Five Most Popular Posts in January

And that's the first month done with. Rishi Sunak has notched another 30 days to the Prime Ministerial bedpost, while Boris Johnson and Nadhim Zahawi have contrived to make the Tories look institutionally corrupt. "But what did the business on the blog?" I hear no one cry. For your information, these did:

1. The Class Struggle Vs Cognitive Capitalism
2. On "Advising" Keir Starmer
3. Elite Incoherence: A Case Study
4. Digging the Tory Grave
5. Still Room for Hope

A bit of a surprise to see a chin stroker atop the pops - perhaps I should do more of those than the usual diet of Tory shenanigans. As it happens, given the the next big project I have in mind there could indeed be a great deal more. Coming in second is a meditation on the left's attitude to Keir Starmer and whether policy critique and offering alternative suggestions to the Labour leadership is a waste of time. TL;DR: no. Read it to find out why. Staying with Labour, a piece from Peter Mandelson on his don't-rock-the-boat warning while simultaneously acknowledging the need for fundamental changes landed in third place, showing how the centrist sections of the establishment remain all at sea about the politics of now. Speaking of not having a clue, a piece criticising the self-serving idiocy of celebrity academic Matthew Goodwin trundles in at four. Basically, turning the Tory fortunes around means doing exactly what Rishi Sunak is doing. Whether it's a genuine recommendation or flattery before a gong is up to you to decide. And lastly, a smaller chin stroker rounds the list off with a look at the theory of change embedded in Kim Stanley Robinson's cli-fi doorstop, The Ministry for the Future. Warning, contains optimism!

As a firm believer in second chances and as the year is still young, two are getting an airing right now. Both Tory related as the month's list is under-represented. First, we have a look at the Telegraph's fretting about divisions among the Tory base, and one unlikely to heal any time soon. Which sort of renders the question asked by my second selection moot. Can the Tories manage a 1992-style comeback? The answer is no, and here are the reasons.

Coming up this month then. The hearing into Boris Johnson's Party Gate lies kick off, as do an avalanche of strikes (are you one of the 500,000 workers taking action today - I am!). There will be the usual diet of day-to-day commentary and maybe a couple more book reviews and other scintillating stuff. If you've made it this far, chances are you're a regular reader so many thanks for sticking with the blog. Don't forget to follow the free weekly newsletter, and if you like what I do (and you're not skint), you can help support the blog via the unobtrusive Patreon link that-a-way >>>>. Following me on Twitter and Facebook are cost-free ways of showing your backing for this corner of the internet.

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