A disgraceful New York Times opinion piece
Criticisms of Trump are more than warranted. But papers like the New York Times shouldn’t provide a platform for senior members of his administration to display such cowardly, destructive and self-serving behavior
- 12 September 2018
How strong is the Trump economy, and who to credit?
Because he’s all over the map, it’s not easy to assign an overall grade to Trump’s economic policy (especially since it’s an open question whether Trump is trying to liberalize trade or restrict it). if you’re fair, you admit that some of Trump’s policies -- like tax cuts -- are helping the economy and some are hurting the economy -- such as on spending. It's a mixed bag, but we should focus on economic freedom
- 28 August 2018
Mapping the world Donald Trump style
Donald Trump lends himself to satire like no other American president before him. But sometimes never a truer word is spoken than in jest. Do these three humorous maps of Donald Trump's world say something that goes beyond a joke?
- 17 January 2018
Oprah: Celebrity and the presidential dream
One can admire the achievements of Oprah Winfrey and others in the entertainment world, but celebrity does not warrant shaping our politics or suggest suitability or adequacy for the highest political office in the U.S. It is a worrying sign of our discombobulated times that we are talking about this at all
- 15 January 2018
Donald Trump's loud European vacation
In continental Europe it really isn't the done thing to start telling it like it is. So when Donald Trump lectured Europeans about defence expenditure and refugees and trade he offended a lot of people merely by telling the truth. Good on Donald Trump!
- 29 May 2017
Trump off to a better start than commonly believed
Donald Trump's first 100 days have not been the foreign policy disaster, or even the major break with long standing US goals, that many feared. There's a long way to go, and he really needs to stay off Twitter, but he could hardly be worse than his predecessor. Give Trump a chance?
- 1 May 2017
Why Trump's good tax plan is not serious enough
Slashing the corporate tax rate is a great idea, and Trump's heart is in the right place on tax generally. But if he really wanted a big tax cut, he would have a comprehensive plan to restrain the growth of government spending. He doesn’t. He needs to get more serious
- 27 April 2017
Will Trump drain the swamp or wallow in it?
Corruption in Washington is a huge issue that people do not take seriously enough. President Trump's supporters demand that he make good on his promise to drain the swamp. But what if he just wallows in it and gargles the muck instead?
- 22 February 2017
People aren’t even giving Trump a chance
We need a more nuanced less hsyterical approach to the Trump presidency. A number of his moves are not sensible. But he has made some excellent appointments and nominations, not least to the Supreme Court. Context also helps. Obama's presidency was one of unbridled arrogance and ideological straightjackets
- 12 February 2017
Why Trump supporters should oppose immigration ban
Trump's ban on entrants from 7 majority Muslim countries is foolish. We should be following the Israelis and profiling people. This is the opposite idea. It makes counter-terrorism much harder, and aids terrorists by helping them get under the radar. Trump should beware of emulating Obama's early stance of just doing things that his predecessor would never have done so as to please his base
- 30 January 2017
The Theresa and Donald show
The Trump-May meeting brings back memories of Thatcher and Reagan. Of course, the world is very different. But a Brexiting Britain and Trump's America may find that the special relationship is now more special than it has been for many years
- 27 January 2017
All we are saying is give Trump a chance
It used to be said that American leaders campaign in poetry and govern in prose. If Donald Trump was campaigning in poetry the prose is going to be a blast. In some areas the pointers are good: Brexit and Israel, for example. On others, let's just give Trump a chance
- 20 January 2017
Obama's dismal but forgettable legacy
Obama's legacy is dismal. What he did wrong was mainly unoriginal; what he did right was trivial. He was a president consumed with himself. His legacy is entirely forgettable
- 17 January 2017
The Russia question: Of Barack, Donald, and Vladimir
There is a sense in which it is worrying that Trump seems warm towards Putin. But Obama, as in so many spheres, never had a serious policy towards Russia. One thing is clear, Washington and Moscow have an overwhelming interest in working together on a range of vital issues
- 4 January 2017
Trump has a chance for a new MidEast policy shift
After the wasted and fruitless presisdency of Barack Obama, Donald Trump should seize the moment for a totally new approach to the MidEast, and Britain should do likewise
- 27 December 2016
Latest on the blog
We are wholly dependent on the kindness of our readers for our continued work. We thank you in advance for any support you can offer.