The column mentions how scale of financial support package and furloughing cut through, citing @jamesjohnson252 on how it is still remembered. This seems key to a public perception that several mistakes have been made (late lockdowns) but that there was an effort at fairness too
What is only alluded to is that Sunak, despite merited technocratic reputation for being data-driven, was slowest/most hawkish on accepting the need for restrictions and lockdowns & keenest on relaxations (Eat Out to Help Out) that proved premature
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer share several attributes. Serious; technocratic; opposed to culture wars in polarised times; had significant careers outside politics. Both do also have longer track records of partisan commitment than their non-ideological personas might suggest.
It follows that Labour would struggle to work out how to oppose Rishi Sunak in 2024. Pointing out he went to Winchester and is very rich would almost certainly be *much* less effective than against David Cameron (against whom this was not very effective)
Perhaps a Sunak v Starmer contest would see a discourse flip from "why are we so polarised" back into "why can't people tell the parties apart" any more?
2 unknowns about Sunak
* I'm not sure "what does he do when it's not all about spending" is so tough (Treasury issues are in his comfort zone).
* Can he run/win in party as his bridging self, against more right-wing voices, rather than going a bit 'war on woke' (authenticity?)
Sunak vs Patel: a battle for the soul of the Tory party? I could see that happening
Both before pandemic (NHS, police & levelling up) and during it (furloughing), Cons had "moved to centre on the economy" with new focus on geographical socio-econ inequalities. (Contrast to 2010: centrist on culture, not on economy) What that means beyond pandemic is key unknown
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Weekly Covid attitudes memo, no 40.
- Growing concern overNHS pressures, confidence rising in vaccine rollout. .
- Self-reported compliance is up, but age-gap reopening
- British public welcomedBiden’s inauguration, mainly due to departure of Trump. britishfuture.org/wp-content/upl…
By 60% to 35%, the public remain confident about the NHS coping, but by the narrowest margin since back at the start
The 35% who are not confident about the NHS coping is highest (41%) in London. (This is from Ipsos-Mori tracking) ipsos.com/sites/default/…
The Common Sense group are hoping to put up statues and name roads after Victoria Cross heroes - which sounds to me like that should be very good news for Khudadad Khan Way and Mir Dast Road
A newspaper report reveals that the Education Secretary is next week expected to rule out schools reopening (for most pupils) after February half-term (as the plan/hope has been to . No new return target date to be set, the Sunday Times reports, briefed by govt sources.
The government source says that "we are in this for the long haul. We are going to *start* giving parents more information so they can *start* managing their expectations". (The use of 'start' misses how this works, I think).
Everybody heard the initial mid-Feb date, because it was the most prominent part of the lockdown announcement, though there was no pledge it would happen. The 'it might not happen' messages have not been as prominent. The 'that definitely isn't happening' will be.
It may well not still happen - but this would surely be in the all-time top 5 FA Cup shocks if it stayed like this.
I think I would probably have Colchester-Leeds (1971_; Wrexham-Arsenal (1992) and Walsall-Arsenal (1933) right at the top, ahead of Sutton-Coventry and Hereford-Newcastle et al. But welcome your rankings.
An 81st minute equaliser for Manchester City, who are now 1-1 at Cheltenham.
Thomas Binder has a fair claim to the most "full house" conspiracy theorist I have yet to see on this website. (9/11 truther, an anti-semite, Covid denial, Bill Gates Gates vaccination plot). Anybody associating with him has at best failed absolutely to do any due diligence.
I was only recently introduced to his work by Mr Nawaz distributing it. These do not seem atypical examples of a persistent theme of extreme conspiracism
I only first encountered him when Mr Nawaz recommended his fascinating account that Covid is a hoax or a myth that we all fell for (while offering a disclaimer that he lacked any expertise to consider the content he was sharing from this ur-conspiracist)
I am looking forward to reading @RemiAdekoya1 Biracial Britain - out on February 4th - including to find out what I said to him when we met up in person, back in the pre-Covid world when such things were possible!
Book details via @RemiAdekoya1 who I recommend following
"Mixed race? What's all this mixed race nonsense? If you're not white, you're black". Reliable sources inform me that this exchange features early in the book. (This was with the late Darcus Howe, one of the giants of his generation. RIP).