British politics

A Pyrrhic victory for Cameron?

David Cameron faces some of the most difficult problems any peace-time UK government ever had to tackle. And neither his party’s mediocre share of the popular vote nor his thin parliamentary majority will help. [...]

A wild forecast for Britain

Eventually, once all the political dust has settled and Britain gets a stable government, we could talk about some more interesting questions. Such as Britain's budget deficit. [...]

Britain’s choice between the devil and the deep blue sea

Few things about this year’s British general elections are predictable. The one exception is that governing Britain will not be any easier after May 7. [...]

Why Scotland’s vote has Brussels spooked

As Scotland votes on independence from the UK today, it would be courageous to speculate on the result. Recent opinion polls have been so tight that the referendum could go either way. But whatever the Scots decide, the implications will be severe -- not just for the (still) UK but also for the EU as well. [...]

Great Scott! Britain’s two faces on Europe unmasked

At the same time that London needs to praise the advantages of EU membership to the Scots, it downplays the importance of being an EU member to everybody else. What sounds totally illogical makes perfect sense when seen through the prism of political necessity. [...]

Diary

It is hard to follow the Cameron chameleon and make sense of his latest mimesis. Suddenly he believes in tax cuts, reducing benefits, cutting the budget and fighting the EU . He now actually sounds like a, well, Tory. [...]

David Cameron, a Tory reborn

The next UK election will be about what kind of country Britain wants to be: a country of business or a redistributionist welfare state? Who would have thought David Cameron would ever put this question to the electorate? [...]

Cameron to carve a European illusion

When Cameron finally delivers his long-awaited speech on Europe, he now faces a real choice. Will he actually say something substantial on the issue, risking a confrontation with his party, his coalition partner, the public, the media, and of course his European colleagues? Or will he once more try to please everyone? [...]

Housing sense in short supply

While the rest of the world wonders what the next phase of the GFC will bring; and while the rest of Europe discusses the future of their common currency; the British are pondering an entirely different question: How can they protect the last blades of grass on their small island from being concreted over? [...]

Curing insanity with madness

The decline of manufacturing in Britain is a serious issue that has been encouraged by government intervention. To use another government intervention to reverse this development is trying to cure insanity with madness. [...]