Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 42

Boris Johnson's 'mutant' planning algorithm could scar England for ever | Simon Jenkins

A Dominic Cummings-influenced white paper throws land open to uncontrolled building – but could spark a Tory revolt

When Dominic Cummings stormed out of Downing Street earlier this month he left behind a time bomb more explosive than any pandemic recession or no-deal Brexit. Those pestilences will pass. If enacted, the Cummings-inspired white paper Planning for the Future will scar England’s face for ever.

The paper promises to shift the appearance of England. It intends to throw open landscapes,...

Trump has tested the limits of the US constitution – but it's still holding | Simon Jenkins

The fact that the president cannot hold on to power shows the checks and balances are working

Slowly, painfully, alarmingly, Donald Trump has been conceding the US presidency to Joe Biden. Over the weekend his close friend Chris Christie called his delay “a national embarrassment”, joining judges, aides and other Republican politicians. Meanwhile the world has erupted in a chorus of derision at the state of American democracy, polluted by corruption, fake news and money. Countries whose leaders w...

Billions extra for defence? This is Boris Johnson showing off his power | Simon Jenkins

The locked-down prime minister pretends to be fearlessly decisive. But spending for influence and status is likely to be wasted

Ancient warriors were said to terrify their foes by piling high their valuables in full view and burning them to flaunt their power. That is now official British defence policy.

Boris Johnson feels the need to show the world he is fit and well by humiliating his chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and indulging his most spendthrift department, defence. He is giving it an extra £21.5...

The Crown's fake history is as corrosive as fake news | Simon Jenkins

The popular TV series about the royal family is reality hijacked as propaganda, and a cowardly abuse of artistic licence

When you turn on your television tonight, imagine seeing the news acted rather than read. Someone looking like Boris Johnson furiously screaming at his fiancee, Carrie Symonds; Dominic Cummings vomiting into a can; and the Queen told to piss off. Afterwards the BBC flashes up a statement saying all this was “based on true events”, and hoping we enjoyed it.

The royal family serie...

The office block has had its day. But what will replace it? | Simon Jenkins

Cities emptied by the coronavirus can focus on cultural activities, while the countryside we flee to must be protected

Does a Christian need a church? Does a shopper need a shop? Does an office worker need an office block? We know these places help bring people together and can deepen the experience. But when the coronavirus has passed I believe the truth will be revealed. Technology means that we can perform most of these tasks from anywhere, including home.

After the first lockdown, surveys sugg...

Boris Johnson has to stop playing games and agree a deal with Europe | Simon Jenkins

Britain must accept whatever it is offered, it can’t afford not to. The EU is stronger, it has Biden on its side – and it’s right

This week it’s for real, at last. The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is in London for the last time in earnest – a deal must be struck this week before UK and EU parliaments can start to ratify a trade and security deal. If Boris Johnson’s apparently helpless negotiator David Frost cannot shake on a deal, preparations for a hard border round Britain’s coast mus...

Britain's government is exploiting fear to suit its actions, whether on Covid or terrorism | Simon Jenkins

The last refuge of the populist – the politics of fear – is being shamelessly deployed by both Priti Patel and Boris Johnson

The home secretary told me this week that I faced a terrorist threat that was “severe” and an incident that was “highly likely”. I should be “alert”, she said.

What is the difference between likely and highly likely? Should I fear to leave home? Should I run for my life if I see a man with a backpack? Priti Patel also tells me to be “not alarmed”. So why does she try to sca...

A new website for independent bookshops is just what the industry needs | Simon Jenkins

The high street is clearly facing disaster, but in order to survive it must make peace with the online world

Good news from the high street. We don’t often read those words, least of all courtesy of the internet. The UK opening on Monday of the Bookshop website is a blood transfusion for independent bookshops and one from which all retailers can learn. The website is a mail-order circumvention of Amazon, selling books under the flags of more than 130 independent booksellers. Buyers order their bo...

The world is rocked by protest – but does taking to the streets ever work? | Simon Jenkins

From Minsk to São Paulo, protesters think they are making a difference. But political reform must come from within

If all else fails, democracy takes to the street. The street is its last resort. At present, each weekend we see the people of Belarus marching to demand the resignation of their president, Alexander Lukashenko. We see protesters in Thailand are jamming Bangkok to reform their monarchy. Nigerians are rioting in Lagos, Brazilians in São Paulo.

Related: Biden vows to back Belarus oppos...

Johnson and Patel are baiting lawyers to distract from the real threat to our freedoms | Simon Jenkins

Lawyers should ignore No 10’s taunts and instead gird their loins to campaign in favour of judicial review

Eight hundred legal eagles are up in arms. They are furious with Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, accusing them of being “lefty lawyers” and “do-gooders”, seeking to leave the “whole” criminal justice system “hamstrung”. At this month’s Tory party conference, the two politicians accused them in one voice of indefensibly exploiting a “broken” immigration appeal system in the interest of their c...