against the grain

Sir Keir Starmer tells The Guardian this weekend: "History will not forgive us if we do not use every ounce of our energy to fight Reform. There is an enemy. There is a project which is detrimental to our country. It actually goes against the grain of our history. It's right there in plain sight in front of us. We have to win this battle."

Based on form, they should probably get something from this but I am going against the grain here, and I am going to say Big Ange will get over the line and get the result he wants.

David Murdoch: Going to go against the grain here and say this tie isn't over.

That upbringing made him an inclusionary presence, as well as someone who never feared going against the grain.

For Thomas, whose originalism often masks a deep commitment to structural clarity, that outcome may have cut too far against the grain.