Never coming back
If it's forever, there is no sweetness in farewell's sorrow.
Defeated.
We’ve never done real Black Friday offers, we’ve fought against that game for a decade. I’ve railed against them on here
This year, the shoppers stayed away, lured by the big brands and apparent discounts elsewhere.
We’re now well behind where we need to be. We need to get with the programme. Join the throng.
So, just for you, lovely people, there is 20% off Policy Odyssey games and bundles with the code: EMAIL20.
Dear lovely people,
Last night, there was a Question Time special on immigration. Big hitters from the six main parties debated with passion and clarity. It’s absolutely worth a watch if you find yourself with a spare hour over the weekend.
One thing it highlighted for me was just how tricky it is to be in government right now.
I don’t think they’ve made it any easier on themselves, but one’s heart has to go out to poor Mike Tapp. He’s the Dover MP and the Minister for MIgration and Citizenship.
Last night he was surrounded by wolves. They didn’t bother with sheep’s clothing - their teeth were bared, their intentions clear to all.
You had Zia Yusuf from Reform there to show how weak the government was. Kieran Mullan was pushing the Conservative line that Labour are inept and incompetent.
Deputy leader of the Lib Dems, Daisy Cooper, was focused on the lack of compassion at the heart of government. Zack ‘Green’ Polanski opined about the wonders of immigration and the government’s missed opportunity.
What hope was there for Tapp? All the bravado of ‘smashing the gangs’ appears to have disappeared. It turns out that we’d already been trying to do that. A few sanctions here and there haven’t made any difference.
A one in one out scheme with France has returned about 150 people. Roughly 40,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats in 2025.
They’re trying to move people out of hotels and into other spaces, but that’s really hard, too.
Mike Tapp couldn’t say with any conviction that he was making any real difference on the issue, nor could he claim to be acting with the compassion demanded elsewhere.
He looked hapless and hopeless. It’s not clear what the government really thinks or really wants to achieve. There has to be an element of pragmatism, when you’ve got your feet under the table, but this goes beyond that.
Alas, if you win an election because of the unpopularity of the other lot - and then demonstrate a looseness of commitment to the manifesto on which you were elected - it’s hard for people to know where you stand.
I’m not sure any of this is poor Mike Tapp’s fault, mind.
Peace and love,
Tatton x
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We’re off to never-never landMetallica
The inexorable path
Seventy years ago, the new ‘European Broadcasting Union’ broadcast their first song competition. It was going to be called the European Grand Prix, but in the end they settled for Eurovision Song Contest.
It’s had a good run, all things considered. There have certainly been some absolute bangers shoveled off that stage.
It looks to me like those heady 70 years are over.
It all goes back to 2022, when Russia were suspended from Eurovision over the war in Ukraine. Not many people took much notice of this - Russia was been banned from all kinds of things at the time.
As a result of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a result of the Israeli army’s actions, there were calls for Israel not to be involved in the 2024 edition.
The line ‘we don’t know about politics, we just know about rock and roll’ (used extensively by bands touring countries that others are boycotting - Queen in South Africa, for example) can’t be applied. They made a specific political decision before.
This year’s contest was almost entirely about Israel.
The singer herself, Yuval Raphael, had been at the music festival attacked by Hamas militants on 7th October. She was forced to spend the entire duration of the festivities locked in a hotel room for fear of attack.
It was a mess. Israel came a very close second.
For the 2026 edition, countries had begun to force the issue. A series of broadcasters came out and said they would force a vote on banning Israel.
Yesterday it emerged that Israel would in fact be allowed to compete. Four countries -Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia - will definitely not take part. Belgium and Iceland may yet pull out next week.
Germany had threatened to boycott if Israel were removed. The BBC has said it is about ‘being inclusive’.
This is how things fall apart. We may see some re-building in Gaza, maybe. There is little sign of the end of settler violence in the West Bank. Is there going to be a day when those who don’t want Israel in there now will welcome them back?
Is it ever going to be possible for both Germany and Ireland to be in the same show?
Once these principles are established, reconciliation is so hard.
This is how things end. Ludicrous singing contests will never be the same again.
Which brings us on to trial by jury. You might have heard of trial by jury, it’s the right that was given to us by King John in 1215.
It means that if you’re accused of a crime, you have the right to ask for the evidence to be heard by 12 people, all of whom have the chance to make their minds up independently, rather than just one person making their mind up.
Approx 80% of cases are currently heard by a single magistrate. Maybe more.
Right now we have a huge backlog. Victims of the worst possible crimes are currently being given court dates in 2028. Justice is, without doubt, being delayed and we all know that means justice is being denied.
David Lammy’s solution to this is to end trial the right to request a trial by jury for all crimes except murder and rape.
That’s not the solution that anyone involved in the justice system seems to want. They want to work on some other pretty basic things. They want to not lose court days because the heating is broken so it’s too cold. They want to have prisoners actually turn up to court at the allotted time because Circo have pulled themselves together.
The consensus from the lawyers I’ve heard, Labour backbenchers and almost everyone else is that the government needs to invest.
Removing the jury will not speed up the case for the prosecution, nor the case for the defence.
What it does to, is provide a clear action point for a clear problem. Perhaps that’s what Lammy is after.
This is how things end. If the 800 year old right to a jury trial goes now, it’s never coming back.
There is a lot of speculation that this will be the next government U-turn.
Anyone watching the Commons when this was discussed the other day will have seen plenty of dissent from Labour MPs. Time will tell.
Monday - A huge vote is coming in Parliament. The government’s amended Employment Rights Bill is back. Will Labour MPs vote to bin off Day One protection from unfair dismissal? It was in the manifesto on which they all ran. Angela Rayner is a backbencher now – will she vote against the measure she campaigned for?
I suspect that Rayner might have urgent business elsewhere.
Tuesday - Choo! Choo! All aboard the Railways Bill! It’s going to establish Great British Rail. The interesting part was mostly in last year’s Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, tbf.
Wednesday - The penultimate PMQs of 2025. I’ve been frustrated all year with Kemi Badenoch’s apparent inability to use her six questions to build a compelling argument.
I’ve also been frustrated that Starmer increasingly uses the opening few sentences to make announcements and mini statements.
I’ve also been frustrated that Ed Davey isn’t as probing for Starmer as the SNP’s Steven Flynn was for Sunak (& Truss & Johnson) in the third party role.
Maybe this week will be different.
After that it’s one of those days when the Conservative Party sets the agenda.
Thursday - General Debates on ‘ St. Andrew’s Day and Scottish affairs’ and ‘ the impact of foreign interference on security, trade and democracy’.
The internet did a crash while I was writing to you this morning. Did I have a meltdown and refuse to do any more work until January? No! Lucky you.
Be well x