Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 100

This election may prove the death of the union – so be it | Simon Jenkins

There’s no issue of legitimacy for the next government, whether it relies on the SNP or not. But whoever wins will almost certainly have to let Scotland go

There is no legitimacy question in Thursday’s election. A government that wins a confidence vote in the House of Commons is legitimate, period. There may be questions of party loyalty, longevity and popular consent, but they are subsidiary. Britain is not a direct democracy but a parliamentary one. Voters surrender their sovereignty to MPs...

For Nepal’s sake, don’t bulldoze the ruins. Rebuild these exquisite shrines | Simon Jenkins

Ancient sites like Kathmandu matter. The cult of authenticity should not get in the way of restoration

Two disasters hit Nepal at noon last Saturday. The first wiped out whole towns and villages, and has killed as many as 10,000 people. With the world’s help, that disaster can be and will be rectified. The other disaster was to one of the world’s most exquisite cultural survivals, the ancient settlements of the Kathmandu valley and their Hindu and Buddhist shrines. That disaster, labelled “irr...

Who’s in control of law and order in Baltimore – police or politicians? | Simon Jenkins

Police in the US and UK have become over-armed security agencies forming a lobby powerful enough to scare politicians into giving them whatever they want

Now it is Baltimore’s turn. On the fiftieth anniversary of the Watts riots in Los Angeles, one of America’s most historic cities has reverted to violent disorder. The police are overwhelmed, emergency is declared and troops are summoned. The cause is all too familiar, what appears to be the fatal mistreatment by police officers of a black per...

Three-minute election: Is this the end of David Cameron? – video

Guardian columnists Hugh Muir and Simon Jenkins discuss David Cameron's chances of staying in Number 10. The prime minister now has critics to the left and to the right, but will he bow out with dignity? And who are the sharks circling to replace him? Although Boris Johnson may be electable and is firm favourite, would he make a good prime minister? Continue reading...

Cuba has shown us that sanctions don’t work – so why keep using them? | Simon Jenkins

With all the subtlety of Game of Thrones, this kind of warfare has become the default mode of western diplomacy. Yet the only people they hurt are the poor

The days are long gone when Labour was torn apart by ban the bomb. For the party leader, Ed Miliband, the Trident missile is what HS2 is for David Cameron. It is political tokenism, machismo, image candy. Am I big on defence, Miliband said to an interviewer. “Hell, yes.” Look at my weapons.

For Britain (and France), nuclear bombs are to fore...

Labour’s new message: vote Tory for financial recklessness | Simon Jenkins

Ed Miliband’s response to the panicky Conservative pledge to find 8bn for the NHS suggests a more mature approach to public finances

The election campaign has hit its paradox moment. Vote Tory for reckless, unfunded public spending. Vote Labour for extreme fiscal responsibility. This week’s manifestos, starting with Labour today, cannot be taken at face value. They are opening bids for the manifesto that dares not speak its name, the outcome of post-election coalition treaties, winks and nods....

The Tories must stamp on the leech of non-dom status before Labour beats them to it | Simon Jenkins

The time to abolish this shameful tax anachronism is long overdue. The only question is: why has it taken successive governments so long?

The Tories should nip this one in the bud. It does not matter what Ed Balls said a few months ago about taxation of “non-doms”, apparently ridiculing what Ed Miliband now supports. Balls was wrong and Miliband is right, and George Osborne should now agree. The chancellor can claim to be tougher than any of his predecessors on tax avoidance. He can argue that...

Tony Blair’s love affair with Europe will not win votes for Labour | Simon Jenkins

In his entry into the election campaign, Blair has forgotten that Britons are sceptical of the virtues of EU membership

The condor is back, wheeling dark overhead. Far beneath, the villagers shudder and lambs rush to their mother’s side. The shadow of Tony Blair brings with it memories of past wars and pestilences, of slick and spin. Why does he come back? They cry. Why not leave us in peace?

Blair’s efforts to rehabilitate himself remain half-hearted. A paltry £1,000 for each marginal La...

Why shouldn’t Michael Bloomberg be mayor of London? | Simon Jenkins

The former mayor of New York is rumoured to be thinking of running London. After all, they are really one city, separated only by an airport runway

The rumour that the former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg is thinking of running as mayor of London confirms what the rest of Britain has long known. The United Kingdom is continuing to dissolve. New York and London are really one city, separated only by an airport runway. But both are thousands of miles distant from their hinterlands. That is...

The government Britain needs most is the one that will do the least | Simon Jenkins

Ever since Salisbury ministers have harassed public servants and voters alike with relentless, ego-driven reform

We won’t touch. We’ll change nothing. We’ve mucked you about long enough and will leave you alone, we promise. These are the least likely pledges to be heard during the coming election campaign. No one will promise to stop fussing, meddling, intervening, legislating, regulating. The only coalition that exists is the “coalition for change”, and it embraces all parties. A politician w...