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"All the subtlety and grace of a clown in a morgue" (Photo by Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“The cost of living, too high! Waiting times in the NHS, too long! Illegal migration, far too much!” This could have been Keir Starmer thundering from the Opposition benches. Except it wasn’t. This was Rishi Sunak’s assessment of the government he leads, delivered in his New Year launch speech. Failing on the economy, failing on health, failing on borders. It was scathing stuff. But it’s not as though the Prime Minister can pretend he and his party are delivering.
“New Year should be a time of optimism and excitement,” he said. “Yet I know many of you look ahead to 2023 with apprehension.” Sunak cheerily called for a rejection of pessimism and fatalism, and refused to limit aspirations. Narrated like an adult reading a storybook to a child before bed, the speech’s sunny tone felt misjudged. And delivered with such cloying earnestness and saccharine enthusiasm, it had the subtlety and grace of a clown in a morgue.
Optimism is a powerful, unifying force, and Sunak is right to identify it as an important political goal. But there was something missing in his message — a reason to feel optimistic. Platitudes don’t pay for heating bills or get you seen by a GP faster — people need concrete, tangible reasons to believe that things are getting better, or at the very least, will do soon. The future of Sunak’s party depends on it.
When people are scared, they want realism — they to be levelled with. “I don’t expect you to like my message, but I hope you will understand and agree with my justifications for it,” he could have said. But the speech contained no comprehensive policy shift — no reason for people to buy-in to changes that might improve their lives with commitment and patience. It was just more of the same motherhood and apple pie that has been promised before, but delivered in an even more cheerful manner.
An ill mood grips the country, not just because of frustration at temporary factors like strike disruption or winter pressures on health services — our political economy is convulsing under chronic polycrisis. The annual NHS winter struggle began last summer, and continues to metastasise through record A&E delays, growing waiting lists and an overstretched ambulance service. Our sea border is, in practice, an open door with a criminal gang empire attached. Inflation stands at a 40-year high. Every train journey now requires strike planning. Nothing seems to be working. I sat with the foreign-born head of a large business recently who asked me, “Why do the British put up with so much? In France, Italy, or Spain, they would be rioting in the streets at half of this.” They are right to be perplexed by our passivity to mediocrity and relative national decline. Said to be one of our great and admirable national character strengths, the British stiff upper lip is proving our undoing.
But instead of introspection about economic growth and government competence — and where it isn’t coming from — ruling Conservative politicians are often wallowing in pessimism and giving up the fight: rising stars such as Dehenna Davison, and established parliamentarians such Sajid Javid and William Wragg have all announced their intention to stand down at the next election. And those who remain can be overheard moaning to journalists about how difficult being in charge is. Sympathy, as they say, is in the dictionary.
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SubscribeUm I just went to the ‘next gen tories’ website and twitter. Thinking oh this might appeal to me being an early 30s brexit voter. Just. I haven’t got the heart to slay them they look so, harmless and suity, but they are not the answer to anything. Sorry. It’s dreary. About as standard and non radical as you can get. Build more houses. Reform childcare. Nothing about brexit. Dull. Backing rishi as well. Oh dear. You know, I had some optimism after brexit, that has now all gone. Sunaks speech was diabolical. I thought I’d give him one chance. Starmer is now a disaster waiting to happen. I’ll vote for the monster raving loony party if their still going. Get some candidates up, it’s that bad. I’m now in real danger of catching revolutionary fever from America.
This article was rightfully scathing – I just waded through the sunak speech and came here to vent really… Lucky you. Its likely to be long. You might want to get yourself a cup of tea. The wading for me was difficult. No mention at all of Brexit. Absolutely nothing of any meaning for businesses what. So. Ever. He could have cut it down to: We will throw money at the schools that always fixes stuff. And maths. Let’s do that. We will stop the boats but not going to say how. Or how much shutting down a massive organised crime ring will cost. How long that might realistically take. Or what we will do with the already overflowing hotels – Let’s gloss over that for now….. He’s gunna fix the NHS. People have been saying that since I can remember being vaguely interested in the news.
He wants innovation does he.
You need to stop sh1tting on SMEs and self employed people all the time then don’t you. Nothing about corporation tax or their tax hikes at all apart from they might cut them…. Sometime. If you tax the s**t out of small and medium business it limits what they can reinvest in innovation or hiring more people. This man is an arse. He’s going to renew the high street. How. You want to do that you need to reverse the trend of retail parks. Or try and reverse the online shopping trend. Good luck. If you want rid of retail parks and make the high street more competitive with them and online giants like amazon, you need to make it hard and expensive for the big boys and cheap and easy for small businesses to get going, on a high street so they can fairly compete with the enormous multi Corp brands that largely corner the retail parks and online retail. Might be a good start to tax the shit out of the mega corps instead of British SMEs maybe? I don’t expect the markets would react well to that one either though….
Nothing about energy or gas, or how they are going to miraculously bring order to the global energy market etc. and halve inflation, the bit in the article ‘Platitudes don’t pay for heating’ – have a friend that’s a ceramicist I saw over Christmas, she said Stoke on trent potteries are dying on their feet because of the gas price. She was pretty upset tbh, she doesn’t work there but thought it a real shame for the industry as a whole. Wade ceramics is now gone. £500,000 increase in its bill this year. 130 jobs lost and a niche British industry that supports the town gone.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/gmb-hits-out-woefully-inadequate-7900879.amp
Sunak. You are so far off you may as well be on a another planet.
I don’t think they will come back from this. They don’t deserve to. I’m not voting for them ever again. I can’t believe in all of it he managed not to mention brexit. We needed so much more from him especially after he back stabbed boris in the first place – this is the best he could come up with? This was his plan? I hope you hear me screaming at you London. This. Is. Not. Going. To. Cut. It.
Yes. Hit them hard. Men in empty raincoats.
They do hear you, in focus groups. They just stick their fingers in their ears and go la-la-la, Net Zero, la-la-la…
I agree with everything you say. It’s what I’ve written to my Tory MP. I was courteous as ever but said I would not be voting for him or his useless party at the next GE, He’s offered to meet to discuss my rap sheet. But there’s no point. He’s just a backbencher apologist for his government. The basic problem is that the Tories aren’t conservatives. They are a rabble of competing factions. As such, they can’t mobilise their majority to actually DO anything. They need to be put to the sword at the next GE. My preferred outcome? The Tory party consigned to oblivion with Reform responsible for many of the lost seats…and a historically low turnout to deny Labour, equally divided, any credible mandate.
Thanks, maybe I will copy and paste my comment into an email to my local mp 🙂 that sounds like the best outcome we could hope for actually, I will happily vote reform if they really do put a candidate up against every tory. Do we think they could do that? Destroy the tories and stop Labour getting a big mandate? I suppose it depends how well they can campaign now up to the next election…. I will check them out again, I was impressed with their website and some of their policies, they actually at least talk about energy and business. And brexit. And propose some solutions. There is a glimmer of hope……
Thanks, maybe I will copy and paste my comment into an email to my local mp 🙂 that sounds like the best outcome we could hope for actually, I will happily vote reform if they really do put a candidate up against every tory. Do we think they could do that? Destroy the tories and stop Labour getting a big mandate? I suppose it depends how well they can campaign now up to the next election…. I will check them out again, I was impressed with their website and some of their policies, they actually at least talk about energy and business. And brexit. And propose some solutions. There is a glimmer of hope……
I usually find that when someone says they are not going to vote for a party again, they seldom (if ever) have.
You are forgetting, Mr. Emery, what the PM had to face when he was appointed – besides the fiasco of his predecessor’s short-lived policies – which was ridicule, divided loyalties and questionable decision-making, especially on Covid which caused harm to those with diagnosed and undiagnosed serious illnesses and adversely affected the lives of the young
Brexit was not mentioned in the speech but, contrary to the previous stalemate in negotiations, the PM has got things moving, with the Irish PM now on side.
He has also resisted blackmail by the unions for salary increases which would not be in the best interest of the country and he has established a better relationship with EU leaders.
His religion and ethnic origin were against him in certain sections of society but his integrity and charisma are what we need at this time.
The way back will not be easy but I believe he is up to it.
.
Then I must be the exception that proves the rule. I’ve voted Tory in every general election since 1979, except for 1997 when I voted Lib Dem (to my eternal shame) as a protest against the Major debacle. In early 2019 I told my MP I wouldn’t be voting Tory again due to the shameful Brexit fiasco and the May government’s half-hearted approach to implementing the instructions that the electorate gave to parliament in 2016. I changed my mind in December 2019 because voting for them was the only clear way of getting Brexit done and there was at least a chance of it being done. However, since then we’ve had the dreadful authoritarianism of the Tory covid lockdown (and yes, I know Labour would have been worse but that doesn’t excuse the Conservatives for their trashing of our liberties and of democracy) and the nonsense of three prime ministers this year. The party has no philosophy, no policies to speak of – at least none that are recognisably Conservative – and no will and no ability to govern. They had an 80 seat majority and look what they’ve done with it. I’ll never vote for them again.
You say, ‘and yes, I know Labour would have been worse but that doesn’t excuse the Conservatives for their trashing of our liberties and of democracy.’
With respect to you, that is not a trivial concern. Far from it in my view. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m as unhappy as the next man and I likely won’t be voting Conservative again. But I do have to recognise that my choice there does not exist in a bubble. I can only think of one other country in Europe where the voters decided to upset an established party system (at least at national level) and that is France. Out of that void stepped Emmanuel Macron. I suspect that for all the internet fire and brimstone around Reform and the like the far more likely outcome of a political earthquake in this country would be something far more like Macron than Farage. If the Reform Party was going to take off in a big way then it likely would have done so by now. With the best will in the world Richard Tice’s speech yesterday had the whiff of Trussonomics about it. Voters not so well-disposed to him would probably be harsher.
Indeed a weakened Labour would look to Liberals, Greens and Nationalists for support – not to Reform. A Starmer government would probably look like Trudeau’s government in Canada. It’s a grisly outcome for sure. For that matter one potential outcome of the next election is a grand coalition. Unlikely, but not as far-fetched as some think.
It is very hard to see how any vacuum created by the Conservative Party’s fall would be filled by something from the right. PR might help (and I’m not totally convinced by that) but PR is not the silver bullet that a lot of people across the political spectrum think it is.
It’s no good just pulling something down without having some sort of alternative, because all that happens is a vacuum that needs to be filled.
You say, ‘and yes, I know Labour would have been worse but that doesn’t excuse the Conservatives for their trashing of our liberties and of democracy.’
With respect to you, that is not a trivial concern. Far from it in my view. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m as unhappy as the next man and I likely won’t be voting Conservative again. But I do have to recognise that my choice there does not exist in a bubble. I can only think of one other country in Europe where the voters decided to upset an established party system (at least at national level) and that is France. Out of that void stepped Emmanuel Macron. I suspect that for all the internet fire and brimstone around Reform and the like the far more likely outcome of a political earthquake in this country would be something far more like Macron than Farage. If the Reform Party was going to take off in a big way then it likely would have done so by now. With the best will in the world Richard Tice’s speech yesterday had the whiff of Trussonomics about it. Voters not so well-disposed to him would probably be harsher.
Indeed a weakened Labour would look to Liberals, Greens and Nationalists for support – not to Reform. A Starmer government would probably look like Trudeau’s government in Canada. It’s a grisly outcome for sure. For that matter one potential outcome of the next election is a grand coalition. Unlikely, but not as far-fetched as some think.
It is very hard to see how any vacuum created by the Conservative Party’s fall would be filled by something from the right. PR might help (and I’m not totally convinced by that) but PR is not the silver bullet that a lot of people across the political spectrum think it is.
It’s no good just pulling something down without having some sort of alternative, because all that happens is a vacuum that needs to be filled.
Well if he wants a way back the man needs to come up with a plan not just some slogans. He needs to stop talking to us like we’re five. He helped create the fiasco by getting rid of Boris in the first place. I hold the whole party responsible. His religion and ethnic origin are of no concern of mine, nor of many others I don’t think. My concern is how they are going to pull us out of the hole created by covid and protect businesses from skyrocketing energy prices. And deliver brexit. Still waiting to hear that part. I am miss emery BTW – I must have a very manly writing style, or it’s the swearing….. you’re not the first to think me a Mr 🙂
Then I must be the exception that proves the rule. I’ve voted Tory in every general election since 1979, except for 1997 when I voted Lib Dem (to my eternal shame) as a protest against the Major debacle. In early 2019 I told my MP I wouldn’t be voting Tory again due to the shameful Brexit fiasco and the May government’s half-hearted approach to implementing the instructions that the electorate gave to parliament in 2016. I changed my mind in December 2019 because voting for them was the only clear way of getting Brexit done and there was at least a chance of it being done. However, since then we’ve had the dreadful authoritarianism of the Tory covid lockdown (and yes, I know Labour would have been worse but that doesn’t excuse the Conservatives for their trashing of our liberties and of democracy) and the nonsense of three prime ministers this year. The party has no philosophy, no policies to speak of – at least none that are recognisably Conservative – and no will and no ability to govern. They had an 80 seat majority and look what they’ve done with it. I’ll never vote for them again.
Well if he wants a way back the man needs to come up with a plan not just some slogans. He needs to stop talking to us like we’re five. He helped create the fiasco by getting rid of Boris in the first place. I hold the whole party responsible. His religion and ethnic origin are of no concern of mine, nor of many others I don’t think. My concern is how they are going to pull us out of the hole created by covid and protect businesses from skyrocketing energy prices. And deliver brexit. Still waiting to hear that part. I am miss emery BTW – I must have a very manly writing style, or it’s the swearing….. you’re not the first to think me a Mr 🙂
The elephant in the room I’m afraid is that Brexit was always a symptom not cause. It channeled a genuine discontent bred by austerity, stagnating wages, low productivity and regional imbalances wrought by financialization and flagging investment. However, despite the well intentioned utopian promises, in practice, Brexit misdirected attention away from the real underlying causes and deepened divisions when joint endeavour was needed. The result has been economic stagnation and political confusion.
I accept that may have been part of the problem, however I still think we are better off out of the reach of the enormous and sometimes corrupt tentacles of the EU government. I do accept this government has made an absolute hash of it.
How are we better off though. I mean tangibly?
I think the EU is corrupt, the Qatari cash scandal not so long ago was good evidence. To maintain a real democracy and prevent the creep of the state – we are better off not having our laws made by enormous corrupt institutions. That is how I feel we would be better off. Economically, its hard to tell, covid and the energy crisis have skewed everything. I don’t think sunak has done us any favours, I preferred truss personally. I accept they are all a shambles though, that at the moment, have not made us better off economically. I’m not sure if that’s brexit or the government.
I think the EU is corrupt, the Qatari cash scandal not so long ago was good evidence. To maintain a real democracy and prevent the creep of the state – we are better off not having our laws made by enormous corrupt institutions. That is how I feel we would be better off. Economically, its hard to tell, covid and the energy crisis have skewed everything. I don’t think sunak has done us any favours, I preferred truss personally. I accept they are all a shambles though, that at the moment, have not made us better off economically. I’m not sure if that’s brexit or the government.
How are we better off though. I mean tangibly?
I accept that may have been part of the problem, however I still think we are better off out of the reach of the enormous and sometimes corrupt tentacles of the EU government. I do accept this government has made an absolute hash of it.
Justifiable rage. Bang on analysis. Support for business, Brexit freedoms and wealth creation are the core passions that unite a silent majority and if embraced still could stop the horror of a Starmer/Blob victory. When will they escape the Treasury/Brownite Orthodoxy black hole and be Conservatives?? Time running out.
Thank you Mr marvell, that’s very gracious of you after I was so obnoxious to you last time.
I don’t think they can now, I’d like to be surprised though.
Thank you Mr marvell, that’s very gracious of you after I was so obnoxious to you last time.
I don’t think they can now, I’d like to be surprised though.
Yes. Hit them hard. Men in empty raincoats.
They do hear you, in focus groups. They just stick their fingers in their ears and go la-la-la, Net Zero, la-la-la…
I agree with everything you say. It’s what I’ve written to my Tory MP. I was courteous as ever but said I would not be voting for him or his useless party at the next GE, He’s offered to meet to discuss my rap sheet. But there’s no point. He’s just a backbencher apologist for his government. The basic problem is that the Tories aren’t conservatives. They are a rabble of competing factions. As such, they can’t mobilise their majority to actually DO anything. They need to be put to the sword at the next GE. My preferred outcome? The Tory party consigned to oblivion with Reform responsible for many of the lost seats…and a historically low turnout to deny Labour, equally divided, any credible mandate.
I usually find that when someone says they are not going to vote for a party again, they seldom (if ever) have.
You are forgetting, Mr. Emery, what the PM had to face when he was appointed – besides the fiasco of his predecessor’s short-lived policies – which was ridicule, divided loyalties and questionable decision-making, especially on Covid which caused harm to those with diagnosed and undiagnosed serious illnesses and adversely affected the lives of the young
Brexit was not mentioned in the speech but, contrary to the previous stalemate in negotiations, the PM has got things moving, with the Irish PM now on side.
He has also resisted blackmail by the unions for salary increases which would not be in the best interest of the country and he has established a better relationship with EU leaders.
His religion and ethnic origin were against him in certain sections of society but his integrity and charisma are what we need at this time.
The way back will not be easy but I believe he is up to it.
.
The elephant in the room I’m afraid is that Brexit was always a symptom not cause. It channeled a genuine discontent bred by austerity, stagnating wages, low productivity and regional imbalances wrought by financialization and flagging investment. However, despite the well intentioned utopian promises, in practice, Brexit misdirected attention away from the real underlying causes and deepened divisions when joint endeavour was needed. The result has been economic stagnation and political confusion.
Justifiable rage. Bang on analysis. Support for business, Brexit freedoms and wealth creation are the core passions that unite a silent majority and if embraced still could stop the horror of a Starmer/Blob victory. When will they escape the Treasury/Brownite Orthodoxy black hole and be Conservatives?? Time running out.
Um I just went to the ‘next gen tories’ website and twitter. Thinking oh this might appeal to me being an early 30s brexit voter. Just. I haven’t got the heart to slay them they look so, harmless and suity, but they are not the answer to anything. Sorry. It’s dreary. About as standard and non radical as you can get. Build more houses. Reform childcare. Nothing about brexit. Dull. Backing rishi as well. Oh dear. You know, I had some optimism after brexit, that has now all gone. Sunaks speech was diabolical. I thought I’d give him one chance. Starmer is now a disaster waiting to happen. I’ll vote for the monster raving loony party if their still going. Get some candidates up, it’s that bad. I’m now in real danger of catching revolutionary fever from America.
This article was rightfully scathing – I just waded through the sunak speech and came here to vent really… Lucky you. Its likely to be long. You might want to get yourself a cup of tea. The wading for me was difficult. No mention at all of Brexit. Absolutely nothing of any meaning for businesses what. So. Ever. He could have cut it down to: We will throw money at the schools that always fixes stuff. And maths. Let’s do that. We will stop the boats but not going to say how. Or how much shutting down a massive organised crime ring will cost. How long that might realistically take. Or what we will do with the already overflowing hotels – Let’s gloss over that for now….. He’s gunna fix the NHS. People have been saying that since I can remember being vaguely interested in the news.
He wants innovation does he.
You need to stop sh1tting on SMEs and self employed people all the time then don’t you. Nothing about corporation tax or their tax hikes at all apart from they might cut them…. Sometime. If you tax the s**t out of small and medium business it limits what they can reinvest in innovation or hiring more people. This man is an arse. He’s going to renew the high street. How. You want to do that you need to reverse the trend of retail parks. Or try and reverse the online shopping trend. Good luck. If you want rid of retail parks and make the high street more competitive with them and online giants like amazon, you need to make it hard and expensive for the big boys and cheap and easy for small businesses to get going, on a high street so they can fairly compete with the enormous multi Corp brands that largely corner the retail parks and online retail. Might be a good start to tax the shit out of the mega corps instead of British SMEs maybe? I don’t expect the markets would react well to that one either though….
Nothing about energy or gas, or how they are going to miraculously bring order to the global energy market etc. and halve inflation, the bit in the article ‘Platitudes don’t pay for heating’ – have a friend that’s a ceramicist I saw over Christmas, she said Stoke on trent potteries are dying on their feet because of the gas price. She was pretty upset tbh, she doesn’t work there but thought it a real shame for the industry as a whole. Wade ceramics is now gone. £500,000 increase in its bill this year. 130 jobs lost and a niche British industry that supports the town gone.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/gmb-hits-out-woefully-inadequate-7900879.amp
Sunak. You are so far off you may as well be on a another planet.
I don’t think they will come back from this. They don’t deserve to. I’m not voting for them ever again. I can’t believe in all of it he managed not to mention brexit. We needed so much more from him especially after he back stabbed boris in the first place – this is the best he could come up with? This was his plan? I hope you hear me screaming at you London. This. Is. Not. Going. To. Cut. It.
“And delivered with such cloying earnestness and saccharine enthusiasm, it had the subtlety and grace of a clown in a morgue.”
Loved that line.
Had my back to the television when he was speaking and thought he sounded just like ..Tony Blair!
Had my back to the television when he was speaking and thought he sounded just like ..Tony Blair!
“And delivered with such cloying earnestness and saccharine enthusiasm, it had the subtlety and grace of a clown in a morgue.”
Loved that line.
Once again, we have another PM who has detailed zero long term planning for the economy. Inflation along with waiting lists will come down naturally and growth should at least show its head, albeit in a small way. I’m amazed that, out of a population of 60 odd million, we can’t find some sensible people to run our country. I don’t hold out for any hope, that Starmer will announce anything different later today.
I find politicians these days not so much leaders or fixers as merely commentators on the situation.
I find politicians these days not so much leaders or fixers as merely commentators on the situation.
Once again, we have another PM who has detailed zero long term planning for the economy. Inflation along with waiting lists will come down naturally and growth should at least show its head, albeit in a small way. I’m amazed that, out of a population of 60 odd million, we can’t find some sensible people to run our country. I don’t hold out for any hope, that Starmer will announce anything different later today.
Sunak and Starmer both are not leaders. They are followers. They have both been gulled by self-interested corporate and political interests into “leading” our country into a tech-enabled dystopian authoritarian nightmare in which personal liberties and freedoms are limited and secondary to whatever it is that the globalist blob determines is necessary for the utilitarian common good.
Britain needs a sensible, centrist, leader with their head screwed and eyes wide open to steer a course which eschews both faux-progressive, corporatist internationalism (with its pandemic treaties, sustainable development goals, and all the rest of that utopian nonsense) and reactionary populist nativism (with its unrealistic immigration goals, hardline interpretation of Brexit, and lack of long term vision and strategy).
None of the parties in parliament nor, as far as I can see, any party outside of parliament has such a leader or political programme. But if a credible one were to emerge in the next couple of years and started gathering momentum and support it could have a real impact, if not in actually winning seats in parliament, then at least in forcing the legacy parties back towards regaining at least some grip on reality that all seem to have completely lost.
I feel bit too early to judge Starmer. He’s not had the reins of power yet. But arguably what he’s done in tackling the Corbynism virus in a relatively short space of time been fairly impressive. He’s not the most charismatic person of course, just perhaps that’s a blessing. These things can go in cycles.
On the right I think Badenoch has quite some potential. I’m less supportive of her politics but as a performer she was miles better than Truss or Sunak. In the leadership campaign she could think on her feet and respond coherently. The others just seemed so robotic. We would want someone who is sharp and she seemed that for sure.
Leaders do need to be tested first though, either in leading a Party – which takes quite alot of skill, or a big Govt dept. There is, as we have found out so much last few years, more to leadership than populist slogans.
I will never forgive Starmer for the way he goaded the government into ever more draconian lockdowns and restrictions for entirely political reasons. If he had the integrity to look into it properly he would have been able to know the harms that they were doing, hitting the poorest hardest. Instead he had ignored them and bleated about his wife being “frontline NHS”, like that makes any difference to anything. The despicable, dismissive way he treated the Bath publican (and former Labour voter) who tried to bring the basic facts to his attention is a case in point. At the end of the day he’s a ruthless human rights barrister: no interest in the actual truth or ethics or his impact on real people, he just wants to win his case. Like millions of others, I just don’t trust him.
And who will forget the sickeningly performative Starmer “taking the knee” for a photo op during the summer of BLM.
And who will forget the sickeningly performative Starmer “taking the knee” for a photo op during the summer of BLM.
We can judge Starmer. Today’s speech was yet another horror show. Before we had three great policies to transform the UK. Taxing (a few hundred) Non Doms and being mean to our top schools. (One does not struggle to find a common theme here – Labour’s class envy and antipathy to wealth creators – it bodes SO well for their alleged love of the private sector). Then there is Ed’s crazed Green Revolution Mark 2 and the creation of a new British Leyland Eco Corp which will rain prosperity on us and smash the likes of the useless know nothing BP & Shell!!! Even Mandelson smells a rat here. And today – hurrah – more Brownite Revolution!!!! A cheap and cynical word game about Taking Back Control which will sees new armies of Mark Drayford standard bureaucrats (i.e morons) expand the Blob into dark northern regions to zero effect. And that folks is it. Terrifying. There is nothing there. A big sickly greeny black Void.
Very well said. I would strongly recommend, for your own sanity, switching off your TV set (or, at a minimum, “the news”) and doing something more interesting instead.
Very well said. I would strongly recommend, for your own sanity, switching off your TV set (or, at a minimum, “the news”) and doing something more interesting instead.
I will never forgive Starmer for the way he goaded the government into ever more draconian lockdowns and restrictions for entirely political reasons. If he had the integrity to look into it properly he would have been able to know the harms that they were doing, hitting the poorest hardest. Instead he had ignored them and bleated about his wife being “frontline NHS”, like that makes any difference to anything. The despicable, dismissive way he treated the Bath publican (and former Labour voter) who tried to bring the basic facts to his attention is a case in point. At the end of the day he’s a ruthless human rights barrister: no interest in the actual truth or ethics or his impact on real people, he just wants to win his case. Like millions of others, I just don’t trust him.
We can judge Starmer. Today’s speech was yet another horror show. Before we had three great policies to transform the UK. Taxing (a few hundred) Non Doms and being mean to our top schools. (One does not struggle to find a common theme here – Labour’s class envy and antipathy to wealth creators – it bodes SO well for their alleged love of the private sector). Then there is Ed’s crazed Green Revolution Mark 2 and the creation of a new British Leyland Eco Corp which will rain prosperity on us and smash the likes of the useless know nothing BP & Shell!!! Even Mandelson smells a rat here. And today – hurrah – more Brownite Revolution!!!! A cheap and cynical word game about Taking Back Control which will sees new armies of Mark Drayford standard bureaucrats (i.e morons) expand the Blob into dark northern regions to zero effect. And that folks is it. Terrifying. There is nothing there. A big sickly greeny black Void.
“unrealistic immigration goals”. Do you regard over 1 million a year as normal? Or sustainable?
I don’t think it is sustainable. Whether it is “normal” or not is just a matter of fact. It probably isn’t normal by historical standards if indeed it is that high today. But I don’t think zero or near zero net immigration (in next few years at least) is sustainable, either, given the state we’re in and our demographics. There is a moderate way through that is somewhere in between fortress Britain and open borders.
Should then immigration law be judged by “historical standards,” justifiably violated if found wanting?
No. My point was that “normal” is a positive description of the world as it is, or has been, not how it ought to be.
No. My point was that “normal” is a positive description of the world as it is, or has been, not how it ought to be.
Should then immigration law be judged by “historical standards,” justifiably violated if found wanting?
I don’t think it is sustainable. Whether it is “normal” or not is just a matter of fact. It probably isn’t normal by historical standards if indeed it is that high today. But I don’t think zero or near zero net immigration (in next few years at least) is sustainable, either, given the state we’re in and our demographics. There is a moderate way through that is somewhere in between fortress Britain and open borders.
I feel bit too early to judge Starmer. He’s not had the reins of power yet. But arguably what he’s done in tackling the Corbynism virus in a relatively short space of time been fairly impressive. He’s not the most charismatic person of course, just perhaps that’s a blessing. These things can go in cycles.
On the right I think Badenoch has quite some potential. I’m less supportive of her politics but as a performer she was miles better than Truss or Sunak. In the leadership campaign she could think on her feet and respond coherently. The others just seemed so robotic. We would want someone who is sharp and she seemed that for sure.
Leaders do need to be tested first though, either in leading a Party – which takes quite alot of skill, or a big Govt dept. There is, as we have found out so much last few years, more to leadership than populist slogans.
“unrealistic immigration goals”. Do you regard over 1 million a year as normal? Or sustainable?
Sunak and Starmer both are not leaders. They are followers. They have both been gulled by self-interested corporate and political interests into “leading” our country into a tech-enabled dystopian authoritarian nightmare in which personal liberties and freedoms are limited and secondary to whatever it is that the globalist blob determines is necessary for the utilitarian common good.
Britain needs a sensible, centrist, leader with their head screwed and eyes wide open to steer a course which eschews both faux-progressive, corporatist internationalism (with its pandemic treaties, sustainable development goals, and all the rest of that utopian nonsense) and reactionary populist nativism (with its unrealistic immigration goals, hardline interpretation of Brexit, and lack of long term vision and strategy).
None of the parties in parliament nor, as far as I can see, any party outside of parliament has such a leader or political programme. But if a credible one were to emerge in the next couple of years and started gathering momentum and support it could have a real impact, if not in actually winning seats in parliament, then at least in forcing the legacy parties back towards regaining at least some grip on reality that all seem to have completely lost.
This article is just so needlessly negative – and incorrect in many respects.
I would be more worried if Rishi Sunak did not mention innovation. Innovation is where economic growth comes from. Government cannot do much to force the innovation, but it can create (or not create) the conditions in which it will thrive.
“Without growing cities, we can give up on productivity growth.” I disagree.
Innovation requires clusters. But it does not require cities. Silicon Valley is a huge urban sprawl. Most technology clusters are on the edge of cities and some even in semi-rural areas (e.g. South Cambridgeshire). It’s only in the last decade that technology companies have actually established offices in the centres of London, Cambridge and Bristol.
“This matters when the British planning system prevents the growth of cities”.
Has the author not noticed the massive change in the London skyline over the past 10-20 years ? And the huge amount of apartment building (much of it apparently owned by foreign investors and unoccupied) ?
I’m not clear exactly how the Tories were “enfranchising and enriching elderly homeowners”. They always had the vote. They benefited from the era of defined benefits pensions and exceptional stock market growth in the 1980s. Nothing specifically to do with Conservative policies of the last 12 years.
“Sunak’s Tory electoral coalition of elderly homeowners have no interest in homebuilding to reduce the cost of living for their children and grandchildren. Nor do they care about innovation, now they have left the workforce.”
Again, I disagree that this applies across the board. A lazy, sweeping generalisation that isn’t universally true. How does the author know that [all] older people don’t care about innovation ?
Long version: https://himbonomics.substack.com/p/-the-triumph-of-janet-/
Short version: minimal planning reform plus immigration plus triple lock.
That’s a better article. But it still contains this rather patronising assumption that the “Janets” don’t know what they’re doing – that they are unaware of the contradiction between opposing development and wanting affordable housing for their grandchildren. These people are not stupid. And may in time shift their view on development. I view ridiculous house prices in the UK as one of our top three problems and favour reasonable development.
However, James’ piece managed to discuss housing affordability without saying anything about either demand (population growth, immigration) or gorvenment subsidy (artiticially low interests rates for well over a decade). These are as significant as planning. Driving round the country after Covid, I see no shortage of new housing being built. It is demand that is out of control more thabn supply.
I agree. I’ve made the point before on Unherd that in my mid-sized Midlands town, there has been so much housing development over the past 20 years it has pretty much doubled the physical size of the place (if not the population). It is still going on. I don’t see how there can be a shortage. On the contrary I genuinely wonder who is buying all this property, and what will happen if the recession causes a collapse in a major local employer.
Have a read about Blackrock in America owning vast swathes of properties.
Yes, it’s a real problem. Blackrock is buying up single-family houses in nice, quiet residential neighborhoods, and then renting them out in an effort to change the demographics from home owners with a genuine stake in the property, to those who don’t. The motivation appears to be right in keeping with the WEF’s plan for 2030: you will own nothing and you will be happy.
Yes, it’s a real problem. Blackrock is buying up single-family houses in nice, quiet residential neighborhoods, and then renting them out in an effort to change the demographics from home owners with a genuine stake in the property, to those who don’t. The motivation appears to be right in keeping with the WEF’s plan for 2030: you will own nothing and you will be happy.
Have a read about Blackrock in America owning vast swathes of properties.
I agree. I’ve made the point before on Unherd that in my mid-sized Midlands town, there has been so much housing development over the past 20 years it has pretty much doubled the physical size of the place (if not the population). It is still going on. I don’t see how there can be a shortage. On the contrary I genuinely wonder who is buying all this property, and what will happen if the recession causes a collapse in a major local employer.
That’s a better article. But it still contains this rather patronising assumption that the “Janets” don’t know what they’re doing – that they are unaware of the contradiction between opposing development and wanting affordable housing for their grandchildren. These people are not stupid. And may in time shift their view on development. I view ridiculous house prices in the UK as one of our top three problems and favour reasonable development.
However, James’ piece managed to discuss housing affordability without saying anything about either demand (population growth, immigration) or gorvenment subsidy (artiticially low interests rates for well over a decade). These are as significant as planning. Driving round the country after Covid, I see no shortage of new housing being built. It is demand that is out of control more thabn supply.
Long version: https://himbonomics.substack.com/p/-the-triumph-of-janet-/
Short version: minimal planning reform plus immigration plus triple lock.
This article is just so needlessly negative – and incorrect in many respects.
I would be more worried if Rishi Sunak did not mention innovation. Innovation is where economic growth comes from. Government cannot do much to force the innovation, but it can create (or not create) the conditions in which it will thrive.
“Without growing cities, we can give up on productivity growth.” I disagree.
Innovation requires clusters. But it does not require cities. Silicon Valley is a huge urban sprawl. Most technology clusters are on the edge of cities and some even in semi-rural areas (e.g. South Cambridgeshire). It’s only in the last decade that technology companies have actually established offices in the centres of London, Cambridge and Bristol.
“This matters when the British planning system prevents the growth of cities”.
Has the author not noticed the massive change in the London skyline over the past 10-20 years ? And the huge amount of apartment building (much of it apparently owned by foreign investors and unoccupied) ?
I’m not clear exactly how the Tories were “enfranchising and enriching elderly homeowners”. They always had the vote. They benefited from the era of defined benefits pensions and exceptional stock market growth in the 1980s. Nothing specifically to do with Conservative policies of the last 12 years.
“Sunak’s Tory electoral coalition of elderly homeowners have no interest in homebuilding to reduce the cost of living for their children and grandchildren. Nor do they care about innovation, now they have left the workforce.”
Again, I disagree that this applies across the board. A lazy, sweeping generalisation that isn’t universally true. How does the author know that [all] older people don’t care about innovation ?
Are we legally allowed to riot and protest as they do on the continent? Even if we did protest, it wouldn’t be covered in the media and no matter how many thousands showed up, the event would be swept under the carpet.
Or you will be accused of being an insurrectionist and tossed in jail, as happened in the US.
We are allowed to peacefully protest. I think you have to get permission/ notify that you will be holding a demonstration in the UK. I’m not sure if that depends on the size tbh. Does anyone else?
I don’t think we need to riot, if you could assemble a peaceful movement large enough that they have to pay attention that would be a good start. The media can only ignore for so long. A lot of people followed the Canadian truckers protests through Internet platforms not msm. The Internet gets it out. It would be the size that matters.
Or you will be accused of being an insurrectionist and tossed in jail, as happened in the US.
We are allowed to peacefully protest. I think you have to get permission/ notify that you will be holding a demonstration in the UK. I’m not sure if that depends on the size tbh. Does anyone else?
I don’t think we need to riot, if you could assemble a peaceful movement large enough that they have to pay attention that would be a good start. The media can only ignore for so long. A lot of people followed the Canadian truckers protests through Internet platforms not msm. The Internet gets it out. It would be the size that matters.
Are we legally allowed to riot and protest as they do on the continent? Even if we did protest, it wouldn’t be covered in the media and no matter how many thousands showed up, the event would be swept under the carpet.
The article is quite right to criticise not only the lack of vision from Sunak, but the absence of any clear plan to get us out the economic mess which he was partially responsible for inflicting on us.
On the other hand Starmer’s speech today could have come straight from the Tory playbook of the Cameron era: no return to massive government spending, trying to deliver everything through the state doesn’t work, a partnership model with private business, taking back control by devolving powers to local government. We seem to be living in Looking Glass World.
The article is quite right to criticise not only the lack of vision from Sunak, but the absence of any clear plan to get us out the economic mess which he was partially responsible for inflicting on us.
On the other hand Starmer’s speech today could have come straight from the Tory playbook of the Cameron era: no return to massive government spending, trying to deliver everything through the state doesn’t work, a partnership model with private business, taking back control by devolving powers to local government. We seem to be living in Looking Glass World.
One simple election winner, and the instant ability to take the entire working class vote from Labour.. Stand up and say ” Free speech, no more hate crime legislation, and we will no longer stand for the racism/ lbgt/ global warming National Socialist agenda, and repeal all laws supporting this media and internet driven invasion, and those against it can say what they like and wish”
Good luck with that!
Good luck with that!
One simple election winner, and the instant ability to take the entire working class vote from Labour.. Stand up and say ” Free speech, no more hate crime legislation, and we will no longer stand for the racism/ lbgt/ global warming National Socialist agenda, and repeal all laws supporting this media and internet driven invasion, and those against it can say what they like and wish”
The liberal-Remain establishment is certainly not imagined. Unfortunately, it is embodied in a majority of the Parliamentary Conservative Party. Caroline Nokes, Roger Gale, Steven Hammond … The list is endless.
The liberal-Remain establishment is certainly not imagined. Unfortunately, it is embodied in a majority of the Parliamentary Conservative Party. Caroline Nokes, Roger Gale, Steven Hammond … The list is endless.
The English are not playing this game anymore. Hold on to what you have and go hang the rest.
The English are not playing this game anymore. Hold on to what you have and go hang the rest.
“Sunak’s Tory electoral coalition of elderly homeowners have no interest in homebuilding to reduce the cost of living for their children and grandchildren.” How true is this in the era of the Bank of Mum and Dad? True to some extent but increasingly parents are taking out equity from their own homes to pay for deposits so that their children can buy an overpriced first home or even just pay the rent to go to university.
“Sunak’s Tory electoral coalition of elderly homeowners have no interest in homebuilding to reduce the cost of living for their children and grandchildren.” How true is this in the era of the Bank of Mum and Dad? True to some extent but increasingly parents are taking out equity from their own homes to pay for deposits so that their children can buy an overpriced first home or even just pay the rent to go to university.
Now why did you delete what I said which was positive about the PM. I don’t like that!
Now why did you delete what I said which was positive about the PM. I don’t like that!
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. Such nasty cynicism, not sure what else the bloke could do tbh.
Step aside so those who can do get a chance.
Step aside so those who can do get a chance.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. Such nasty cynicism, not sure what else the bloke could do tbh.
It’s a real conundrum for Tories – so many beliefs are coming unstuck at the same time. Plus many will recognise that eventually all Governments run out of vitality. I think liberal democracies need the changes between right and left. It’s healthy and overall finds a decent balance in the long run.
More specifically the Tories are caught to some degree between competing demographics as the Author contends – even if the generalities in what young or old might believe are too simplistic and just that – ‘generalities’. There remains an element of truth in the proposition.
As important I feel is the failure to appreciate what a real growth strategy might require. It’s not just about how many houses we build. Arguably that’s a minor issue. It’s about how and where we invest, and how we set up incentives. The lack of investment in science, education and infrastructure has been pitiful. Instead Tories prioritised tax cuts until the Markets showed they had no faith that alone would do it. Sunak’s Maths initiative a late and poor recognition of this theme, but at least in that direction.
The other key contradiction Tories can’t abide having to confront is that the failure to tax wealth appropriately acts against a properly coherent growth/innovation strategy. It’s too easy to just stick surplus capital into bricks and mortar, and other non innovative forms of investment. Our approach to wealth also ‘ratchets in’ advantage, which prevents the country achieving it’s full potential. This isn’t an envy argument. It’s a basic economic one – incentivise that wealth is invested in real growth. But as I say this is v difficult for Tories because the elephant in the room is they want to protect advantage too.
Of course the other striking contradiction is the withdrawal from the world’s biggest Single market, one we helped design. Crackers, but enough said on that in other articles/posts.
It’s a real conundrum for Tories – so many beliefs are coming unstuck at the same time. Plus many will recognise that eventually all Governments run out of vitality. I think liberal democracies need the changes between right and left. It’s healthy and overall finds a decent balance in the long run.
More specifically the Tories are caught to some degree between competing demographics as the Author contends – even if the generalities in what young or old might believe are too simplistic and just that – ‘generalities’. There remains an element of truth in the proposition.
As important I feel is the failure to appreciate what a real growth strategy might require. It’s not just about how many houses we build. Arguably that’s a minor issue. It’s about how and where we invest, and how we set up incentives. The lack of investment in science, education and infrastructure has been pitiful. Instead Tories prioritised tax cuts until the Markets showed they had no faith that alone would do it. Sunak’s Maths initiative a late and poor recognition of this theme, but at least in that direction.
The other key contradiction Tories can’t abide having to confront is that the failure to tax wealth appropriately acts against a properly coherent growth/innovation strategy. It’s too easy to just stick surplus capital into bricks and mortar, and other non innovative forms of investment. Our approach to wealth also ‘ratchets in’ advantage, which prevents the country achieving it’s full potential. This isn’t an envy argument. It’s a basic economic one – incentivise that wealth is invested in real growth. But as I say this is v difficult for Tories because the elephant in the room is they want to protect advantage too.
Of course the other striking contradiction is the withdrawal from the world’s biggest Single market, one we helped design. Crackers, but enough said on that in other articles/posts.