Manifesto density
I’ve had the unenviable task of having to read through each and every party manifesto for the election as they have dropped over the last two weeks.
It’s fair to say its been a pretty dispiriting experience, from Labour’s caution over ambition to the point of comatose apathy, the Conservatives reheating policies they previously scrapped, the economic black holes emerging in the Lib Dems manifesto, the incoherence of the Green Party and the insidious nature of Reform’s ‘contract for you’.
The BBC has a good tool for comparing manifesto pledges, which is worth playing with if you should wish.?
What struck me most from all the party documents was the lack of attention or an offer for change for young people with any party.
There is no serious focus on the generations below the age of 40, beyond hobby horse hysteria about what is or is not being taught in schools.
I think this has also been reflected in the media, with too many Vox pop packages speaking to the elderly mooching around high streets.
The Guardian has run a piece on what young people think of the upcoming election, and their hopes for the future, and I’d recommend it is read:
Summer solace
It’s easy to feel cynical and exhausted by politics at the moment, especially at the pointy end of a bitter election campaign, but there is hope for a more positive experience in the next parliament.
I’m an avid listener of the Oh God, What Now podcast (formerly Remainacs) and this week’s episode with Stella Creasy, formerly MP for Walthamstow now standing for re-election is a breath of fresh air.?
Creasy is part of a cohort of MPs on the right side of the age of 50 who’s skills were forged in the fire of the Brexit wars in parliament during 2017-2019, who has also achieved some welcome changes in the parliamentary system while being a strong constituency MP.
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This election is being touted as a real 'changing of the guard' election, and I would bet that MPs like Stella Creasy will take on the mantel of voices of authority in the next five years or so.
The episode is worth a listen in full:
Seven years on from Grenfell
Journalist and author, Peter Apps, who has done an incredible amount of work tracking the Grenfell tragedy and its subsequent investigations and inquiries, has written a piece for The Developer on the progress (or lack of) within the industry in the wake of the tragedy.
The good news is that on a wide range of buildings where the use of dangerous ACM facade materials have been identified, remediation work is underway and been completed. The bad news is that industry experts still warn that we haven’t established the full extent of the problem, with thousands of buildings still to be assessed properly.?
Full piece is here:
This makes manifesto pledges by the Lib Dems to remove all dangerous cladding from buildings while ensuring 'leaseholders won’t have to pay a penny for it', is noble, but perhaps a naive pledge that allows a wide range of businesses off the hook at the cost of the UK taxpayer.
I've mentioned it before, but Peter Apps Orwell Award-winning book 'Show Me The Bodies' is an essential read for construction leaders at all levels of the industry.
And that’s what you call full circle. Let’s call it a day there and go and sit in the sun and watch the Euros instead.