I do enjoy the building of this Roman Catholic church near where I grew up in Middlesbrough – for which the brief was presumably 'Italianesque – but we're going to have to use redbrick, sorry'
December 2, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I do enjoy the building of this Roman Catholic church near where I grew up in Middlesbrough – for which the brief was presumably 'Italianesque – but we're going to have to use redbrick, sorry'
Look, I have my concerns about the changes to building regs for flats, but thinking that's the proximate cause of the slowdown in construction is frankly barmy when there are much more obvious macroeconomic explanations
November 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Look, I have my concerns about the changes to building regs for flats, but thinking that's the proximate cause of the slowdown in construction is frankly barmy when there are much more obvious macroeconomic explanations
Went to see CMAT's Birmingham show and she was bloody fantastic
November 29, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Went to see CMAT's Birmingham show and she was bloody fantastic
Your regular reminder that Blair's Clause IV is poetry, and far superior to the Webbs' original dry and technocratic Clause IV
November 29, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Your regular reminder that Blair's Clause IV is poetry, and far superior to the Webbs' original dry and technocratic Clause IV
"God knows where I'll be tonight. You know, I could be anywhere, I could be in Ipswich."
November 28, 2025 at 9:49 PM
"God knows where I'll be tonight. You know, I could be anywhere, I could be in Ipswich."
"I spent all night chasing after some bloke who turns out to be mad. Like, really mad. He had every episode of Juliet Bravo on tape."
November 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM
"I spent all night chasing after some bloke who turns out to be mad. Like, really mad. He had every episode of Juliet Bravo on tape."
One of my (many) as yet unrealised ambitions is to set up a think tank/campaign group within the Labour ecosystem, specifically to influence Labour MPs on these kinds of issues
@stephenkb.bsky.social
@stephenkb.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 11:55 PM
One of my (many) as yet unrealised ambitions is to set up a think tank/campaign group within the Labour ecosystem, specifically to influence Labour MPs on these kinds of issues
@stephenkb.bsky.social
@stephenkb.bsky.social
I'm sorry, I feel like I'm going mad here. For crying out loud, the vast majority of democracies don't make extensive use of jury trials!
November 26, 2025 at 8:11 AM
I'm sorry, I feel like I'm going mad here. For crying out loud, the vast majority of democracies don't make extensive use of jury trials!
I was going to say that's weird but then I realised it's also true of Leeds and Bradford lol
November 25, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I was going to say that's weird but then I realised it's also true of Leeds and Bradford lol
Wikipedia appears to back me up on this as well. Crazy stuff.
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Wikipedia appears to back me up on this as well. Crazy stuff.
The ones I *have* done are 5 (of course), 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18
November 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM
The ones I *have* done are 5 (of course), 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18
A better option for Labour's liberals, in my view, would be to return to the spirit of the 1995 Clause IV, and confidently assert an agenda of free trade and equality – in opposition to the insurgent global radical right, and as an alternative to Starmer's conservative, inegalitarian statism.
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
A better option for Labour's liberals, in my view, would be to return to the spirit of the 1995 Clause IV, and confidently assert an agenda of free trade and equality – in opposition to the insurgent global radical right, and as an alternative to Starmer's conservative, inegalitarian statism.
Meanwhile, a smaller group that I call 'neo-Blairites', closely associated with the Tony Blair Institute, have sought accommodations with the increasingly reactionary big tech sector, in their desperation to rehabilitate a 'modernising' agenda in which technological progress is the route to growth.
November 20, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Meanwhile, a smaller group that I call 'neo-Blairites', closely associated with the Tony Blair Institute, have sought accommodations with the increasingly reactionary big tech sector, in their desperation to rehabilitate a 'modernising' agenda in which technological progress is the route to growth.
Part of why Labour's liberals find themselves marginalised is that they've struggled to assert themselves as the character of the centre ground has changed.
People who were trained as loyal operators during New Labour are not well placed to defend liberal values when they are under attack.
People who were trained as loyal operators during New Labour are not well placed to defend liberal values when they are under attack.
November 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Part of why Labour's liberals find themselves marginalised is that they've struggled to assert themselves as the character of the centre ground has changed.
People who were trained as loyal operators during New Labour are not well placed to defend liberal values when they are under attack.
People who were trained as loyal operators during New Labour are not well placed to defend liberal values when they are under attack.
And the Old Right influenced policy constraints favoured by No. 10 and the Treasury make it hard for liberals on the frontbench to achieve anything they'd like to.
November 20, 2025 at 1:43 PM
And the Old Right influenced policy constraints favoured by No. 10 and the Treasury make it hard for liberals on the frontbench to achieve anything they'd like to.
The Labour right is composed of two tendencies that are really quite distinct – and the liberal tendency increasingly feels marginalised within this government (as @morganj0nes.bsky.social and @stephenkb.bsky.social have reported)
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The Labour right is composed of two tendencies that are really quite distinct – and the liberal tendency increasingly feels marginalised within this government (as @morganj0nes.bsky.social and @stephenkb.bsky.social have reported)
Can we also talk about how close we came in Kemi Badenoch's seat, despite doing hardly any campaigning there?
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Can we also talk about how close we came in Kemi Badenoch's seat, despite doing hardly any campaigning there?
Will be interesting to see what happens to the Lib Dems in May in places like Newcastle and Hull, where they have traditionally stood as the anti-Labour party and thereby have a much more right-wing voter coalition than they do down south.
November 19, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Will be interesting to see what happens to the Lib Dems in May in places like Newcastle and Hull, where they have traditionally stood as the anti-Labour party and thereby have a much more right-wing voter coalition than they do down south.
I mean, if Camden elected in thirds, it's pretty clear IMO that a fair few Labour councillors would have lost their seats already in 2024
November 18, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I mean, if Camden elected in thirds, it's pretty clear IMO that a fair few Labour councillors would have lost their seats already in 2024
I'm afraid to say that large parts of the soft left are just *like this*
I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to the Miliband campaign in 2015
I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to the Miliband campaign in 2015
November 17, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I'm afraid to say that large parts of the soft left are just *like this*
I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to the Miliband campaign in 2015
I feel like I'm getting flashbacks to the Miliband campaign in 2015
Meanwhile, ambitious Labour politicians are doing things like this
November 15, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Meanwhile, ambitious Labour politicians are doing things like this
Can someone help me out, I genuinely have no idea what this person is on about
November 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Can someone help me out, I genuinely have no idea what this person is on about
I don't disagree with the broader point here, but it's important to note that the personal allowance under New Labour, adjusted for inflation, was roughly *a third* lower than it is today
November 14, 2025 at 10:57 AM
I don't disagree with the broader point here, but it's important to note that the personal allowance under New Labour, adjusted for inflation, was roughly *a third* lower than it is today
Very good piece on the fiscal situation from Will Hutton in the Observer.
I think Reeves is absolutely right to prioritise fiscal consolidation in order to get interest rates under control – but my question is, why wasn't that her objective last year?
I think Reeves is absolutely right to prioritise fiscal consolidation in order to get interest rates under control – but my question is, why wasn't that her objective last year?
November 6, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Very good piece on the fiscal situation from Will Hutton in the Observer.
I think Reeves is absolutely right to prioritise fiscal consolidation in order to get interest rates under control – but my question is, why wasn't that her objective last year?
I think Reeves is absolutely right to prioritise fiscal consolidation in order to get interest rates under control – but my question is, why wasn't that her objective last year?