In a tale as old as time, moderate socdems & liberals arm the Freikorps to defeat the Red Menace and are shocked when the guns are turned on them.

This is the slide I used in my “Westminster Bubble” lecture this year, where the question for class discussion was - “why did the ‘bubble’ go along with Mandelson’s appointment … until suddenly they didn’t?”

This is the slide I used in my “Westminster Bubble” lecture this year, where the question for class discussion was - “why did the ‘bubble’ go along with Mandelson’s appointment … until suddenly they didn’t?”

Many politicians who think of themselves as good, decent people are directly complicit in treating this sort of thing as excusable, ‘normal’, and no reason to interrupt our military & business cooperation. Nobody’s actions really face ramifications in Brit Pol, but some consequences would be nice.

I am reminded of Michael White’s claim regarding an MP in the 1980s:

‘“Whatever you do, don’t go near the Kincora boy’s home scandal [in Belfast], it’s a can of worms from which you won’t escape,” one probing MP was warned only last year. He took the advice.’

www.theguardian.com/politics/201...

The lack of mainland media interest in Chris Moore’s book on Kincora and its claims was noticeable. Especially considering this story from June - and the potential implications... www.bbc.com/news/article...

On Lownie’s book, see The Times story on the claims: archive.ph/CvdYI

💯 In a way it’s useful that the next major election is under PR as it makes such conversations less urgent, while the results will provide a signpost/wake-up call to organise ahead of Westminster.

I view much of that 11% Welsh Lab vote as the bedrock “were internationalists, not nationalists” tendency within the party: the view of Plaid as a “racist” and “anti-English” party. 2020+ polls show high support for independence among Welsh Lab voters. Fear gone.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....