Thanks Matt, for both reviewing the Starmer pledges and going where nobody else wants to go, in search of Republican policy on HE under Trump. What a strange and unsettling time we live in. Social democratic governments like our own and that expected to be elected this Friday (our time) in the UK pride themselves on the modesty and good sense of their platforms. Technocrats to a fault, they don't quite understand the nature of the political environment after the GFC and COVID.
The electorates in Western democracies give these social democratic programs far less credit than they once did, as so many are driven by deeper seated questions about the ability of governments to understand their problems. This feeds growing cynicism and a desire for pat populist solutions. I fully expect Starmer to last perhaps two terms, the second marked by the rise of Reform or, more likely, a radicalised Conservative Party taking the Johnson / Farage agenda even further. A similar fate possibly awaits Albanese. All this is to say that our technocratic analysis is important, but may fall by the wayside in view of larger and more elemental forces. It all reminds me that modern politics is best captured by this now quite famous cartoon: https://condenaststore.com/featured/he-tells-it-like-it-is-paul-noth.html
I wonder what colour the wolf would be in that cartoon if in full colour!
I catch-up from time to time with ex-Brexit/Boris advisor Dominic Cummings writings on Substack - https://dominiccummings.substack.com - I'm skeptical that the Tory's will be replaced by Reform or Cumming's proposed 'Start-Up Party' - the main parties (at least in Oz, UK, UKA) have been adept at integrating the views of successful minority parties to keep their hands on the levers of power over the long term. Would be good if at some point there was a grand bargain between technocrats, values, politics, and social connectivity.
Thanks Matt, for both reviewing the Starmer pledges and going where nobody else wants to go, in search of Republican policy on HE under Trump. What a strange and unsettling time we live in. Social democratic governments like our own and that expected to be elected this Friday (our time) in the UK pride themselves on the modesty and good sense of their platforms. Technocrats to a fault, they don't quite understand the nature of the political environment after the GFC and COVID.
The electorates in Western democracies give these social democratic programs far less credit than they once did, as so many are driven by deeper seated questions about the ability of governments to understand their problems. This feeds growing cynicism and a desire for pat populist solutions. I fully expect Starmer to last perhaps two terms, the second marked by the rise of Reform or, more likely, a radicalised Conservative Party taking the Johnson / Farage agenda even further. A similar fate possibly awaits Albanese. All this is to say that our technocratic analysis is important, but may fall by the wayside in view of larger and more elemental forces. It all reminds me that modern politics is best captured by this now quite famous cartoon: https://condenaststore.com/featured/he-tells-it-like-it-is-paul-noth.html
I wonder what colour the wolf would be in that cartoon if in full colour!
I catch-up from time to time with ex-Brexit/Boris advisor Dominic Cummings writings on Substack - https://dominiccummings.substack.com - I'm skeptical that the Tory's will be replaced by Reform or Cumming's proposed 'Start-Up Party' - the main parties (at least in Oz, UK, UKA) have been adept at integrating the views of successful minority parties to keep their hands on the levers of power over the long term. Would be good if at some point there was a grand bargain between technocrats, values, politics, and social connectivity.