Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 39

Scottish independence isn't going away. Will the Tories be its curators – or victims? | Simon Jenkins

Boris Johnson cannot deny the Scots the government they want – and helping them achieve it will save him much trouble

Passionate unionist Boris Johnson must be thanking his lucky stars for the spat between the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and her predecessor, Alex Salmond. There was a sudden dip to 50-50 this week in poll support for Scottish independence.

But I doubt if it will last. Whatever happens in the coming May elections to the Scottish parliament, the issue of independence is not going a...

The horrific abuse of sports stars exposes social media's mob rule | Simon Jenkins

Sonja McLaughlan is just the latest innocent victim. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter must do more to stop the hate

After covering last Saturday’s Wales-England rugby match, the BBC’s reporter Sonja McLaughlan found herself sitting in her car in tears. She had received a torrent of sexist obscenities and abuse on social media. “Toxic, embarrassing, disgraceful, appalling,” she said.

She was not alone. After apparently being glimpsed on video absent-mindedly not applauding the Welsh team aft...

Parks have been a lifeline during the pandemic. Let's make Buckingham Palace a public space | Simon Jenkins

In lockdown, Britain’s open spaces have been relied upon as never before. It’s time for the royals to lead by example

Parks are the nation’s wellness clinics. This past year they have been, after hospitals, the unsung, unclapped heroes of the pandemic. They are therapies for isolated and lonely people, places of exercise and relaxation, havens of nature and reflection. Millions of people have found in them refuge and comfort. This coming year, with staycationing a national necessity, millions mor...

The billions spent by the UK government on fighting Covid need proper scrutiny | Simon Jenkins

When ministers use emergency powers, they rely on public sympathy. But their crony bonanza is rapidly eroding it

The point of Brexit, according to its champions, was to liberate Britain from intolerable EU rules. One of these was that government contracts should always go out to transparent competitive tender. This was supposed to aid efficiency and avert the endemic corruption of certain European states. One such state now appears to be Britain.

Last November the National Audit Office estimated t...

Covid has shown that England's schools are desperate for reform | Simon Jenkins

Exams have been cancelled again, and if Gavin Williamson had any sense he wouldn’t bring them back

England’s health service apparently needs a “radical overhaul” due to Covid. That may be so, but then what about England’s education service? If the NHS has a structural cough, secondary schools have the plague. Yet nothing seems to shift them from a structure and a content barely altered in a hundred years. Even now as Whitehall’s cult of only-exams-matter collapses for a second year running, the e...

England should take Welsh support for independence seriously before it's too late | Simon Jenkins

Nationalism is growing, and its appeal is deep – perhaps it’s time to ask why so many people in Wales want to leave

Something unexpected is emerging from Wales: support for independence is strengthening. The pro-independence campaign YesCymru had 2,000 members a year ago, now it says this has risen to more than 15,000. “That’s more members than nearly every political party in Wales,” the group’s chair, Siôn Jobbins, said. YesCymru’s latest polling with YouGov suggested 33% of Welsh people with a ...

Ten years in jail – Matt Hancock's threat is the distress call of a minister losing his grip | Simon Jenkins

This wild gesture toward would-be holidaymakers has drawn strong criticism from the right. But where is Labour?

Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage

For the health secretary, Matt Hancock, this week to threaten returning holidaymakers with 10 years in jail was an abuse of office. He was wielding weapons of personal destruction to glamorise his role in the pandemic and to cover his political flank for past mistakes. This is not what the criminal law is for. Hancock’s self-ap...

Boris Johnson can't always rely on feuds to derail Scottish independence | Simon Jenkins

The row between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon won’t halt the nationalism that is rising across the union

Anglo-Scottish relations are heading for an almighty crash and Boris Johnson cannot look the other way. By the time he has finished in office, it is perfectly possible that Scotland will have gone the way of Ireland in 1922 and Northern Ireland will have voted itself back into the Dublin fold. The United Kingdom would be no more and it would emphatically be Johnson’s fault – because the tri...

Chris Whitty's abuse is a symptom of social media out of control | Simon Jenkins

Debate only works if it is disciplined by ethics. The failure to regulate the digital revolution is the great mistake of our age

A teenager this week harangued Britain’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, in the street as a liar, and then posted his attack on TikTok. It was, said Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock, “completely unacceptable”. The boy’s mother frantically apologised, explaining her 15-year-old son had “a keen interest in public affairs and politics”. His PlayStation would be confisca...

The government must pay the farmers and fishers struggling with its bad Brexit deal | Simon Jenkins

If the state can compensate businesses hurt by lockdown, it can rescue the industries struggling outside of the customs union

There is little doubt what is currently the angriest programme on air: Radio 4’s Farming Today. Every morning, enraged farmers and despairing fishers fume as their food rots in lorries and warehouses, unable to export to Europe or even Northern Ireland because of Brexit. Fishing boats lie idle. Meat cannot be moved. The talk is of animal product bans, faulty vet certifica...