Exit Theresa May

Theresa May was fundamentally not up to the job of being Prime Minister. She lacked the political skills, the charisma and the necessary ruthlessness to hold the very top position. Home Secretary was really as far as she should have gone and her ascension to the top job was basically a historical accident.

It is true that "proper Brexit" without wrecking the economy is an impossible task. Like trying to jump the Grand Canyon on a bicycle. She however was doing it with a pogo stick.

Her successor might well be trying it with a skipping rope. I think there is a good chance Article 50 will be revoked, especially if the policy of a new PM is No Deal.

We have five months before we are currently due to leave. This sorry saga won't be done yet.

UK local elections 2013

32 of 34 councils have declared in these elections and while Labour didn't do as well as it could have, we were the only party (apart from No Overall Control) to gain councils.

UKIP's record performance is worthy of note, but one should not draw too many conclusions from what is basically a vote of the Tory heartlands - the major cities were not up, including London (I didn't have a vote this time, but I will next year).

Labour GAIN Corby

An expected victory, but the margin - over 7,700 votes - is definitely an impressive one. Plus any time the Lib Dems lose their deposit is always funny.

Welcome to the new recession

The UK has officially re-entered recession.

You know, when this government took power, I thought it would fix the economy and the deficit at the cost of massive social damage to this country. They can't even do the former.

Strikes on 30 November

I have decided, after some thought, that I back the TUC strikes on 30 November and would take part on them if I was a member of a participating union.

My reasons are as follows:

1. While I feel that something does need to be done about public sector pensions; this should be a change only for new joiners rather than existing employees. I do not feel that making existing civil servants work longer and pay more while getting less is correct - it is a fundamental change to their contract.
2. The arguments about the conditions in the private sector are a logical fallacy - what they are doing is not a reason for the public sector to do the same.
3. The arguments about turnout are also spurious. An abstention is not a "no" and anyway, most politicians weren't elected by a majority of their electorate.
4. Lord Hutton's review points out that many of these pension schemes are not "gold-plated" at all - in half of public sector workers get less than £5,600 a year.
5. The "£500 million" cost that the Coalition cites is nothing compared with the cost of the too far and too fast cuts.

I don't want to see a strike - I want to see a fair deal. The current proposal isn't.