John West
@jwestjourno.bsky.social
M&A, macro and politics. Global Commentary Editor, Mergermarket. Any views expressed are regrettably my own.
One half of @illexplainlater.bsky.social - a Doctor Who podcast.
One half of @illexplainlater.bsky.social - a Doctor Who podcast.
Why, when theoretically it would be best placed to unite the party and forge a coherent synthesis of its currents into a programme for government, is Labour’s soft left so repeatedly lame?
November 24, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Why, when theoretically it would be best placed to unite the party and forge a coherent synthesis of its currents into a programme for government, is Labour’s soft left so repeatedly lame?
I mean *you decided* to score this as the 2p/2p wheeze, rather than just straight up hiking. You could have made it worth it. You could have not dicked around with pension savings incentives and god knows what else.
November 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I mean *you decided* to score this as the 2p/2p wheeze, rather than just straight up hiking. You could have made it worth it. You could have not dicked around with pension savings incentives and god knows what else.
I mean, no - it would look utterly self indulgent. Suboptimal doesn’t even cover it. But a dud Budget would be curtains for them. Disapproval for both Starmer and Reeves is in the 70s. There is no strategic direction. Should Labour swirl the plughole for 3.5yrs, or twist? You twist.
November 23, 2025 at 10:18 AM
I mean, no - it would look utterly self indulgent. Suboptimal doesn’t even cover it. But a dud Budget would be curtains for them. Disapproval for both Starmer and Reeves is in the 70s. There is no strategic direction. Should Labour swirl the plughole for 3.5yrs, or twist? You twist.
Yes, until they didn’t. And still don’t. With Starmer plumbing depths of unpopularity untested either by Johnson or Sunak.
November 19, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Yes, until they didn’t. And still don’t. With Starmer plumbing depths of unpopularity untested either by Johnson or Sunak.
Starmer penned that himself by grabbing the top job with no coherent vision for what he wants to do with the country. There’s no coming back from this - the public have made their mind up.
November 19, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Starmer penned that himself by grabbing the top job with no coherent vision for what he wants to do with the country. There’s no coming back from this - the public have made their mind up.
I’m not suggesting breaking manifesto promises (that should never have been made…) would be popular. But when the govt is already flatlining, they should be liberated to deliver on their priorities (potholes, train system working, NHS waiting lists down, schools secure, defence restored).
November 19, 2025 at 8:19 AM
I’m not suggesting breaking manifesto promises (that should never have been made…) would be popular. But when the govt is already flatlining, they should be liberated to deliver on their priorities (potholes, train system working, NHS waiting lists down, schools secure, defence restored).
…and if that has proven unnecessary by 2028-29, she has a rabbit to pull from the hat. Alas, she’s once again doing the minimum necessary - which will give people the impression of paying more for less and fail to repair the public realm.
November 19, 2025 at 8:17 AM
…and if that has proven unnecessary by 2028-29, she has a rabbit to pull from the hat. Alas, she’s once again doing the minimum necessary - which will give people the impression of paying more for less and fail to repair the public realm.
Agree that it’s a suboptimal relationship and that we’re stuck with it. Which is why Reeves is playing with fire going off the latest OBR projection taking the “fiscal gap” to £20bn from £30bn. That could be hiked again at the stroke of a pen. Better to kitchen sink broad-based tax rises…
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Agree that it’s a suboptimal relationship and that we’re stuck with it. Which is why Reeves is playing with fire going off the latest OBR projection taking the “fiscal gap” to £20bn from £30bn. That could be hiked again at the stroke of a pen. Better to kitchen sink broad-based tax rises…
It’s a very thin line between “socialism is what a Labour government does” and “if the president does it, it’s not illegal”.
November 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
It’s a very thin line between “socialism is what a Labour government does” and “if the president does it, it’s not illegal”.
Case in point: no-one with a brain cell seems to have gone “you know, this polls well - but what happens when we actually turn up and grab kids from classrooms/workplaces?” Because this ain’t Alabama, people. The nodding dogs of the British public will suddenly go “wtf?” when it happens.
November 18, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Case in point: no-one with a brain cell seems to have gone “you know, this polls well - but what happens when we actually turn up and grab kids from classrooms/workplaces?” Because this ain’t Alabama, people. The nodding dogs of the British public will suddenly go “wtf?” when it happens.