jamesdaustin.bsky.social
This again. Outdoors. Politics. Sport. Not always in that order. Labour. Trade Unionist. Trying to do community things. Views entirely my own
2,198 posts
7,513 followers
1,678 following
Getting Started
Active Commenter
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Personally I'm still just laughing at your 'I don't want bananas' post
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Turns out that being nice is actually a really good way to achieve change and being a dick to people mainly means they're a dick back
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Yeah, it's a sign of a politician who thinks they're too important for the little people. And that is rarely a good thing
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But I gather he has the ear of the PM?
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I always think there is a strong corrolation between good constituency MP who takes that role seriously, and good politician more generally.
Notable Kemi apparently hasn't done a surgery for years
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So he ended up on the sofa in my student house, drinking team from a battered mug with the 20 or so people I'd cobbled together. And he spent time; answering questions, giving advice, well past the point where he aides wanted him to go.
Imagine he's a nightmare to staff
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... what wasn't normal was that I got a phone call from his office 3 months later saying Ed was in Nottingham, that another meeting had fallen through, he'd remembered that he'd cancelled on us and would we like to meet him? In, say, 2 hours?
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He's a man whose suprisingly generous with his time for a senior politician.
I've used this example before, but back in 2009 when I was a Labour Students chair he cancelled an event I'd arranged at fairly short notice. Pretty normal....
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Yeah, if the ball squirts out of the scrum...
But i don't get the impression he wants to move role or to 'advance'. I don't think the Great Offices of State particularly appeal to him; he's genuinely incredibly passionate about and interested in climate policy and is where he wants to be
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Yeah, I think so. Think he's aware that time has come and gone - but he's pretty happy having this clear mission
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Hell yes, he's tough enough, but he'll buy you a pint after
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It's remarkable how the senior Labour source keeps briefing and Ed keeps winning, isn't it?
almost like its just a well connected person with a axe to grind
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They did - but the point was that he was the Ambassador (if that makes sense)
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Plus you have things like banning bottom trawling, committing to 30x30, new national forests, land use framework focusing on nature restoration and so forth. I don't think the 'labour are anti-nature' thing really stands up
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TBH the more I read of the bill, the less I'm convinced by that critique. The NRF has the potential to be a step change in nature restoration (in a positive way) if it's delivered well
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He basically took his team with him - so suspect he was very much the driver
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That very much helps
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And a nice mix of ministers as well - lots of policy specialists
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Notably even during the Blair/Brown years he was the guy who kept comms channels open between each side.
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Very capable and hard working, with a good policy head. Understands the system, clear goals and does the reading.
Plus he's also very personable, has a very good relationship with the PM and a harder edge than some think. Has the important ability to disagree/fight well
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I know, but I love the grin
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The weird refusal to see he's the minister with the single strongest position in govt and the most radical agenda is very funny
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It isn't the best public platform - and you get overshadowed by the PM in the big moments - but its notable how broadly effective Starmer has been internationally
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Him and Rayner have been excellent (as has Lammy very quietly)
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Great
British
Energy
(weapons)
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I think he was joking
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He's the CEO (and chief fundraiser). Suspect he's wheeling himself out.
The focus on science in interesting - major shift from the AGI hyping to more specific models/achievements
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Always worth remembering that he isn't actually a tech guy
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The party is the country
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The weakness of local govt there doesn't help either
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The wider party does. I note that views on labour cabinet members have improved recently with party members
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Reeves confirms government is expanding the Warm Homes Plan, promises to 'deliver in full our manifesto commitment' to upgrade millions of homes. She does not explicitly reference doubling of funding to £13.2bn, but that is the implication.
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That sound you can here is a few hundred wonks screaming out in joy and horror
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The ultimate torture: releasing all the docs this morning but *only* in welsh.
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Giving @beckymontacute.bsky.social a large ball made of papers to push up a hill - she can read the detail as it rolls by
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Reeves dangling documents just in front of Sam, forever slightly out of reach, as some sort of weird wonk torture
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Given how badly AGI is defined it's probably a good step (tho superintellegence isn't much better)
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Not much new for those who follow it I think? But another bit of evidence for the pile
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Plus multiple model releases have been pushed. back - and not hugely advancing past o3
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Remember all the hype a few months back that they had AGI or self improving systems? It's very much not that and those expectations are pushed a few years back in this. It's notably short of real detail in fact
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Potentially, certainly he's not promising a huge leap forward in the next few months. Progress will be quick but also gentle so you won't notice it with the big gains promised for the medium term
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Starmers inital response a few months ago when she pushed it was to point to those briefs and be a bit mystified. For obvious reasons
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Thing is... she should have had the briefs about why this was necessary and the details.
Which she seems to have just ignored in favour of twitter which is... concerning and, as you suggest, almost invalidating
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In general you should take attacks at PMQs as par for the course and ignore them.
Not respond the them directly, show they've affected you and repeat them back implying that they have validity. Wee tip