frankPodmore

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unitedkingdom
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Despite management attempts at union busting, Sesame Street votes union, including childhood education experts, fundraisers, facilities staff, producers and paralegals in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Big Bird on the barricades.

Political favourability ratings, May 2025: Keir Starmer falls to lowest net favourability rating on record, while positivity towards Nigel Farage and Reform UK rises in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

Decided to blame immigrants for all the country's problems.

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Why Labour shouldn’t shift right | John McTernan (www.newstatesman.com)
 

Yeah, me again. I don't know why all the Blairites are posting bangers today, but this time it's Johnny McT's turn to argue for social democracy.

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Starmer’s immigration speech fits with Labour tradition, but so does losing (www.ft.com)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
0 comments fedilink
 

Whole article is good, these paragraphs in particular:

People at the heart of the Labour government seem to be more preoccupied about whether or not it is governing within the Labour tradition than whether it is governing well. Because frankly, the only time that Labour has been able to secure two consecutive full terms in power is when, under Tony Blair, it had a clear theory of economic growth: that of economic liberalism, openness to the world and to the EU in particular.

I don’t think it is going to come as a galloping shock to readers to learn that I think Labour should give that approach another go. But even if you disagree, Labour surely needs to commit to something — whether it is properly funding Ed Miliband’s plans for the green transition, or something else entirely. But the one place it surely should not be looking at are failed approaches from its own history, which did not work at the time and are not going to work any better now, with a less loyal electorate far less inclined to let Labour work through its midlife crisis in public.

EDIT: The headline, by the way, is a reference to a great moment in Tony Blair's last speech to Labour conference back in 2006:

They say I hate the Party, and its traditions. I don't. I love this Party. There's only one tradition I hated: losing.

Political favourability ratings, May 2025: Keir Starmer falls to lowest net favourability rating on record, while positivity towards Nigel Farage and Reform UK rises in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

You are absolutely right. There's empirical evidence that these kinds of 'accommodationist' policies only increase support for the far right. These polls are further evidence that the Starmer strategy is counter-productive.

Political favourability ratings, May 2025: Keir Starmer falls to lowest net favourability rating on record, while positivity towards Nigel Farage and Reform UK rises in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

I'm still a member for now, but I'm not surprised people feel that way.

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Political favourability ratings, May 2025: Keir Starmer falls to lowest net favourability rating on record, while positivity towards Nigel Farage and Reform UK rises (yougov.co.uk)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
51 comments fedilink
 

Astonishingly awful polling for Starmer, who has destroyed his favourability among everyone especially his own voters, while somehow making Farage more popular. If I was Morgan McSweeney, I would quit my job.

Some other 'highlights':

'This is the first time Keir Starmer has recorded a net negative approval rating among Labour voters.'

Labour is now even more unpopular than the lowest point of Corbyn's leadership.

EDIT:

Just so I can say 'I told you so', if:

  • There isn't an all-out war in Europe, and,
  • Starmer's still PM at the next GE

Then he will lose his own seat.

Torpedoes fired in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (19 children)

Photons or protons?

What's the point of constitutional monarchies? Why even keep the monarchy in place if they aren't even doing anything? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Heh. Yeah, I can't really hold up a country backsliding on trans rights as an example of an effective constitutional monarchy.

What's the point of constitutional monarchies? Why even keep the monarchy in place if they aren't even doing anything? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (5 children)

I think taking a broad view, there are quite a lot of constitutional monarchies that are really great places to live (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, the Bahamas, Japan, to name a few). There are also quite a lot of republics that can claim the same. So, from a sort of human development POV, I don't think it really matters very much.

[EDIT: Should've added that there are also plenty of republics and monarchies that are disasters, too. My point is that there's no consistent pattern of one works and the other doesn't.]

Sure, monarchies are a bit daft but I think 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' is quite a good rule. Especially since spending time on fixing things that ain't broke is time you could be spending on fixing things that are broke. I live in the UK and we have a lot of major problems that need our attention. It's better to focus on those than have a big argument about the King when, as we can see from international comparisons, the King isn't really the issue.

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Rainbow Map of LGBTI rights in Europe show 'a coordinated global backlash aimed at erasing LGBTI rights' including in the UK (rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org)
Sadiq Khan to announce plans to build houses on London green belt in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

motorways and dual carriageways, derelict industrial sites

That's exactly where they're planning on building! The Guardian chose a very misleading image.

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Trans Labour councillor resigns from party over ‘throwing trans people under the bus’ – LabourList (labourlist.org)
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Sadiq Khan to announce plans to build houses on London green belt (www.theguardian.com)
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‘Barking was like the Red Wall’: Margaret Hodge on the lessons for fighting Reform from beating the BNP 15 years ago today – LabourList (labourlist.org)
London's Busiest Bus Stops | Ed Jefferson in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

That's what I thought. No real surprises, but fun to play with!

4
London's Busiest Bus Stops | Ed Jefferson (edjefferson.com)
 

This guy used a TfL FOI response to build a tool that shows you which London bus stops are busiest. Enjoy!

Climbing on Winston Churchill statue to become a crime in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

Ridiculous.

18
‘Outdated and unjust’: can we reform global capitalism? (www.theguardian.com)
 

Not exactly an in-depth study, but some suggestions for further reading.

Labour can’t just target Reform or Green voters. Here’s how we get both | Jeevun Sandher MP in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

I'm glad the results at the locals have led to at least some MPs finding their voices. Haigh, Whittome and Trickett have all spoken out, but they're sort of the usual suspects. This guy is at least a bit new!

1
Media co-op New Internationalist gets ready to take on the far right (www.thenews.coop)
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Media co-op New Internationalist gets ready to take on the far right (www.thenews.coop)
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Labour can’t just target Reform or Green voters. Here’s how we get both | Jeevun Sandher MP (jeevunsandher.substack.com)
How do we put a stop to road violence and curb excessive car use? Look at how we dealt with guns in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

People also makes this argument about guns, and yet gun controls work!

You are right, of course, that if someone really wants to hurt lots of people, they will likely find a way to do it. But that's no reason not to put barriers in their way. As for 'punishing the rest of us', I'm not sure that making cars a bit lighter amounts to a punishment!

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