Monthly Archives: June 2017

For the 48% who voted to remain in the EU last summer – the narrow margin indicating a clear division, and probably a wide range, of opinion over the issue then – the argument of the more extreme Brexiteers that … Continue reading →

Right-wing Americans have been dissing Sweden for decades. At first it was because of its socialism; no patriotic American could understand or credit the good it seemed to be doing to the country in so many ways. I remember years … Continue reading →

A small gripe. A pretty good documentary on BBC2 last night, Who Should We Let In?, fronted by Ian Hislop, was largely based on a book of mine, The Refugee Question, and on quotes and illustrations I provided directly to the producer … Continue reading →

It has been interesting entertaining Swedish friends here in England at such an eventful and – probably – crucial time in our history. First there was the General Election, with the rise of Jeremy and the revolt of the Youth, … Continue reading →

Just over a year ago, before our referendum, I wrote a piece on Swedish attitudes to the EU, suggesting that Sweden might be tempted to follow Britain out of it: https://bernardjporter.com/2016/04/22/brexit-swexit/.  In fact, post-referendum, it appears that Brexit has had … Continue reading →

One of the great social scandals of the Victorian age was the existence of rich and poor ghettoes cheek by jowl in London, just like in Notting Hill today. Then the poor were hidden away in low slums, behind the … Continue reading →

I sometimes suspect that most Brits assume that their press is normal, and that foreign newspapers must be much the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. I buy newspapers in most of the many countries I travel through; … Continue reading →

Just sent to the Guardian: Easy. Let Theresa May go on formally with her minority government, weak as it is. Domestic legislation should be initiated by any party, and then voted on in the Commons, which will represent a return … Continue reading →

Nearly all the commentators were wrong about this election, of course, except me; and even I was wrong to doubt how right I might be. That’s why I never allowed myself to hope, in spite of sensing the fundamental reaction … Continue reading →

It was the best possible result. Labour didn’t win, but the result humiliated the dreadful, authoritarian Theresa May, virtually destroyed UKIP, and embarrassed all those Labourites who had refused to back their leader because he was ‘unelectable’. What they didn’t … Continue reading →