David Herdson
Part-time writer. Political activist. Fan of Bradford City and rail travel (amongst other things). Bibliophile. Dad. List not necessarily in order of importance.
- Reposted by David Herdson[Not loaded yet]
- Until very recently, only those with experience at the very highest levels were appointable as PMs. All but one* since the early 1800s has previously served as LotO, Chancellor or Foreign Sec. It's a wild throw of the dice to be looking to junior ministers with minimal outside experience.
- The analysis here is right. The Mandelson appointment also exposes two even bigger reasons why Starmer should go. 1. Trying to be 'friends' with Trump was always the wrong strategic choice, for many, many reasons; and 2. Starmer is weak, overly swayed by bad advice and doesn't trust his judgement.
- "Starmer didn't pick Mandelson in spite of his Epstein connections… He picked him because of them." Would he have made the same choice if Kamala Harris had won? "Absolutely not", says @lewisgoodall.com.
- Bubbles. Tulips, 1630s South Sea, 1719-20 Compare with Bitcoin. It's more than just railwaymania, canals, stocks in the 1920s or telecoms in the 1990s: they, at least, involved genuine investment. The purest bubble - and I do think crypto counts as this - is pure vibe built on nothingness.
- Crypto: what is it good for (apart from money laundering and other criminal / dark activity)? Absolutely nothing. But bubbles will bubble.
- Should I spend it all at once?
- When Starmer goes - and go he will, probably this Spring - I'd be enormously grateful to Labour MPs if they could take their gatekeeping job seriously this time and only put forward candidates who can actually do the job. A 'wider field' is not a virtue that trumps ability.
- Mandelson's three resignations / sackings: 1998: Failed to declare loan from rich friend, undeclared conflicts of interest 2001: Use of office to personally assist scandal-hit rich friends and donors. 2025: Lying about links to sex-trafficking rich friends. Any common themes apparent?
