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For decades Americans and Brits have looked across the Atlantic at one another, seeking omens of the political future. Margaret Thatcher’s neoliberal turn in 1979 was matched by the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Bill Clinton’s “Third Way” presidency begun in 1993 presaged Tony Blair’s victory in 1997. The earthquake of the 2016 Brexit vote was followed just four and a half months later by the equally shocking victory of Donald Trump.
Now Americans even take interest in U.K. local elections. Last week, about a quarter of England’s local councilors, half its mayors, the parliaments of both Scotland and Wales, and the London Assembly were all simultaneously up for a vote. A U.K. parliamentary by-election in the North East port town of Hartlepool was also on offer. The race results can be summed up in the lesson of the Parable of the Talents: “to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance.” In England Boris Johnson’s governing Co
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A former British diplomat was sentenced to eight months in prison for jeopardising the anonymity of women who accused Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond of sex crimes.
Craig Murray, 62, the colourful former ambassador to Uzbekistan, was convicted of contempt of court over a blog in which he threatened to reveal the identities of four of the accusers.
Mr Salmond went on trial last year accused of sexually assaulting 10 women, all of whom were granted anonymity. The former leader of the Scottish National Party was cleared of all charges.
Murray, who like Mr Salmond is a supporter of independence for Scotland, wrote about the case in his blog in March 2020 after watching the trial in Edinburgh for two days.
Scottish National Party’s fourth election win threatens UK breakup
Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) won this year’s elections to the Scottish parliament by a huge margin. The party polled 47.7 percent of the vote in individual constituencies, against the Conservatives with 21.9 percent and Labour with 21.6 percent. In the regional lists, the SNP won 40.3 percent against 23.5 percent for the Conservatives and 17.9 percent for Labour. The Greens polled only 1.3 percent in the constituencies but 8.1 percent on the lists.
Under the proportional representation system, these figures translate to 64 seats for the SNP, 31 for the Conservatives, 22 for Labour, eight for the Greens and four for the Liberal Democrats. With the formal or informal assistance of the Greens, the SNP will therefore be able to form a pro-independence majority in the 129-seat parliament.