AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Everybody criticised Burnham for being a people pleaser. I see why. But he has shown genuine conviction that has been missing in successive PMs. We need a politics that actually tackles hard challenges and I hope others learn from him 001
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 24/07/2026All the it’s the policy stupid people need to eat a bit of humble pie here. It’s not that Burnham won’t come unstuck by events. It’s that clearly you cannot divorce the successful implementation of policy from charisma/comms 000
Reposted by AE SnowRenewal @renewaljournal.bsky.social · 20/07/2026This week, with Burnham taking office, Renewal will be publishing a short series of reflections on what Burnhamism could or should involve in practice. First up: @ewallis.bsky.social of @locality.org.uk and Rich Bell of @powertochange.org.uk argue for Manchesterism as 'progressive communitarianism'renewal.org.ukManchesterism and the search for a progressive communitarian politicsThis week, Renewal will be publishing a series of reflections on the direction that Andy Burnham's new government could or should take. First up, Ed Wallis and Rich Bell highlight the 'progressive com... 2115
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Techno-determinism is a theology borrowing the authority of the natural sciences to make a political argument in the here and now about the inevitability of acceleration. But what is shaping the AI race is determined by the artificial environments we have created open.substack.com/pub/democrat...open.substack.comThe Idols of AccelerationEntropy, Evolution and the Politics of the AI Race 011
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 02/07/2026I do think this piece is vindicated as a political strategy. That said it also covers the dangers of an approach that optimises only for partisanship. Partisanship can help you shift the distribution in your favour. But policy as fan service will blow up if you’re not strategic on where to use it 023
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 29/06/2026I think a good premiership is about making 1-3 really big bets whose longterm benefits dwarf everything else. This is one of them. If Burnham succeeds in rebalancing the current settlement he will have done more good for Britain than any PM in my adult life 100
Reposted by AE SnowGeorge Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Good to hear Burnham champion often overlooked London devolution – London currently keeps just 7% of the tax revenue it generates, compared to 50% in New York and 70% in Tokyo. 810010
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Burnham’s speech is what I hoped to see and what I argued for in the latest @renewaljournal.bsky.social The giant we face in the present is the debilitation of democratic agency. But to tackle that we have to orient ourselves towards the future. Imagine! renewal.org.uk/articles/ach...renewal.org.ukAchieving England: why the left needs a more imaginative patriotismA quarterly journal of politics and ideas, committed to exploring and expanding the radical potential of social democracy. 041
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Won’t it backfire for the Labour right if they try to contest a Burnham coronation? Like that just forces Burnham to tack left 000
Reposted by AE SnowLottie @sellottie.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Really pleased to have written this piece in the latest edition of Renewal! As a proud Bristolian, I have often been less proud of how its politics play out. Looking jealously at Manchesterism, I took a deep (& opinionated) dive into the (non)workings of devolution in the West of England… 4289
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 15/06/2026The far right see an England of vengeance and of cruelty. A catalogue of nice things is not sufficient to combat the poison in the bloodstream of the nation. I argue here we need to take on the challenge of reimagining England’s past, present and future. 121
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Very pleased to be featured here. Some fantastic articles on the future of social democracy 021
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 27/05/2026Burnham in particular must recognise that if he becomes PM he has to be seen as different to Starmer. The entire project is over in 6 months if Starmer 2.0 takes hold as a narrative. That means he has to take at least 1-2 bold decisions that are emblematic, that serve as symbols, early on 1183
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Why was this so damaging? It’s not just that it lost voters to greens. Labour lost its most motivated supporters. The distributed network of people who are advocating, framing your policies and defending it passionately. You lose them and the whole distribution shifts negatively 110
Reposted by AE Snowalina @ramshackle78.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Govt shjould put a stronger civic education duty in the BBC charter. Sharpen it. And make it Ofcom measurable. And ask BBC annually to say how it will meet the civic-democracy remit 0103
Reposted by AE SnowRenewal @renewaljournal.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Is the Elections Bill up to the job? Guy Furlong argues that the bill is jumble of half-measures, reflecting a lack of any coherent theory of what's wrong with democracy, and of what a better democracy might look like: renewal.org.uk/blog/democra...renewal.org.ukDemocracy demands more than half-measuresEarlier this year, the government introduced the Representation of the People Bill (the Bill) into Parliament. Speaking for the government during the second reading debate in the House of Commons, Sec... 034
Reposted by AE SnowRenewal @renewaljournal.bsky.social · 20/04/2026NEW ISSUE ALERT: Renewal 34:1 The Employment Rights Act and the Politics of Work Guest edited by Renewal contributing editors @stevenklein.bsky.social and @fhpitts.bsky.social along with co-editor @lisebutler.bsky.social renewal.org.uk/journal/volu...renewal.org.ukVolume 34, Issue 1A quarterly journal of politics and ideas, committed to exploring and expanding the radical potential of social democracy. 11013
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 12/04/2026New post is about what I've learned through a series of experiments aimed at testing how human judgment affects AI systems We need democratic systems to evolve as agentic AI develops - and we can do that through improving deliberative mechanisms. This is my early attempt to show how 100
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 04/04/2026Bluesky's vision of social media is so much better than alternatives. The devs are fantastic. Custom feeds are great. But it has to overcome its rep as a place for people who dont like X. The goal is not a perfect little left fiefdom where expression is all within acceptable bounds 120
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 02/04/2026What I want isn't always what I think I want. It’s a cocktail that only shakes out when I’m at the bar... New essay on why we need human deliberation to figure it out what we want no matter how capable AI becomes. open.substack.com/pub/democrat...open.substack.comWe don't know what we want and neither does AIOn deliberation and delegation in the age of artificial intelligence 000
Reposted by AE SnowMorgan Jones @morganj0nes.bsky.social · 31/03/2026Does Labour really want to do it like Denmark? I've written about why the strategy is increasingly beleaguered, www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/728...prospectmagazine.co.ukDenmark's immigration lessons for LabourCopying the country's tough stance on migration no longer looks like such a good idea 163
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 19/03/2026New piece featured in society for technological advancement If the future is a patchwork of AI agents, each continuously bargaining on our behalf, we risk losing capacity to form political judgments ourselves. Democracies are not built for this… open.substack.com/pub/sotalett...open.substack.comBeyond Automated Politics: A Response to Séb Krier's AI Agent EconomyWhy AI Governance Must Begin with Human Deliberation 100
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 16/03/2026As more and more of society is arranged around a trustless individualism in which you have more and are alone with it, Habermas could not be more relevant. RIP 010
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 16/03/2026New post on an old question: the socialist calculation debate. AI has revived the dream that a central planner might finally replace the inefficiency of the market. The panopticon is probably not realistic but there is a real tendency in which decisions migrate upwards across the economy 201
Reposted by AE SnowCarsten Jung @carsjung.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Loved Habermas’ unwavering commitment to understanding people with different views & values. Arguing that if we earnestly debate deep differences we will come out better on the other side. Forever changed how I understand the word “deliberative”. RIP www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...thetimes.comJürgen Habermas obituary: philosopher who was Germany’s moral conscienceThe eminent social thinker remained in Germany throughout his career to defend the most progressive and enlightened traditions of his native land 094
Reposted by AE SnowGareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 08/03/2026God I hate this idea. People are not one more image of a dead baby away from radicalisation. We don't lack will, we lack any real means to act on our will because the left has ceased to be a political project and become a few thousand people trying to Post their way out of Posting. 251191159
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 08/03/2026If you’re on this app it’s partly because you implicitly buy that enshittification can be combatted with alternative tech. But the dominant attitude here is quite resistant to that idea when it comes to AI or other technologies 000
Reposted by AE SnowDavid Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 03/03/2026What is "deliverism"? Is it dead? And what would its death mean for progressive politics? This essay (kindly published by @samfr.bsky.social) is my attempt to trace five years of trans-Atlantic debates, to set out what I see as the stakes, and to analyse where these arguments have now gotten to:samf.substack.comIs "deliverism" dead?Lawrence gave his first take on Iran at the weekend and will return to it later this week. 86324
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 01/03/2026I think this sums up well why the Labour right are strategically so inept. They seem believe that an “ideological story” is a list of policies that are a bit radical. Rather than something intrinsically related to the “anger” and identity” of voters he refers to. Labour cannot compete without one 100
Reposted by AE SnowSam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 28/02/2026They don't need to "move left" in the sense of adopting Green policies. They do need to stop insulting their own voters. Not the same thing. 6060089
Reposted by AE SnowDavid Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 10/02/2026It would be a crime, a disgrace, and a mistake for the government to fail to support the World Service 23311
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 06/02/2026There is no contradiction between the two. It’s increasingly clear that to govern well you must have an ability to dominate online media. Why? Because governing well will invite controversy through tackling difficult issues. Have to be able to wield that to advantage 000
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I have concluded that Kanye is a herald of the zietgeist. His apology signals a turning of the tide. May we not squander this opportunity 000
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 23/01/2026The far right are calling Soc dem ideology “Star Trek liberalism” and honestly that sounds rad. We should run with that 000
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 23/01/2026There’s an aesthetic of seriousness that has plagued British politics. It’s become a stand-in for having any kind of strategic goals - for having a politics at all. Ironically this is unserious! A politics is partly a heuristic that helps you make decisions under uncertainty 000
Reposted by AE SnowHenry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 22/01/2026Voters want charisma! They want politicians who grab their attention! If your party doesn't promote these people, they will vote for a party that does! 9948
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 22/01/2026Labour need to put country before party. Or was that just words? Those who can least suffer it will bear the brunt of Reform if they lose. And it’s clear this gov is not recovering even if delivery improves in 2yrs. The person with the best chance of defeating them is clearly Andy. 110
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 21/01/2026I’m not persuaded that joining the customs union is a good idea. I think either we should rejoin or chart our own path We’re not ready to rejoin while Reform poses such a threat. And the EU are not going to do us any favours A customs union does not even do much to remove trade barriers anyway 100
Reposted by AE SnowNeil Warner @neilwarner.bsky.social · 20/01/2026Fantastic to see this out! A brilliant range of different perspectives & ideas on how to pursue effective social democratic strategies, challenge concentrations of wealth & power and fight back against the far right 0106
Reposted by AE SnowDavid Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 20/01/2026The new (double!) issue of "Renewal - a journal of social democracy" is now available both online and in print, featuring brilliant contributions from historians, sociologists, political scientists, think tank researchers, and activists (and even the odd Labour MP) 193
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 19/01/2026I kind of think Trump is a problem for Marxist accounts of geopolitical turmoil in which “capital” is the driver of expansion. Current events are being driven by pre-capitalist drives of the past: spite, personal animus, pride. I dont think commercial interest can explain Venezuela or Greenland 100
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 18/01/2026Seeing a lot of takes about how Britain needs to return to a foreign policy in which it has no eternal allies or enemies, only eternal interests. It takes for granted that a countries’ interest is obvious and not the stuff of dreams, visions and ideals. What is Britain’s interest? To be powerful? 100
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 13/01/2026The same goes for government comms. The message cooked up by Spads is never going to be as effective as what is organically created and then selected for by various algos 010
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 13/01/2026This one really is shaping up to evergreen if I say so myself. Political strategy 101: do not go out of your way to trash your most motivated advocates in favour of a median voter. The job is to shift the median, which can’t be achieved without effective organic reach 062
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 12/01/2026Enjoying the cultural rehabilitation of the blue hairs as it becomes clear, not only were they correct but they are also pretty badass 010
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 09/01/2026UK and France basically playing good cop bad cop with the US rn. As it was meant to be 010
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 06/01/2026“Might is right” is no less ideological than a belief in international law. It is no less of a “veneer” or how things “really” work Power doesn’t come with a self-evident account of what your interests are. 100
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 13/12/2025This is one of the best essays I’ve read in a while “If socialism is to answer capitalism on its own terrain, it needs a rival worldmaking vehicle—not simply the democratized administration of an economy whose creativity happens elsewhere.” I couldn’t agree more. Some ideas on this so far… 151
AE Snow @demofuturist.bsky.social · 11/12/2025Getting round to reading this and I gravitate to the warmness, the gentle and even the silliness What I think is missing though is a sense of history. Can we dodge that whilst constructing a patriotism? And then I want to ask what of the future? Does it give us a sense of where we’re going? 110
Reposted by AE SnowDavid Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Really excellent piece on the dangers of trying to replace politics with automated negotiations 031
