Really good - and important - analysis from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social - ThreadSky

chrisgrey.bsky.social • 142 days ago

Really good - and important - analysis from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social

Anyone who dreads the prospect of Faragist nationalist populism in Britain should want this Labour government to succeed. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

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petersturdgess.bsky.social•141 days ago

Sorry Chris. you and Johnathon are wrong on this one. Starmer will fail because of his unwillingness to take the bull by the horns. Simply tinkering to make things marginally better or not as bad as they can be is not good enough. He has to make bold steps and make real and tangible changes.

nickequipechasee.bsky.social•141 days ago

I doubt anyone wants Starmer to fail, but neither do we want him to 'succeed' by becoming 'Reform-Lite', and making the same mistake the Tories made of attempting to neuter the threat from UKIP by absorbing their Policies.

So why is he still more brexity than

nickequipechasee.bsky.social•141 days ago

Farage is now, and more anti-immigration than anyone except Farage ?

exrevtony.bsky.social•142 days ago

Tragically though, many on the left would be happy for Starmer to fail, in the thoroughly discredited belief that this would result in British (ie English) people voting for full-blooded Socialism.

petersturdgess.bsky.social•141 days ago

It's not full blooded Socialism we want. It's money in our pockets and influence. A healthy EU relationship will bring the money and a fair democracy the influence.

charleswinchester.bsky.social•141 days ago

I'm anything but on the far left - I think Corbyn was a terrible choice as leader, but to say I'm monumentally disappointed with brexiteer Starmer is an understatement. Nobody wants tory lite. We want a government that works in the interests of the country, not those of the newspaper barons.

exrevtony.bsky.social•141 days ago

I agree, I'm disappointed in Starmer as well. But that's not the same as actively wanting him to fail - which I don't think you do either. What we want is for him to get his act together - and especially his messaging.

charleswinchester.bsky.social•141 days ago

In a nutshell, yes.

dominique61.bsky.social•142 days ago

What is Starmer going to fail at? Maybe Starmer should do what is best for the country. Maybe Starmer should stop pursuing a hard Brexit. Maybe Starmer should improve the voting system. Maybe Starmer should stop out-trying the Torys, saying that I want there to be some success.

europollaw.bsky.social•141 days ago

The problem is nationalist populism is offering a narrative and identy (simplistic sure but effective). Starmer offers neither narrative nor identity. Even his morals are legalistic. He reduces his voters to the accountants of (minor) improvements. Doubt they see themselves that way.

simonubsdell.bsky.social•142 days ago

A Starmer government was always going to be thumpingly dull and technocratic.

There are times when that is exactly what is needed.

But this is very much not that sort of time.

And I don't think Labour can see the problem.

arj2024.bsky.social•142 days ago

In our attention economy a snappy TikTok clip trumps a tedious 45 minute presentation of facts.

Like it or not this is where Farage wins hands down over Starmer.

If Farage gets £100m from Musk, and free Twitter promotion, he gets the keys to No 10 at the next election.

petersturdgess.bsky.social•141 days ago

Farage will never make real changes. Starmer can, his problem and our problem is that he lacks the confidence to make those changes.

arj2024.bsky.social•141 days ago

Starmer won the election thanks to a great deal of GTTO sentiment and woolly undefined commitments.

I fear that’s not going to be enough at the next election, particularly if Musk’s control of the X algorithm, and his millions, forces the election to be fought on social media.

simonubsdell.bsky.social•141 days ago

Yes, we are in an era where politics has vanishingly little to do with policy.

The US election showed very clearly how that works.

Voters are not running the numbers; they are running on raw (mostly ugly) emotion.

anna-marie.bsky.social•141 days ago

Those, usually less well educated, who vote with emotion get to vote for the candidate they want. Those who vote with logic and reason don't necessarily get to vote for their choice but instead the candidate best placed to stop who they want to keep out. It means the emotional voters dictate policy.

simonubsdell.bsky.social•141 days ago

Yes, regrettably very true.

arj2024.bsky.social•141 days ago

Does anyone think this ponderously slow Government will ban foreign funding and election interference soon enough?

I fear they’ll still be setting up committees, targets and milestones whilst Musk pumps the money in.

It really feels like they are playing by outdated 1990 rules.

diamondjoe.bsky.social•141 days ago

We are a country of simpletons

arj2024.bsky.social•141 days ago

Indeed as Brexit proved!

drboabrahamsen.physician.dk•142 days ago

The approach taken by the Danish Social Democrats was mostly to defuse and disarm the far right by becoming rather uncomfortably far right themselves. I would have liked to see them confront, question and explain rather than internalise.

jonty24.bsky.social•141 days ago

It's not an easy environment for Labour to operate in and Trump 2.0 will likely make things worse. That said, Labour do have some leavers they can pull, which would be help. If they choose not to though, it is self harm on their part.

jonty24.bsky.social•141 days ago

That said, I'm not sure Farage will be relevant in 5 years. But what follows him is likely smarter and more ruthless.

chimpzilla.bsky.social•142 days ago

Unfortunately it’s already failing and there is little to sign they know how to get the situation back under control. It’s becoming increasingly a question of whether Starmer can do the job

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