The Problem with the Public Order Bill
To give its full title, the Public Order Bill is “A Bill to make provision for new offences relating to public order; to make provision about stop and search powers; to make provision about the exercise of police functions relating to public order; to make provision about proceedings by the Secretary of State relating to protest-related activities; to make provision about serious disruption prevention orders; and for connected purposes.”
11 min read
05/02/2023
A Resolution's Worth of Words
At the end of last year I made public my resolutions, not only for the coming year, but also the next half decade. I went through a little of the history and tradition around the setting of resolutions at the New Year and also outlined the 10 (or 11) things that I had determined I ought to do to improve myself and my life. One of them was to re-embrace reading.
16 min read
24/12/2022
Publish and Be Damned - The Stoics
Four months ago we started series one of Publish and Be Damned by posing the question: is stoicism only fit for those who have never done anything courageous or powerful in their lives?
4 min read
10/12/2022
The Curious Case of Kemi and the Conservative Leadership Contest
Most people hear politics and groan. Given the state of people’s finances this year and the pressing global issues we have faced, and continue to face, over the last few years, the last thing people want to hear about is more uncertainty in British politics. Yet here we are. After less than 3 years in office the Conservative Party are in the process of turfing out another leader. Need I remind you all that the previous incumbent was also turfed out by the Parliamentary party after only 3 years?
12 min read
16/07/2022
The Membership should decide the next Conservative Leader
A number of conservative organisations have been making the argument that it is unfair for the Conservative MPs to effectively decide who the next leader of the Conservative party will be.
7 min read
08/07/2022
The Trad Tax
I call on any conservative government worthy of the name to reflect upon the way in which it currently favours total employment, at any cost, over and above the traditional family unit. I ask that if they are not willing to actively incentivise these traditional family units, then they at least remove some of the disincentives which currently exist as a result of our ‘progressive’ system.
16 min read
11/05/2022
Influence, Institution and Incrementalism
Originally written by John for publication by the Mallard in their January 2022 Issue
3 min read
06/04/2022
The English Language, Antecedence and Adaptation
The English language is a complex beast, full of rules and anomalies. It is something which has evolved over the space of more than a millenia and a half and over that time it has incorporated Latin, French and Old Norse (among other influences). It has grown and developed almost like an organism, with it's usage being adapted by the user over generations with elements being changed, added, or disposed of to suit regional tastes and catastrophic events.
11 min read
23/03/2022
New Year's Resolutions
A Few years ago, students and professors at the University of Plymouth published an article titled Are New Year’s resolutions a waste of time? They found that only 9% of those who made resolutions in 2017 felt that they had kept those resolutions, with a third having felt they had failed by mid-January with many people indicating that they felt they had set themselves an unachievable task.
8 min read
31/12/2021
Why We Write - An Update
Last week I wrote an article asking you, our readers and members, to contact your MP and make your feelings regarding 'Plan B' known to them.
2 min read
14/12/2021
Why We Write
A couple of days ago, having heard the news that ‘Plan B’ was to be put in to effect, thereby reinstating some covid restrictions previously lifted, and also that a ‘national debate’ might need to be had on mandatory medical procedures, I immediately wrote to my MP to request that he vote against any such measures put to parliament.
5 min read
11/12/2021
Conservative Party Conference - Welfare
Enoch Powell is, to many, a divisive character. For good or for ill, his name has become synonymous with a single speech - The Birmingham Speech - which was delivered on 20 April 1968 to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in Birmingham, United Kingdom. What is less known about Powell by modern audiences is that he was a prolific speaker and is regarded as one of the best British orators of the 20th century. His deliberative and emotive style was famously employed, on a number of occasions, in the Commons itself over his long tenure as MP for Wolverhampton and later South Down. Speeches on the Hola camp brutality and his proposal of a law prohibiting research on embryos are fine exemplars of his broad and extensive catalogue, oft forgotten in favour of the infamous 'Rivers of Blood'.
24 min read
02/10/2021
From Afghanistan to Taliban (And Where We Go From Here)
“These are difficult and testing times for us all. People are bound to be concerned about what the terrorists may seek to do in response. I should say there is at present no specific credible threat to the United Kingdom that we know of and that we have in place tried and tested contingency plans which are the best possible response to any further attempts at terror. This is a moment of utmost gravity for the world. None of the leaders involved in this action want war. None of our nations want it. We are peaceful people. But we know that sometimes to safeguard peace, we have to fight. Britain has learnt that lesson many times in our history. We only do it if the cause is just. This cause is just.”
10 min read
20/09/2021
Remembering Our Heritage (Preserving History Through Re-Enactment)
Delapré Abbey is an English neo-classical mansion in Northamptonshire which incorporates the remains of a former monastery, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré. It was founded as a nunnery at some time around the year 1145 and was devoted to the congregation of the major Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy, France.
7 min read
20/09/2021
