Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 85

Jeremy Corbyn’s dismissal of Nato is a step too far | Simon Jenkins

I cheered the Labour leader’s stance against Trident. But shunning our most important international military alliance is just reckless

What on earth is Jeremy Corbyn on about? When asked at last night’s leadership debate in Solihull whether as prime minister he would aid a Nato ally under attack, he said no. “I would want to avoid us getting involved militarily. I want to achieve a world in which we don’t need to go to war.” The implication in this is that Corbyn wants to withdraw Britain from...

This Olympics hysteria shows that Britain has turned Soviet | Simon Jenkins

We used to ridicule the communists for using sport as a proxy for economic success. Now, with the vast sums thrown at Team GB and athletes declared ‘heroes’, we’re copying them

Australia’s cycling star, Anna Meares, said of Britain’s triumphant cyclists: “They’ve got it together … but, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what they’ve got together.” The French and Germans were heard to murmur likewise. One interpretation could be that murky word “cheating”, although Meares strongly denied that s...

It’s easy to cheer the judge who used the C-word. But we shouldn’t | Simon Jenkins

Her reaction may be understandable, but it was wrong – and sending a troubled man to prison is likely to make his problems worse

So a woman judge is abused as “a bit of a cunt” who should “go fuck yourself” by a racist thug whom she has just jailed. She hits back that he too is “a bit of a cunt” and he too should fuck off. To adapt Oscar Wilde on the death of Little Nell, it would take a heart of stone not to cheer.

Judge Patricia Lynch QC has duly become a hero to the retributive classes. Give...

Should our rail services be renationalised? Readers' debate

Amid strikes, rising fares and delays, catch up on our debate on whether it’s time to put our rail service back into public ownership

2.10pm BST

Thanks everyone, some excellent contributions. Look forward to talking again next week.

1.54pm BST

We’ve only got five minutes left now, so if all those involved could leave any final comments that would be excellent.

It’s been a really strong debate today, some great stuff below the line.

1.52pm BST

I can see a problem with this suggestion, given qu...

Trade with China is a good thing. But Hinkley Point is a dud | Simon Jenkins

Theresa May is right to resist the lobbyists and halt this reckless and absurdly expensive nuclear deal. There are far better alternatives

For Theresa May, getting to be prime minister was easy. Your predecessor makes a hash of things. Party rivals knife each other in the back or throw in the towel. You then mouth a few platitudes about a fairer society and, hey presto, you have a photo of a bemused spouse and a grin on your face before a cheering crowd. What could be simpler? It’s how they ch...

Want to avoid recession? Then shower UK households with cash | Simon Jenkins

The economy is in dire need of a jump start – cutting interest rates has failed miserably. So instead give money to people who would actually spend it

Just give people the money. Give them cash, dole it out, increase benefits, slash VAT, hand it to those most likely to spend it: the poor. Put 1,000 into every debit account. Whatever you do, don’t give it to banks. They will just hoard it or use it to boost house prices.

Britain is suffering from a classic liquidity trap. There is insufficient d...

Hinkley Point is bad business. Theresa May should put it out of its misery | Simon Jenkins

David Cameron has bequeathed Britain the worst deal in the history of procurement. May cannot cave in like she did with Trident

The message of last night’s Hinkley Point fiasco could not be clearer. The project cannot go ahead. But who in government has the guts to say so?

No one without an interest in this 18bn project believes it should proceed. The sole interest of the French and Chinese builders is that David Cameron, in the worst deal in the history of procurement, effectively stuffed thei...

Denationalise the Olympics to really stamp out cheating | Simon Jenkins

The IOC has become a master at marrying greed to national leaders’ hunger for Olympic prestige

Where is the justice in this? The Russian athlete, Yuliya Stepanova, risks death by revealing the extent of Russian doping in her Olympic sport. She has to flee her country with her family, live in hiding and train in secret. She is told that, provided she is “clean”, she may compete in the Rio Olympics next week, but “as a neutral”. She is then told she cannot compete. Instead the International Olym...

At least President Trump would ground the drones | Simon Jenkins

After the ham-fisted military antics of the Obama years, the rest of the world could do with a jolt of good old-fashioned Republican isolationism

Britons are never happier than when ridiculing the vulgarity of American politics. Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention in Cleveland last night was therefore a gift. It was as vacuous a catalogue of cliches as Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” speeches in 2008.

This is colouring-book oratory, and intended as such. A more serious que...

Theresa May’s first test is to stand up to the lobbyists | Simon Jenkins

David Cameron promised and failed. From Trident and HS2 to Heathrow’s third runway and Hinkley Point C, we’re wasting billions while a select few cash in

We were warned – and by David Cameron, no less. In February 2010, shortly before taking office, he said “the next big scandal waiting to happen” was the “far too cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money”, the world of the political lobbyist. He knew: he was one once. He pledged he would “come clean about who is buyin...