iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

My most centrist dad take is that most governing politicians deserve sympathy because almost every policy that's actually any good for the country is unpopular, and almost every popular policy is probably bad. Johnson's Brexit approach was far worse than Chequers IMHO but 20ppts more popular 1/

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

The proposal to scrap tuition fees was terrible, regressive and unaffordable, but admitting this halved Lib Dem polling. It's proven really costly that Labour committed to keeping key taxes fixed in 2024, but admitting the opposite could have cost that sandcastle majority 2/

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Ivor Middleton @iwasid.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

"unaffordable" Except we are a rich country and we choose what we _claim_ to be "unaffordable". We can afford it.

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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

I don't see how it can be "unaffordable" when it is just redistributing the cost? Student loans are a graduate tax in all but name. (It also wasn't particularly regressive, the Paul Calf "posh bluddy stewdents" tendency was out in force on that one). And look at the system today!

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Whereas the asinine "tax lock" of the Conservatives in 2015 helped them win. And being more honest in 2009 DID cost them. As it did Labour in 1992 May's clumsy honesty about social care in 2017 cost her a huge majority. It hurt Burnham in 2009 to propose a realistic plan 3/

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It's coming home @kiersturmer.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

"admitting this" you mean promising something then completely reneging on it halved their polling? 😮

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Aeddan ap Garth @ihavenodsinmyname.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

I'd argue it was the reneging that halved their polling, not the policy itself.

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