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UK Elections 2019

The United Kingdom will hold a general election tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, 2019. All 650 seats in the House of Commons, the popularly-elected house of the national legislature, will be on the ballot. Voters cast a ballot only for their local Member of Parliament (MP), but the leader of the...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 11, 2019 10:17 PM

Margaret Thatcher, RIP

A world-changer has left this world for a better one. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died today at age 87. I don't remember when I started paying attention to British politics; sometime in the mid-'70s, I imagine. I had a shortwave radio, and I loved tuning in to...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 8, 2013 11:08 PM

Does Ed Miliband pass the Turing test?

In a brief interview about strikes by public sector unions Labour Party leader Ed Miliband answers each question using different permutations of the same set of talking points: I've had more intelligent conversations with a See-n-Say. Damon Green of ITV News was the pool reporter. Green posted a lengthy account...

Posted by Michael Bates on July 6, 2011 1:04 AM

Lord Bates of Langbaurgh

I keep an eye, via Technorati, for blog references to Michael Bates, to find out who might be taking my name in vain. Most of the hits on the name are either for the Indian-born British actor, famed for his roles in A Clockwork Orange, Bedazzled, and as Field Marshal...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 13, 2008 6:11 PM