September 2019 – Kiron Reid

My article on the Ukraine elections, and new President, Zelenskyi.

My article on the Ukraine elections and new President was published here in the newsletter of Liberal International (British Group). At pages 13 – 15. With thanks to the editor, Stewart Rayment, and for editing the text to Mark Smulian of Liberator magazine, which is due to publish the article as well next month.
InterLib September 2019: https://libg.co.uk/en/document/interlib-september-2019#document

It is a .pdf file, which you can download, my article is at pages 13 – 15.

I have also put the unedited text of the Liberator magazine article, below.

In the space I didn’t have time to cover in any detail what the election observation involves, or what was and wasn’t done during the election that either broke election law or in inventive and imaginative ways got round the spirit of the election laws. I give some account of why I am sympathetic to former President Petro Poroshenko – I could give rather more reasons and concrete examples – but at the same time I didn’t have enough space to outline my criticisms of him, and more reasons why I am cautiously optimistic about President Zelenskyi. Nor was I able to talk about what living in Ukraine is actually like and the many normal and unusual things (for someone from Britain), huge number of extreme contrasts and paradoxes. I’m always happy to talk about these topics from my own experience to anyone interested.

For those who want some detail about the mechanics and outcome of the election I recommend this blog by my friend and Long Term Observer election colleague, Alex Folkes:
Ukraine’s President gets what he wants out of Parliamentary polls but wants more

July 27 ‘Ukraine’s president gets what he wants out of parliamentary polls but wants more’.

I have also put the unedited text of the Liberator magazine draft article, here:

Ukraine’s Comedian is no comic. Great hope & some chance on democracy’s eastern border.

Article for Liberator magazine (UK Liberal political magazine), published edited in the newsletter of Liberal International British Group. This is a Word .doc document.

What has become of the British Conservative Party?

What has happened to the British Conservative Party. Once a proud party, a broad church, including many ‘One nation’ conservatives, socially conservative but often supporting the opportunity for individuals and businesses, and the ability for a person to better themselves and prosper. A party with some dignity, and intellectual and political heavyweights. Inherently an economically conservative party, noted for fiscal responsibility, it was destructive in its ideological privatising and marketeering for the sake of it under mid and later Thatcher / Major governments, but still had an eye on balancing the books. Now it is fiscally irresponsible, making promises to spend money that would make a Labour Opposition Leader or perhaps Trade Union boss blush. Promising all the plenty from the magic money tree plantation (someone on social media said that).

Now it is a party led by chancers, dishonest fraudsters, and naked opportunists. In hock to a tiny band of bigoted small minded extreme Ulster Unionists who are out of step with the modern world, even where they live. A destructive influence in British society and British and European politics. A mix of ideological and opportunistic, profiteering leaders in Government, very few of whom match the quality of any previous Cabinets in my adult life time, and none of whom meet the ability of the Ministers who were statesmen under Thatcher (or I realised when older, Wilson, Heath or Callaghan), Major, Blair, Brown or even a few under Cameron and May. As I don’t believe any one party has a monopoly on wisdom or good ideas, and as I reject policies based on ideology or economics, it is sad to see the destruction of a party that has done much good, though more bad in its time. At least now hypocrisy and naked amibition are exposed. Their name is Boris, Bannon and Mogg.