Andy Burnham appoints James Purnell as chief of staff

Ron MacRae 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿33

Labour, like the conservatives, are in the pay of big corporations. They won’t do anything to upset them.

John Evans27

Wealth redistribution is important of course...but the UK issues its own currency so can invest in its own economy and infrastructure without the need for 'borrowing' (£1 in gives £7 out?). This also allowed us to bale out the banks to the tune of 850 billion - funny how that never gets mentioned.

Sixes All The Way16

Even the BoE details that the 'no money' claim is clownish economic illiteracy. Central govt is the sole issuer of a fiat currency (sterling) allowing it to create new money to fund its expenditure rather than amassing tax revenues. There is no shortage of money, just of resources & political will.

ShoeTown Owl13

That’s what neoliberal groupthink says. Check out Richard Murphy on YouTube. There is an alternative, we just need the political class to think beyond their own career.

ianb11

Money is created by bank lending and/or government spending. Therefore government can create money. It doesn't have to be inflationary (tho it can be). "There's no money for..." usually means "I don't support creating money for..."

paul98765.bsky.social10

It’s called capitalism. The money is there to line the pockets of the privileged class whilst everyone else struggles for the scraps

Me! (she, her) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿10

Labour Same old people Same old lies

Alice10

They fuel the flames of hate that get people to blame immigrants and disabled people

Lee Thumwood8

No money? Seems like more of the same ridiculous ideological austerity! What's the point in so-called "Labour" if they're not working to help the working class? #VoteGreen bsky.app/profile/davi...

Marie-Helene7

This is problem #1: reform the tax system from 40 years of trickle-down.

Steven7

The money has been transferred from the poorest to the richest over the past 16 years. Why can we not reverse the direction?

Trevor Turvey7

Zionists won't let them. Get rid of the Zionists and the people of the UK will be in with a chance

@raystonian7

That's my parachuted-in right wing MP -pretty useless. This nonsense is about managing our expectations on behalf of the corporation, which is what government has become.

Barry Parmegiana6

Well according to Andy Burnham's political guru, there's at least enough money for another holocaust.

When skies are grey5

Might as well give up then. No point in General Elections, Parliament or the House of Lords. Indication that the system has failed. Let’s turn off the lights and all go home.

greensully.bsky.social4

He can nationalise the water companies. Fergal Sharkey set out a scenario on your podcast how it could be done with next to no cost to the tax payer. I'm sure it could be applied to other essential services that were sold off to the private sector.

Viscount Pontypandy4

Not just Labour and it’s a convenient excuse not a genuine reason. Successive governments have been hiding behind this lie for decades. They can find the money when it suits them. The reality is the tax burden on the many is far too great and on the extremely wealthy minority nowhere near enough.

🥀 SAVE YOUR KEIRS FOR ANOTHER DAY 🥀3

5th largest GDP in the world, much of it extracted out of the economy. Meanwhile we tut at our welfare spend which is one of the lowest as a percentage of GDP.

evo1963.bsky.social3

Funny how they always have money for wars.

Chris 🤍💛💙3

Chase down the PPE fraudsters, the Rwanda fiasco. Tax the tech bros, Starbucks, and all those that offshore.

Kristapedia3

Absolutely! It doesn’t have to be this way.

Gary2

Perhaps dealing with tax avoidance and corporate loopholes holes would be a starting point 🤷‍♂️

spraindsquirrel2

Having no money today means having no money tomorrow unless we find a way to invest in our country. This isn't about taking away from one segment of society. It's about ceasing to believe in the magical thinking of austerity.

Henry Foxon2

But how would you actually do it? Practically speaking

Dave Hargreaves2

Tax isn't like a wage though and we need to pop this illusion once and for all. We need to begin injecting public money into public project such as housing and the infrastructure to support such housing, but not so rich individuals or corporations get rich but so councils can house ordinary people.

columbiabyoasis.bsky.social2

Sick and tired of people barely earning enough to survive, while being taxed to the hilt, and constantly being told that all the things we used to have, we can no longer afford. "There's no money" is pure unfiltered BS.

Claudia Apple2

how would you do it? "Wealth Tax" is just a phrase that will invite those who are superrich to just move their money. I'd say you should tax land - they can't move that

Shortbreadfairy©️20

I feel this why PMs are falling. They've been bought by the lobbyists. Too much power given to an undemocratic bloc

Daniel14

This will surely not explode in a scandal that forces a variety of resignations

tubaguycolin.bsky.social13

The King of the North will be swallowed up by the Westminster Bubble?

Eden™️11

No one slithers into the top job like they do in the UK.

Valentenya the climate cat 🍉 🐈‍⬛8

The saddest thing about this is witnessing all the Labour rusted ons justifying it out of their desperate need to imagine their corporate and Zionist captured party can change its stripes.

Dennis Patton8

This James Purnell. Burnham out by Christmas? www.theguardian.com/politics/200...

Claire S (UK not USA)7

Is it only me who's sickened by Burnham behaving as if he's already the PM? I just bloody give up.

Mitra6

Purnell could be far worse than Morgan McSweeney. One of the most odious MPs/ministers in Blair and Brown years. Staggering how some of the remaining Labour left thinks Burnham is the saviour. His leadership bid/coronation is backed fully by Labour Together.

David Pick6

Except, to them, there *isn't* any conflict of interest...

brandybl.bsky.social5

"change" candidate hires a former blair minister turned lobbyist exec as his first major pick, groundbreaking stuff

Dr Stew Hotston (he/him)5

Blue Labour and PPE - more of the same. Burnham's honeymoon is going to be shorter than a gnat's chuff

pmf5

I have to say, I'd be surprised if any of the 20-odd percent of Labour's 2024 coalition who fled to the Greens were tempted to return by Burnham's choices to date. Nor the 25% who are too disillusioned to vote at all.

#FBPE. DMs will be ignored.4

Andy Burnham can't say he wasn't told what would happen once the big target was on his back. The execrable tories got a free ride for 14 years until the fuck ups were just too much for even their off and online media overlords to stomach. Labour will never get that.

HumphsDad4

FFS...how fucking hard is it to get round a table & say "Right...we need someone clean. No scandals, no dealings with dodgy firms & absolutely no hint of being a closet-Tory cunt." There's nearly 70 million people in this country, so it shouldn't be hard.

Judi Sutherland4

Well he should be able to spot when the lobbyists are lobbying, then.

Idiokratie3

Well Mandelssohn and Andrew Windsor weren't available, apparently. Jimmy Savile is deceased and Anthony Blinken sadly is not a subject of his Majesty the King.

Lynne #TaxTheRich #WelfareNotWarfare #MakeLabourHistory3

I think it’s time for a name change. I’m sure the “Labour” Party is breaking the trade descriptions act!!

Meg Howarth3

🚨 #JamesPurnell resignation letter as #CEO of #FlintGlobal #lobbying outfit. 💥 #NoNoNo @andyburnham.bsky.social Please read www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab @anthonybarnett.bsky.social and rethink 🙏 >@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social @pickardje.bsky.social @financialtimes.com @pmdfoster.bsky.social

Green Eyed Hecate (she/her)3

"James Purnell, a former Labour Cabinet Minister, who previously chaired Labour Friends of Israel between 2002 and 2004...."

Chris2

And they wonder why people say they are all the same .

Kevin P2

Burnham is a Blairite and a supporter of Israel. There will be no change if Burnham becomes party leader, the interests of donors will be met before interests of the public.

BladeoftheSun24

Was Labour Friends of Israel Chair too.

Debbie Kennedy6

I don't think this endless speculation about whether he will be less corporate/ authoritarian than Starmer is helpful, because I will vote Green or Lib Dem in the next election (depending who will win in my area). There are a lot of people like me who need to see significant change to vote Labour.

Tony S5

So much for "this is our last chance"...

Steve3

Nothing to see hear, just another Israel supporting plastic "socialist" 🤢🤢

Me! (she, her) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿2

So the lies, the deceit, the performative hate and the grift continue. They will all end up in the House of Lords* eventually, job done. *House of Lords, final resting place for thieves, yes men, brigands and Russian spies. (Not to be confused with the place Labour is committed to getting rid of).

Ponder Stibbons2

Can't spook the markets if you ARE the markets.

Nigel Stead4

He’s worked as a senior adviser to BCG who are up to their necks in Palestinian ethnic cleansing.

Darren2

2 Corbyn losses. Whether the Labour Left, my Left, accept it or not, Labour only won by tactical voting against the Right, not a vote for the Left. The fact the Left have made Israel, another country, central to whether they support a Lab PM is more sinister than any supposed authoritarianism.

The Truth About Frank2

The Lobby P1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceCO... The Lobby P2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuk1... The Lobby P3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3dn... The Lobby P4: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pddH...

jpkearney.bsky.social17

Wick is in the North. Manchester is only half way up "the country".

Me! (she, her) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿10

Well, they won’t be using HS2 to get there will they! How many billions were pissed up the single sex toilet wall there then.

The Big Meowski9

Sounds like a huge waste of money for something entirely performative, when there are much bigger and more pressing issues to solve.

Arkenor8

OK, that seems rather pointless and inefficient.

Lorna MacGillivray5

Still YES then, YES now, AYE 'til I die. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 It's TIME for #ScottishIndependence.

Richard Harris5

Since when was Manchester in the bloody North?

Alastair Παν 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇷🇪🇺3

North of where? English melodrama plays out. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland completely ignored. And if I hear this guy is from Manchester again...

Michael Smith3

Fastest way to sort out the West Coast Mainline

jonnye46.bsky.social3

It’s not the north though is it. What about areas that are north of Manchester, the North East, Cumbria, Scotland. It’s getting annoying now, yet again THE North getting forgotten.

Olwenmcg2

Gosh. That's exactly what's needed.

Paul Moore2

He’s hired that disgusting ghoul Purnell as his chief of staff. Burnham is already proving to be exactly the same as Starmer

Educated sneering blob and mob2

He's just another tory, there's no money he cries, 99% of uk wealth belongs to 50 families, hes terrified of the press

Susanita17

Keep up people ! Govt departments have already moved out of London & others are planned to do so . Cheaper office space , cheaper housing etc. This is a great idea . Focus on the regions , that’s where growth will come from .

Geoff13

There are cities other than Manchester

Matt Swift12

Performative nonsense. All it will do is increase costs and duplicate work. If you want to set up something entirely new - like Great Britain energy up north then fine, but the idea that you will make the PMs office less dysfunctional by moving some it 150 miles away is insane.

Flags are all England. So maybies awa youse go to the middle of England -Manchester. Us Scots, Welsh, and N Irish will just go oor ain way, ta fir asking.

jefferz.bsky.social8

Put it in Leeds or something then keep inviting the lobby up so they start promoting more rail

Shortbreadfairy©️7

So glad the cost of living is at the forefront and not jobs for the boys

Jason Good 🌻 🇺🇦4

This would be incredibly popular locally.

David Ross4

Or we could create a devolved English government and base that in the North.

Sam Proctor4

No 10 Downing St. as a building is not fit for purpose anyway. Makes sense to keep it as a museum and move elsewhere.

pfinn64.bsky.social3

Oh please do, anything thats breaks up that Westminster bubble.

Dean Morrison #FBPE #Breturn3

Well that's one way of coping with global warming. Might as well go the whole hog and set up camp in the Shetlands now.

wolvespolitburo.bsky.social3

Let's see what the 'Peoples Party ' say about it. They will probably relocate number 10 to Dubai.

Middle of the 'UK' around 'Lancashire' so, sorry the 'North' is like 'Tongue' Or are youse just talking about 'Englandshire'? Asking for Scotland.........

Tracey2

Well at least can he wait til he gets the keys before he starts outsourcing no 10.

arthur23millard.bsky.social2

Performative nonsense - just get on with sorting the national issues and put this in Labour’s manifesto for the next election

MixoftheWeek2

Repairing the crumbling Palace of Westminster is estimated to cost between £15.6 billion and £40 billion, depending on whether lawmakers fully vacate the building. Basic day-to-day maintenance currently costs taxpayers roughly £1.5 million a week. Time for the future

Annoné Butler2

Anyone else’s heart sink at “radical”?

Cosmoiselle6

I thought you meant Ed Balls for a moment 😭

Repair Shop4

Labour was not a serious party of opposition or government until Starmer took control. Magic Grandpa repelled a generation of potential and serious talent was there in spite of him.

magnuscanis.bsky.social3

I remember an article about how a big reason why 90’s Labour was so dominated by Scots was that ‘83 and ‘87 meant much of a whole generation of English Labour never got into Parliament. As in geology, landslides leave permanent scars…

Neil Younger3

Although also a weird throwback to days when a Labour government (and government in general) actually worked ...

Mike Robson2

We can’t bemoan this phenomenon. Surely 56, 56, 56 & 57 at least as an average would be reasonable expectation for very senior positions.

aspirationalbob.bsky.social2

I'm a bit in two minds about it, the somme-esque killing field of ministers has not been great for a sense of proportion, respect, equanimity grown from experience, or equally confident informed ideology, but the lack of people to pass the batton to is also glaring

tanders24.bsky.social2

I can’t see why any young person would want to enter politics. They would basically be putting a target on their backs with a notice saying “please destroy me….for clicks and giggles!”

Mike4

Rory Stewart's point previously is that it's hard to genuinely devolve ministers (and prime ministers) like this, when they're expected to be in the chamber for votes on a frequent basis.

Paul4

Its a gimmick, and one we can do without MPs swapping one chamber for another achieves nothing at all and having a whole group of advisers and civil servants trailing along just makes it worse

Connor3

I’ve seen a lot of *interesting* takes on this story, a lot using it as an excuse to slag off Manchester, whilst seemingly forgetting it’s the biggest northern city and Burnham lives in the area. It makes sense he’d want a Manchester base too.

suffolkgal.bsky.social2

Move it to East Anglia, becoming a massive Reform block that no Labour politician, except Jack Abbot, seems to be worrying about. Take the fight to them and bring us some infrastructure at the same time.

La Reine des Metaphores2

I think it's a security blanket idea. It's not devolution, he just gets to feel all Mancunian. There are other cities.

Paul2

When will they come to yorkshire?

Tonksey4

I predicted this obvious prediction from the get go just by listening to his shift away from his ‘principles’ on the lead up to the by election. Supports Mahmood’s policies Doesn’t want to revisit Brexit Adopting Reeves idiotic fiscal rules This country is fucked

Hierophant Shelley B Woke - Living Saint of Purity🏳️‍⚧️🖤💜🤍 💛3

To be fair to Blairnham, the "Labour" Party has been dead for a while now.