Well argued as always Pete. I think we all agree that signing James Orr is a transfer window coup if he’s allowed to get the job done. Can’t disagree with all the failures of policy and moreso execution of policy (the hard bit) since Blair. Blair did shit stuff to us but his execution was par excellence.
I see this a bit different. The old answer to “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer “with a teaspoon.” The danger is being overwhelmed into trying to do too much. There’s only three things to get done in a first term and do these right and a second term becomes possible.
1. Immigration. Withdraw all benefits for all illegals and anyone here without ILTR. Extend ILTR to 10 years starting from the Boriswave. Deport criminals, illegals, and withdrawal of benefits should lead to remigration.
2. Cheaper energy. Reopen North Sea for oil and gas. Crack on with SMNRs to supply local energy. This will take time but let’s bust Mad Ed’s story about our oil being priced on the market spot prices. It doesn’t have to be that way.
3. Get Britain working again with sensible withdrawal of benefits for the workshy. Slash benefits including the triple lock. We’re all in this together.
God knows where to start with the NHS but you can’t do everything on Day1.
Some of the things I have pondered over the years are mainly budget-saving ideas rather than delving into the deep nitty-gritty of policy.
But certainly a load of money could be saved in the NHS by procuring off-patent generic drugs rather than branded ones. (I think some of this is already happening, to be fair.)
Also the ever-hilarious situation with government computer systems. Buying a ton of Microsoft licences for the public sector costs a fortune (actually £1.9 billion per year) and the govt signs up to contracts that tie us in for years. I think the Microsoft one is up for renewal in 2029, and will cost £9 billion or so.
I'm biased, having switched to Linux, but it's free and with the software repositories, all the software is free as well. Could be useful to phase it in on a trial basis, to see how people get on with it. And maybe employ a bunch of Linux experts to set it up and maintain it.
Still, compared to other things in the budget, probably not massive savings.
On your point 1, re benefits - I'd also add to maybe look at restricting remittances. If govt can find a way to intercept and confiscate all of that money (eg legislate to regard it as voluntary tax contributions), again, people of foreign origin, who come to acquire money to send abroad, rather than in the UK economy, will more than likely find an easier 'mark' to prey upon.
Some countries have introduced remittance taxes whereby you have to pay tax on say 5% of every overseas remittance. I don’t know how this works in practice but would imagine the remittance provider deducts the 5% at source?
Pete, you've assessed many of the problems well but maybe you haven't ever worked with the civil service. One of the problems is that its members work to totally different priorities than those, outside the service, who are attempting to make things happen. I learned that lesson the hard way when faced with obstruction after obstruction but did learn how to make a small amount of progress.
Maybe the main problem is that ministers don't spend enough time in the civil service environment, to learn how best to make some progress.
Lets see how long James Orr lasts for the trouble with Reform UK and in fact ALL parties is that their leaders don't seem to understand the value of planning the detail behind policies and that is especially applicable to the snake-oil salesman Nigel Farage.
I give James Orr a month. I seem to remember that ALL other people that tried to put Farage's parties onto an intellectual basis, didn't last very long at all.
In other words, James Orr’s involvement bodes well but nothing good will come out of it unless, unless, unless…but none of those if-only’s are going to happen because they’re all shit anyway, so what’s the point.
Pete, can your insights be used by the Right in some form? I mean, would you be up for being in a think tank or advisory body, shaping policy, tactics, and strategy? I know you already published articles of considerable depth and detail. You are clearly someone with a lot of good ideas. Our country is going down the sinkhole.
One could say that both Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe have both exercised a preference for a "top-down" approach to defining policy details, whilst Keir Starmer is fond of "bottom-up"
Hmmm? In the end, you know, people as opinionated as yourself have to 'put up or shut up!' I have read everything you've posted for some considerable time now and the only constant, the ever-recurring theme as it were, is that the 'populist' right is chock full of inadequate idiots who wouldn't know a policy it it jumped up and bit them and who only ever opine using oft-repeated, supposedly vacuous, tropes. As I wrote at the beginning: Hmmm?
Don't get me wrong, I pay close attention to what you write and I agree wholeheartedly with some of your more cogent observations. I read your 'Manifesto Project' in its entirety and found it extremely interesting. Parts of it were, in my opinion, somewhat fanciful but much was clearly thoroughly and thoughtfully researched and written and hit a lot of nails squarely on their heads.
It is clear that you have no time for Mr Farage and, as time goes by, I find myself less and less inclined to trust that he, and Reform, will be the comprehensive answer to our benighted country's problems. But, and here is where I find myself to be at odds with your endless negativity, there has to be change - and change of a kind that comes from the right of the political spectrum - and the only credible possibility of such change comes from Reform. Although maybe, given time, an alternative might emerge from some sort of loose coalition between Restore and Advance.
I find it baffling that you have such contempt for all of the emerging parties, whom you refer to as the 'slopulist' right, who seek to oppose the damaging, ideologically driven doctrines of the illiberal, progressive left of politics when it has to be remembered that if they do all fail, as you so endlessly predict - and you may be correct - then we will all be left to eat from the unappetising trough of garbage served up by the likes of the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and, should they survive in any realistic form beyond the next election, the Labour Party.
My point is this: I do not find it to be a credible point of view that everyone in any of the emergent, or should that be insurgent, political parties is useless, 'crapola', 'slopulist', unthinking and incompetent. Frankly such an opinion seems to me to have its roots in something other than reasoned argument. Quite what that 'something' may be I readily confess I do not know. However, you appear very able and organised and, therefore, capable of putting together a manifesto of policies fit for purpose and likely to appeal to a broad enough spectrum of the electorate to win an election. If you believe such to be the case then why not stop endlessly denigrating everyone else and make yourself, and your talents, available to one or other party of the insurgent Right so that we can avoid the disaster that awaits us all if the Left win the next general election.
I'm not convinced by Orr. A few years ago I thought he was thoughtful and a man of principle but since hitching himself to Reform he too has had a character change and not for the better.
Instead of having genuine insights and perspective on issues he's now reduced to parroting Reform's cliches: "The Tories are toast!", "Reform Surge!", "Britain needs Reform!". He's even become dishonest by using all of Nigel and Zia's lies such as referring to Reform's spokesmen as "The Shadow Cabinet". As someone who knows their way around the constitution Orr knows this is wrong yet he still does it.
What we are seeing is a man selling out his principles and ethos to ride the coattails of Farage's ego and I'm certain we'll see him abandoning other long held beliefs over time....and a consequent dumbing down of what he has to say.
Less sober policy analysis and more Dominic Cummings style "I'm the only clever person in the country" rant by someone who's policy ideas haven't been taken up. Disappointing
Orr is an interesting figure with links to the US right and probably a deal breaker for UK politics re abortion. I am also intrigued as to how he will play with Kruger. But if he is able to apply the same kind of focus on policy as has happened in the US it will be fascinating. But the Farage factor is the wild card.
However having seen some interviews with Orr I am impressed: he has a Scruttonesque ability to rationalise different positions and not disappear into rabbit holes. Good guy.
So what's the answers, Pete? You seem to be dismantling all the options except the status quo? Let me tell you, the civil service is riven with left mindedness, incompetents people, DEI hires (mostly women) screwing up their operations and worrying about what people will think and feel rather than getting on with their fecking jobs. And there will be a massive anti conservative resistance by the largely communist learning public sector, unless whoever wins gets really bloody serious about holding the civil service commies to account by putting them on disciplinary investigation for not adhering to the civil service code ( you must serve the elected government and implement their policies).
And the quangos must go but they will all whine and cry and fight back through their union sponsored legal cases. Its war Pete. So how does the right fight?
Well as Pete notes the civil service isn’t a monolith. Certainly the top echelons are not communists. They are however extremely wise to politicians with no ballast or insight. If you come to the battle with either then the seniors will listen. The problem is getting to that point in the first place.
Much as I was sceptical of Anthony seldon’s take down of Johnson, the bit which rang true was the horror that the various principals had when they realised there was nothing behind the Brexit noise when Johnson succeeded May.
Well argued as always Pete. I think we all agree that signing James Orr is a transfer window coup if he’s allowed to get the job done. Can’t disagree with all the failures of policy and moreso execution of policy (the hard bit) since Blair. Blair did shit stuff to us but his execution was par excellence.
I see this a bit different. The old answer to “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer “with a teaspoon.” The danger is being overwhelmed into trying to do too much. There’s only three things to get done in a first term and do these right and a second term becomes possible.
1. Immigration. Withdraw all benefits for all illegals and anyone here without ILTR. Extend ILTR to 10 years starting from the Boriswave. Deport criminals, illegals, and withdrawal of benefits should lead to remigration.
2. Cheaper energy. Reopen North Sea for oil and gas. Crack on with SMNRs to supply local energy. This will take time but let’s bust Mad Ed’s story about our oil being priced on the market spot prices. It doesn’t have to be that way.
3. Get Britain working again with sensible withdrawal of benefits for the workshy. Slash benefits including the triple lock. We’re all in this together.
God knows where to start with the NHS but you can’t do everything on Day1.
Some of the things I have pondered over the years are mainly budget-saving ideas rather than delving into the deep nitty-gritty of policy.
But certainly a load of money could be saved in the NHS by procuring off-patent generic drugs rather than branded ones. (I think some of this is already happening, to be fair.)
Also the ever-hilarious situation with government computer systems. Buying a ton of Microsoft licences for the public sector costs a fortune (actually £1.9 billion per year) and the govt signs up to contracts that tie us in for years. I think the Microsoft one is up for renewal in 2029, and will cost £9 billion or so.
I'm biased, having switched to Linux, but it's free and with the software repositories, all the software is free as well. Could be useful to phase it in on a trial basis, to see how people get on with it. And maybe employ a bunch of Linux experts to set it up and maintain it.
Still, compared to other things in the budget, probably not massive savings.
On your point 1, re benefits - I'd also add to maybe look at restricting remittances. If govt can find a way to intercept and confiscate all of that money (eg legislate to regard it as voluntary tax contributions), again, people of foreign origin, who come to acquire money to send abroad, rather than in the UK economy, will more than likely find an easier 'mark' to prey upon.
Some countries have introduced remittance taxes whereby you have to pay tax on say 5% of every overseas remittance. I don’t know how this works in practice but would imagine the remittance provider deducts the 5% at source?
Pete, you've assessed many of the problems well but maybe you haven't ever worked with the civil service. One of the problems is that its members work to totally different priorities than those, outside the service, who are attempting to make things happen. I learned that lesson the hard way when faced with obstruction after obstruction but did learn how to make a small amount of progress.
Maybe the main problem is that ministers don't spend enough time in the civil service environment, to learn how best to make some progress.
Lets see how long James Orr lasts for the trouble with Reform UK and in fact ALL parties is that their leaders don't seem to understand the value of planning the detail behind policies and that is especially applicable to the snake-oil salesman Nigel Farage.
I give James Orr a month. I seem to remember that ALL other people that tried to put Farage's parties onto an intellectual basis, didn't last very long at all.
Indeed when Farage shafted UKIP there were more able people outside UKIP, who had left or been sacked, than in it.
In other words, James Orr’s involvement bodes well but nothing good will come out of it unless, unless, unless…but none of those if-only’s are going to happen because they’re all shit anyway, so what’s the point.
In a nutshell, yes.
Pete, can your insights be used by the Right in some form? I mean, would you be up for being in a think tank or advisory body, shaping policy, tactics, and strategy? I know you already published articles of considerable depth and detail. You are clearly someone with a lot of good ideas. Our country is going down the sinkhole.
Who's even listening? The right is preoccupied with its civil war. I don't think any faction on the right is actually interested in winning.
One could say that both Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe have both exercised a preference for a "top-down" approach to defining policy details, whilst Keir Starmer is fond of "bottom-up"
Hmmm? In the end, you know, people as opinionated as yourself have to 'put up or shut up!' I have read everything you've posted for some considerable time now and the only constant, the ever-recurring theme as it were, is that the 'populist' right is chock full of inadequate idiots who wouldn't know a policy it it jumped up and bit them and who only ever opine using oft-repeated, supposedly vacuous, tropes. As I wrote at the beginning: Hmmm?
Don't get me wrong, I pay close attention to what you write and I agree wholeheartedly with some of your more cogent observations. I read your 'Manifesto Project' in its entirety and found it extremely interesting. Parts of it were, in my opinion, somewhat fanciful but much was clearly thoroughly and thoughtfully researched and written and hit a lot of nails squarely on their heads.
It is clear that you have no time for Mr Farage and, as time goes by, I find myself less and less inclined to trust that he, and Reform, will be the comprehensive answer to our benighted country's problems. But, and here is where I find myself to be at odds with your endless negativity, there has to be change - and change of a kind that comes from the right of the political spectrum - and the only credible possibility of such change comes from Reform. Although maybe, given time, an alternative might emerge from some sort of loose coalition between Restore and Advance.
I find it baffling that you have such contempt for all of the emerging parties, whom you refer to as the 'slopulist' right, who seek to oppose the damaging, ideologically driven doctrines of the illiberal, progressive left of politics when it has to be remembered that if they do all fail, as you so endlessly predict - and you may be correct - then we will all be left to eat from the unappetising trough of garbage served up by the likes of the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and, should they survive in any realistic form beyond the next election, the Labour Party.
My point is this: I do not find it to be a credible point of view that everyone in any of the emergent, or should that be insurgent, political parties is useless, 'crapola', 'slopulist', unthinking and incompetent. Frankly such an opinion seems to me to have its roots in something other than reasoned argument. Quite what that 'something' may be I readily confess I do not know. However, you appear very able and organised and, therefore, capable of putting together a manifesto of policies fit for purpose and likely to appeal to a broad enough spectrum of the electorate to win an election. If you believe such to be the case then why not stop endlessly denigrating everyone else and make yourself, and your talents, available to one or other party of the insurgent Right so that we can avoid the disaster that awaits us all if the Left win the next general election.
I'm not convinced by Orr. A few years ago I thought he was thoughtful and a man of principle but since hitching himself to Reform he too has had a character change and not for the better.
Instead of having genuine insights and perspective on issues he's now reduced to parroting Reform's cliches: "The Tories are toast!", "Reform Surge!", "Britain needs Reform!". He's even become dishonest by using all of Nigel and Zia's lies such as referring to Reform's spokesmen as "The Shadow Cabinet". As someone who knows their way around the constitution Orr knows this is wrong yet he still does it.
What we are seeing is a man selling out his principles and ethos to ride the coattails of Farage's ego and I'm certain we'll see him abandoning other long held beliefs over time....and a consequent dumbing down of what he has to say.
Less sober policy analysis and more Dominic Cummings style "I'm the only clever person in the country" rant by someone who's policy ideas haven't been taken up. Disappointing
Orr is an interesting figure with links to the US right and probably a deal breaker for UK politics re abortion. I am also intrigued as to how he will play with Kruger. But if he is able to apply the same kind of focus on policy as has happened in the US it will be fascinating. But the Farage factor is the wild card.
However having seen some interviews with Orr I am impressed: he has a Scruttonesque ability to rationalise different positions and not disappear into rabbit holes. Good guy.
So what's the answers, Pete? You seem to be dismantling all the options except the status quo? Let me tell you, the civil service is riven with left mindedness, incompetents people, DEI hires (mostly women) screwing up their operations and worrying about what people will think and feel rather than getting on with their fecking jobs. And there will be a massive anti conservative resistance by the largely communist learning public sector, unless whoever wins gets really bloody serious about holding the civil service commies to account by putting them on disciplinary investigation for not adhering to the civil service code ( you must serve the elected government and implement their policies).
And the quangos must go but they will all whine and cry and fight back through their union sponsored legal cases. Its war Pete. So how does the right fight?
Well as Pete notes the civil service isn’t a monolith. Certainly the top echelons are not communists. They are however extremely wise to politicians with no ballast or insight. If you come to the battle with either then the seniors will listen. The problem is getting to that point in the first place.
Much as I was sceptical of Anthony seldon’s take down of Johnson, the bit which rang true was the horror that the various principals had when they realised there was nothing behind the Brexit noise when Johnson succeeded May.
For someone who likes to use "slop" every other sentence, this article is really rather low on actual content.
Looking forward to your slop post.
I only poast poetry, darling
Farage does not "scrub policy on a whim" but in response to political tactics.
But that is a problem: if everything is tactical where is the strategy?