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a rose, but not quite the Labour rose

Political Musings

Rosie Holt

Hello again islanders of strangers! I’ve been thinking a lot about identity recently. In particular, whether I would call myself a Starmerist. Or is it a Starmerite?

Despite my wealth of political experience, the difference between the two eludes me, and even AI with all its knowledge (“it will create a better future”, the Prime Minister declared at the beginning of tech week) can’t help me. I think perhaps one points down and one is up? Either way, I would like to declare myself to be a practitioner of Starmerism.

Then again, I read recently that Starmer himself declared “there’s no such thing as Starmerism and there never will be”, so I believe I therefore identify as a Starmerite.

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Labour’s Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham sets out how his party in government can meet the challenge of the populist-right – without adopting its divisive agenda
Andy Burnham

Mandrake – Palantir's Pals

As Peter Thiel’s spy tech outfit Palantir sucks still more of our most intimate data out of the NHS after winning its £330 million “federated data platform” government contract, it’s striking how few questions are being asked in the Commons about what it’s doing with its new-found knowledge.
Tim Walker