Alan Simpson

Competing for capital

don’t sell the kids to save the economy   “It’s like being employed is only something that happens to other people.” For a moment, park the competing claims from the latest round of Party conferences. The quote above was the most crushing...

“Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution” the search for visionaries and leaders

While they’re standing in the welfare lines Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation Wasting time in the unemployment lines Sitting around waiting for a promotion. Don’t you know Talking about a revolution? It sounds like a...

Banking on Burnham

Barely a week into his Premiership, Andy Burnham had had to navigate an avalanche of political interviews, all expecting answers to issues we’ve ducked for decades. He did so with remarkable good grace and openness. So far, Burnham has come out...

The Economics of Recovery

All of Andy Burnham’s instincts about putting the public sector at the centre of and recovery (and democratic renewal) strategy are spot on. The key questions are about how to make this deliverable. Everything hinges around the question of access to...

Burnham: the Once and Future King?

Britain’s crisis and the solutions Even before votes in the Makerfield by-election are cast or counted, progressive voices are pinning their hopes on Andy Burnham returning to parliament and rescuing Labour. It’s a big ask. Without a doubt, Burnham...

Pirates of the Caribbean

Trump and the new world disorder Let’s be clear. Donald Trump is not a Hollywood version of Jack Sparrow. His motivations are closer to those of Boko Haram than to international diplomacy. Seize what you want. Kill...

Beware the Tail

Cautionary warnings for a Labour government There’s always a price to be paid for failing to learn the lessons of history. For today’s Labour government, the danger lies in repeating the follies that went into New...

Roosevelt or the robot?

Politics in the Age of Implosion Bizarre as it may seem, Donald Trump and the TV series Adolescence might turn out to be the wake up call we’ve desperately needed. Trump is hell-bent on bringing globalisation to its...

The times, they are a-changin’

The geo-politics of implosion These aren’t the changes Dylan was calling for. His was a ‘get out of the way’ message from a generation eager for more optimistic, transformative and inclusive change. There’s no such...

The egos have landed

Jan 28, 2025 Political choices in Trump’s post-truth era In the court of Emperor Trump the oligarchs rule. At least they think they do. But as in any feudal system, even the oligarchs are just courtiers. Courtier power...