Who said history never repeats itself? In Whitehall, Gordon Brown was known as “the Great Clunking Fist”. Now, in his “Plan for Change” speech last Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer promised that his plan would “land on desks across Whitehall with the heavy thud of a gauntlet being thrown down”. He promised his “mission-led government” would be dynamic, more decisive, more […]
Environment secretary downgrades environment shock, horror
It was, I suppose, sadly predictable that environment secretary Steve Reed should give his “first significant interview since Labour took power” to the home builders’ house magazine, the Sunday Times. He certainly managed to sound house builder friendly. Campaigners to protect green spaces should not expect the right to a veto over planning, he warned them. As if. Who are […]
The end of abundance
French president Emmanuel Macron made a speech on Wednesday that was little reported on this side of the Channel – which is a shame, because it may mark the beginning of a tidal change in western politics. Speaking at the French Cabinet, he warned that the tough economic times to come could mark the world facing a possible “end of […]