of the government first. Authoritarianism is…Authoritarianism4 min readAuthoritarianism4 min read
