David Higham
@oldtrotter.bsky.social
Former economist and civil servant. Former (age related) national cycling champion. Still a music fan. Sewn up member of the Zipper Club.
Pinned
David Higham
@oldtrotter.bsky.social
· Jan 21
Beyond ‘Levelling up’: how to improve regional policy in England: 10 lessons from 20 years
‘Levelling-up’ as a political slogan in the UK may be finished, but a commitment to reducing regional inequalities remains, as highlighted in the 2024 Green Paper on Industrial Strategy. This paper...
www.tandfonline.com
A short summary of my thoughts on regional policy. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Featuring the return of the abyss. Readers called, and Stephen answered. Keir Starmer’s route to recovery - www.ft.com/content/e0d5... via @FT
Keir Starmer’s route to recovery
Scottish leader’s blow to PM rallies party, but government needs to make tough choices and rejig agenda
www.ft.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Featuring the return of the abyss. Readers called, and Stephen answered. Keir Starmer’s route to recovery - www.ft.com/content/e0d5... via @FT
Magnificent. The Retail Park is indeed 150m away. What the sign doesn't say is that there is no pedestrian access. Brilliant work to grant this on appeal.
February 10, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Magnificent. The Retail Park is indeed 150m away. What the sign doesn't say is that there is no pedestrian access. Brilliant work to grant this on appeal.
"The first thing China will do is to terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada"
February 10, 2026 at 7:39 AM
"The first thing China will do is to terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada"
Reposted by David Higham
If you're wondering why Canadians are nervous, it's never good to become the focus of the mentally unwell ruler of a larger nuclear armed neighbour
February 10, 2026 at 5:35 AM
If you're wondering why Canadians are nervous, it's never good to become the focus of the mentally unwell ruler of a larger nuclear armed neighbour
AI coming up Trumps (I'll get my coat ).
February 10, 2026 at 7:29 AM
AI coming up Trumps (I'll get my coat ).
Please elect me as Leader www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ignore the smears: I was never a close friend of Peter Mandelson. And I fully understand the lessons we must learn | Wes Streeting
I knew him but not well, and worry now that he thrived in our political culture. There was a failure of moral seriousness, says health secretary Wes Streeting
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Please elect me as Leader www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The campaign to spread British culture to ungrateful Europeans continues.
February 9, 2026 at 9:41 PM
The campaign to spread British culture to ungrateful Europeans continues.
Reposted by David Higham
If everyone apart from the person who appointed them all leaves then that will sort it.
EXCL: Chris Wormald, the most senior civil servant in Downing Street, is negotiating his exit as part of a wider shakeup of Keir Starmer’s operation after dramatic day - @kiranstacey.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Top civil servant could become third key No 10 departure in days
Exclusive: Cabinet secretary Chris Wormald is expected to follow Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan out the door
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:44 PM
If everyone apart from the person who appointed them all leaves then that will sort it.
The pedant in me requires that I point out that no one knows what happened at Little Big Horn.
MPs cheering Keir Starmer at the PLP meeting "like the troops at Little Bighorn," remarks one exasperated Labour MP leaving the room
February 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The pedant in me requires that I point out that no one knows what happened at Little Big Horn.
Magnificent by the Poles
February 9, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Magnificent by the Poles
Why there are simple solutions to sustainable transport that don’t need to include fantasies about driverless cars, but do need more state intervention open.substack.com/pub/transpor...
Simple solutions to big problems
There used to be a Zipcar and a van parked at the end of our road but suddenly they disappeared at the end of the year.
open.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Why there are simple solutions to sustainable transport that don’t need to include fantasies about driverless cars, but do need more state intervention open.substack.com/pub/transpor...
Which is why things aren't going to improve anytime soon.
Instability comes from the government being systematically unable to level with the public about the costs of aging, defence and the green transition. Any government that reaches government having promised the impossible will end up the same.
February 9, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Which is why things aren't going to improve anytime soon.
Reposted by David Higham
Mad we might get to see both scenarios here. It’s like getting killed in a video game and then returning to a checkpoint
February 9, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Mad we might get to see both scenarios here. It’s like getting killed in a video game and then returning to a checkpoint
Reposted by David Higham
Jeremy Kyle is interviewing Reform MPs at a live press conference
Discussing who might take over from Keir Starmer as PM, Kyle just said: "She's had a makeover, Angela"
Lee Anderson: "She's throwing her money away, isn't she, to be honest with you"
*applause from the audience*
Discussing who might take over from Keir Starmer as PM, Kyle just said: "She's had a makeover, Angela"
Lee Anderson: "She's throwing her money away, isn't she, to be honest with you"
*applause from the audience*
February 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Jeremy Kyle is interviewing Reform MPs at a live press conference
Discussing who might take over from Keir Starmer as PM, Kyle just said: "She's had a makeover, Angela"
Lee Anderson: "She's throwing her money away, isn't she, to be honest with you"
*applause from the audience*
Discussing who might take over from Keir Starmer as PM, Kyle just said: "She's had a makeover, Angela"
Lee Anderson: "She's throwing her money away, isn't she, to be honest with you"
*applause from the audience*
Fancy a musical distraction and only know Boz Scraggs from Silk Degrees, then treat yourself to this old blues cover recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1968 backed by the house band, which featured a young Duane Allman on guitar open.spotify.com/track/05LTrp...
Loan Me a Dime
open.spotify.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Fancy a musical distraction and only know Boz Scraggs from Silk Degrees, then treat yourself to this old blues cover recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1968 backed by the house band, which featured a young Duane Allman on guitar open.spotify.com/track/05LTrp...
Reposted by David Higham
arguably the biggest news of the week that Lisa Nandy is currently doing something related to her brief
Only three cabinet ministers have not Tweeted or put out a message of support for Starmer:
Wes Streeting
Shabana Mahmood
Lisa Nandy (who is at the Winter Olympics)
This could of course change, but it's where we're at just before 3:30pm
Wes Streeting
Shabana Mahmood
Lisa Nandy (who is at the Winter Olympics)
This could of course change, but it's where we're at just before 3:30pm
February 9, 2026 at 3:27 PM
arguably the biggest news of the week that Lisa Nandy is currently doing something related to her brief
Reposted by David Higham
Starmer has to survive 38 days to have had a longer tenure than Rishi Sunak.
If a successor were to be in place by 13th July, we'd have had 7 PMs in a decade, which, by my reckoning, is the most since the 8 of 1827-37.
If a successor were to be in place by 13th July, we'd have had 7 PMs in a decade, which, by my reckoning, is the most since the 8 of 1827-37.
February 9, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Starmer has to survive 38 days to have had a longer tenure than Rishi Sunak.
If a successor were to be in place by 13th July, we'd have had 7 PMs in a decade, which, by my reckoning, is the most since the 8 of 1827-37.
If a successor were to be in place by 13th July, we'd have had 7 PMs in a decade, which, by my reckoning, is the most since the 8 of 1827-37.
If McSweeney has provided poor political advice, Reeves has provided equally poor economic advice.
February 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM
If McSweeney has provided poor political advice, Reeves has provided equally poor economic advice.
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by David Higham
The Westminster bubble...in Edinburgh and Cardiff?
February 9, 2026 at 2:10 PM
The Westminster bubble...in Edinburgh and Cardiff?
Reposted by David Higham
I think, in an ideal world, Starmer would be the one who had to make the actually Hard Choices about unpicking the mad budget that he, Morgan and Reeves all co-authored, and can see why none of the serious candidates for leadership are keen to push it before then.
Starmer probably shouldn't lead Labour into the next election, but it feels a bit too early to make a change.
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 PM
I think, in an ideal world, Starmer would be the one who had to make the actually Hard Choices about unpicking the mad budget that he, Morgan and Reeves all co-authored, and can see why none of the serious candidates for leadership are keen to push it before then.
Some of us are old enough to remember another PM who vowed to “fight on”
February 9, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Some of us are old enough to remember another PM who vowed to “fight on”
Anyone produced the Downfall parody? Until then, I suppose Starmer still has some hope.
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Anyone produced the Downfall parody? Until then, I suppose Starmer still has some hope.
Reposted by David Higham
Serious about *being* in government but not actually serious about government.
The flaw in the McSweeney/Starmer project can be summed up with "the people whose pitch to the electorate was they were serious also had no interest in policy", and when stated that bluntly it seems extraordinary it got this far
One of many things that Starmer and McSweeney have in common is neither is particularly interested in policy, and I think the lack of 'I need goodwill in order to deliver change' and the 'our planning for government goes to another school' all come from that.
February 9, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Serious about *being* in government but not actually serious about government.