Paul Knaggs

Starmer Accosted at Labour Conference by People Demand Democracy Probably the bright spot of the entire conference came when a protestor interrupted Sir Keir Starmer's keynote address at the Labour conference this week, providing one of the gathering's few galvanizing moments. After sprinkling Glitter the heckler shouted "True democracy is citizen-led" before being removed by security. The outburst drew attention to...

Saint Jeremy vs the Centrist Snake Pit Naive souls may imagine the sainted Jeremy Corbyn suffered only at the hands of Fleet Street's ravenous right-wing pack. But the martyr's path was equally beset by serpents lurking in centrist grasses. For Labour's leftward lurch threatened not just blue tribunes but their centrist mimics too. In the complex and highly charged Israel-Palestine conflict,...

Labour's Michael Shanks Prevails in Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, Defeating SNP Challenge Labour emerged triumphant in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, dealing the SNP an embarrassing rebuke. Anas Sarwar's party secured a resounding victory, trouncing Humza Yousaf by nearly 10,000 votes - a difficult night for the SNP deputy. But does this truly constitute progress, or merely shuffling deck chairs on...

Leaked U.S. strategy on Ukraine sees corruption as the real threat. It's claimed Biden frets far more about Ukrainian corruption than his sunny speeches suggest. A leaked strategy document shows the White House exhorting Kyiv to clean house, lest aid dries up. However, that's the worry right there, 'aid drying up', not so much the corruption. In this context, the...

A Remarkable Moment: George Galloway's Impromptu Rhetorical Brilliance In the cacophonous world of politics, moments of authenticity stand out like diamonds in the rough. While rhetoric and doublespeak dominate the airwaves, occasionally words emerge carrying weight far beyond partisan feuding. Such rare clarity reminds us that sincerity still survives in public life. One such moment occurred in 2013 when George Galloway,...

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: The Journalist Who Dared to Speak Truth to Power In the heart of Britain's top security prison, Belmarsh, one man sits incarcerated, not for any crime he committed, but for revealing uncomfortable truths to the world. Julian Assange, the renowned founder of WikiLeaks, is a symbol of journalistic integrity, transparency, and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of...

Satire's Dead When The Truth is Unsaid… Narratives can often be a delicate dance of storytelling and image-building. One such narrative, woven by the leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, revolves around his working-class roots and the challenges he faced growing up. He frequently draws upon his father's profession as a toolmaker to paint a relatable picture of...

Brussels Bureaucrats Fiddle While Borders Crumble European justice and home affairs ministers met in Brussels this week amid growing pressure for the bloc to agree on a new migration and asylum pact. But again they failed to come to any meaningful agreement. Thursday’s summit of interior ministers in Brussels was about the rules that apply when a migrant first arrives on...

Weathervanes of Westminster: Labour's Spinning and Twisting on Private Schools Ah, Labour - the flippiest, floppiest weathervanes in politics! Barely a gust of wind blows past before they spin and twist their position. As Tony Benn once wisely said, better a signpost than a weathercock. At least the Tories nail their colours to the mast, even as the ship sinks. But...

Unmasking Epstein's Enablers: The Rotten Pillars of His Empire The tentacles of Jeffrey Epstein's child sex trafficking operation wound deep into the halls of power, yet many associates remain unexposed. With his 2008 plea deal, the full client list of this morally bankrupt financier was buried. Who else rode on his infamous 'Lolita Express'? Which of the so-called elite figures...