The Times They Are A-Changin’: “Madchester” 

 

 

“I wanna be adored”  

 

Sorry Nigel, but it seems that Makerfield didn’t adore you after all. 

 

Going forward, we should expect Burnham’s return to parliament presages a leadership challenge. If so, what might we expect should he succeed. 

One of the biggest projects will be his long-held intent to return water and energy into public control. 

Burnham himself has said he wants to see “the essentials of life being run primarily for the public interest, not for the private interests.” 
 

‘England  had more bathing waters rated as “poor” quality than any country in the EU’

 

First on the block is likely to be Thames Water, possibly the best example of handing over a public utility to private business and watching them screw everyone, whilst rewarding themselves handsomely. 

Whilst the cost of our water can be described “middling” compared to our European peers water, averaging C.€3.50 per cubic metre, the quality of our water is poor. The campaign group Best for Britain found that England  had more bathing waters rated as “poor” quality than any country in the EU.  

Our electricity prices for both homes and businesses, are among the most expensive in Europe. 

Domestically, we pay C.30% to 50% more per kilowatt-hour than the median across the EU14 countries. This is caused “marginal pricing”, where the most expensive source of power (usually natural gas) sets the price for all electricity generated, even when the grid is producing cheaper power via renewables. 

In Europe countries often source larger quantities of lower-cost power (E.G. France’s nuclear energy) and historically provide more aggressive government subsidies to shield businesses from extreme international volatility. 

 

‘Our electricity prices for both homes and businesses, are among the most expensive in Europe’ 

 

Elsewhere, Burnham can look forward to the inherited defence budget fiasco which led to John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary. 

Fuelling that fire, Rich Knighton, the chief of the defence staff, told a Lords committee that he was “most concerned” about the budgets for day-to-day activities. 

Knighton emphasised the importance of the longer term Nato target. “Nato and our allies agree that spending 3.5% of national GDP on defence is what is necessary to deliver the Nato capability targets.”  

Al Carns, the former armed forces minister, sees the issue differently, citing the “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). 

During his time in office, Cairns confronted an unwillingness to accept the sunk costs of legacy programmes, and mismanaged programmes which required large amounts of money, such as tanks investment, that were fast becoming obsolete because of the difficulty of confronting the sunk costs: “Take tanks for example – 100 to 200 tanks isn’t the most useful way of spending our money. They were ordered ages ago, and if you cancel them now, that’s sunk cost … that’s cost us £700m.” 

Perhaps the most important issue for the majority is the ongoing cost of living crisis. 
 

‘the most important issue for the majority is the ongoing cost of living crisis’

 

There are suggestions of a one-year freeze on private rents, a cap on bus fares, and the removal of green levies from electricity bill, which would instead be paid for by taxes. 

Overall, the sponsors of this proposal suggest this could reduce inflation by 0.6,%, and could, in part, be paid for by increasing CGT, as advocated by Wes Streeting. 

Whatever Burnham does it likely to be constrained by his commitment to the straitjacket of the government’s fiscal rules, which preclude the scale of investment required in services and communities. 

Whilst has ruled out increasing income tax, he has said there is a “big case for land and business and property taxes to be changed”.  

Unless he raised revenue from somewhere, it is difficult to see how his government addresses the economic and social insecurities on which Reform feeds. 

Finally, how does he unite a divided country? 

 

‘it is difficult to see how his government addresses the economic and social insecurities on which Reform feeds’

 

Whilst a divided Britain is nothing new, it has gained traction due to the culture wars and immigration issues that raised their ugly head post-Brexit.  

One of the first sign of this extremism was the Labour MP, Jo Cox.  

Speaking out recently. Jo’s sister and Labour MP, Kim Leadbeater, said that whilst political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum. Highlighting the response of some politicians to the murder of Henry Nowak which led to riots Southampton, Leadbeater said people should remember that those calling for division were “in the minority” but were very vocal. 

For this minority, reducing, even stopping immigration is their call to arms. They are either ignorant of the fact, or simply ignoring it, but, last year, net migration fell from its post-pandemic peak of 944,000 to 171,000.  

Unfortunately, the minority have been helped by mainstream politicians, such as PM Starmer, picking-up on their incendiary rhetoric. Claims that immigration has inflicted “incalculable damage” on the UK, or referring to Britain as an “island of strangers”, did, to echo his words, incalculable damage.  

The issue isn’t solely immigration it is immigrants per se, with the Muslim population a prime target.  

The study by the social integration thinktank British Future and the British Muslim Trust– the government’s official partner in monitoring Islamophobia – found that 73% OF Muslims think the UK is a good place to be Muslim, and 52% of Britons believe Muslims are as British as white non-Muslims.. 

However, 1-in-6 Britons believe the growth of the Muslim population “poses a foundational threat to UK culture”, while 19% do not agree that “Muslims born in this country are as British as white, non-Muslim people born here”. 

 

‘1-in-6 Britons believe the growth of the Muslim population “poses a foundational threat to UK culture”’

 

As this column has said before, “Muslims are becoming the Jews of the 21st century. 

Reform and Restore are now competing to see who can promise the most deportations, and talking of discrimination against white people. Their cause has been helped and given respectability by both the Starmer’s government and Tories, making the subject of immigration more toxic and more sinister than ever. 

Maybe, if Andy reads this he might change his mind about being PM? 

 

“We’ll give you everything and more
The strain’s too much, can’t take much more”  

 

Hope beats hate, as Andy Burnham, with 54% of the votes cast, beat the combined fascism of Reform and Restore by 12 percentage points.

This might be a somewhat misleading result as Burnham is Mr Manchester, and likely won a byelection Labour might have otherwise struggled in.

I do, however, think, that the extreme right’s popularity is peaking. As both parties, plus the Tories compete to see who can deport the most people and be seen to incite violence, they are alienating the majority.

Deep-down, the majority of Brits are decent people, they especially don’t like violence.

As I have always said, “We just don’t like that sort.”

 Lyrically, we celebrate Manchester by opening with “I wanna be adored” by The Stone Roses and ending with        “New Dawn Fades” by Joy Division.

 

Enjoy! Philip.

 

@coldwarsteve

 

Philip Gilbert is a city-based corporate financier, and former investment banker.

Philip is a great believer in meritocracy, and in the belief that if you want something enough you can make it happen. These beliefs were formed in his formative years, of the late 1970s and 80s

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