Five Most Popular Posts in October

Things happened in October, and some of them were reflected in the posts that appeared on this blog. So what made the top of the pile as far as the audience were concerned?

1. What a Gray Day
2. One Hundred Days of Sod 'Em
3. Drawing the Battlelines
4. A Proxy and a Meat Shield
5. The Tories Have Lost the Next Election

Labour Party silliness dominated the summit of the charts this month. We begin with the factional ousting of Sue Gray from her Downing Street position and exile to the office of the regions and the nations, and the incoming of our friend Morgan McSweeney. She copped the blame for a lot of the disasters of the first hundred days of the new government, and unfairly so in my view. If your bosses are up to their necks in freebies what are you supposed to do? But now the Morganiser is in charge it's guaranteed to be plain sailing from here on out. Coming in second was a brief overview of Labour's record during that interval and it wasn't great. Third place is the sequel to Gray's defenestration. McSweeney is now in pole position to try and stop Angela Rayner's further ascent, and is likely to try and use his offices to do so. The explanation of the why lies therein. Coming in fourth was a reflection on Israel's genocidal war as it took missile strikes from an opponent with the means to fight back on an equal footing. It's been interesting seeing in recent days how the media have amplified the damage Tel Aviv's bombs have done by way of reply, but absolutely nothing in the same about how Iran's missiles got through the iron dome and also inflicted significant but targeted damage. Ending the round-up, a piece on the Tories limps into last place. Neither Kemi Badenoch nor Robert Jenrick are fit and proper people to run a bath, let alone a major political party. And by ensuring this most gruesome of twosomes have gone to the membership, the party has sealed its fate for quite a while.

Or has it? For the first of the second chances there is this meditation on how, despite everything, the Tories might claw their way back into office. The second wanting a second chance is my take on Keith Roberts's beautiful science fiction novel, Pavane. It's well known in SF circles but seldom read, so do give it a go when the opportunity arises.

As we head into November, the first thing we have to cope with is the most frightful Hallowe'en hangover: the outcome of the Conservative Party's leadership contest. Following hot on its heels is the small matter of the US presidential election. Who will come out the winner when both sides have run terrible campaigns? There will also be the usual politics hustle and bustle demanding comment, and maybe I'll slip a couple more SF pieces into the mix. As ever, if you haven't already don't forget to follow the (very) occasional newsletter, and if you like what I do (and you're not skint), you can help support the blog. Following me on Twitter, Facebook, and now the new fangled Musk-killer Bluesky are cost-free ways of showing your backing for this corner of the internet.

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