Satire

Steve Anglesey on the commemorative tat celebrating Brexit and the Brexiteers of the Week. ‘A delay to Article 50 is not inevitable,’ declared the soothsayer Liam Fox the other day, prompting Expedia’s servers to crash as scores of political journalists began searching for ‘cheap holidays around March 29’. If Mr Easiest-Deal-In-Human-History says something is on […]

While much of the country consists of the sort of constituency wherein, to quote the late great Alan B’stard, they’d elect a hatstand if you stuck the right colour rosette on it, hatstands is what we’ll get. Events are developing at a dizzying rate, and I’m currently suffering the after-effects of some not entirely successful […]

Why The Independent Group must work to earn the support of Remainers. There is, as they say, nothing new under the sun; every event, however startling and novel, has its roots and causes in previous events, and similarly, every event, however unusual, will find its echo somewhere in subsequent events. It’s not often, however, that […]

There’s precious little in the news other than Brexit, but not much in the overall situation is actually changing. I think I’m experiencing a kind of Brexit numbness. On the one hand, there’s precious little else in the news right now, as is entirely appropriate given that we’re about six weeks away from an act […]

With so many reasons to abandon Brexit, writes MITCH BENN, Remain is winning the battle by a significant margin. There are literally hundreds of compelling reasons to abandon Brexit, and precisely one reason to go ahead with it. Every week that passes provides us with another couple of dozen entries for the ‘really very good […]

MITCH BENN discusses why links between Brexit and how it compares to past wars Britain have been involved in should not be made. I’ve long thought that there should be some sort of ‘swear box’ system in operation in political journalism, except with interviewees being required to cough up for clichés rather than profanities. I […]

MITCH BENN discusses the problems with a no deal Brexit and what the works no deal have become. Almost immediately after the spectacular failure of the prime minister’s Withdrawal Agreement last week, the question was asked throughout the land: ‘Okay, so now what?’ And this question was answered by everyone: ‘Literally nobody knows.’ However, one […]

Cowardice and appeasement in the face of thuggery is always deplorable but there’s a specific reason it’s a bad idea in this instance, says MITCH BENN SKZ cartoons – Credit: Archant In a previous column I dealt with the concept of ‘privilege’, in as much the word is used with regard to the concept of […]

Mitch Benn provides a handy guide on how to tackle the most common arguments supporting Brexit. Last week, you may remember, I promised to enumerate some of the most frequently trotted-out arguments in favour of Brexit and against a final deal vote, along with some handy responses, should you wish to, in rhetorical terms, ‘take […]

Mitch Benn on why the real 2019 is going to be weirder than sci-fi’s vision of the future My favourite movie is Blade Runner. Specifically the original 1982 theatrical cut. That’s the one I saw when it came out, that’s the version which was the first (and for a while only) movie I owned on […]

A grouchy MITCH BENN stays up late hatching a plot to finally put an end to Brexit. Every Leaver in Britain loved Brexit a lot… But the Gritch, who lived just outside London, Did NOT! The Gritch hated Brexit! The whole Brexitshambles! So he sat in his shed and he grumbled and rambled. It could […]

Suffering from Brexit burnout? MITCH BENN takes solace in the world of Doctor Who If, like me, you’re suffering from Brexit Burnout or just so bewildered by the rapidity and randomness of current events, you might find it quite therapeutic to give your aching grey cells a bit of a rest. With that in mind, […]

MITCH BENN discusses how closely politics and Christmas should be linked. I come to report a disturbing development; in previous years (yes, this is now the third December in which I’ve been writing this column – doesn’t time fly when you’re mired in existential despair) I’ve noted that one bit of reactionary idiocy we’ve thus […]

Following a call from Exmouth, comedian Mitch Benn writes a rock parody song to offer an olive branch of understanding and cooperation to all the regretful Leave voters. I’m typing this while waiting for a video clip to ‘render’ (ie. be saved in a usable form); it’s taking a while, as my wheezy old laptop […]

Let’s not forget, peace in Europe is not a natural state. We have to fight for it, says MITCH BENN I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the archive footage of the First World War trenches ‘restored’ by filmmaker Peter Jackson for his new documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. I put quotes around […]

Politics of hate will fall and the politics of hope will endure, writes MITCH BENN. It’s been another one of those weeks in which clinging to the positive – indeed just finding the positive – has seemed like a Herculean labour. And don’t come to me expecting zingers about the (thankfully ineptly-executed) mail bomb campaign […]

The People’s Vote March for the Future proves resistance is working, argues Mitch Benn. Well, that was a thing. I took part in the People’s Vote March for the Future in London on Saturday and, a quick mental number-crunch confirms, there’s a reasonable statistical probability that you did too. I’ve seen the jaw-dropping aerial shots […]

MITCH BENN has a simple message for all of those considering marching on Saturday – get on the bus and turn up! It can be tricky sometimes, when trying to spur one’s contemporaries into action (which appears to be pretty much my full-time job these days) to strike the proper balance between urgency and despair. […]

Writer, comedian and musician MITCH BENN issues a rallying call for readers to join the People’s Vote March in London. It’s getting more difficult, isn’t it? With every day that passes it’s getting harder not to just switch off the news, log off the internet, go about our daily business and pretend that none of […]

You don’t obstruct an investigation which you will believe will clear your name, says MITCH BENN Matt Damon on Saturday Night Live as Brett Kavanaugh. PHOTO: Fox News – Credit: Archant I’ve just finished watching the ‘cold open’ to the last edition of Saturday Night Live. The ‘cold open’ is a pre-opening credits sketch which, […]

We’re winning this, writes MITCH BENN, and Brexit will ultimately meet its Waterloo. This year’s Labour conference was, you’ll note, in Liverpool, my birthplace and boyhood home; this is slightly ironic for reasons which will become apparent in a few paragraphs’ time. There was a very well attended pro-People’s Vote march there on Sunday. As […]

Mitch Benn on the danger of creeping optimism and the power of Scotland. Something dangerous is creeping into our movement. Optimism. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with optimism. But like anything else that makes you feel good, you have to take it easy with optimism. A little bit will put a spring […]

Comedian Mitch Benn takes to task the political commentators going to absurd lengths in search of the moral high-ground. If there’s anything more depressing than the sight of someone truly stupid giving full rein to their stupidity (and we’re getting more than enough of that at the moment, not to name any presidents) then it’s […]

Following the death of John McCain mainstream media has been flooded with tributes to America’s war hero. But further into the blogosphere, Senator McCain’s death is proving just as divisive as he was, writes Mitch Benn US Republican Presidential Candidate Senator John McCain speaks during a rally in Davenport, Iowa. (Photo credit should read JIM […]

Comedian, musician and writer MITCH BENN recalls the speech he gave at a People’s Vote rally What do you think, is 48 too old to discover your true calling? I’m still in Edinburgh, still have a few days left of my Fringe run… About 10 days ago, I got wind of the fact that there […]

MITCH BENN assesses whether Boris’ fixation has moved from Churchill to Bannon. Two thoughts on the topic of freedom of speech: 1. Boris Johnson is perfectly within his rights to say whatever he wants about burqas. 2. The rest of us are perfectly within our rights to call Boris Johnson a reckless, shameless attention-craving, trouble-stirring, […]

Steve Anglesey looks at online reaction as Britain’s food shops prepare for a no-deal Brexit. Thank goodness for the earlier football transfer deadline! This self-inflicted wound, which disadvantages English teams while Europeans can still trade freely, has provided welcome relief from the problems of Brexit. But before we were obsessed with the transfer market, we […]

STEVE ANGLESEY introduces the drink Leavers will cheer… until they read the bottle Not to everyone’s taste, but intoxicating to some and the cause of many headaches and much regret later on. It seems like whiskey and Brexit were made for each other. So thirsty Leavers will no doubt be cheering the arrival of Brexit […]

Comedian MITCH BENN looks forward to how we can all spend our first summer after leaving the EU Hi! I hope you’re all enjoying your final pre-Brexit summer! Oh, were you trying not to think about that? Yeah, me too. Sorry. Well, chin up! Brexit isn’t the end of the world! Not LITERALLY, anyway. Economically […]

Piers Morgan is mistaken, we’re not jealous about his interview with Donald Trump, it’s cozying up with the president which worries us, writes Mitch Benn. OK; I’m going to do something now which, I suspect, many of you may not entirely approve of. I’m going to give Piers Morgan the benefit of the doubt. In […]

Why we don’t have to drive over the cliff like Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. Ok, time out. Cool your boots. Easy, tiger. Whoa there. Hang fire. Take five. Hold your horses. Phrase it any damn way you want to but please, for the love of whatever it is you pray to, just STOP. ENOUGH. […]

The People’s Vote march received just the kind of snarky criticism we have all come to expect, says MITCH BENN. Like many of you in body and all of you in spirit, I imagine, I spent Saturday last taking part in what became known as the People’s Vote March, and have the badly sunburnt ever-expanding […]