[Quote]
“the fragmentation of the old party system makes some form of change inevitable, sooner or later. The question is whether we want to be involved in that process or whether – as with Scottish devolution or Lords reform – we end up leaving it to the Left to design the new system.”
[quote=“Cinderella, post:35, topic:99931, full:true”]
What this got to do with the Labour Conference?
[quote=“Cinderella, post:34, topic:99931, full:true”]
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/01/30/book-review-democracy-for-realists-why-elections-do-not-produce-responsive-government-by-christopher-h-achen-and-larry-m-bartels/
What this got to do with the Labour Conference?
Phew - that felt like a long one. While we give our hands a rest from the typing, here’s a recap of some of the key points from the Labour leader’s speech:
- Homebuilding - This was the big announcement. Starmer said home ownership shouldn’t be a luxury for just a few and promised to “tear down” the barriers blocking it. He said Labour planned to get Britain building again with a plan for 1.5 million homes and a host of “Labour new towns” - new, large scale housing settlements (1) like the so-called new towns built after WWII under Labour
- Cost of living - the crisis is weighing heavily on people’s lives, he says - and Labour can offer “long-term solutions”
- NHS - Starmer said he would abolish the controversial nom-dom tax status, which he says allows the richest people to avoid paying for vital services, and that the money would be put into the NHS, which he wants to “get back on its feet”
- Education - he reiterated Labour’s plan to charge private schools 20% VAT, saying the money will be put into other school services
- Conservatives - he repeatedly took aim at the Tories and Tory PMs past and present, who he says “don’t solve problems but use them to divide”
- Police - Labour would invest to get more police on the streets, he said (2)
- And… glitter - His speech hadn’t even begun when a man from the group People Demand Democracy ran onto stage and tipped some glitter over him
(1) That’s an ominous word
(2) Saying’s one thing, doing’s another
Change to a fairer system ending the two party Hobson’s choice. Two equally unpleasant political parties. imo
Nothing to do with the Labour conference, then.
I note that you have already started a thread on Electoral Reform:
Precisely why we need more people to vote for change. All these conferences are a waste of time because nobody says anything different. Vague and vacuous, superficial window dressing.
Everything, just trying to fathom out why these corrupt political parties get away with
criminal acts against the taxpayer. 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-67052729
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
In his three and a half years as Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer has slowly established near-total authority over his party.
Today’s conference speech exemplified that. Praising Tony Blair, vowing reform of the NHS and leading a standing ovation in support of Israel - this was not a leader trying to nudge his party out of its comfort zone, but drawing attention to how far its comfort zone has already moved.
It was also a testament to Starmer’s current boldness. Those who work with him closely say that he is a confidence performer - that he loosens up and takes risks when things are going well for him, but that he can lose a bit of his mojo in adversity.
With a persistent lead over the Conservatives in the polls, things are going well for Starmer at the moment. That confidence showed in his speech.
Though the promise to build a generation of new towns is eye-catching, it’s fair to say Starmer resisted calls from some in his party to unleash a torrent of policy in the speech. But those around him say that was less important than formulating an argument about why Starmer wants to be prime minister and why Labour deserve the voters’ trust.
I’m sure that Sir Keir is well aware that there’s many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip … 
Indeed, neither party are trustworthy, am weary of seesawing politics.
Hi
Whoever wins the next Election, they are going to have a mountain of problems to deal with.
These are International problems, the era of cheap money is over, we will not be able to afford to borrow more.
China is already in a mess, as for us, it is simply a matter of being able to afford to pay the Interest on what we have already borrowed, which next year, will mean we are paying over £100 Billion in interest.
If Labour want to build that many houses they will have to change the Planning Laws, which could take years.
The Tories will have the same problems.
If Labour want to buildthat
We are in crisis, the demonstrator made the right call, true democracy should be citizen led. Politics needs an update.
Agree with his opinion, not his actions; only if it was glitter.
Pity he was such a prat .
What a thing to do and what a security risk he could have poured anything something dangerous .
I though Keir Starmer handled it very well .
Labour likely to win and off we go for another ride on merry go round politics. There has to be a better way to govern. Voting is irrelevant until it is fair.
A significant paragraph:
[Quote]
Ministers, who may not be there in a year, are on top of a civil service which is permanent and who have nothing more to worry about than who gets what gong.
[Unquote]
What this got to do with the Labour Conference?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-67072784/page/2
What did we learn from Starmer’s Breakfast interview?
In his BBC Breakfast interview, Starmer lined up squarely with the government by saying Israel had every right to defend itself after Hamas’s “appalling terrorism”.
He was asked about yesterday’s speech being disrupted by a protester throwing glitter, with the Labour leader saying he had worked hard to change the party since 2019 and wanted to make his case to the country, so he was not going to be deflected by “that idiot”.
He spoke of “building the case for hope… after years of decline” under the Conservatives, including delivering the new homes he said they had failed to (1)
Starmer also defended himself against suggestions his speech was policy-light. He said he was “bomb-proofing everything we offer” and offering voters an “emotional connection with the future” that showed he understood people’s problems and aspirations.
(1) Starmer declines to get into numbers of new houses
On his housing promises, Starmer says the aim of his speech was to “reach for the future” and say that the UK can have a “decade of national renewal”. He says housing is “hugely important”, repeating his line about bulldozing through the planning system in England (2). He adds it’s not about the exact numbers of houses.
(1) Starmer pushed on where new houses will be built
On BBC Breakfast, Sir Keir Starmer is pressed on the detail of his plans to open up planning, saying there are no specified regions yet to build the more than a million new homes he has pledged. Instead it’ll be a “bidding process” to form these new towns, he says, based on need and whether infrastructure is in place or can be built and getting support of local communities (3).
(2) Local government planning may have its problems and its critics, for and against, but to allow massive unplanned house-building is madness.
(3) Even with current local government planning, semi-rural and rural communities have had thousands of houses foisted upon them with no though of infrastructure, resulting in congested roads and overloaded local services.
Proposing such madness has just lost my vote for Labour.
Hi
Our Planning System is a nightmare, one person with a bit of money can hold up things for years.
This makes things so much more expensive.
Other countries do not have the same issues and do things quicker, better and cheaper than we do.
They have a set of rules for large infrastructure programmes and the locals are paid compensation as well as being able to use the new facilities provided.
We have vast amounts of land already with planning permission, they are not being built on because the speculators who own them are waiting for the price to go up.
This is not allowed in many countries, any profits are taxed out at 100% or more.
Locally:
Before the Preston planning committee met to discuss the scheme, 47 objections were received regarding “the lack of local amenities to accommodate an additional 151 dwellings and the impact of highway safety including increased congestion and addition of a new junction on the A6.”
Ben Wallace MP objected to the application due to the “detrimental impact on the rural character of the village”. Barton Parish Council objected due to multiple factors but stated that the scheme was in an “unsustainable location with low accessibility to jobs, shops, and services” along with “insufficient highway capacity on the A6.”
The word of Ben Wallace carries no weight currently so a proposed Labour bulldozer would have a field day.
10:44
Key points from Phillipson’s education speech
- Phillipson began her speech by saying background “will not be a barrier for education”, saying there should be “opportunity for everyone”
- She promised a Labour government would restore freedom, learning and joy in education, saying the system was “literally crumbling” in reference to the RAAC crisis in schools
- In further attacks on the government’s record, she hit out at what she said was the slashing of staff and standards in early years childcare and accused the Conservatives of having no plan for education
- She also announced a “revolution” in reading standards and a renewed focus on maths
- Phillipson promised Labour would bring maths to life for the next generation, with better training for teachers
