Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Here's a remarkable report from the BBC which shows two Ukrainian women scolding and chasing away armed pro-Russian separatists whip hide their identities (unlike regular soldiers) by wearing balaclavas. Even in the face of a vile threat that "We'll get out and put you face down in the fucking dust" the women refuse to be intimidated, stand their ground and force the thugs to drive off. One of the woman tells the armed group, "If every monkey starts walking around with a machine gun. What kind of world would this be?"

Here's a photo of Scotland's First Minister showing off his footballing talents, but it could equally well be taken as a metaphor for Alex Salmond booting his political opponents up the arse, after a ridiculous own goal by the Treasury in the ongoing war of words over Scottish independence. For some reason the Treasury seized upon research carried out by Professor Patrick Dunleavy at the London School of Economics and used his earlier unrelated work to claim that the cost of setting up new institutions in an independent Scotland would run to a massive £2.7 billion. Bit the author of the research, Prof Dunleavy, quickly intervened to dispute the Treasury's analysis describing their claims as "ludicrous" and "very crude information". In other words that the Treasury had got its sums wrong which is hugely embarrassing since the parties are supposed to be debating the issues in a serious and sensible way, instead of resorting to di...

Here's an article about UKIP that's well worth reading because it's one of the most vacuous,  empty-headed opinion pieces I've read in a long time by a former tabloid journalist, Patrick O'Flynn, who is now and MEP and UKIP's communications director. God save us all, because this ridiculous person has absolutely nothing of substance to say for himself or his party, other than his claim that Nigel Farage is an man of principle would you believe. Now this must be the same Nigel Farage who has made millions out of his Euro MEP expenses, who employes his wife as his secretary (on Euro MEP expenses) and who organised a tax avoidance scam by putting some of his money into an offshore trust. So who's kidding who here - not so much a People's Army as a 'Barmy Army', if you ask me. Why I felt it was my patriotic duty to stand for Ukip I LEFT the Daily Express with tears in my eyes after 17 gloriously happy years working for it, first as politi...

Here's an extract from a Guardian article written by the newspaper's political editor, Andrew Sparrow, in which he comes up with an amazingly original thought at No. 8 in his list of things to learn from the local election results - a political union between London and Scotland. Now there's one 'dream ticket' I'd never thought I'd see - Alex Salmond and Boris Johnson, the mind just boggles at the prospect although I imagine it would be lots of fun.    Eight things we learned from the local election results Ukip are a threat to everybody, London plays by its own rules and the Lib Dems have had to redefine rock bottom 8.  London really is different from the rest of the country electorally. It seems to be the only place in England impervious to Ukip's charms. Like Scotland. (Perhaps if Scotland goes independent we Londoners could join up with them, share the pound, and leave the rest of England with something Ukip-ish, like the groat?)

Matthew Parris can't hide his admiration for Tony Blair 'telling it as it is' in relation to the UK's membership of the European Union (EU) and the irony is that those who have long supported major reforms of the EU and its various institutions may now get their chance, as politicians finally respond to voter disenchantment which was expressed loudly and clearly in the recent Euro elections.  But unlike so many of Blair critics at least Matthew Parris had the good grace to listen to the message instead of shooting the messenger, which is a good sign. I admired him – and it was a dagger to my heart By  Matthew Parris  - The Times My Week Pity me. The horror! The self-loathing! I was lying in bed yesterday morning, awoken by my clock-radio. Tony Blair was being interviewed. I snuggled under my duvet, anticipating the wicked pleasure of five minutes of snarling at everything the dastardly former prime minister and arch villain in my personal political conste...

Labour's shadow Scottish secretary, Margaret Curran, held an event the other day marking the 44th anniversary of the 1970 Equal Pay Act. Such a pity that Margaret, a Glasgow MP, didn't hold this event in Motherwell which is only a few miles down the road and home to one of Scotland largest councils, North Lanarkshire Council, which is up to its neck in an equal pay scandal right in Labour's backyard. Here's some of what Margaret Curran had to say, as reported in the press: "The Equal Pay Act was a success for the Labour movement across the whole of the UK. From the first women who went on strike in Scotland for equal pay in 1943 to the famous strike at Ford in Dagenham in 1968. But since 2010, progress has stalled. "Under the Tories, the pay gap in Scotland has started to widen again. And from the SNP and the Scottish Government, we see complacency and a total lack of ambition."  Now I plan to write to Margaret Curran to point out how ridiculous her beha...

Labour's shadow Scottish secretary, Margaret Curran, held an event the other day marking the 44th anniversary of the 1970 Equal Pay Act. Such a pity that Margaret, a Glasgow MP, didn't hold this event in Motherwell which is only a few miles down the road and home to one of Scotland largest councils, North Lanarkshire Council, which is up to its neck in an equal pay scandal right in Labour's backyard. Here's some of what Margaret Curran had to say, as reported in the press: "The Equal Pay Act was a success for the Labour movement across the whole of the UK. From the first women who went on strike in Scotland for equal pay in 1943 to the famous strike at Ford in Dagenham in 1968. But since 2010, progress has stalled. "Under the Tories, the pay gap in Scotland has started to widen again. And from the SNP and the Scottish Government, we see complacency and a total lack of ambition."  Now I plan to write to Margaret Curran to point out how ridiculo...