Andy Burnham wins Makerfield. Greater Manchester now needs a mayoral by-election too.
Democracy costs money. So does political manoeuvring. We should be honest about both.
It may be “back of the sofa” money to Westminster. It is still public money to everyone else. https://t.co/JVKPYDFtGh
We are neutral to the leave/remain but love the funny. Nobody said it was Farage’s bus. The joke was about Farage, Brexit and the reported £5m he’s made—not the legal ownership of a campaign bus. Correcting a point nobody made isn’t much of a rebuttal. But we wouldn’t want to moan
And right there is one of the main problems.
It is not just the MPs. It is the whole politico ecosystem around them: the briefings, the jostling, the sudden stampede towards the next possible winner, and the endless theatre.
Meanwhile the country is left looking for performance, delivery, ownership and visible action.
Plenty of movement. Not enough getting things done.
And, frankly, the whole thing is starting to look a bit cultish.
The argument that Britain has potential is easy to accept.
The harder question is why so much of that potential has been left sitting there.
If the answer is reform, then let’s see the delivery plan: owners, dates, milestones, funding and public dashboards.
And start where confidence can move fastest: the wider enterprise economy. People looking for work, aspiring starters, the self-employed, sole traders, SMEs and the millions working inside them.
Grand plans may help over time. Small, practical fixes here could start changing the mood much faster. But at the end of the day the question still remains ... but more growth in or out?....
@jennyhwy For us here at establishmelt, here in the UK it is ,ard to see past the impressions of him by @lewismacleod but in seriousness, maybe it's his ability to jump on people's weaknesses.....until King Charles (subtle) and the superb @GiorgiaMeloni (not so subtle) of course
The country wants a debate too, doesn’t it?
And if we may offer one thought: politicians too often seem to look inside their own ecosystem, plus the usual lobby groups, advisers and big institutions.
That leaves a huge part of the country feeling under-heard: the person trying to get back into work, the aspiring founder, the self-employed, sole traders, partnerships, small firms, larger SMEs and the people working inside them.
That is where so much private-sector energy sits, yet it rarely feels properly represented in national debate.
If this is going to be a serious contest of ideas, please widen the room.
@DPJHodges We at the establishmelt would love some clarification of just exactly what you want together on with. We are party neutral so this is not an attack but just what are you getting on with??
Karl, fair enough on the numbers point, but the Westminster MP-counting game is part of what turns so many people off politics.
@AlistairCarns has at least put forward something measurable. That should be welcomed, challenged and tested.
Across all parties, there is plenty of giving it large. The shortage is substance, ownership, timelines and action.
Whatever people’s political colour, most of us want a proper contest of ideas. We are tired of the politico nonsense.
@BrunoTaltalian@Essex_Patriot@BrunoTaltalian Quite. Grok appears to have skipped Artificial Intelligence and gone straight to Arrant Intelligence.
Or, if we’re feeling posh today, Apocryphal Intelligence.
AKA: BS with better formatting.
Thanks for pointing this out and so easy to fact check!!
@greeksinartcon1@Essex_Patriot “£4m to his wife” sounds wonderfully explosive.
Small snag: it isn’t true in that form, and it is not hard to check.
We don’t do party politics, but we do look for truth. There are fair questions about Burnham’s bona fides without turning to utter BS!
Devolution, welfare reform, relocation of power from London: fine, get on with it.
But the country also needs quick action for the working enterprise economy: jobseekers trying to move forward, the self-employed, sole traders, small firms and the people who work in them.
This is where confidence can turn faster than the grand plans.
Small projects. Low cost. Practical help. Less friction. Easier hiring. Easier starting. Easier training. Easier access to small public contracts.
Do the big reforms, but stop ignoring the people who could start moving tomorrow. That's one quick way to help change the mood of the country, not everything revolves around the big and grandiose but we think these guys might just know that?