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Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Aug 27

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1828362636100042965

Thoughts on Starmer speech

Self-evidently highly political. Little in the way of policy, instead a framing of politics to come.

But there’s a paradox to it all

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1828362636100042965

As predicted, Labour are trying to suggest things are worse than they knew. There’s a bit of truth to that though broad contours of state of economy/public realm were known.

We’re clearly in for more pain. Just like, checks notes, the past 14 years.

That itself is an idictment of a generation of policymakers and politics. Voters might be forgiven for thinking they’ve heard all this before. Indeed they have, since George Osborne in 2010. Ernie Bevin said he wanted to be at the Ministry of Labour til 1990, ie to set the terms of thinking on industrial relations for a half century. It sometimes feels like Osborne will be Chancellor til 2050, no matter bow many times his vision of politics/political economy fails. You have to wonder how much more tolerance for it there’s going to be.

If nothing else, politically it was a huge contrast with the politics of optimism at last week’s DNC- instead now we have things are going to get worse before they get better.

Strongest sections of the speech were his diagnosis of the problems of populism and how Tories fell into that reap. Was authentically him and convincing.

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Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Jul 16

The story of the last time a former president was shot and lived to tell the tale🧵

In October 1912 President Teddy Roosevelt was running for an unprecedented third term in office. He'd left the presidency four years before. On the 12th he was campaigning in Milwaukee.

Roosevelt had left the Republicans to found the Progressive Party, also known as the 'Bull Moose' Party.

On the night of the 12th October he was dining at the Gilpatrick Hotel, owned by a supporter. After eating he left to give a speech at the Milwaukee auditorium.

En route he was approached by a man called John Schrank, a German-American tavern owner, originally from Bavaria.

Shcrank opened fire on the former president with a Colt revolver. He was quickly wrestled to the ground but not before a bullet penetrated Roosevelt's body.

Fortunately, the bullet hit something else first- TR's glasses case and the folded up copy of his speech, some 50 pages long entitled "Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual"- both of which in his coat pocket.

Read 6 tweets

Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Jul 15

NEW: Donald J. Trump is officially selected as the Republican candidate for president at the RNC in Milwaukee.

He becomes the first person since FDR in 1940 to win his party’s nomination three times on the trot (though unlike Trump he won each time).

The GOP has travelled a long way since those early Never Trump days. It’s indisputably his party now, in personnel, in ideas, in culture and the way it does politics.

That’s despite his refusal to accept the outcome of a presidential election, which led to an insurrection, and the fact he’s been convicted of a crime. It is a political journey without parallel, both personally and for his party.

The selection of Vance again shows the grip on the Republican party Trump now enjoys. In 2016 Trump was forced to choose a more establishment VP (Pence) to try and unite the party behind his candidacy. In Vance he chooses someone in his image, a prodigal son of America First.

Read 6 tweets

Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Jul 14

The assassination attempt on President Trump is the 1st attempted attack on a presidential candidate for 52 years.

Political violence has a long pedigree in America's history. It haunted its politics in the 1960s. The landscape is darkening again and has been for some time.

Goes without saying that the attempt on Trump's life is heinous and deplorable. There is a lot of blame to go round for the now toxic nature of American politics which long predates Trump personally. However, while the descent of American politics towards renewed political violence did not begin with him it can't be denied he has his own significant part to play. His politics has always been predicated on the idea of existential threat. Of American enemies within and without. He mocked the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, downplayed the kidnap plot on Gretchen Whitmer. And then there is the big lie and January 6th which continues to fray the bonds of American democracy.

In other words, Trump has been part of this change in US politics, of the turn to extreme aggression in US politics, which will probably outlast him. It doesn't justify anything in any way, but it does help to explain part of the context of a democracy which increasingly feels a couple of wrong moves from complete disaster. You can't understand that without Trump and the unique way he does politics.

In the meantime, with only four months to go until the US election, this will reframe everything, especially with the RNC about to get underway.

Trump's position within the Republican Party will be solidified even further. That picture will become a symbol of political martyrdom.

Read 7 tweets

Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Jul 8

Understand that Angela Rayner told DLUHC staff today that “she won’t be doing a Rees mogg with passive aggressive notes, those days are over.”

Also said dept will revert to its former title of “Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Govt.”

If you're in Whitehall and have stories/intel about what the new administration is doing in your dept, let me know. DMs open and anonymity guaranteed.

Official in Dept for Biz: "We've had clear steers on departmental priorities especially in regard to EU. Genuine sense of political cover to seek agreement on issues like recognition of professional qualifications. Reynolds v clear and personable in address to the department."

Read 7 tweets

Lewis Goodall

@lewis_goodall

Jul 5

IF YOU'RE JUST WAKING UP 🧵

LABOUR LANDSLIDE.

THE WORST TORY DEFEAT IN HISTORY. COLLAPSE EVERYWHERE

LIB DEMS REVIVE BEST RESULT FOR THIRD PARTY SINCE 1923

SNP IMPLOSION. LABOUR DOMINANT IN SCOTLAND AGAIN.

MUSLIM VOTE FOR LABOUR COLLAPSES

INDEPENDENTS ELECTED IN SAFE SEATS

Labour first

Keir Starmer is a huge election winner. Becomes only the fourth Labour leader to win a majority for his party.

Will be just shy of the 97 victory..

Party result the northern wall in its entirety, in Wales and in Scotland and won dozens of new seats in the south.

Labour will be dominant in the next parliament. Starmer will be the most powerful prime minister we've seen since Blair in 2001-05.

The vote was perfectly distributed across the country. Labour is the biggest party in England, Scotland and Wales.

But the vote was thin. Starmer may come to office on the smallest share of the vote of any winning party in history- less than 35%.

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