I loathe this government on so many levels. But right now the main level is that of them salting the Earth so that an incoming labour government will be hogtied. I hope the Tories are removed from office with supreme prejudice and we never see them in power again.
There are so many things wrong with our system but ultimately it is our political culture that is at fault. It starts with the public's fixation with 'personalities' and the ridiculous idea that 'all we need is the right person in power' and all our problems will be solved. The tories have tried that five times in seven years and three times in 18 months. None has made any difference except perhaps, to make things worse.
Our system of government (democracy and constitution) are specifically designed to facilitate the 'hero leader' model but our political culture encourages popularity over competence, so what we get are vacuous, talentless, deceitful, amoral, corrupt narcissists leading parties of loyal, untalented , obedient nobodies who will go along with whatever the leader and their unelected advisors dictate.
Starmer is not like this but it's interesting to note that he is not popular, even in his own party. He is hamstrung by the need to be popular and so is everyone else who would like to change things for the better. We desperately need constitutional and electoral reform. We need to remember that that the purpose of politics is to provide ourselves with government. Government that works, that serves the needs of the nation as a whole and not the narrow interests of party supporters.
This will never happen while the British public expect to be 'entertained' by politicians as though they are voting in some kind of reality TV gameshow. It will never happen while our media a re complicit in portraying politics in the same way. People need to wake up and realise that government is completely different and far more important than 'politics'. People need to wake up, get serious about how we are governed and stop fantasising about 'sovereignty', taking back control, sunlit uplands and all the other neotenous claptrap we are consuming like witless children.
We have the politics we have created for ourselves. There's no point asking politicians to solve our problems when it's us that votes in the clowns and criminals and clodhoppers. 'Rivers of shit' is our national epitaph. Think better, behave better and demand better. Then things might change.
Yup. Electoral reform to PR would be a great place to start - but it's a "bootstrap" problem, it seems that only the likes of political nerds have the faintest interest in the topic at present.
I understand the desire for technocratic competence, but we also need good leadership, and personality is an important component of that. The prime minister is supposed to inspire his party and the country so that difficult decisions can be made and followed through with, if not with consensus, then at least with grudging acceptance that the policies make sense within the political frame of reference of the party in power. Thatcherite closing of the coal mines, for instance, was something that was conducted unsympathetically and without consensus, but in hindsight was necessary. The Tory government of the past decade cannot even execute policy that makes sense to itself, let alone the country, the crowning example being (of course) Brexit. Tory party leadership is currently a game of deckchair-rearranging on the Titanic.
"He's like Tom Hanks in Big. A headboy in grown-up's clothing, playing the role of an adult" How right this is he's a private school prefect having a go at being PM but we have lived his fever dream long enough and change is coming if we let it. I urge all voters who care about the state of the country infrastructure, healthcare, education, to.not let perfect be the enemy of the good here, Sir Kier does steer a bit to the right in his rhetoric I grant you and at times I find it hard to hear but he is hell bent on getting elected and if he is he will be in power with a very strong experienced cabinet who have actual backgrounds in eccomics, infrastructure, education, healthcare, house building and this alone is why we should all vote Labour when the time comes. Blwydden newydd da pawb see you on the other side x
Having a cabinet with even a little bit of expertise and sense will be a blessed relief. I'm really hoping Starmer's govt is boring as hell, because I can't take any more of this circus.
That he knows his shit policies are shit yet still continues with them just to set up dividing lines is the essence of the man (boy) and all that is wrong with the country and certainly why PR would begin (slowly I imagine) to produce better government.
Thanks for this Ian, this little man is a disgrace in every regard. I cannot wait for election night and his ridiculous spiteful reaction to getting absolutely hammered.
Very well written and apt. I do believe Rishi is determined to create a legacy and in his tiny mind it will be the demolition of the rule of law or the removal of human rights once and for all. This will be his fait accompli.
But the worse thing he's done is committed the UK to genocide. He is a full and active supporter and put us firmly on the side of oppression. There is no understating what he's done
The key question for me is, why in Britain this is not blatantly clear also to the remaining Tory supporters.
You’d genuinely have to wonder why -after 13 years, Truss and now Sunak- anyone can still think that the Tories have any capability left to govern the country.
The other crucial element alongside the failure of the media’s lack of scrutiny of Sunak’s government is the corresponding failure of Starmer and the shadow cabinet to fulfil their role as an opposition, preferring to gutlessly stand on the sidelines and play to what they imagine is the gallery.
I was curious why you didn’t include something on Sunak’s tremendous wealth and how people that rich mostly don’t really get what it’s like for those struggling with a cost of living crisis. Would this disconnect also go some way to explain his lack of attention on the issue? There is also I imagine his commitment to Thatcherite ideology as well to consider.
I loathe this government on so many levels. But right now the main level is that of them salting the Earth so that an incoming labour government will be hogtied. I hope the Tories are removed from office with supreme prejudice and we never see them in power again.
There are so many things wrong with our system but ultimately it is our political culture that is at fault. It starts with the public's fixation with 'personalities' and the ridiculous idea that 'all we need is the right person in power' and all our problems will be solved. The tories have tried that five times in seven years and three times in 18 months. None has made any difference except perhaps, to make things worse.
Our system of government (democracy and constitution) are specifically designed to facilitate the 'hero leader' model but our political culture encourages popularity over competence, so what we get are vacuous, talentless, deceitful, amoral, corrupt narcissists leading parties of loyal, untalented , obedient nobodies who will go along with whatever the leader and their unelected advisors dictate.
Starmer is not like this but it's interesting to note that he is not popular, even in his own party. He is hamstrung by the need to be popular and so is everyone else who would like to change things for the better. We desperately need constitutional and electoral reform. We need to remember that that the purpose of politics is to provide ourselves with government. Government that works, that serves the needs of the nation as a whole and not the narrow interests of party supporters.
This will never happen while the British public expect to be 'entertained' by politicians as though they are voting in some kind of reality TV gameshow. It will never happen while our media a re complicit in portraying politics in the same way. People need to wake up and realise that government is completely different and far more important than 'politics'. People need to wake up, get serious about how we are governed and stop fantasising about 'sovereignty', taking back control, sunlit uplands and all the other neotenous claptrap we are consuming like witless children.
We have the politics we have created for ourselves. There's no point asking politicians to solve our problems when it's us that votes in the clowns and criminals and clodhoppers. 'Rivers of shit' is our national epitaph. Think better, behave better and demand better. Then things might change.
https://alliancenow.uk/home/about/
Yup. Electoral reform to PR would be a great place to start - but it's a "bootstrap" problem, it seems that only the likes of political nerds have the faintest interest in the topic at present.
I understand the desire for technocratic competence, but we also need good leadership, and personality is an important component of that. The prime minister is supposed to inspire his party and the country so that difficult decisions can be made and followed through with, if not with consensus, then at least with grudging acceptance that the policies make sense within the political frame of reference of the party in power. Thatcherite closing of the coal mines, for instance, was something that was conducted unsympathetically and without consensus, but in hindsight was necessary. The Tory government of the past decade cannot even execute policy that makes sense to itself, let alone the country, the crowning example being (of course) Brexit. Tory party leadership is currently a game of deckchair-rearranging on the Titanic.
"He's like Tom Hanks in Big. A headboy in grown-up's clothing, playing the role of an adult" How right this is he's a private school prefect having a go at being PM but we have lived his fever dream long enough and change is coming if we let it. I urge all voters who care about the state of the country infrastructure, healthcare, education, to.not let perfect be the enemy of the good here, Sir Kier does steer a bit to the right in his rhetoric I grant you and at times I find it hard to hear but he is hell bent on getting elected and if he is he will be in power with a very strong experienced cabinet who have actual backgrounds in eccomics, infrastructure, education, healthcare, house building and this alone is why we should all vote Labour when the time comes. Blwydden newydd da pawb see you on the other side x
Having a cabinet with even a little bit of expertise and sense will be a blessed relief. I'm really hoping Starmer's govt is boring as hell, because I can't take any more of this circus.
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi hefyd!
That he knows his shit policies are shit yet still continues with them just to set up dividing lines is the essence of the man (boy) and all that is wrong with the country and certainly why PR would begin (slowly I imagine) to produce better government.
Thanks for this Ian, this little man is a disgrace in every regard. I cannot wait for election night and his ridiculous spiteful reaction to getting absolutely hammered.
Thanks for a suitably cathartic summary, making me feel better, despite the bastard head cold sent as a symbolic terminator to this dreadful year.
Very well written and apt. I do believe Rishi is determined to create a legacy and in his tiny mind it will be the demolition of the rule of law or the removal of human rights once and for all. This will be his fait accompli.
But the worse thing he's done is committed the UK to genocide. He is a full and active supporter and put us firmly on the side of oppression. There is no understating what he's done
The key question for me is, why in Britain this is not blatantly clear also to the remaining Tory supporters.
You’d genuinely have to wonder why -after 13 years, Truss and now Sunak- anyone can still think that the Tories have any capability left to govern the country.
The other crucial element alongside the failure of the media’s lack of scrutiny of Sunak’s government is the corresponding failure of Starmer and the shadow cabinet to fulfil their role as an opposition, preferring to gutlessly stand on the sidelines and play to what they imagine is the gallery.
The depressing thing for me, living in Aotearoa/New Zealand, is that this is just the sort of person who has just been elected Prime Minister here.
I guess one oughtn’t be disappointed once they’ve scratched at a polished turd.
Enjoyable read as ever, truly on the money. However, my only disappointment is the lack of the usual finely crafted, original expletive
Iain, I want to support you but have misgivings about the Substack platform, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/substack-extremism-nazi-white-supremacy-newsletters/676156/ - I would subscribe to your channel if I could be sure that my subscriptions do not contribute to the problem. Is there any other mode of communication that I could subscribe to that will provide you with the income and me with peace of mind? Best declanomahony@gmail.com
Great post thanks and happy new year!
I was curious why you didn’t include something on Sunak’s tremendous wealth and how people that rich mostly don’t really get what it’s like for those struggling with a cost of living crisis. Would this disconnect also go some way to explain his lack of attention on the issue? There is also I imagine his commitment to Thatcherite ideology as well to consider.
"Things can only get better". I wish I shared your confidence. I fear we may have a Trump executive in power before we get a Starmer government :-(