Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 29

You say Partygate, I say Beergate – let’s call the whole thing off | Simon Jenkins

Enough with the point-scoring – Brexit, Northern Ireland and the cost of living crisis need our undivided attention

Partygate should be declared over, done with, expiated, spent. All known “criminals” who consumed a can of beer or glass of prosecco at the wrong time or place should be amnestied. Yes, it was outrageous. It was hypocritical and sickening to millions. Sinners sinned on all sides. But as the pandemic passes into history, let history be its judge. There are critical issues now on the ...

Let me introduce you to the plan for London’s latest eyesore – the slab | Simon Jenkins

For 15 years outsize developments have been making a mess of the Thames – and this South Bank scheme is among the worst

I could not imagine that London might inflict any more visual damage to the Thames than it has already done. No city on earth has made such a mess of its river. But one of its biggest and most aggressive office blocks has just been approved on the South Bank in the heart of the capital. The slab – or rather tower and slab – that was approved by Lambeth council in March is to loo...

The NHS used to be a religion. But the faith is being tested like never before | Simon Jenkins

England’s ‘dental deserts’ are just the latest blow. We have to learn from other countries that are getting healthcare right

Now England has “dental deserts”. According to the Association of Dental Groups, large areas of the country are devoid of their care. Dentists are leaving the NHS in record numbers – more than 2,000 last year alone – leaving an estimated 4 million patients having to go private, dial 999 or just suffer.

Not a week passes without a bad news cloud enveloping Britain’s healthcar...

Liz Truss risks recklessly inflaming Ukraine’s war to serve her own ambition | Simon Jenkins

The foreign secretary’s belligerent comments on Russia reduce Ukraine to a pawn in the Conservatives’ power struggle

The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, is playing with fire. On Wednesday night she described Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a “rogue operator” lacking rationality, and with “no interest in international norms”. As a result, she said: “We will keep going further and faster to push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine.” She is clearly revelling in her imagined proxy war on the Russian bear and...

Working 9-5 doesn’t mean being chained to a desk. Someone tell Jacob Rees-Mogg | Simon Jenkins

Office work has changed for ever, but the minister is leaving letters to civil servants as if they’re his butler

The joke must have seemed merry at the time. The “minister for Brexit opportunities” leaves a calling card on his absent officials’ desks saying: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.” He also suggests in a Mail on Sunday article that they might like to stick to what he called “the shires” and forgo their London weighting allowance.

T...

Boris Johnson’s guilt is beyond doubt. There is no way back from this | Simon Jenkins

The failure to block the motion to refer the prime minister to the Commons privileges committee is a watershed moment

Boris Johnson is in serious trouble. He faces danger on all fronts. His capitulation to the Commons privileges committee leaves him open to the risk of being found lying to parliament. Resignation would have to follow. Beyond that, he has the May elections and further penalty notices ahead. Even his talents as a political Houdini will be tested.

The issue is not what he did. No one...

The Rwanda plan for refugees is shocking, but we don’t need to bring God into it | Simon Jenkins

Justin Welby’s invocation of the Almighty only confuses the forces that need mustering against Boris Johnson’s cruel policy

Boris Johnson’s government’s proposal to deport asylum seekers of whatever origin who arrive on unauthorised routes, such as by crossing the Channel, to Rwanda in east Africa is beyond callous. It is understandable that the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, should want to add his voice to the protests. But invoking God’s judgment in the matter leaves him vulnerable to ...

Heed the events in France – populism is gaining ground and only a revolution can stop it | Simon Jenkins

A new wave raises questions about identity, elections and how we live. Conventional politics must answer them or die

If today’s democracy teaches any lesson it is don’t underestimate populism. Insult it, deride it, excuse it, no-platform it, but it is a serious force in electoral politics. In France, Marine Le Pen has surged into contention for the presidency.

Earlier this month, Hungary’s authoritarian Viktor Orbán swept the board. In Russia, albeit in vexed circumstances, Vladimir Putin retains ...

British sovereignty over the Falklands is an absurd imperial hangover that must end | Simon Jenkins

Forty years after the war in the South Atlantic, common sense demands a negotiated settlement with Argentina

This April is the 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands war. Less well known is that it is the 41st anniversary of a final attempt by the British government to concede sovereignty over the islands to the enemy in that war, Argentina. Negotiations in New York were in progress, aimed at securing self-government for the islands under a long lease from Argentina. Had they succeeded, i...

Will Putin ever be held responsible for the atrocities we’re seeing in Bucha? | Simon Jenkins

History has shown that international justice can be difficult to achieve, but that doesn’t mean Zelenskiy shouldn’t try

The evidence of atrocities by Russian troops as they retreat from central Ukraine is appalling. Denials and claims of fabrication out of Moscow are worthless. The alleged massacres in Bucha and elsewhere cannot be put down to the indiscipline of war. After a month of targeted destruction of homes, hospitals and schools, they indicate a systematic campaign of terror against an en...