J ANTHONY

Political writer. Power, populism, institutions and democratic change. Author of Burnhamism, Reform UK Ltd & Two Flags, One Playbook.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Andy Burnham has taken the Manchester model to Downing Street.
But can a system built on devolution, visible leadership and Whitehall dependence really govern Britain?
Burnhamism tests the model.
Paperback and Kindle:
https://t.co/ao82oqZLq8

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Two passenger train derailments in less than 24 hours should get everyone’s attention.

Thankfully there are no reported injuries in Essex, but after yesterday’s serious crash at Lewes, passengers will understandably want answers.

We should not speculate about the cause.

But two incidents this close together demand urgent scrutiny.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

£10,000 an hour from an industry lobbying group is the sort of thing politicians should realise looks terrible.

Rayner wasn’t Housing Secretary when she took the £20,000 and there’s no suggestion she broke any rules.

But weeks later she was back in charge of housing policy.

Following the rules isn’t the same as avoiding a conflict of interest, or the appearance of one.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Small problem with this comparison.

Burnham actually won 54.8%, not 52.4%, on 58.7% turnout, against Reform, Restore, Conservatives, Greens and Lib Dems.

Farage won 63.3% on 44.4% turnout after the major parties didn’t stand. His nearest opponent was Count Binface.

Context isn’t media bias.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

£440,000 paid to firms linked to Reform insiders.

That isn’t proof of wrongdoing. But it is exactly why the financial structure of political parties deserves proper scrutiny.

Who controls the organisation?
Where does the money go?
Who benefits?

Those questions matter whether you support Reform or oppose it.

It is also exactly why I wrote Reform UK Ltd.

[Byline Times @BylineTimes]

🔴 NEW

Reform UK Paid £440,000 to Firms Linked to Party Insiders

By @MaxColbert and @josiahmortimer

Exclusive: Electoral Commission filings reveal payments to companies run by Reform activists, donors and a former party chairman

Subscribe to support fearless independent journalism.

https://t.co/OfzsgS8uyk

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Of course it was a real by-election. I’m talking about the level of political competition.

Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems didn’t stand. His nearest opponent was a satirical candidate.

Saying all their voters could have coordinated behind Binface rather proves the point.

Farage won the ballot. He wasn’t seriously tested.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

"Home Secretary, your department says more than 150,000 immigration and asylum appeals are waiting to be heard, with cases taking an average of 61 weeks. What date will you cut that backlog in half, and how many failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders will actually be removed from the UK in the next 12 months?

A number and a deadline, please."

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Criticism of Farage is not proof that the establishment fears him.

He is one of the most influential politicians in Britain. His finances, donors, decisions and record should be scrutinised accordingly.

Calling every difficult question “hatred” is convenient.

Accountability is not persecution.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

This is the right principle. Now it needs teeth.

If customers are expected to fund billions in new water infrastructure, they cannot simply be treated as the industry’s unlimited source of cash.

Higher bills should mean measurable improvements in reservoirs, leaks, sewage and reliability.

Public control has to mean public accountability.

[The Daily Britain @dailybritainonx]

“Our water industry has clearly not been working for people for far too long. That’s why this Government will be looking at how we can give the public more control and help keep bills as low as possible.”

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

@jhansonradio A very expensive route back to exactly the same question.

Farage is back in Parliament, the investigation is back on, and the £5m gift still needs an answer.

The by-election changed his seat. It didn’t change the scrutiny.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

So the by-election settled nothing.

Farage said Clacton’s voters should judge him instead of Parliament.

They returned him. Now the parliamentary investigation into the undeclared £5m gift has reopened anyway.

And if the investigation ultimately leads to a sufficiently long Commons suspension, he could potentially face a recall process and another by-election.

You can win an election. You still have to answer the question.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Customers are being asked to pay more today for infrastructure that should have been built years ago.

If higher bills really are necessary, every extra pound should come with visible improvements in reservoirs, pipes, leaks and sewage.

Paying more for the same failures isn’t investment.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

@helenmmaher @BBCNews Then investigate both.

If Lord Alli broke rules, that should be investigated properly too.

But allegations involving Labour don’t make questions about Farage’s £5m gift disappear.

Standards only mean something if they apply to everyone.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

The climate argument is increasingly moving from “is this happening?” to “how do we live with what is already happening?”

Cutting emissions still matters.

But so do reservoirs, resilient power grids, cooler cities, better buildings, wildfire capacity and infrastructure designed for hotter summers.

Mitigation is about the climate we inherit tomorrow. Adaptation is about whether our institutions can cope today.

[Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders]

900 million people just saw the hottest July on record

The world's oceans just saw the hottest July on record

July was the hottest month in the recorded history of the United States

No, Mr. President. Climate change is not a “hoax.” It is an emergency that demands bold action.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

@andyburnham Awful scenes tonight. Huge respect to the firefighters and emergency crews working in those conditions. Hope everyone affected gets through the night safely.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Customers are being asked to pay more today for infrastructure that should have been built years ago.

If higher bills really are necessary, every extra pound should come with visible improvements in reservoirs, pipes, leaks and sewage.

Paying more for the same failures isn’t investment.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

Customers should not be the automatic bailout fund for a failing system.

If water companies genuinely need more investment for reservoirs, pipes and resilience, that case can be made.

But higher bills are much harder to justify when the public sees leaks, sewage failures and years of underinvestment.

More money must come with much harder accountability.

[J ANTHONY @JAnthony_Writes]

That’s a fair distinction. The maths may still say “take the promotion”, but people don’t live on gross salary.

Once tax, NI and student loan repayments are taken out, the extra take-home can look pretty modest against more stress, responsibility and lost time.

If the system weakens the incentive to progress, that’s a policy problem too.