Heaven knows we're miserable now

A modest case for optimism and for giving Keir Starmer's government a chance

First, an apology. You may have noticed that posts have been rare - non-existent, in fact - this summer. I took a few weeks off after the election, spending time in the west and then the far north and then this slid into a further period of masterly inactivity in August. But summer’s been and gone and politics is returning at last and so it’s good to be back. I think.

The news business cannot stand still. New stories, new theories, new narratives are required. Staleness is the one enemy the trade cannot abide. And so a new consensus has been built, just two months after Labour were elected with a thumping majority. It goes something like this: Sir Keir Starmer was put into Downing Street promising hope and change but now he is betraying the promise of his election by offering managerial miserabilism. What is the point of a Labour government that may be in office but seems disinclined to offer real, profound, change? The people have been mis-sold their own government.

The ongoing rumpu…