Author Archives: Mark Valladares

As you see this, gentle reader, I’ll be back in the United Kingdom, but, as I write this, I’m on a Eurostar heading back after a week of looking out of train windows, eating local food, drinking local beers and wines, and admiring the architecture (or not, in the case of Wiener Neustadt) of a variety of European towns and cities. It has been reassuringly relaxing, if not exactly dull.

But beyond the cocoon of a train, the world has been a tempestuous place, with on again, off again tariffs, all sorts of previously unthinkable actions, and a sense that, perhaps, putting someone in charge of the world’s largest economy who is, let’s put it politely, somewhat mercurial, may not be entirely the best strategy. It is a reminder that solid competence, whilst not likely to inspire campaigners, might actually have long-term benefits.

One of the criticisms of the European Union was the glacial speed of its decision making. Yet it was almost entirely predictable, because when you have to achieve unanimity or, at least, rather more than a simple plurality, the deal making is easy to assess. And business, and the markets generally, like that. The alternative, as is being demonstrated currently, is not quite as popular (unless you have an inside track…). Predictability also has its advantages when it comes to things like the law and how it is applied, as it really does help in agreeing contracts if you know that they can be enforced if necessary.

British politics, in its endless ebb and flow, has a way of entangling the most basic human instincts with the intricate mechanisms of power. There’s a sense of theatre to it, a drama that plays out not just on the grand stages of Westminster, but in the quiet corners of pubs, the buzzing of conversations in local shops, the heated arguments at dinner tables. It’s the stuff of everyday life, at once far removed from and deeply connected to the headlines that flood the national consciousness.

It’s hard not to feel, at times, that the British political system is a relic of an era long past, yet somehow still alive, kicking with a tenacity that defies explanation. The parliamentary rituals — those long speeches in the House of Lords, the terse exchanges in the Commons, the speeches that always seem to run a little too long — have a peculiar, almost quaint quality to them. They’re traditions, yes, but also part of a performative aspect of politics that serves as both distraction and diversion. At its best, the system can still produce moments of genuine insight, but more often than not, it feels like a carefully orchestrated dance, the steps known to all, the outcome often preordained.

“Stoking the star maker machinery behind the popular song”

And so, the massed ranks of the Party hierarchy, featuring an unexpected appearance from the Leader, swept aside virtually all reservations and moved responsibility for Westminster selections from the States to the Federal Party. Given the rumours of widespread opposition, the overwhelming nature of the vote in favour – and if anyone tells you it was close, it really wasn’t – gives the new regime some credit in the bank as the transition takes place.

I’d already outlined my concerns but, at the end of the day, the focus should be on making whatever emerges work.

On a final note, however, whilst a large vat of molasses was poured over English Candidates Committee and other key players in the candidate approval and selection system, the damage to that relationship will take a long time to be repaired, if it ever is. For volunteers are people too, no matter how far up the Party structure they are…

“I was a free man in Paris, I felt unfettered and alive”

I was pleased to be in the Conference hall for the debate on F9: “Free to be Who You Are”, and the vast majority in favour of the motion as amended will, hopefully, put further internal Party debate into abeyance for a while.

Regular readers might have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet of late. The regular Monday morning columns where I touch upon things that have caught my eye, or that I simply want to get off of my chest, have been absent, and as the Day Editor, I’ve struggled to do much more than post articles that have come in. This is, perhaps, because politics, and the world generally, have become a bit depressing. With an American administration that sets examples that trouble me philosophically, and an increasingly unpeaceful world, it is often difficult to lift your eyes to the …