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Under The The Labour Radar Leadership A dive into the news Contest 2020 you might have missed Summary & Analysis
Politics and Values disastrous 2019 General Election. In
her book, ‘The New Working Class’, she
argued that Labour would continue to
What happened? lose working class voters without basing
their politics in ‘universal values of family,
In remarks to the New Statesman at fairness, hardwork and decency’. Starmer’s
the Fabian Society’s annual conference, team will feel emboldened after Biden’s
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer inauguration – his speech was rich with
revealed he had spoken to former this type of language.
President Barack Obama regarding the
US Presidential Election campaign. Meanwhile, the pandemic is moving
politics and policy on to Labour’s home
According to Starmer, they discussed the turf. Global institutions like the IMF, as
importance of values for building a broad well as a majority of economists, are now
coalition, a strategy which he hopes can warning governments across the world
win the Labour Party an election for the against a return to austerity.
first time since 2005.
“Starmer has focused
on making a solid first
What does it mean?
impression with the public,
Starmer has been criticised for a lack attempting to establish
of policy focus during his first year trust and move public
as Labour Party leader. But much of
this has been unfair, given the unique opinion”
circumstances of pandemic politics,
which followed a crushing election defeat Rishi Sunak’s instincts are fiscally
where the party was derided for its long conservative, which will play into
shopping list of policies. Labour’s hands. For instance, just this
week, plans by Sunak to cut universal
Instead, Starmer has focused on making credit were attacked by Labour, who
a solid first impression with the public, pointed to the dire situation facing
attempting to establish trust and move millions of families in low paid work. By
public opinion into a place where people grounding economic policy in themes
want to hear from Labour again. of family and fairness, the Conservatives
implicitly become the ‘nasty party’ again.
Central to this is a focus on
communicating through values, with This won’t be enough to win Labour the
Starmer often framing his rhetoric around next general election – they’ll need an
families and community. It’s a strategy entirely separate strategy to win back
that his policy chief, Claire Ainsley, Scottish voters. But it’s a promising
was warning Labour about prior to the approach for a party that has struggled to
be strategic for so long.
Drug reform - forever Whilst it is not clear what form a new
in the distant future? approach to drugs in the UK would, or
should, take – whether this be wide-scale
decriminalisation or the legalisation of
What happened? certain substances – this lack of clarity
is all the more reason for a considered
On Tuesday, the government announced discussion and renewed focus on
a new £80million funding package for addressing drug misuse and its wider
drug treatment services over the next consequences upon society.
year. It later transpired on Thursday,
however, that the government’s own Drug reform has generally been
drug tsar, Professor Dame Carol Black, perceived as an issue belonging to the
had instead recommended that a total of left, with legalisation being branded as a
£900million be invested in drug treatment liberal pivot away from the historically
over three years. conservative approach to the war on
drugs. However, sensible drug reform
This means the total shortfall compared in the UK has the potential to breach
to the recommended total over the next traditional political divides and allow for
three years is expected to be £660million a coalescing around issues of common
– a funding gap which is almost certain concern such as mental health stigma,
to continue the ongoing failure of the prevention and the cross-class impacts of
state to truly reform its approach to drug drug abuse.
misuse and treatment.
But there is also a clear conservative case
to made for substantial drug reform,
What does it mean? which has yet to be effectively articulated
and pursued. A focus on the importance
of family, and a tough approach to crime,
A decade of austerity, the all-consuming
has helped to underpin conservative
nature of Brexit and now the pandemic
governments around the world, but
has invariably meant that a fundamental
the misuse of drugs serves to directly
and long-overdue rethink in the UK’s
undermine both – it rips apart families
approach to drug misuse is yet to
with chilling ease, whilst the criminal
transpire. Understandably, difficult
aspect of the drug trade is well-
funding decisions will have to be taken in
documented.
the aftermath of the extensive economic
impacts of this pandemic, but the UK’s
Drug reform is not here yet. But maybe it
drug misuse problem is one that we
should be.
cannot afford to continue sweeping under
the carpet – the societal impacts are too
severe.
Putin’s Palace It’s certainly a clever move by Navalny,
who anticipated his arrest but kept this
in his back pocket. Just as the authorities
What happened? thought he was at his most helpless in
a cell, Navalny has turned the table,
Alexei Navalny’s team have produced and using the worldwide attention his arrest
released an investigative film claiming provoked to place Putin’s public image
President Putin spent illicit funds on a under the spotlight.
Black Sea palace.
Despite being jailed on his return to “Whether the accusations
Russia, Navalny and his FBK group
levelled against the
released the video to accuse the President
of constructing a 100 billion rouble President will be enough to
(£995 million) residence in Gelendzhik, trigger significant protests
southern Russia. It is alleged the palace
remains to be seen, but
was financed by oligarchs and billionaires
in Putin’s inner circle, in what Navalny uprisings have been started
calls “the largest bribe in history”. The for less”
video, which has been seen by more than
20 million people, included 3D images of
ornate rooms, including a casino, theatre The video concludes with a request to
and ‘hookah’ room, complete with a strip the Russian people to take to the streets.
pole. Whether the accusations levelled against
the President will be enough to trigger
The property is said to be 39 times the significant protests remains to be seen,
size of Monaco and surrounded by land but uprisings have been started for less,
owned by the FSB. while the Palace of Versailles became a
focal point of the French Revolution.
What does it mean? While Navalny’s supporters have been
protesting against his imprisonment,
Even behind bars, Navalny has managed we’re yet to see any significant reaction
to up the ante by tossing this grenade from the Russian people, with Putin’s grip
into the public arena. Using blueprints, on Russia not yet seriously threatened.
leaked by construction workers shocked Nevertheless, Putin’s adversary has
at the opulence of the estate, Navalny once again proved to be a formidable
has given the Russian people an insight opponent, and his continued confinement
into their President’s luxurious lifestyle, will only attract more supporters to his
while the country battles the second wave powerful political campaign.
of COVID-19 and continued economic
hardship.
This Weeks
Must Reads
Will the 2020s Really Become the Next Roaring Twenties?
Marker
“History is fixated on the glitz, but the decade’s deeper roar arose from below — from
a vast, subterranean engine of commerce that pushed to the surface after World War I
and the Spanish Flu pandemic, and ignited an age of consumer convenience”
- Steve LeVine on the reality of the roaring twenties.
The fight for the future of America’s local newspapers
Financial Times
“Small and midsized regional and local newspapers, once swimming in cash and an
essential service to Americans living outside New York or San Francisco, have been
converted into distressed assets boomeranged among investors for short-term profits”
- Anna Nicolaou and James Fontanella-Khan on local journalism in the U.S.
Guided by the light:
how Joe Biden is influenced by his Catholic faith
The Times
“While his religion is less of an issue than JFK’s was, the new president’s actions will
still be shaped by those beliefs”
- David Charter on President Biden’s Catholic faith.
Trump’s useful thugs:
how the Republican party offered a home to the Proud
Boys
The Guardian
“Early in Trump’s presidency, emboldened neo-Nazi and fascist groups came out
into the open but were met with widespread revulsion. So the tactics of the far right
changed, becoming more insidious – and much more successful”
- Brendan O’Connor on the Proud Boys.What we do
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