Funny, charismatic, erudite – what could possibly go wrong? First published in July 2019 The votes are in and the people have decided – correction: the Conservative Party membership has decided – that the new prime minister of the United Kingdom shall be Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. The former journalist, former mayor of London … Read more
As the United Kingdom wakes in yet another pool of fevered Brexit sweat, here are the essential things to know – and a glossary for bluffing your way through a conversation about it all Just when you thought the USA was running away with the title of most abjectly humiliating end-of-empire flameout, Britain has surged … Read more
Podcast host, comedian and big-brained Brit Andy Zaltzman will be coming to New Zealand later this year for the comedy festival. He spoke to Alex Braae about politics, satire, and the game he can’t get enough of. “Half an hour later, the entire foundation of English civilisation had collapsed. It was the lowest point in … Read more
While the state has a responsibility to fund public services, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should be delivering them. Jihee Junn reports on Social Enterprise UK CEO Peter Holbrook’s talk at the University of Auckland to find out what we can learn from David Cameron’s controversial 2010 project. Three years ago, the government announced its … Read more
Less than a week out from the Brexit vote, the ‘leave’ side is in the ascendant. But it’s hard to find much to admire in either camp, writes David Hall. Plus: a word on Jo Cox If the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, it deserves everything that comes to it. Perhaps what comes will … Read more
I was happy before Black Mirror. I was even deliriously happy in the way dogs are when their owners wave food in front of them. They’re so glad they’re getting fed. What they don’t know is they’re getting served sick old nags ground up into paste. It was nearly four years ago Charlie Brooker’s dank … Read more
As I write it is 3am over there, and only recently has British Twitter’s bewilderment begun to subside. Bewilderment, specifically, at the jawdropping allegations that David Cameron – you know the guy, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – once placed his penis in the mouth of a dead pig. The claim, based on … Read more