This morning sees the return of what was once a favourite here: Venn diagrams for our times (which, for the purists are, I am well aware, not really Venn diagrams, and I don't care):
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
This is brilliant, Richard. It sets out in simple diagrammatic form exactly what is needed. It could be claimed, though I am not going to do that here, that it shows what words can’t say or have difficulty expressing.
Thanks
That is the aim
Personally I would have put the ‘x’ much further to the right, perhaps enough room to slide a cigarette paper between the lines.
After all they are already virtually indistinguishable!
There’s a limit to what i could do in a few minutes…
No. I think Richard got it about right. To say the two parties are ‘virtually indistinguishable’ is IMO otp and less likely to be productive.
Call it Freudian labelling – the Tories on the Left and Labour on the Right.
Never was “The centre cannot hold” more relevant to the times.
Or deliberate?
Just wondering if you’ve read this: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/25/election-pm-change-politics-keir-starmer-rishi-sunak
Seems like the kind of critique you make:
‘ “Two different countries, two different futures,” said Starmer this week. Not according to his own economics. He and Rachel Reeves have sworn themselves to budgetary rules that are practically identical to those currently enforced by Sunak and Jeremy Hunt – which leaves both sides on the hook for huge spending cuts.’
Agreed
I was cheered up by the article, then started to read the comments – far too many of the “A Labour government will be a good thing. It will open up all manner of opportunities for real political change in a way we haven’t seen for decades. If the author wants to embrace his inner Kevin the Teenager, fine” variety. Doubtless sent by trolls sponsored by Labour HQ (some still spewing slurs on Mr Corbyn), and all sounding extremely conservative.
Richard,
This is doing the rounds, it’s witty, spot on and an equal opportunity comment:
Electile dysfunction: the inability to be aroused by any of the parties standing for election
@John Fairhall – I think that phrase originated with John Crace of “The Guardian” in one of his many ‘The Political Sketch” columns.
Wherever it came from, me too!
Love it! But maybe z should be to the left of x and y?
Maybe….
I’m assuming the circles are facing us and from their perspective, Z is on the left side. ;D
Good piece by Chakrabortty in Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/25/election-pm-change-politics-keir-starmer-rishi-sunak
‘ This summer marks the 17th since the collapse of Northern Rock, the start of the banking crisis and what should have been the beginning of the end of Britain’s ruined economic and political model. Yet we enter our fifth general election since then with the same old conjuring tricks and half-hearted flourishes that have dominated politics my entire adult life’
Agreed
I read it and had much to agree with
The art of politics is to put your aims in a Venn diagram and to say No Thank You to that which is outside.
My engineering blood loves a good Venn Diagram … and your diagram this morning was perfect (well very nearly perfect as I agree with others Z should have been symbolically to the left of X & Y – but that’s just a bit of fine tuning).
[Maybe there could have been a W circle as well representing Lobbyists / Extreme Wealthy / Party Donors which would have massive overlap with X & Y?]
Accepted, re W
The overlap between X and Y I define as the Single Transferable Party (STP).
I was expecting a blog on Rachel Reeves’ piece in the Mail.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13457721/amp/Shadow-Chancellor-Rachel-Reeves-Britain-Labour-money.html
The one line that stuck out the most to me was:
“Economic growth only comes from businesses: big, medium and small. Government’s role is to give them the stability they need to invest and to remove the barriers to make it harder to do business. That’s the model to grow the economy I believe in – and it’s the only one that works.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard her actually say that growth ONLY comes from business and not government. I assumed she knew that government spending led to growth but she thought this wasn’t as good as private growth, so I was shocked to see her say that government spending does not lead to growth.
As well as that, there was so much more in the article:
“Inflation rose when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and it has only fallen because of the decisions taken by the Bank of England to hike interest rates,”
“I am so much more ambitious for Britain than (the Tories)”. If only this was true.
“my first step in government will be to deliver economic stability with tough spending rules so we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible. I do not believe you can tax and spend your way to growth”
“the only way we can put more money in people’s pockets and fund our public services over the long-term is by growing the economy and backing Britain’s wealth creators”
The current line makes an appearance: “At this election, stability is change” i.e. the Tories but with competence
“That is why, if we are elected to power, I will lead the most pro-growth, pro-business Treasury in our history ”
That’s quite a claim given how high post-war growth levels were. She then gives her plan for being the most pro-growth government/Treasury ever: update business rates, cap corporation tax, change the planning laws so the private sector builds much more homes, and a New Deal for working people. And that’s going to give us better growth than rebuilding the country after the War.
Richard, Wikipedia tells me that the Treasury has been around since 1066, but if we take the last 200 years or so, which government/Treasury would you say has been the most pro-growth and which the most pro-business in that time (which could be one government if you think they are the same)?
I have picked up one theme in a blog now, having been out for quite a long time today
I may pick up more tomorrow
And the best government – Atlee’s. It laid the foundations for growth.
I also like diagrams (another engineer… or ex, if it’s possible to be such?)
But the Z circle should be larger, to indicate the smallness of ambition (and mind) to both THO (Tories hang on) and TCP (Tory Continuity Party) aka LINO. (Not that the rate of growth should be larger, of course: rather, the rebuilding of basic services and public goods.)
These are not literal representations, is all I can say in response.
They are meant to offer an alternative view, that is all.