Quondam academic and devolution adviser. Uneasy about a world where the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
Joined September 2011
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Alan Trench retweeted
The war will indeed end, with Russia's conquest and annexation of Ukraine. This endorsement of Vance by Lavrov should be taken in deadly earnest.
Alan Trench retweeted
Liz Truss, who lost her seat in the general election, giving advice to the Tory party on how to win elections
if a serious figure in a party thinks 'strength of conviction' trumps 'policies that can actually be implemented', 'policies from which there are more winners than losers' and 'competent people making policies happen', they're going to be out of office for a long time
Our defeat last week was certainly about a failure to deliver. But what is that
ensures parties deliver in difficult and uncertain circumstances?
It is strength of conviction. I've written for the @Telegraph this weekend about how we rediscover ours
telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07…
Alan Trench retweeted
People are growing thoroughly fed up of a system that they don’t think is working, and increasingly opting for populist parties (or not voting at all).
This is not funny. Countries only do this when they’re in extreme distress.
Alan Trench retweeted
Austerity has fundamentally cracked our country’s public services. It harmed us all, those with least the most. It set the context for Brexit, our Covid response, the return of mass child poverty, our NHS crisis. On July 4th please remember: we are all still living with it. 3/3
absolutely this!
Having dodged the issue for tactical reasons before the election, there are very good political and economics reasons for Starmer to play prosecutor on Brexit once he has won. 1/n
Why Starmer should now play prosecutor on Brexit ft.com/content/b828868f-6ee8… via @ft
Alan Trench retweeted
not saying the Tory campaign is getting desperate but it’s now…vote Labour if you hate puppies and kittens
Alan Trench retweeted
Reminding people that they should regret giving the Conservatives a majority five years ago is an interesting tactic.
ALT Rishi Sunak: "Once you make that decision on Thursday, there's no going back. Don't do something you might regret."
Alan Trench retweeted
🤯 when a Conservative cabinet decided the party was more important than the country’s well-being.
Astonishing moment from @ShippersUnbound account of May’s Brexit travails in Spring 2019. (Fall Out, p.485)
and if you're a multisquillionaire living in free accommodation in central London, who's enjoyed two very rapid promotions due to chaos in your organisation and who can return to California when it doesn't work out, perhaps it is
the objection is presumably to the speed, doing in days what's taken the Conservatives years to achieve
Introducing #TomorrowsPapersToday from: #SundayExpress
Glasto girls just want to have fun
Check out tscnewschannel.com/the-press… for more newspapers.
#buyanewspaper #buyapaper #pressfreedom #journalism
this excellent piece by @DEHEdgerton accurately identifies just what sort of conservative party it's become. Electorally, that may work. But has it any clue how to run its devolved Union, other than winning a bunch of Scottish MPs? There's little sign it does.
It is telling that the Labour party’s fundamental criticism of the Tories is their lack of competence, rather than their policies. Some thoughts on the implications of Starnakism. theguardian.com/commentisfre…
what a pity @RishiSunak is unlikely to be there to see it
Shrimsley is half-right here. The likely election result pretty much takes Scottish independence off the agenda. But to kill it will mean Labour making sure the Union works. And I don't see any sign that anyone has done the serious work about what that would involve.
The SNP is about to take a beating but Labour and unionists should not be fooled - nationalism may be down but it's not out
Two years to ‘skelp’ Scottish nationalism ft.com/content/921107ec-a028… via @ft
one starting point would be to improve co-ordination within UK Govt as a whole and shrink the Cabinet by getting rid of the three territorial Secretaries of State and having a Sec of State for the Union.
The argument for it is old but still holds. devolutionmatters.wordpress.…
Alan Trench retweeted
Bold strategy, given what went up during the Conservative government.
What would go up during a Labour government? 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thank goodness he's not been responsible for making urgent serious decisions ...
Five out of the six questions put to Rishi Sunak yesterday by national reporters at the Scottish Conservative manifesto launch were about the betting scandal.
This story - which broke properly four days ago - has cut through as much as the D-Day row.
The PM had to cut the two Tory candidates loose but he has taken so long to realise this. Election day is just nine days away.
Alan Trench retweeted
In the last 24 hours both Donald Trump and Nigel Farage blamed NATO for the Ukraine war, speaking Russian propaganda lines exactly. If someone screams loudly and exactly what they are…you are best to believe them.
and I'm sure @Nigel_Farage's advisers will explain to him in detail, and expensively, the defence of justification in libel.