For me, what was compelling about Burnham's approach in Greater Manchester was on display the day Josh Simons stepped down - whilst Burnham could not be in the room, the people and organisations he put trust in kept things going. It was a demonstrably different way of doing politics.

Fair play

Contrast the above with this video from Mamdani. It works as digital content, but it is also advancing his agenda, and showing he is on the side of small business against a bloated regulatory state.

A short 🧵on digital content and attention. Yday No.10 was getting stick on X for this 'then and now' video showing the PM and some of the cabinet as children and now in their current position. The kickback was overblown but it does tell you a couple things.

Jonny Ball right to see Burnham as a possible conduit for 'normie populism'

From across the pond

Burnham could do something interesting beyond not taking Qs from the lobby

Interesting nugget demonstrating the risk-taking political instinct that Burnham showed in Makerfield, and implicitly his penchant for a story.

Looking at the fixtures there are actually so many games next season I am very excited for

I think the Westminster instinct that this is the right thing to do is totally understandable but also a poor fit for the current attention economy, where there is a benefit to taking risks and engaging with people outside of stage-managed settings.

Great idea - would play well here too

It would also suggest the party needs to fundamentally reassess its approach to organising and rebuild its social roots. Whether Burnham wins or not.

3 years today ⚒️

Daisy is broadly right about this (bar final point). It really shows the folly in West Ham's attempt to be a 'London' club: London Stadium, London on the badge. We should lean into the place-specific identity of West Ham, a club of east London and now south Essex as a bulwark against London FC.

"All that’s really worth hanging on to here is the noise, the rage, the applause at the end; in fact the only things that actually mattered all along." Damning column from Barney Ronay.

In a similar vein, this is actually a good idea

Tomorrow is the ten year anniversary of West Ham leaving Upton Park. We mourn the loss of that place, and so much more. Last year I wrote for @footballheritage.bsky.social on what Upton Park meant to me, my relationship with my Dad, and a scepticism of change.

Important piece that gets across the urgency needed in this dreadful situation

Albanese showing candour at the same time as channelling a colloquial, patriotic solidarity in response to the current moment.

Interesting @jburnmurdoch.ft.com analysis of possible depolarising effect of AI chatbots, relative to social media, with the underlying incentives driving convergence towards some objectivity. Have a healthy dose of scepticism given people in control but still.

The piece ignores the depth of disdain and concludes by failing to understand that Starmer *has*, from their perspective, told a section of Labour’s vote to fuck off for the last few years.

Widening access to basic protections to include self-employed people - which the public intuitively support across the political spectrum - could be a way of showing Labour cares about these people with a distinctive offer. Support broadly holds up on specific measures too.

Labour could lean into an area of existing strength - it remains the most trusted party on workers rights, for example. Measures in the Employment Rights Act are popular (work to do to get them to cut through) but it speaks less to those workers outside of standard employment contracts.

Public attitudes work by @moreincommonuk.bsky.social for @jrf-uk.bsky.social found that Labour was seen to care more about people working in public sector jobs, and not about plumbers or corner shop owners.

You can see this in the rhetoric and imagery that the Greens and Reform deploy. Take Zack Polanski's conference speech, for example - the pitch is quite explicit.

This couple of paras from The Hour of the Predator, the dawning dismayed realisation of the global elites confronted with the AI zealots.

Pretty astounding. First high speed line opened in 2003.

That has now left him seemingly set to be his authentic self, but a large chunk of the left bloc won't believe it. For a future leader, the vibe shift will need to be noticeable, and imagine there would be some shifts in policy and personnel to help with that.