There are two very different ways of looking at Hartlepool. The first is the lurid headline version — the kind of thing you might find in the Sun, focusing on obesity, ill health, decline. The second is less obvious: Northern Studios, the largest film and television production facility in the North East, part of the … Read more
After the Gorton by-election, a number of stories circulated about so-called “family voting” — Muslim families voting together, with the husband supposedly directing how others should vote. This narrative was quickly seized on as an explanation for Reform’s failure to win the seat and for the collapse of the Conservative vote. The Conservatives, in particular, … Read more
The myth of British military power ended at Suez. The myth of American military power may be ending at the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s war against Iran has no clearly defined strategic objectives, no endgame, and no obvious way of judging success or failure. It is, above all, an exercise in image-building: projecting American strength, … Read more
