Is Johnson really gone?
01/09/2022
On his return from a summer break, Jim examines the real possibility of Boris Johnson attempting a comeback.
If all else fails pick a fight with a Johnny Foreigner
16/06/2022
In the absence of any coherent strategy to tackle the crisis the UK economy is facing, the PM has decided that the best way to hang onto his job is to pick a series of fights with the international community.
They went too soon
09/06/2022
Did the rebels try to topple the Prime Minister too soon? Jim speculates on the chances of Boris Johnson leading the party into the next election.Also,as the Jubilee bunting comes down Jim reflects on the relationship between the Queen and her fourteen Prime Ministers.
Sunak confirms that he has no plan
26/05/2022
The introduction of a windfall tax may offer some short-term relief for those hardest hit by energy price hikes – but it is no substitute for an economic strategy. Frank McKenna argues that Rishi Sunak and the government has no clue as how to manage the economy – and is the first Conservative administration to have an aversion to tax cuts.
“Worn out defending the indefensible”
13/01/2022
The forthcoming report on Partygate could seal the Prime Minister’s fate. But in his blog Jim warns that Johnson could still escape,with Scottish Tories splitting away.
If PM is FDR, who needs Labour?
02/07/2020
Boris Johnson seems to be backing a big state, spending big to save the economy. Jim thinks that doesn’t leave much space for the Labour Party despite Keir Starmer’s determination to banish Corbynism.
Is the Prize worth the Price?
14/05/2020
This week DIB boss Frank McKenna calls on a more robust ‘return to work’ plan from government, as he spells out the dangers of a long-term lockdown.
The Government are managing the crisis badly. Fact.
30/04/2020
In his latest blog Frank McKenna explains why giving any government a ‘pass’, even during a crisis, would be an afront to democracy – and outlines why he thinks Boris Johnson and his colleagues are struggling to manage the Coronavirus crisis effectively.
Grimmer and grimmer
30/04/2020
Could we be facing a year of Corvid crisis with all its implications for social and business disruption? That’s the fear that Jim expresses this week as he sees few lights at the end of the tunnel. He also speculates what might have happened if David Miliband had become Prime Minister 10 years ago.
There is a magic money tree after all
12/03/2020
The Tories have found the magic money tree that Theresa May said didn’t exist. But in his Budget review, Jim asks if there is underlying unease in the Tory Party about this dramatic switch from austerity to a bonanza of spending.
The destabilising decade
19/12/2019
In his last blog of the year, Jim looks back on the most turbulent decade ever in British politics. It began with Gordon Brown determined to make Labour the natural party of power and ended with it looking unlikely they will ever be in power again.
Johnson could sweep the North West
28/11/2019
Read Jim’s blog for a comprehensive analysis of the key battleground seats in the North West. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture for Labour who are switching tactics to try and shore up their position in the region.