ReformUK Ltd is a Choice by David Palethorpe I recently had a conversation with a colleague that has stayed with me, not because it was persuasive, but because it was troubling. They spoke about a Reform UK Ltd Devon County Councillor and described them as “reasonable” and “sensible”. It is a description that forced me…

The Collapse of International Law and the Failure of the United Nations International law, as a functioning system of constraint on state power, is no longer operative. The United Nations, once envisioned as a guardian of collective security and legal order, has been structurally undermined by the veto power of its permanent Security Council members.…

International law is no longer a constraint on power. It has become a tool applied selectively enforced against weaker states and ignored by the strongest. The United Nations Security Council lies at the centre of this failure. Under the UN Charter, its five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—possess veto…

The United Kingdom and the Collapse of International Law International law is no longer applied equally, and the United Kingdom is now complicit in that failure. The United Nations was designed to restrain power through law. Yet the structure of the Security Council—particularly the veto granted to its five permanent members—has ensured that the most…

Populism Blame and the Responsibility We Refuse to Carry If You’re Looking for the Guilty, Look in a Mirror: Across social media feeds, local forums, and national commentary, a familiar script is being recited: the blame for Britain’s current divisions lies with Nigel Farage, Reform UK Ltd, foreign interference, billionaires like Elon Musk along with…

A Soldier’s Tale by David Palethorpe “Thank you for your service,” they say, Calling us heroes as we return one day. We believed we fought for liberty, To keep our homeland proud and free. They hailed us as saviours of democracy, But how naïve we were to believe That our nation would honour its debt,…

Mrs Middle England: Keeping Hope Afloatby David Palethorpe While Mr Middle England spends winter muttering darkly about the so-called “festive season,” his long-suffering wife takes an entirely different approach. Mrs Middle England has learned — over several decades of conjugal endurance — that the only way to survive November is to simply get on with…

Mr Middle England: Old Gimmer Winterby David Palethorpe Winter. Bloody winter. The days shrink, the evenings stretch, and with them comes the inevitable gloom — or at least that’s how Mr Middle England, Ipplepen’s very own Old Gimmer, sees it. For him, the forthcoming so-called “festive season” isn’t joyful at all. It’s futile, depressing, and…

WORLD OF DISORDER By David Palethorpe A world of disorder Is the far rights- New plan A new world order Spreading chaos around The world in full crisis Destroying mankind Where millions of people Are being left behind The powerful get wealthier Day after day As they plan to take freedom From the people who…

Fair Wind and Following Seas No roses grow on a sailor’s grave Nor wreaths upon the storm-tossed waves No last post from the Royals band So far away from their native land No heartbroken words carved on stone Just shipmates lying there alone The only tributes are the seagulls sweep And the teardrops when a loved…