Opinion polls, usually with undisclosed questions, are often taken far too seriously. Or as Shakespeare put it, a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.
IPSOS who surveyed 1,028 people about politicians and office parties admit their poll is a bit of seasonal fun. A major plus point. All the questions are disclosed.
Some results seem spot on. Farage is the person most likely to embarrass themselves and also the most likely person to have a hangover (although the impact is less if you are never actually sober, I’ve heard)
The view that Kemi Badenoch would be a better dancer at the office party then Keir Starmer seems to me doubtful, since the PM has a background in northern soul. And it doesnt take much imagination to work out what ‘dance’ Farage would be doing
With a flu epidemic various official advice has suggested wearing a mask in public particularly if there are symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. Prudent advice one might think, although of course in a echo of earlier times, a BBC health correspondent appeared on Newsnight to suggest that only some types of mask did the job (the ones that are harder to get no doubt)
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch opined that she didn’t know if she would wear a mask, and suggested that if people are unwell they should stay at home. Of course that is not an option for all, and Ms Badenoch might underline her view by calling off Tory Peers who are blocking the Employment Relations Bill, which includes, er, improvements to sick pay.
Nigel Farage meanwhile told the Telegraph that he didn’t wear a mask during COVID and would not now. As usual it pays to treat anything the Reform UK boss said in the context of Marx’s favourite dictum, ‘doubt everything’
Celebration of the life of Megan Davies (1958-2025). Socialist choir & politics, cricket, beer & Michael Rosen’s words on fascism. Recording available at link in post
The funeral of my partner of 30 years Megan Davies took place on Friday 5th December. Thanks to all those who attended in person and joined the livestream. A recording is now available
Thanks to Megan’s sister Bronwen who jointly organised matters with myself, to Jo John who did an excellent job as a humanist celebrant and Cor Cochion, the Cardiff socialist choir who sang two songs including Nkosi Sikelele Afrika.
I spoke briefly about Megan’s love of cricket, the Test Match Special theme Soul Limbo was played, indy beer and her socialist politics.
The funeral concluded with a reading of Michael Rosen’s poem Fascism I Sometimes Fear…
It was both a remembrance and a celebration of Megan’s life but the things she fought for Palestine, anti-racism and socialism will continue with her as an inspiration to future struggles for a better world.
For those unable to make the Cardiff funeral there will be a celebration of Megan’s life in London (Megan was ‘born and bred’ in North London and spent time there in the last 30 years) at the Cock Tavern, Mare St, E8 (Hackney Central BR 2 minutes) on (tbc) Sunday 18th or Sunday 25th January 2026 PM
Source Financial Times via Alex Callinicos on Meta
Trump is bad news for tourism and hospitality in the US. Its far from clear if he cares, or even knows. With a football World Cup coming up in 2026 there will certainly be trouble ahead. Not least with Trump’s latest plan that the past 5 years of visitors social media be checked on entry to the US.
A reminder of course that the US is not Trump. The left and (some) unions tell a story of a very different country. That country needs solidarity
He has made clear that allegations of anti-Semitic and racist comments by Farage when he was a student at Dulwich in the 1970s do not represent what the College is today. Milne is clearly and rightly concerned about the reputational damage Farage’s failure to draw a line under the matter is doing to Dulwich.
The allegations against Farage were first made on 18th November, 23 days ago. Blair’s spin doctor Alastair Campbell is said to have taken the view that if a story about an individual remains news for longer than 12 days they are in trouble.
The World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in North London started on 11th December and runs through to the first weekend in January with a brief Christmas break which has just concluded.
Darts was once a proletarian sport played in pubs, and it still is, but the Ally Pally event is about darts as a global entertainment and commercial phenomenon.
It’s broadcast not by the BBC but by Sky (Comcast) who passed up the chance to bid for the Ashes in Australia on the basis that the darts is a bigger audience draw, almost certainly correctly.
The Ally Pally darts are now shown in 100 countries including in 2025 India and Mongolia. For the post-Christmas final sessions 40% of the tickets are sold elsewhere in Europe primarily to Holland and Germany
While it might be thought, in a stereotypical way, to be the natural habitat of Reform supporters in reality this is far from the case. Both the TV audience and those attending are also global. Quite how far this is grasped in official British society I’m less sure…
White Christian nationalism is the ideological motor behind much of the Make America Great Again support for Trump.
It appears that during his most recent jail term Stephen Yaxley Lennon converted to some form of Christianity. To mark his conversion Yaxley Lennon appears to be planning a Christmas piss up in central London.
As ever he needs opposing religious or non-religious uniting against racism is essential as we end 2025
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that former Mansfield MP Ben Bradley will not be considered for any further beard related contests such as Beard of the Year, after he defected from the Tories to Reform.
Bradley was voted Parliamentary Beard of the Year in 2017 and 2019, when he beat Jeremy Corbyn for the annual honour.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, one of our core principles is that people should be able to dress and appear as they want. That is clearly not something that Reform supports and in joining them Ben Bradley has ruled himself out of consideration for any future beard contests
Tory Peers block Employment Relations Bill again. Is the Parliament Act the way forward?
The Employment Relations Bill currently in Parliament is far from the measure drawn up when Labour was in opposition. Even so it still contains measures that have the potential to drive improvements to rights at work and hence to people’s working lives.
Despite concessions, some might say because of them, on day one employment rights on dismissal Tory Peers again refused to p any ass the Bill on 10th December.
Of course this has rightly been condemned by Paul Nowak GS of the TUC and by other Union leaders including Mike Clancy at Prospect who the Guardian reports as saying
The behaviour of the House of Lords can no longer be seen as constructive scrutiny and increasingly looks like cynical wrecking tactics that risk a constitutional crisis if they continue.
Further delay is in nobody’s interests and only prolongs uncertainty, the bill must pass before Christmas including lifting the caps on compensation.
However it’s a reminder perhaps as much to Labour as anything else that the Tories are intent on class war. They (and Reform MPs when they trouble to turn up) have consistently voted against the Bill in the Commons. They don’t want any improvements in people’s working lives whatever the rhetoric.
There are several possible ways forward. One is to make further concessions to what is already a much reduced measure. Another is to use the 1949 Parliament Act which would see the Bill delayed for a further year.
Another alternative is to protest both at workplaces and on the streets in support of workers rights and against an undemocratic House of Lords…
