Category: Politics
-
I Spy…
Picture the scene of abject despondency in the Kremlin. The UK Government is strongly considering regulation for the espionage industry, with spies compelled to sign a register. There’s Mr Putin jumping on that crisis telekit with Mr Xi not knowing which card to lay down next. Talk about pulling the rug out from under the…
-
Meddle Ceremony
I am a fan of etymology and the origins of words, but I have always known that they might sometimes be susceptible to the incorporation of urban legends. This false etymology, as linguists term it, sometimes takes the form of outwardly reasonable explanations that are essentially flawed or backronyms (acronyms that are contrived to provide…
-
No-BAME Culture
‘Diversity and inclusion have never been more important’. They’re at it again, all those boorish recruitment consultants, so-called brand specialists, and advertising gurus churning out whatever toss they think might snag them a hatful of clicks. And it’s always been important. Not more so now. It’s the concept of diversity that has never been more…
-
24/7
On 23 June, the Government offered up a perspective on masks: ‘the evidence of the benefit of using a face covering to protect others is weak and the effect is likely to be small’. As we now know, the world can change very quickly. The new norm dictates that the same goes for science. Not…
-
Fiscal Clear
Leicester, it seems, has drawn the short straw for ‘second wave’ lockdown regression, but is it all that clear-cut? You might argue that the UK never really went into lockdown in the first place. Of course, the Government issued its guidance and its regulations, and it shut businesses. Yet many pubs remained open, parties continued,…
-
Pronouns (Ho/Hum)
I’m starting to see this more and more. People introducing their pronouns on their social media profiles and email signatures. All this relates to those who consider themselves non-binary, or who may be transitioning/have transitioned, and who want to make sure that others do not misgender them. They used to be called PGPs or preferred…
-
Plane Daft
A banner reading ‘White Lives Matter Burnley!’ was towed by an aeroplane over the Etihad Stadium during Burnley’s game against Manchester City. The plane circled over the stadium five times just after kick-off after players and staff had ‘taken the knee‘ in support of the Black Lives Matter movement moments earlier. Predictably, the reaction to…
-
Identity Theft
It has been a challenging time for the UK’s woke wonders, and I’m struggling to keep up with the ebb and flow of social fakery. Pride Month has now almost passed them by, which has left their feather boas whistling in the wind. While they were fixated on their pretence that they were in solidarity…
-
One Hundred and Eight…Eh?
There is something afoot with the number 108. The Government’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit and a contract awarded to Seaborne Freight at Dover? Worth £108m. The coronavirus contact-tracing contract awarded to Serco? Valued at £108m. The PPE contract awarded to Pestfix? Yup, £108m. Somebody even made an Freedom of Information request to the Department…
-
Boxed In
So, what next for the protests? It’s a good question because the road ahead looks bleak. The Government has nestled back into that favoured standby of review/commission mode – that’s route 1 to easy street because it signifies a democratic response to concerns. You spoke and we listened. A good old review always takes away…
maxfrances.com 