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Petrol shortages
There is something quite comical about the United Kingdom at the moment, it was Hobbes that proclaimed in a state of nature life was “solitary, brutish and short”. Well if the mad scramble for petrol tells us anything about human nature it’s that without coherent leadership we all have the ability to live in a state of anarchy – where the strongest survive.
It all started with media stories about the lack of lorry drivers caused by a mixture of Brexit and covid. The government initially denied there was a problem as people responded by filling up their cars (and in some cases storing petrol in tanks at home as they prepared for Armageddon). Although the government says the crisis is over, some 27% of petrol stations still have not replenished their fuel supplies.
The global perspective
The UK spends millions on its soft power image abroad, yet fuel shortages have left others mocking post-Brexit Britain. Russian media has compared Britain’s fuel crisis to Soviet-era food queues. “The queues for petrol pumps are like those for sausage that was in short supply in the Soviet Union,” said a presenter on Russia’s NTV.
Labour’s conference
You would think Labour would be capitalising on the ineffectiveness of the government. But they have spent the last few days squabbling with themselves at their Brighton party conference.
The Labour Party’s left is at war with the centrists within the party, who want to make it harder for the left to ever again have a leader. The leadership narrowly passed a motion that would give MP’s more say over any future election of a party leader, reducing the vote of members.
Andy McDonald, a shadow employment minister resigned mid-conference after the leadership refused to accept his recommendation to raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour - because they wanted to show ‘fiscal restraint’. He was seen to be the last remnants of Corbynism in the shadow cabinet.
As Keir Starmer delivered his keynote speech today, he was heckled by the left. Although taking on the ‘hard left’ (as the centrists call them) may look good in some constituencies, (it looks very much like the infamous speech given by Neil Kinnock as he also battled with the militant left) - however, voters very rarely reward split parties with the government.
Labour’s policy deficit is over
For a long time, Labour has refused to spell out what it actually stood for. This conference saw a shift in this thinking. Some new announcements were made, including:
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledge to spend £28bn a year on greening the economy.
She also promised to scrap business rates and replace them with... something that has yet to be decided.
Sir Keir meanwhile announced plans for a major investment in education - to be funded by taxing private schools - as well as mental health services and to insulate 19 million homes in England to save energy.
Although policies still remain thin on the ground for Labour.
Worth a watch
Keir Starmer’s speech today is worth a watch in full. Will it be enough to save his flailing leadership?
Also, read this article in the FT for some good analysis on Labour.