I should, I suppose, write a political obituary on departures from government of Rachel Reeves, David Lammy, Peter Kyle, Liz Kendall and Steve Reed, but why?
Each and every one of them failed.
They were all neoliberal to their core.
They all failed to put the interests of the people of this country at the epicentre of their politics.
None of them appeared to have any understanding of what the Labour Party that they claim they represented should really be about based on its history.
So, without exception, their departure from the political scene, to which I hope they never return in high office, is a cause for mild celebration, tempered by the fact that their replacements might be no better.
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John Healey chancellor?
See the blog, just posted
Let’s try and have some optimism that the replacements may be at least slightly better, while being cautious about the fact that more than tinkering at the edges is needed.
Picking Healey, who had previously worked as a disability rights campaigner, you’d hope that aside from the obvious question about how much funding will be redirected towards defence, he might seek to protect vulnerable people more than Reeves.
There’s a certain amount of reading between the lines going on, too – with Burnham on the one hand stating he’ll stick to the fiscal rules while declaring an intent to use any flexibility within them. Given the exclusion for infrastructure spending, there is a potential to stick to the rules while spending a lot more to increase output. North Sea oil unfortunately also seems to be part of that thinking, too.
I hope they do use the first element to provide some counterbalance to the second, by spending on grid improvements, battery storage, domestic renewables, etc, to create energy independence, lower energy prices, and simply a situation where renewable power plants aren’t being told to turn off because their area’s grid is not able to handle the supply (as has been happening in Devon with Derril Water and others being curtailed).
The Biggest change in 40 years… And you have some of the worst of them still in post – McFadden, Mahmood… And likely the return of Streeting.
I was cautiously optimistic – now am cautious.
Where is Steve Bell when you need him – that’s all I can say about this. These are people who had the opportunity to fill a vacuum and instead sucked the vacuum out of the vacuum instead.
They will already be plotting a comeback. As pig headed and arrogant as any Tory, they believe their approach is the only one.
Streeting hasn’t been near No. 10 this evening, and now all the top jobs are gone, even his old one at DHSC – maybe he has gone to get his own trumpet mended. He”s been blowing it so much recently, maybe it’s got broken? His campaign of increasingly desperate self-promotion over the last few weeks has been the most entertaining to watch, as his sights gradually lowered from the top job (“if only 81 MPs would nominate me”), to “make me Chancellor… or else”, to, well – “anything really, pleeeeeease?”
Agreed
Minister for paper clips has not been appointed, yet.
Streeting now entering No.10 – so he must be getting something. I spoke too soon!
Good riddance, but why didn’t he really clear the decks, the remainers are among the worst of the bunch. At least Reeves is gone, but I have little hope as the new ones are likely to be as neoliberal as the leavers. Richards last sentence says it all really m
So long, and thanks for all the varicose veins.