Five Most Popular Posts in April

A little later than usual, but such is life! Here are the posts that did the business on the blog last month.

1. Wes Streeting and Ideology
2. Routing the Tories is Good, Actually
3. The Hounding of Alan Duncan
4. The Tory Obsession with Angela Rayner
5. The Defection of Dan Poulter

In at one was Our Wes and his inability to get over his left baiting student past after likening his left wing critiques to ideologues. As the piece argues, the frequency with which politicians deploy "ideology" as a term of abuse covers the essential truth about politics. That it is a field of struggle structured by interests, not jolly nice ideas about how best to run things. In at two is a reminder that despite Keir Starmer and the road to rack and ruin he's taking the Labour Party along, it is still in the interests of our people - the working class - to see the Tories smashed utterly. In at three is a rejoinder to all the conspiracy-adjacent stuff found on social media about Israel driving British politics. It doesn't, and an explanation of what the Israel lobby are doing in this country is located in the dependent relationship Tel Aviv has on the Western powers. In at four was Angela Rayner's troubles over her tax affairs from before when she was an MP. But, as ever with the Tories, their reasons for targeting her are bound up in class politics. And sneaking into the rear is a quick piece on Labour's newest MP and what this says about Starmer's state modernisation project.

I'm going to abuse this place's nominal status as a politics blog by plugging April's two science fiction posts. The first is on Robert A Heinlein's celebrated The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and the second is Ian Watson's less well known novel, Alien Embassy.

What's on in May? Chances a piece on Starmer's further dilution of workers' rights will appear after he's made his speech on Saturday defending pathetic abandonment. There will be reflections on tomorrow's elections, some SF, and who knows what else the fates throw at us. As ever, if you haven't already don't forget to follow the monthly newsletter, and if you like what I do (and you're not skint), you can help support the blog. Following me on Twitter and Facebook are cost-free ways of showing your backing for this corner of the internet.