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That line struck me as well. 10 years is another country, another universe. 10 years ago was just post-Brexit. Might as well have said 'shortly after the United Federation of Planets has been founded'

The Bad - The risk is that Burnham's boxed himself in: cool exciting stuff is after the next election, numbers don't give him the window for a poll next year, government spends over a year treading water without a big idea or new direction. TL:DR we need a now offer as well as a tomorrow pitch

2/3 The Hmm – It felt like a speech that precedes an election but can't see the numbers for an election early next year. Tax rises, spending cuts, energy price rises, mortgage rate rises and non-existent headroom = Shaky Lib Dem coalition at best with the Campaign Group having a veto on policy

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

1/3 Thoughts on the PM's speech 🧵 The Good - v well delivered and had a solid argument. I'm sceptical about parts but at least there was an argument not just platitudes, which is so damn rare these days. He was sensible to flag the end of the triple lock way in the future, finally nettle grasped.

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That's amazing. Never seen it before, straight up music video. Would have won a VMA 30-something years ago and the whole team would have rolled on to do mega budget Hollywood movies

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Yes, it was basically in Paul O's voice whereas the Alan Lockey one's at least sounded like something Starmer might have said

Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Pretty sure that speech was written by Paul Ovenden. Part of why the Starmer regret over it caused such unrest in his team, Ovenden senior and central to the McSweeney crew

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Recent fave: lobby journo says immigration lowers wages, 'it's obvious'. When I ask whether the 4m or so extra women in the workforce 1997 to 2022 lowered wages (a) didn't believe the rise, showed them figs, (b) pause for bafflement, (c) reset to something must be done on immigration

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Used to do a lot of fringe media (GB News, TalkTV) in Tory times as the lefty voice, my standard line was, 'You see the government cannot tie its shoelaces, you have hours of programming on this, but at the same time think it's capable of orchestrating huge conspiracies on Covid, Net Zero etc. How?'

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Felt Starmer got there on Number 10 speaking up on racism (esp as McS waned). Square one with Burnham. TikToks about pork scratchings or Everton, nothing about the RNLI stopping service in major ports and leaves to an ex-Tory PM to make the big argument. Shameful from Labour, absolutely shameful

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 19/09/2026

Reposted by Atul Hatwal

I think it should be a source of deep embarrassment – and perhaps even shame – that Rishi Sunak has spoken out on this before Andy Burnham has.

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Reposted by Atul Hatwal

Jason Sinclair @jsinclair.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Also apparently, the Greens' Israel/Palestine motion is holding up Algeria and the pied noirs as an example of successful decolonisation, meaning Jews will be offered "la valise ou le cercueil" - the coffin or the suitcase. They are nutcases.

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Heck, there was plenty of expertise in Number 10 which was point blank ignored. Is why the idea of a separate think tank is so unutterably bizarre

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It's the unbelievable lack of self-awareness that gets me. McSweeney says these things, tells on himself in a huge way and doesn't seem to realise. Something very Chauncey Gardiner about him

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

In this scenario, part of the solution for young people might involve being honest about time e.g. they've got lot. Time and need not to rush or become over worried school results or choices is something I come back to when talking to friends kids in teens and shapes thinking for my daughter (8)

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This is good. Delayed transition to adulthood clearly happening and has impacts e.g. feeling things are out of reach, lack of agency, but retirement will push into mid 70s, careers start in your 30s, maybe 2 diff careers, buying houses 40s. Point is, do opportunities remain the same but +10 yrs?

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

That pic, the one with Japanese horror film spirit in the corner, made me have a proper intake of breath

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Atul Hatwal @atulhatwal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Also, see price of a ticket. Only thing that now tops smoking in eliciting a 'how can anyone afford that??!' response from me

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For god's sake. Where is the Labour government, a bloody LABOUR government, on this. Who is on duty tonight? Beyond the basic madness and illegality, is there any political understanding why Starmer lost the left bloc and then lost his job?

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Oh yeah, v much so, takes an outsize personality the scale of Boris or Ken to carry such a broad coalition of voters. Cleverly has talents but he's not a Boris or Ken where their personality is their platform and can obscure ideology to such an extent

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Yeah, good point. Baffling and depressing will have put some extra nos on the backbench rebellion on the migration bill

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Obvs massive gap between the core Conservative rhetoric than and now. But, that's the gap he has to cross if he wants to get anywhere in London

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UK net migration in 2022 revised upwards to 745,000

Here's the quote "The biggest drivers of immigration to the UK are students and health care workers - [they] are testament to both our world-leading university sector and our ability to use our immigration system to prioritise the skills we need," from this Beeb link www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk...

bbc.co.uk

In May, the net migration figure for 2022 was given as 606,000 - that was today revised up by 139,000.

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If I recall right, the first set of mig figs when he got to HO, (big nos), he tried to say they were a sign of Britain's attractiveness and need for workers, while saying mig needed to be cut. He didn't continue but that he even attempted it, showed a brain, if only pol expediency given the nos

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