Samuel Earle

Jul 4, 2024 | theguardian.com | Samuel Earle

The chorus to Nigel Farage’s triumphant election campaign was Eminem’s line “Guess who’s back?”, but many Tories will feel as if he never went away. Like a pesky hound, he has gnawed at their ankles throughout their time in government. They tried various strategies: ignoring him, insulting him and throwing him bones – a referendum, a resignation, a new leader, a policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Jun 23, 2024 | theguardian.com | Samuel Earle

It’s easy to mock Nigel Farage: a cartoonish nationalist who’s made more comebacks than any pop star, who’s failed to win a seat in Westminster on seven different occasions, and whose urgent mission to save Britain from disaster doesn’t stop him selling bottles of “Farage gin” on the side (£40). Farage is aware of this mockery, too – and you sense a desire for revenge is partly what motivates him.

Apr 26, 2024 | theguardian.com | Samuel Earle

There is a morose mood in the Conservative party. It isn’t just that the Tories expect to lose the next election – they fear that the coming defeat might be definitive, a result from which they never recover. One recent multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) poll forecasts that the Tories could be reduced to fewer than 100 seats – their lowest ever haul – with Labour predicted to secure an unprecedented 250-plus seat majority. Tory grandees are consequently gloomy.

Mar 29, 2024 | startribune.com | Samuel Earle

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here. ••• In recent months, Donald Trump has been trying out a new routine. At rallies and town halls across the country, he compares himself to Al Capone. "He was seriously tough, right?" Trump told a rally in Iowa in October, in an early rendition of the act.

Mar 27, 2024 | sltrib.com | Samuel Earle

In recent months, Donald Trump has been trying out a new routine. At rallies and town halls across the country, he compares himself to Al Capone. "He was seriously tough, right?" Mr. Trump told a rally in Iowa in October, in an early rendition of the act. But "he was only indicted one time; I've been indicted four times." (Capone was, in fact, indicted at least six times.) The implication is not just that Mr. Trump is being unfairly persecuted but also that he is four times as tough as Capone.