Reposted by N 🌹
honestly biggest sign that this is personalist authoritarianism with a New Right wing attached versus the other way around
November 21, 2025 at 9:27 PM
honestly biggest sign that this is personalist authoritarianism with a New Right wing attached versus the other way around
I've been blown away by the reception this got!
I will try to write something else soon, but I can't promise I'll post regularly. Busy with lots of other things at the moment.
I will try to write something else soon, but I can't promise I'll post regularly. Busy with lots of other things at the moment.
Finally got round to setting up a Substack! And I've published the piece I shared with a few of you last month - on the intellectual crisis within Labour's liberal wing.
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
Intellectually adrift, where does Labour’s liberal wing go from here?
The tradition of Gaitskell, Crosland, Jenkins, Blair and Brown stands at a crossroads.
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
I've been blown away by the reception this got!
I will try to write something else soon, but I can't promise I'll post regularly. Busy with lots of other things at the moment.
I will try to write something else soon, but I can't promise I'll post regularly. Busy with lots of other things at the moment.
Reposted by N 🌹
I feel like “the quality of services matters more than the delivery mechanism” is a view which has been variously left wing or right wing within Labour over the years but ardently rejected by the ‘popularist ’ tendency within each
November 19, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I feel like “the quality of services matters more than the delivery mechanism” is a view which has been variously left wing or right wing within Labour over the years but ardently rejected by the ‘popularist ’ tendency within each
Reposted by N 🌹
A fun bit in all of this is stuff like the railway nationalisation. We spent *years* with people pointing to this as Left Populism in action, it became a key litmus test for both left and right, and now there is a Labour government doing it and literally nobody gives a shit
November 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
A fun bit in all of this is stuff like the railway nationalisation. We spent *years* with people pointing to this as Left Populism in action, it became a key litmus test for both left and right, and now there is a Labour government doing it and literally nobody gives a shit
The Labour right is composed of two tendencies that are really quite distinct – and the liberal tendency increasingly feels marginalised within this government (as @morganj0nes.bsky.social and @stephenkb.bsky.social have reported)
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The Labour right is composed of two tendencies that are really quite distinct – and the liberal tendency increasingly feels marginalised within this government (as @morganj0nes.bsky.social and @stephenkb.bsky.social have reported)
It does aggrieve me that in think tank world these days you can just call something 'disruptive' and expect to be taken seriously
'The UK should establish a network of “disruptive invention” labs outside of the university system to pursue frontier science and technology'. (Tony Blair Institute)
The UK should stabilise the disrupted university system before faffing about with shiny new disruptive networks. (actual researcher)
The UK should stabilise the disrupted university system before faffing about with shiny new disruptive networks. (actual researcher)
UK needs new ‘disruptive’ labs for frontier science, says think tank.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
November 20, 2025 at 1:26 PM
It does aggrieve me that in think tank world these days you can just call something 'disruptive' and expect to be taken seriously
Finally got round to setting up a Substack! And I've published the piece I shared with a few of you last month - on the intellectual crisis within Labour's liberal wing.
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
Intellectually adrift, where does Labour’s liberal wing go from here?
The tradition of Gaitskell, Crosland, Jenkins, Blair and Brown stands at a crossroads.
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Finally got round to setting up a Substack! And I've published the piece I shared with a few of you last month - on the intellectual crisis within Labour's liberal wing.
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
thenewsocialdemocrat.substack.com/p/intellectu...
I'd completely missed that Ailbhe Rea and Luke O'Reilly had been appointed by the New Statesman. Two very good appointments.
Nice to see that the magazine is, slowly but surely, getting its act together again.
open.spotify.com/episode/7s7M...
Nice to see that the magazine is, slowly but surely, getting its act together again.
open.spotify.com/episode/7s7M...
What Wes Streeting should do next
open.spotify.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:24 AM
I'd completely missed that Ailbhe Rea and Luke O'Reilly had been appointed by the New Statesman. Two very good appointments.
Nice to see that the magazine is, slowly but surely, getting its act together again.
open.spotify.com/episode/7s7M...
Nice to see that the magazine is, slowly but surely, getting its act together again.
open.spotify.com/episode/7s7M...
Lmao
Norwich MP Clive Lewis offers seat to Burnham for Starmer challenge
Norwich MP Clive Lewis offers seat to Burnham for Starmer challenge
Clive Lewis says he would step down to allow Mayor Andy Burnham the chance to become Labour leader.
www.bbc.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Lmao
Just come across this on YouTube, which is probably the best analysis of Doctor Who's troubles that I've seen
youtu.be/0u9eIad3liU?...
youtu.be/0u9eIad3liU?...
Is Doctor Who Outdated?
YouTube video by Stubagful
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Just come across this on YouTube, which is probably the best analysis of Doctor Who's troubles that I've seen
youtu.be/0u9eIad3liU?...
youtu.be/0u9eIad3liU?...
Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Lisa Nandy losing their seats in 2029 while Chris Curtis, Keir Mather and Tim Roca hang on to theirs
a) is IMO incredibly likely and foreseeable
b) will come as a massive shock and provoke a collective nervous breakdown in one part of the Labour Party
a) is IMO incredibly likely and foreseeable
b) will come as a massive shock and provoke a collective nervous breakdown in one part of the Labour Party
Tbh lots of these soft left anti-immigration MPs would have been toast in 2024 if we hadn't got such a big majority/Reform had better consolidated the RW vote in their constituencies.
They'll almost certainly be toast in 2029, even if we manage to eke out a small majority.
They'll almost certainly be toast in 2029, even if we manage to eke out a small majority.
November 19, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Lisa Nandy losing their seats in 2029 while Chris Curtis, Keir Mather and Tim Roca hang on to theirs
a) is IMO incredibly likely and foreseeable
b) will come as a massive shock and provoke a collective nervous breakdown in one part of the Labour Party
a) is IMO incredibly likely and foreseeable
b) will come as a massive shock and provoke a collective nervous breakdown in one part of the Labour Party
It is striking just how many of the biggest Lucy Powell advocates are also the biggest defenders of Shabana Mahmood's immigration policies
Once you've seen this you can't unsee it (ht @stephenkb.bsky.social). politicians trying to describe things as "is this Labour", "this is not Labour", "there is nothing Labour about this", "this has the mandate of Labour, it partakes of the Labour nature" as a substitute for good or bad.
November 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
It is striking just how many of the biggest Lucy Powell advocates are also the biggest defenders of Shabana Mahmood's immigration policies
Can we also talk about how close we came in Kemi Badenoch's seat, despite doing hardly any campaigning there?
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Can we also talk about how close we came in Kemi Badenoch's seat, despite doing hardly any campaigning there?
If Tony Vaughan, Sarah Owen, Chris Curtis, Yuan Yang or Emily Darlington could please give me a job once I've finished my Masters that would be very nice thank you
November 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
If Tony Vaughan, Sarah Owen, Chris Curtis, Yuan Yang or Emily Darlington could please give me a job once I've finished my Masters that would be very nice thank you
Will be interesting to see what happens to the Lib Dems in May in places like Newcastle and Hull, where they have traditionally stood as the anti-Labour party and thereby have a much more right-wing voter coalition than they do down south.
November 19, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Will be interesting to see what happens to the Lib Dems in May in places like Newcastle and Hull, where they have traditionally stood as the anti-Labour party and thereby have a much more right-wing voter coalition than they do down south.
Anecdotally the Reform threat is pretty powerful in driving voters to Labour in places with a significant right-wing vote, but much less effective in solidly left-wing places.
People are generally more aware of who's in 2nd place in their constituency than you might think!
People are generally more aware of who's in 2nd place in their constituency than you might think!
Labour will lose in Scotland, Wales to left challengers, and probably heavily in London too, through low turnout, defection to progressives, some losses to populists as a smaller contribution. Rebuilding that with an "but its us or Reform" basis may be harder than the current leadership acknowledges
November 19, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Anecdotally the Reform threat is pretty powerful in driving voters to Labour in places with a significant right-wing vote, but much less effective in solidly left-wing places.
People are generally more aware of who's in 2nd place in their constituency than you might think!
People are generally more aware of who's in 2nd place in their constituency than you might think!
Panicking because they still thought they were going to lose!
What the hell were they doing for the TWO YEARS it was obvious they were going to win with a massive majority?
A rich theme, sadly.
November 19, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Panicking because they still thought they were going to lose!
It's interesting that this is not what has happened in the UK.
We had really quite aggressive suburbanisation for much of the 20th century, but in the 1990s that went into reverse and since then there's been a continuous movement of people back into the cities.
We had really quite aggressive suburbanisation for much of the 20th century, but in the 1990s that went into reverse and since then there's been a continuous movement of people back into the cities.
Right, this is true, but the OVERWHELMING evidence of the past 100 years of American life is that vastly more people want space and a car than a smaller unit and a car-free lifestyle. This is mostly why the suburban share of US population has grown relentlessly for the entire 20th and 21st century
Some people put a premium on space in my experience, others put a premium on not having to have a car and not being isolated out in the suburbs
November 18, 2025 at 11:52 PM
It's interesting that this is not what has happened in the UK.
We had really quite aggressive suburbanisation for much of the 20th century, but in the 1990s that went into reverse and since then there's been a continuous movement of people back into the cities.
We had really quite aggressive suburbanisation for much of the 20th century, but in the 1990s that went into reverse and since then there's been a continuous movement of people back into the cities.
I was feeling particularly gloomy this afternoon, so I decided to finally take off the cellophane and watch the DVD of Victoria Wood's 'Acorn Antiques: The Musical!' that I got for my birthday
November 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I was feeling particularly gloomy this afternoon, so I decided to finally take off the cellophane and watch the DVD of Victoria Wood's 'Acorn Antiques: The Musical!' that I got for my birthday
Oh it's all just thoroughly depressing, isn't it
November 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Oh it's all just thoroughly depressing, isn't it
The bits of canvassing I've done in Leeds so far haven't been anywhere near as bad as what I've been hearing from London – and it's spooking me if truth be told
I've been out canvassing quite a lot in London lately. Labour's vote has absolutely evaporated.... it is quite extraordinary to go to places where Labour were on 50-60% of the vote at the last locals and find nobody, or virtually nobody, supporting them.
The phrase 'I voted Labour last time, but...
The phrase 'I voted Labour last time, but...
November 18, 2025 at 11:57 AM
The bits of canvassing I've done in Leeds so far haven't been anywhere near as bad as what I've been hearing from London – and it's spooking me if truth be told
My CLP, which has a 2:1 anti-Corbynite majority, was up in arms over the 'island of strangers' speech earlier this year – so I imagine our next meeting will be even more discontented
(and in a belated confession disguised as analysis) I don't think the anger among well-meaning squishy liberals who voted for him as leader as a more-competent team player only to be told later that they'd voted for the Blue Labour manifesto can be underestimated
November 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
My CLP, which has a 2:1 anti-Corbynite majority, was up in arms over the 'island of strangers' speech earlier this year – so I imagine our next meeting will be even more discontented
For clarity, this is talking about net migration of British citizens, rather than net migration to the UK overall.
The May estimate of overall net migration was +431,000 and that has now been revised down to +345,000.
The May estimate of overall net migration was +431,000 and that has now been revised down to +345,000.
November 18, 2025 at 11:26 AM
For clarity, this is talking about net migration of British citizens, rather than net migration to the UK overall.
The May estimate of overall net migration was +431,000 and that has now been revised down to +345,000.
The May estimate of overall net migration was +431,000 and that has now been revised down to +345,000.
Reposted by N 🌹
I genuinely find this line of argument grotesque. People didn’t physically spit at my parents for being in an interracial couple in the 80s due to immigration policies, nor did my dad get assaulted and called the n word as a child in the 70s due it either.
It’s excusing racism
It’s excusing racism
November 18, 2025 at 8:11 AM
I genuinely find this line of argument grotesque. People didn’t physically spit at my parents for being in an interracial couple in the 80s due to immigration policies, nor did my dad get assaulted and called the n word as a child in the 70s due it either.
It’s excusing racism
It’s excusing racism
I was trying to work out why I find the Home Secretary so unpleasant, and I think it's because – unlike pretty much everyone else in the Cabinet – she actually believes in what she's saying
November 18, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I was trying to work out why I find the Home Secretary so unpleasant, and I think it's because – unlike pretty much everyone else in the Cabinet – she actually believes in what she's saying