So good to see this recognition of whatās happening in GM.šš»
It is based on:
š setting high, long-term ambitions and sticking to them
š strong partnership between public, private and other sectors
š collaborative āplace-firstā politics
And weāre only getting started! šŖš»
Believe it or not, I had an old school friend on todayās marches in London. He sent me some photos from the crowd.
We went to middle school together and grew up on the same Eastern District council estate in Northampton.
I asked him why he was there. He gave me two answers:
1.āThe government doesnāt listen to us.ā
2.āI want to feel proud of my country again.ā
He wore a Union Jack, not a St Georgeās Cross as he said that one had been hijacked by racists.
He wasnāt there for Hopkins, Musk, or any of the professional āgriftersā as he put it. He was there to feel part of something bigger, though he admitted there were a lot of, in his words, āassholesā there.
Heās an electrician. Heās smart. Heās not racist, but heās not āPCā either. Heās not a fan of Keir Starmer but he also believes Farage would be a disaster.
Oh yes, heās a bundle of contradictions! But arenāt we all?
I donāt know what āboxā we put him or the millions like him in. And I think pretending theyāre all racists or fascists would be a massive mistake.
Some were. But not all.
This is about something bigger than immigration slogans or GDP numbers. For decades weāve hollowed out our national life, underfunding and undermining the very institutions that once brought us together.
Karl Polanyi, writing in The Great Transformation, argued that when markets are ādisembodiedā from society, when land, labour, and life itself are treated as commodities
society pushes back. He called this the ādouble movementā: people seeking to protect themselves, to reclaim dignity and meaning when everything solid seems to melt into air.
Thatās what I saw in my friendās photos. Not just anger, but a demand for belonging.
Weāve replaced collective experience with atomisation. Without getting too nostalgic, programmes like the BBCās Generation Game once pulled in millions every Saturday night, giving us something we could all talk about on Monday morning. Now we watch Netflix, Disney+, Prime, or Paramount, alone, in algorithmic silos.
Football used to be affordable and rooted in community; now itās millionaires playing for the profitability of billionaires. The NHS, the post office, the railways - all chipped away, run down, sold off or centralised, leaving people feeling powerless and disconnected.
And donāt get me wrong: some kind of āHovis Labourā nostalgia for the 1950s isnāt the answer. The country back then was often intolerant, grey, and deeply unequal. But what weāve built since is a society that gives people little to hold in common, no collective story about who we are or what weāre for.
I reckon thatās partly why my mate marched. Not because he wants to turn back the clock. But because he wants to feel pride again. Pride in a country that is inclusive, fair, and offers a role for everyone. Pride in a nation that has a respected place in the world, tackles grotesque inequality, and gives people something real to believe in.
Polanyi warned that when democracies fail to provide a humane alternative, the backlash can turn authoritarian. This is how fascism grew in the 1930s, not because everyone became a true believer, but because millions felt abandoned and looked for strength, identity, and meaning wherever they could find it.
If Labour and progressives donāt offer that story of renewal, if we donāt rebuild our national institutions, restore collective pride, and re-embed markets within society, the far right will do it for us, in their own image.
And by then, it will be too late.
"They were the cheer leaders for privatisation & deregulation in the 1980s. Thats left us with high water bills, high energy bills, unaffordable rail fares.. & what I would say to my party is, don't lean in their direction"
Andy Burnham on Reform
15 UK anti-poverty leaders have today published a joint letter saying āGetting rid of the two-child limit is the most cost-effective way to lift 350,000 kids out of poverty, while reducing the depth of poverty for 700,000 more.ā
https://t.co/GlIvy3OrMy
How Britain privatised itself into failure
Britain outsourced its state ā now private firms profit while public services crumble. In Failed State, Sam Freedman explains what went wrong
https://t.co/1UoMJ8PjpW
ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION NEW EP
@Eluned_Morgan was a good sport & good conversationalist, appearing on #ED to talk about first year as First Minister, the rise of Reform and risk to Labour in next yearās Senedd elections. From rating PM to biting the bullet on wealth taxes..šš»
After the buzz of @wembleystadium@OfficialOAFC my 7 year old son (Will) came back from @worldscouting Beavers with a sock puppet called @hudson_mathew - heās been put to bed in his sisterās (Liv) doll house! Night night Matthew
'It's just common sense'
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told #BBCBreakfast the "vast majority" of new build homes in England will be required to fit solar panels under changes to be published this year
https://t.co/rS5Z3WYp7v
Circa 50,000+ for the National League play-off final (and would have been more but for Wembley Park Tube closure/ticketing mess). Remarkable support, fifth tier English football, the pyramid matters hugely. #TheVanarama
Thereās such a fighting spirit to Oldham Athletic. So close to going out of existence in 21/22. But great fans and good people like Frank Rothwell and Darren Royle refused to let their club die. They fought and survived. They were so close to losing the National League play-off but they fought and recovered and won. Resilience on and off the pitch.
You have to feel for Southend United, whoāve also been through the mill in recent years, winding-up threat, transfer embargo, points deduction, prolonged takeover. Their fighting spirit kept them alive. Amazing tifo at Wembley said it all: never give up. Southend gave everything and contributed fully to an epic play-off.
The quality shown by both sides, and the depth of support (gate: 52,115 and could have been more but for transport/ticket fiasco) is another reminder of the legitimacy of the campaign to have #3UP from the National League. #oafc #southendunited
Our media team have done some hours this last few weeks.
Not that they donāt every week but this play off campaign has been propped up by unreal videos & content. šš»
#oafc | @OfficialOAFC