Aaron Bastani: Crazy. 4 huge games since 2018...
Crazy. 4 huge games since 2018, 2 finals and 2 semi-finals. In each one England started playing anti-football with 30 minutes left. 4 times! You can do that against Raul Jimenez - not Messi!
Aaron Bastani: If they are briefing like this...
If they are briefing like this, this early, it won’t last a year. This stuff is compulsive for Labour MPs, it’s like some sort of collective mental illness - and completely at odds with socialist, collective politics.Aaron Bastani: Hunt for white male suspect...
“Hunt for white male suspect over Ann Widdecombe 'murder' after she was found 'covered in blood from head wound' at Devon home” This is horrendous.Aaron Bastani: 13% oppose a wealth tax...
13% oppose a wealth tax. The best thing that happened to the left in recent years was Musk buying X and removing our reality distortion field. Now the right has that problem.Aaron Bastani: Increase defence spending while cutting...
Increase defence spending while cutting basic things: trading standards (as organised crime runs rampant on high street); British transport police (as 40% of rail workers say they’ve seen a weapon in last year). Child protection, probation, education. We are living beyond means. But generally not for reasons political class and media say.Aaron Bastani: The rapid collapse of the Starmer regime...
The rapid collapse of the Starmer regime - inside two years - really blindsided the establishment centrist parts of the media, not least the BBC. Interesting how they are trying to finesse his departure.Aaron Bastani: A quite extraordinary development...
A quite extraordinary development in @andyburnham’s Labour Party. I’m told John Stolliday, whose deplorable behaviour we exposed in the Labour Leaks, has just been announced as Labour’s executive director of GLU (responsible for legal and governance).Aaron Bastani: One reason Labour has given disgraced bureaucrat...
One reason Labour has given disgraced bureaucrat, John Stolliday, a job, is the Labour right lost unison - where he worked - so he needed a job. After law changes for 2027: a job for life. This is how Labour right work. They couldn’t run a sweet shop, let alone the country!Aaron Bastani: Since Brexit...
“Since Brexit, the UK no longer has a data-sharing agreement with many countries in the EU, making it more difficult to check criminal and immigration records of asylum seekers”. Nobody who led the Brexit campaign will accept a modicum of responsibility.Aaron Bastani: Actually, we need more national...
Actually, we need more national leaders who’ve done things in and for the UK, rather than LARPing on the world stage. These people STILL don’t get British politics after Brexit.Aaron Bastani: There are many insane things about...
There are many insane things about Starmer's local govt reforms. But perhaps the best is a *mayor* for the whole of Suffolk and Norfolk (9,200 sq kilometres). That's the size of Cyprus, and about 6 times bigger than GREATER LONDON. A 'mayor'. 🤣Aaron Bastani: Burnham will know better than anyone...
Burnham will know better than anyone that he won in Makerfield in spite of the likes of Streeting, Darren Jones and managerial blairism. Their political offer went down like 💩 over two years. Genuinely intrigued to see if Labour will do the cliched ‘broad tent’ including them.Aaron Bastani: Starmer isn’t a ‘decent man’...
Starmer isn’t a ‘decent man’. He’s a nasty liar who has the temerity to now say his greatest achievement in office was scrapping the two child benefit cap, something he removed the whip from his MPs over! He’s comically dishonourable and malevolent.Aaron Bastani: As the media assesses demise of...
As the media assesses demise of Starmer virtually nothing is being said about the moment it was really over: Green victory in Gorton & Denton. That showed he was haemorrhaging party’s core vote (McSweeney’s claim being they had nowhere else to go) & Lab set for below 100 seats >Aaron Bastani: A lot of it is attributable to...
A lot of it is attributable to ‘ignore the noise’ strategy from Morgan McSweeney. The noise was, in fact, Starmer alienating every part of his coalition (except younger parents with new kids). They were quoting Nate Silver & Steve Jobs while sending the party to 50 seats. Mad!Aaron Bastani: At this point Starmer has either...
At this point Starmer has either gone mad or is a Reform deep sleeper agent. Also, Burnham just won a by-election in a constituency where Labour were smashed 6 weeks ago!Aaron Bastani: Reform and the Greens change...
Reform and the Greens change everything in our system. It’ll probably break FPTP. It’s a system designed to stop outsiders highlighting the distance between the rhetoric and reality of two major parties.Aaron Bastani: Given the price of tickets...
Given the price of tickets these guys are likely to be affluent Iranian-Americans. They just want to watch a football match! The media has tried to tell western audiences that the hectoring psychos are virtually everyone of Iranian heritage overseas. Borders on misinformation.Aaron Bastani: I’d have tax allowance lower and taper...
I’d have tax allowance lower and taper it off at £200k, not £100k. People earning 100-125k pay an effective rate of 60%. Obviously mental. A couple, both on the median income, who work full time - meanwhile - get a decent deal on tax and benefits, particularly re childcare.Aaron Bastani: If Burnham loses in Makerfield…
If Burnham loses in Makerfield the media will somehow paint it as a win for Starmer. BUT Burnham is Labour’s most popular figure. If he loses, to a weak-ish candidate in Robert Kenyon, while Restore come 3rd, we need to start talking about single digit Labour MPs after next GE.Aaron Bastani: I spoke to dozens of Labour…
I spoke to dozens of Labour voters in Makerfield today. ONE said that Burnham wasn’t a factor in their decision. Even multiple Reform voters said they liked him. Maybe talk to these people @Keir_Starmer ? Leave the bunker?Aaron Bastani: Britain’s perennially failing police…
Britain’s perennially failing police find yet another excuse (this is from a staff survey where 1 in 7 respondents said this. Hardly significant). Must be pretty bad if Hampshire police are leaking stuff like that….Aaron Bastani: I opposed this stuff with right…
I opposed this stuff with right wing figures - unless they’re literally inciting mass violence and murder - precisely because the state will happily use the same powers against anyone. Utterly mental.Aaron Bastani: London is a hugely diverse city…
London is a hugely diverse city. And Arsenal fans have flooded the streets to celebrate their first title in two decades. The contrast with Paris is striking, which is obviously a huge credit to them, the capital and Britain. Saying that might upset some people. Tough.Aaron Bastani: 100% Unregulated social media made...
100% Unregulated social media made a fair few people - particularly kids - mentally unwell. E-commerce and Amazon nuked the high street. Social platforms basically killed local news. All of it could have been managed much, much better. Why does NOBODY tell him this?Aaron Bastani: Very common. I’ve seen whole carriages…
Very common. I’ve seen whole carriages where every single window is smashed. British transport police basically don’t exist anymore. If you want more people to use trains this stuff should anger you.Aaron Bastani: No alternative, but also no enforcement…
No alternative, but also no enforcement of the rules. If rules aren’t ever applied they don’t exist. A classic example of Britain’s ‘placebo state’.Aaron Bastani: A country with 2/3rds the population…
A country with 2/3rds the population of *Russia*, a highly cohesive ruling class forged in adversity and struggle, overseeing an advanced economic and technological base. But because it’s brown, Washington and Tel Aviv thought it would fold like Venezuela. No deeper than that.Aaron Bastani: Notice Lib Dems & Greens working together…
Notice Lib Dems & Greens working together in Birmingham. There’s huge range of councillors, of all parties, across country. This is just childish and petulant. Labour either think locals are best placed to shape their politics, or they don’t. People are tired of London diktat!Aaron Bastani: Labour really need to snap…
Labour really need to snap out of doom mongering and just using project fear against opponents - to their left and right. The central party tried this before May elections. It’s killing them! Just years of depressing people.Aaron Bastani: Housing insecurity is a reality…
Housing insecurity is a reality for almost everyone under 45. Even homeowners will have seen wild volatility with mortgage deals in last 5 years. Which is why many of them are….voting for the Green Party.Aaron Bastani: Britain gets lots of hard things right…
Britain gets lots of hard things right, and lots of easy things wrong. A country of world leading biotech research while outsourcing companies charge local authorities £120,000 to create a zebra crossing (actually true).Aaron Bastani: A leadership challenge *the day after*…
A leadership challenge *the day after* a kings speech makes a mockery of the system, & the monarch (I’m a republican, but I don’t think Streeting is!) Labour leadership hopefuls do appear to be this universally stupid, so it’s possible he’d torpedo his political brand like this.Aaron Bastani: The Labour right would 100% prefer…
The Labour right would 100% prefer being in opposition to a Reform majority govt, with all the accoutrements, than losing 50 seats to the Greens. Increasingly clear. One is temporary, the other is a long term threat. The kind of thing the ‘soft left’ and liberals never grasp.Read more