@patrickdee.bsky.social
Government communications is about controlling the narrative. How does it help labour to focus the debate on national sovereignty? Something Reform actively want to campaign on. Even if people want closer ties, Reform will argue this is democratic backsliding, playing into US/MAGA culture war points
February 17, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Government communications is about controlling the narrative. How does it help labour to focus the debate on national sovereignty? Something Reform actively want to campaign on. Even if people want closer ties, Reform will argue this is democratic backsliding, playing into US/MAGA culture war points
Surely not, Denmark at 20%...?
January 26, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Surely not, Denmark at 20%...?
The counterfactual: Starmer lets Andy Burnham stand, he wins, then the PM has to battle a daily diet of opinion columns and talking heads discussing when he will be forced out. It would be divisive, distracting and create the sort of navel gazing and melodrama the Tories were known for.
January 25, 2026 at 1:08 PM
The counterfactual: Starmer lets Andy Burnham stand, he wins, then the PM has to battle a daily diet of opinion columns and talking heads discussing when he will be forced out. It would be divisive, distracting and create the sort of navel gazing and melodrama the Tories were known for.
International courts had ruled against the UK. UK ownership was illegal and untenable if we subscribe to the rules based order. Finding a means of leasing the base whilst decolonizing was good diplomacy. The issue is the rules based order is not what it once and the political calculus is different.
January 25, 2026 at 9:43 AM
International courts had ruled against the UK. UK ownership was illegal and untenable if we subscribe to the rules based order. Finding a means of leasing the base whilst decolonizing was good diplomacy. The issue is the rules based order is not what it once and the political calculus is different.
Reform may have Entryism from disenchanted conservatives trying to distance themselves from their record in government - Change is the most powerful argument in politics, It will be interesting to see how a nationalist populist agenda can be reconciled with small c conservatism and a smaller state.
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Reform may have Entryism from disenchanted conservatives trying to distance themselves from their record in government - Change is the most powerful argument in politics, It will be interesting to see how a nationalist populist agenda can be reconciled with small c conservatism and a smaller state.
If this was a true reflection of the evidence against Epstein then he'd never have been convicted. This is pure flood the zone.
December 20, 2025 at 7:14 PM
If this was a true reflection of the evidence against Epstein then he'd never have been convicted. This is pure flood the zone.
America was always the shining city on the hill, the white hatted cowboy riding in to save the day. It always looked to do the right thing, the moral thing even when it was hard. I can't see that America today or reconcile that idea with the division, violence and gross self interest we see today.
June 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
America was always the shining city on the hill, the white hatted cowboy riding in to save the day. It always looked to do the right thing, the moral thing even when it was hard. I can't see that America today or reconcile that idea with the division, violence and gross self interest we see today.
The challenge is who arbitrates what is truth and what is a lie? No fact is unambiguous, all thinking is situated in a time and place. To tell the 'truth' would necessitate establishing a common Weltanschauung and a tyranny.
June 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The challenge is who arbitrates what is truth and what is a lie? No fact is unambiguous, all thinking is situated in a time and place. To tell the 'truth' would necessitate establishing a common Weltanschauung and a tyranny.
Historically the significant majority of votes were somewhere in the middle. Today it increasingly looks like the middle is not a well-spring of votes. Tracking to the middle leaves the labour key selling point as 'we're not Reform' something that will not create much enthusiasm or drive engagement.
May 4, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Historically the significant majority of votes were somewhere in the middle. Today it increasingly looks like the middle is not a well-spring of votes. Tracking to the middle leaves the labour key selling point as 'we're not Reform' something that will not create much enthusiasm or drive engagement.
Mansa Musa would like a word...
May 3, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Mansa Musa would like a word...
Yes... except a plurality of voters have an unfavourable view of Reform. A more likely scenario is that Reform forces the progressive parties into a tactical voting block where they don't stand against each other. Look at Donald Tusk's approach to the Polish law and order party for example...
May 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Yes... except a plurality of voters have an unfavourable view of Reform. A more likely scenario is that Reform forces the progressive parties into a tactical voting block where they don't stand against each other. Look at Donald Tusk's approach to the Polish law and order party for example...
Fantastic commentary as always! is this the preface of a swing away from the extreme personalities in the cabinet particularly with Elon stepping back? Is there a rebalancing of authority towards Rubio? where does this put Vance? is Rubio in a stronger position in terms of court intrigue/succession?
May 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Fantastic commentary as always! is this the preface of a swing away from the extreme personalities in the cabinet particularly with Elon stepping back? Is there a rebalancing of authority towards Rubio? where does this put Vance? is Rubio in a stronger position in terms of court intrigue/succession?
The timing on the eve of local elections is, at best, suspicious if not mendaciously seeking to bolster an anti asylum vote. Unfortunately, with these disinformation campaigns tracing the origin will be impossible even if the beneficiary is obvious.
May 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The timing on the eve of local elections is, at best, suspicious if not mendaciously seeking to bolster an anti asylum vote. Unfortunately, with these disinformation campaigns tracing the origin will be impossible even if the beneficiary is obvious.
Being in government is hard; you need to consider the consequences of policy decisions. Wealth tax looks like an easy way of balancing the budget particularly when the alternative is hitting the vulnerable but the analysis is that it would do a significant amount of damage to business confidence.
March 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Being in government is hard; you need to consider the consequences of policy decisions. Wealth tax looks like an easy way of balancing the budget particularly when the alternative is hitting the vulnerable but the analysis is that it would do a significant amount of damage to business confidence.
It's possible to develop intelligent business process automation tools that using Machine Learning and AI to replace routine work. The issue is when someone's PIP decision or a planning decision is made by a computer, will people be so happy? I suspect public confidence will be a key battle.
March 23, 2025 at 11:41 AM
It's possible to develop intelligent business process automation tools that using Machine Learning and AI to replace routine work. The issue is when someone's PIP decision or a planning decision is made by a computer, will people be so happy? I suspect public confidence will be a key battle.
The analogy I think of is disease; you can fight the symptoms or address the root cause. International Aid helps stop terrorism by countering radicalisation. It also reduces illegal migration by addressing the causes of people fleeing persecution and poverty. International Aid likely has a good ROI.
March 2, 2025 at 10:11 PM
The analogy I think of is disease; you can fight the symptoms or address the root cause. International Aid helps stop terrorism by countering radicalisation. It also reduces illegal migration by addressing the causes of people fleeing persecution and poverty. International Aid likely has a good ROI.
Zelensky may have the moral high ground but the reality is that not securing US support will cost Ukrainian lives. Sucking up to Trump might leave a poor taste in the mouth but the alternative is the complete loss of US funding and military support. More people will die for because he did not kowtow
February 28, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Zelensky may have the moral high ground but the reality is that not securing US support will cost Ukrainian lives. Sucking up to Trump might leave a poor taste in the mouth but the alternative is the complete loss of US funding and military support. More people will die for because he did not kowtow
I think the challenge would be how to square that approach with their growth agenda. The OBR are already forecasting very little fiscal wiggle room and that assumes growth over the parliament.
February 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
I think the challenge would be how to square that approach with their growth agenda. The OBR are already forecasting very little fiscal wiggle room and that assumes growth over the parliament.
It's 10bn total over the span of the 10 year forecast. Savings are likely to be realised in the later years i.e. after this parliament as organisations and budgets need to be reshaped under the new Quad.
February 20, 2025 at 3:57 PM
It's 10bn total over the span of the 10 year forecast. Savings are likely to be realised in the later years i.e. after this parliament as organisations and budgets need to be reshaped under the new Quad.
@tandhesi.bsky.social is there a recording of this session on .gov.uk?
February 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
@tandhesi.bsky.social is there a recording of this session on .gov.uk?