Friday 24 January 2020

On Four Fronts

On Huawei, on Iran, on taxing the tech giants, and on Anne Sacoolas, this Government is in dispute with the United States on no fewer than four fronts. If a Labour Government were in that position, then there might perfectly conceivably be a CIA-backed military coup in Britain. Yet here we are, under a Conservative Prime Minister who was an American citizen for the first 52 years of his life.

Boris Johnson knows that he will remain Prime Minister only if he retains the Red Wall seats that require the huge levels of State investment and preference that Brexit will make possible, as part of a Neither Brussels Nor Washington economic policy that can exist only in the closest connection to the Neither Brussels Nor Washington foreign policy.

At this rate, he might even release his inner Peter Oborne and Peter Hitchens, his inner ghost of Andrew Alexander, and repeal this country's disgracefully one-sided extradition arrangements with the United States. Frankly, as a matter of principle, we ought not to extradite anyone to the American penal system. We certainly ought not to do so by means or in circumstances that would not be reciprocated.

I have been as scornful as anyone of Jeremy Corbyn's claim to have "won the argument", but he may have spoken truer than he knew. Although be in no doubt that, while anyone may attend the Durham Miners' Gala, it is not just "a good day out", or a celebration of "heritage" that might as well be held at Beamish. It is also, and fundamentally, a very specific political event. There is no more a place on its platform for Conservatives than there would be for those of us who were on the Left but not in the Labour Party.

I will be standing for Parliament again here at North West Durham next time, so please give generously. In any event, please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.

1 comment:

  1. You should be in Parliament. I know you know that, but it's worth repeating.

    ReplyDelete