RE: “A special kind of agony” by Tom Baldwin, TNW #480
It is difficult to disagree with his biographer’s shrewd analysis of Keir Starmer’s situation. I would add that “the dumbly destructive and sulphurous political culture” has become something of a mortal threat, not only to Starmer, but to our democracy in general.
It’s fanned by a media that has next to no awareness, let alone concern, of the massive damage being done by its cynical and destructive approach to politics. I sometimes feel despair about where all this will lead. To be PM in this atmosphere is like trying to survive on the surface of Venus.
John Hyder-Wilson
Alternatives to Starmer are simply not there. Are his faults really that bad? Economic decisions in a tough climate will always be criticised. But there are wars going on – Badenoch is a joke and Reform a nightmare. The Westminster bubble is of no interest to the average citizen.
Eile Gibson
It’s a relief to read such a balanced piece. The media pile-on has been exhausting. I feel Starmer knows his weaknesses, but he also knows his enemies’ weaknesses and has the strength and determination to fight them off.
Sarah Davidson
We’re told that Starmer is not up to the job, yet neither was Sunak, Truss, Johnson, May, Cameron… Perhaps it’s a job that nobody can do.
Phil Jackman
Morpeth, Northumberland
Britain needed to move on from the chaos of the previous Conservative regime. Starmer has done that successfully in my view, restoring stability and managing Britain from a poor starting point through a set of enormously complex and challenging events. He has also made important changes, not least to this paper’s stated goal of better relations with Europe. He gets no credit for this.
Chris Urwin
Tom Baldwin’s suggestion of a Defence Bonds scheme seems like a “no brainer” to me. Among other things, it could raise significant sums, would be popular, command cross-party support, and because attractive, especially to the Boomer generation (after all, we do love Premium Bonds), it’s a clever way of clawing back some of the excesses of the hallowed triple lock.
Perhaps it’s just too sensible a policy for this government to pursue but, as Baldwin says, we can but hope.
James Croft
Bridgnorth, Shropshire
RE: “Keir Starmer’s fatal flaws” by Patience Wheatcroft, TNW #480
You hit the nail on the head: the general election win was not necessarily in support of Labour, but a vote against a Tory government.
Starmer was just one poor choice among poor choices, but he has had a rough ride and now the Mandelson affair has shown him to be both naive and incompetent. He should go, but the lack of viable replacements is worrying.
Adam Primhak
Suggested Reading
Keir Starmer: his fatal character flaws
Starmer’s aversion to acknowledging mistakes is a problem across the whole party. It is toxic because it creates the impression that accountability is almost optional. It reinforces the suspicion that this Labour government is not serious about institutional reform. All the while, vital policy progress grinds to a near dead stop while distractions exercise the minds of those at No 10 who are obsessed with image and polls instead of good governance.
Dennis Howlett
Starmer’s lack of any political ideology was evident from the start and his hypocritical rejection of the manifesto he voted for has hardly endeared him to party members. It’s time for him to go.
Thomas Wilson
RE: “A nation with its head in the sand” by James Ball TNW #480
Britons have been spun a story for 45 years that we can have high-quality services and welfare in a low-tax economy. If that were true, austerity would have given us world-beating services. It did not and never will.
Until politicians are honest about that and the electorate accepts it, the country will continue to struggle.
Guy Masters
I don’t know if I agree we need more houses when there are about half a million empty ones and maybe a million more used as second/holiday homes. Maybe we should be using sticks and carrots to get most of them into residential use.
Helen Hart
RE: “The 40 worst Reform candidates on May 7” by Jack Dart, TNW #480
At the beginning of the article you boost Farage’s lot by stating they’re “standing on the edge of victory”. I read similar positives all over the place. Stop it. This shower should be showered in negatives.
Roy Speake
How on earth did you whittle it down to only a top 40?
Alistair Knight
Suggested Reading
UFOs over the White House
RE: “UFOs over the White House,” by Matthew d’Ancona, TNW #480
More than eight billion people on the planet and aliens only seem to probe the 1% who are dumb-as-rock rednecks. Perhaps they are rednecks too, just in intergalactic pickup trucks.
Christopher Harrison
And we have to trust these people with our nuclear deterrent? Who signed up to that deal?
Roy Speake
Re: “Matters of extreme interest” by Duncan Weldon, TNW #480
Raising interest rates to contain inflation may make sense when inflation is driven by demand-side pressure. But when higher prices are caused by external supply-side restrictions, such as foreign wars, then raising interest rates simply adds to consumers’ and borrowers’ pain, and is likely to drive pressure for wage increases.
It won’t contain inflation, as it will have no influence on the commodity price rises that are driving it.
Stephen David
Re: “The day David Attenborough changed my life” by Simon Barnes, TNW #480.
A lovely piece. Richard Dawkins has described Attenborough as the greatest naturalist since Darwin. I think that is spot-on.
RSP Zatzen
