Retired Professor of Political Economy
(Lancaster University, UK - retired 2021)
(also #ProfDJ across the Lune Valley)
Contributor: North West Bylines #NoBridge
So the good news is that the bill to exonerate the SubPostmasters gained Royal Assent last night, freeing up the fixed compensation scheme for those whose convictions are now quashed (or allowing them to apply to have their individual case assessed).
The, perhaps, not so good news, as much legal commentary has been focusing on is the (potential) precedent it sets for governments to reverse the decisions of Courts.
In this case it would seem pretty just, but in the future?
That's a good point; and the timing issue may be crucial.... but overall, as a supporter of the rule of law, I'd have preferred to see a judicial solution - that said, given the time that might have taken, this might have been pragmatically (and in isolation) the most just response
As Michael Gove joins the nearly quarter of Tory MPs standing down at the election, the joke that 'would the last person leaving the Tory party please turn off the lights' seems to be ever more apposite.
For many Gove's departure will be welcome, but it also reinforces the notion that the post-election Tory party may be very different from its most recent manifestation.
The Q. will be, will they swing further to the right, shift to the 'centre', of collapse into fragments?
Yes, in a sense, as Labour seems to be angling for the old One Nation Conservatism slot (now vacant), the Tories are being squeezed to the right (not that many of them are complaining)... what will be interesting is how the media create a narrative around that (with the rump-Tories working perhaps being satisfied with being 'right' but unelectable, for now)?
Of course, one of the the things we all need to be considering is how to vote tactically... so here for your consideration is one guide to how to vote tactically in your constituency.
Just type in you postcode for advice (based on polling) on how you might vote tactically to get the Tories out (or if you have other priorities, how to maximise the impact of your vote under the current FPTP system)
I think one of things that people are unhappy about with Tactical Voting, is that it confirms the notion that democracy is about voting against rather than for....
Nikolai Gogol's satirical classic Dead Souls (1842/1961) is (in the first 2/3) a highly effective & biting satire on the pretensions & idiocies of the landed class in C19th Russia. However in the unfinished 2nd part, he sadly seeks to humanise & dignify his anti-hero, which under-cuts the satire & leaves the narrative as one of agriculture improvement. My recommendation: only read the completed first part, which is great.
In the worst 'Ghost Enclaves' over 50% of local homes are owned by investors for short-term holiday lets (or as seldom used second homes).
This, of course, has knock-on effects for locals trying to stay in the area for work or family reasons - the housing crisis is driven by inequality & them compounds that inequality.
The Q. is will the next government have the political will to expand social housing & clamp down on non-residential uses of homes?
hmmmm.... I know things are tough in hospitality, but when trading standards find 70% of test drinks purchases are short measures, a new area of shrinkflation has surely been found.
Of course, we could argue this is a useful (organic) public health action which massages down the consumption of alcohol, but I'm guessing that's not what's actually going on.
So the Environmental Agency, is embarrassed to reveal the true state of our environment...
They find it difficult to answer prescient questions from NGOs with significant expertise (the implications being, better informed that the EA staff) & (it would seem) would like the NGO's Q.s to be more simply put to help EA staff offer better answers?
If you wanted a picture of a failing regulatory agency this would be it....
Its difficult to assess what % of food (or food based energy) consumed is ultra processed, but here is a chart that aggregates a number of studies to suggest the range of % for a selection of countries.... & then when you know Big Food in the USA spends more on lobbying than the Tobacco industry (which is likely to be similar in UK)... it starts to make sense.
Link that to public health & we have some more context for the UK's health crisis.
The date of the general election seems designed to disenfranchise young people as much as possible, since most university students who vote do so at their term-time address. Universities are in recess on 4 July & many students will be at their parents’ or between university accommodation. Please make sure anyone you know in this situation registers at an appropriate address, preferably with a postal vote.
So, just to be clear, if the Tories lose the election (which seems likely) and Labour then decide not to continue the policy of deportation to Rwanda... what happens to all the money (over £200m) so far transferred to Rwanda?
Can we expect a claw-back or should we just add it to the growing pile of money the Tories threw away (or more accurately thew to their mates)?
The big Q. is what will the UK look like on July 5th?
Well, in material terms it will remain on the downwards path that the Tories have driven us down for the last decade....
In emotional terms, there will be a feeling of widespread relief, but then trepidation as few are really clear what Labour will do, and few expect them to make any firm commitments in the next six weeks.
What we can say, is that we are approaching a sliding doors moment;
Is the answer to 'dental deserts' to force newly trained dentists to work for the NHS for the first years of their career (or to pay back the costs of their training)?
Well, unless Labour adopt such an approach we may never know, but the crisis in NHS dentistry might be alleviated by some form of national service requirement from dentists (alongside a better funding model!)?.
It may not be the best answer, but these are desperate times in dentistry.
The (centrist) Social Market Foundation asked a group of economists to look at the Labour Party's economic policies & see what theorising lies behind them (if anything).
They concluded that pragmatism & small scale/focussed policy interventions seemed to be the driving logic(s) rather than any more general economic theory or position (in this sense they lack the coherence of Biden's policy approach).
While the Bank of England's sado-monetarists keep on talking about wage inflation, its clear that there has only been wage inflation in nominal terms... real average wages (which is to say inflation adjusted) are little higher (and have been a lot lower at times) than they were when the Tories came into power in 2010.
So lets be clear: for workers this has been for the most part a lost decade & a half in wage terms.... its more than trust Rishi Sunak should have been trying to earn.
Rishi Sunak has stated its going to be about who the public trusts...
Not the ground on which he might be best advised to fight after a decade & half of scandals, corruption & crisis....
Indeed, he says he's going to 'earn our trust'.... well given he's been PM for some time, and is (therefore) admitting he hasn't earnt our trust already, this looks like howl statements scripted by a advisor, unless he's monumentally out of touch.... oh, hold on
