There is a road south-west of Wigan where the old order is quietly dying. On 18 June, the towns of the Makerfield constituency — Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Hindley, and Abram — will choose a new MP, and what looks on paper like a routine by-election is really a referendum on whether Britain still has a recognisable…… Continue reading Nothing in the Middle: Makerfield and the Unravelling of Britain
Author: prof.t.abbas
Why London Manufactures Its Own Extremists
Why the typical urban radical isn’t who you think — and why it matters When we picture a modern extremist, our mental image is often shaped by a familiar story. The “left-behind” white working-class voter from a deindustrialised town. The forgotten resident of a former mill city. Someone whose anger about immigration and identity has…… Continue reading Why London Manufactures Its Own Extremists
The Three Lives of Faragism: How British Populism Reinvented Itself – and Built Its Own Trap
When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, many commentators assumed Nigel Farage’s political story had reached its final chapter. After all, what use is an anti-EU insurgency once the country has actually left the EU? The assumption was simple: Faragism was a single-issue fever, and the fever would break as soon…… Continue reading The Three Lives of Faragism: How British Populism Reinvented Itself – and Built Its Own Trap
Sunday Reflection: Two Marches, One Country
I’ve been trying to reflect on the march yesterday in London, orchestrated by Tommy Robinson and his ilk, in relation to the ideas of uniting the Kingdom, which seems to be a rerun of what occurred last September in London, where approximately 140,000 people had turned up to become Britain’s largest-ever far-right rally. By all…… Continue reading Sunday Reflection: Two Marches, One Country
The Messy Truth of Golders Green: Antisemitism, Mental Health, and the Politics of the Easy Narrative
It is important to reflect on the recent incident in Golders Green, which has left the Jewish community in a state of shock and despair at what has been recognised as an acute act of antisemitism. When random Jewish community members are targeted on the streets of Golders Green for no other reason than that…… Continue reading The Messy Truth of Golders Green: Antisemitism, Mental Health, and the Politics of the Easy Narrative
Birmingham at 101 seats: the end of a single-party city
On 7 May 2026, Birmingham goes to the polls with all 101 council seats in play, and the PollCheck projection points to a near-certain change of control. The model puts Labour on 10 seats, Conservatives on 23, Liberal Democrats on 13, Greens on 16, Reform on 20, and Others on 19, with 51 seats required…… Continue reading Birmingham at 101 seats: the end of a single-party city
The “Open-Shut” Case: How to Blockade a Blockade to Un-Blockade a Non-Blockade
Welcome to the 2026 Edition of Geopolitics for the Severely Concussed. If you’ve been following the news regarding the Strait of Hormuz, you might be feeling a bit of lightheadedness. Don’t worry; that’s just your brain’s natural defence mechanism trying to shut down before it has to process the tactical “genius” currently emanating from the…… Continue reading The “Open-Shut” Case: How to Blockade a Blockade to Un-Blockade a Non-Blockade
Square Zero: Anxiety, Geopolitics, and the Weight of Constant Crisis
I am in one of those really weird moments when one suddenly thinks it’s all going to go really bad, but actually, how much worse can it get? A bit of good political news I’ve heard today is that Hungary is about to elect a centre-right prime minister, shifting the current landscape dominated by Viktor…… Continue reading Square Zero: Anxiety, Geopolitics, and the Weight of Constant Crisis
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud (So I Don’t Have To): An Establishment General’s Verdict on the Middle East
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPt47bhsVy8 I am writing today simply to summarize and amplify the astonishing, unvarnished insights of a man who possesses the kind of unimpeachable establishment credentials that I do not. Major General Charlie Herbert is not a brown Muslim activist. He is a retired senior officer who spent 34 years in the British Army, rising from…… Continue reading Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud (So I Don’t Have To): An Establishment General’s Verdict on the Middle East
The Unamused Critic Converted: On Riz Ahmed’s Meta-Cinematic Bait
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Bait, the new Amazon Prime six-part series written and produced by Riz Ahmed. I was watching, thinking clearly there’s a great deal of fuss about it, so it’s either really useful and interesting and artistically well put, or people are praising it because of the Riz Ahmed…… Continue reading The Unamused Critic Converted: On Riz Ahmed’s Meta-Cinematic Bait