The pantomime will play out today.<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer will visit the King.<\/p>\n
The King will then ask Andy Burnham to form a government, as if he has any say in the matter.<\/p>\n
Burnham will then walk down Downing Street to deliver a speech full of vibe and very little content.<\/p>\n
After that, the news will all be about cabinet appointments and the sackings, after which the endless interpretation that will mean little will begin.<\/p>\n
Why will it mean little? That\u2019s because unless discussion of a basis for real policy change takes place and a call for it is heard, nothing will happen.<\/p>\n
Is that call for change likely? I think not. I suggest that the FT has the mood, but not the required sentiment right.\u00a0 Its lead story on the arrival of Burnham comes from Martin Wolf. His demand?<\/a> That Burnham put in place a credible long-term plan for managing the national debt. This is the supposed national priority, according to Wolf and the FT.<\/p>\n I suspect this will be the theme in much of the analysis across the mainstream media. If so, we can presume that the failure to manage the country for the benefit of its people will persist, with ongoing disenchantment with what is happening in the lived experience of the people of the UK\u00a0 as a consequence.<\/p>\n And that is why today means little. A neoliberal is replacing a neoliberal, with no more idea what to do about the issues we face than any of his predecessors this century. That is the curse upon him, and the problem that we face. Unless, and until, the tune is changed and we find a better song to sing, the despair will continue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"