Kampfner gets it right. Courage is the key. It's significant that Reform's by-election defeats were at the hands of someone who had something to say and wasn't afraid to say it. PC in Caerphilly, Greens in Gorton, Burnham Labour in Makerfield. "Stick your courage to the sticking place"
There is a healing power in telling it like it is. A forgotten art. Looking over your shoulder only puts a crick in your neck. In Britain, and other countries, a lot happens and nothing changes. Playing for a moment of attention has become the norm. Don't. Admit there is a problem. Take responsibility for it. Offer a way forward. Don't blame your opponents or paint them in heinous hues. Treat voters, citizens, as adults. Tell it like it is.
Why is Burnham being coronated when he wasn’t even an MP a month ago? What does that say to the 400+ MPs who were already in place? Have no lessons been learnt by the rhetoric around it being a foregone conclusion that Burnham will now take over where none of us in the 70 million get any say whatsoever, and the media class is also contributing to the eventuality rather than questioning why he’s being ushered in. We had this during the 2024 General Election. There was hardly any scrutiny of Labour before they got this massive mandate, which was actually a ‘we’re tired of the Conservatives’ rather than trust in these policies. This is grim, and an ego has landed from Makerfield. I would rather he be scrutinised and challenged than watch whatever the hell is happening right now.
The article also seems to fall into the same grey area it attributes to Starmer. What are the concrete missing points in Labour’s government? The incapacity to tackle the oligarchic revolution of the last 40 years without a visible, relevant fiscal reform and the ambiguous (at best) policy towards the genocidal State reminds me of like Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. Present but not seen.
I am neither a politician or an economist but a project engineer/manager/consultant and see many parallels between long term government initiatives and the projects I used to run.
Differences; politicians in the main are generalists and lacking domain competency and rely on expensive, less accountable, advisors. Lack of a cradle to grave for each initiative which may span many parliaments with ministers and senior civil servants rotating out of positions before initiative completed again lowering accountability and continuity. If initiatives such as net zero and nhs reform were lead by domain competent people financially tied to staying the course and succeeding their successes would engender further positivity. Having successfully supported global projects up to $14 B. I have an inkling of what works and what doesn’t.
In summary we may have very well intentioned ministers and civil servants but the political and economic systems they have inherited, in my systems engineering and project management view, are misaligned with being able to deliver.
Unless Andy Burnham is prepared to tackle the liberal capital system and associated power structures whose systemic failings have led to the disillusionment of the general population he will fail. He has one shot at saving the UK from a far right agenda and that requires a coherent vision and a strategy to deliver it. He must be bold. He must start early on genuine reform and he must go very hard. He has got nothing to lose.
Kampfner gets it right. Courage is the key. It's significant that Reform's by-election defeats were at the hands of someone who had something to say and wasn't afraid to say it. PC in Caerphilly, Greens in Gorton, Burnham Labour in Makerfield. "Stick your courage to the sticking place"
The Makerfield vote was, like the council elections, a mass reaction to the personality disordered PM.
Reform got the wrong candidate but don't write them off.
Burnham may present as more human than Starmer but then wheelie bins are as well. A few months of Burnham and Labour will be more hated than now.
I'd be interested to know how many postal votes were cast.
My default view of most politicians now is that is the career for those incapable of productive work.
There is a healing power in telling it like it is. A forgotten art. Looking over your shoulder only puts a crick in your neck. In Britain, and other countries, a lot happens and nothing changes. Playing for a moment of attention has become the norm. Don't. Admit there is a problem. Take responsibility for it. Offer a way forward. Don't blame your opponents or paint them in heinous hues. Treat voters, citizens, as adults. Tell it like it is.
Why is Burnham being coronated when he wasn’t even an MP a month ago? What does that say to the 400+ MPs who were already in place? Have no lessons been learnt by the rhetoric around it being a foregone conclusion that Burnham will now take over where none of us in the 70 million get any say whatsoever, and the media class is also contributing to the eventuality rather than questioning why he’s being ushered in. We had this during the 2024 General Election. There was hardly any scrutiny of Labour before they got this massive mandate, which was actually a ‘we’re tired of the Conservatives’ rather than trust in these policies. This is grim, and an ego has landed from Makerfield. I would rather he be scrutinised and challenged than watch whatever the hell is happening right now.
The article also seems to fall into the same grey area it attributes to Starmer. What are the concrete missing points in Labour’s government? The incapacity to tackle the oligarchic revolution of the last 40 years without a visible, relevant fiscal reform and the ambiguous (at best) policy towards the genocidal State reminds me of like Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. Present but not seen.
Basically, he's a lawyer not a politician!
I am neither a politician or an economist but a project engineer/manager/consultant and see many parallels between long term government initiatives and the projects I used to run.
Differences; politicians in the main are generalists and lacking domain competency and rely on expensive, less accountable, advisors. Lack of a cradle to grave for each initiative which may span many parliaments with ministers and senior civil servants rotating out of positions before initiative completed again lowering accountability and continuity. If initiatives such as net zero and nhs reform were lead by domain competent people financially tied to staying the course and succeeding their successes would engender further positivity. Having successfully supported global projects up to $14 B. I have an inkling of what works and what doesn’t.
In summary we may have very well intentioned ministers and civil servants but the political and economic systems they have inherited, in my systems engineering and project management view, are misaligned with being able to deliver.
John Kampfner is correct. The past isn’t coming back, neither for the political right nor for the political left. It’s time to talk truth to electors.
Yep. Calling brexit a military defeat would be useful.
Unless Andy Burnham is prepared to tackle the liberal capital system and associated power structures whose systemic failings have led to the disillusionment of the general population he will fail. He has one shot at saving the UK from a far right agenda and that requires a coherent vision and a strategy to deliver it. He must be bold. He must start early on genuine reform and he must go very hard. He has got nothing to lose.