There’s no point us building houses if people sell them off cheaply to no public benefit. It’s like running a bath with no plug
- Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester
Last Thursday, people voted for change. There appears to be a settled view now that the country needs a fresh start. And yet anyone who has stood on doorsteps in recent times will know this is not a 1997 moment. The level of despondency with politics is deep. There will be no honeymoon period for any incoming government. People can see things are broken and they are losing faith that any politicians can fix them.
So it is a difficult climate for progressive parties and I worry that the general election which now looms ahead of us will only make the mood worse. A Tory party in a corner is unlikely to go quietly. My gut feeling is that it will opt for a December election, hoping to salvage seats from the toxic combination of a low winter turnout and the fallout from the US election the month before. Channelling the negative energy of the “culture wars” seems to be all the Tories have left.
