The Most Read 20 of 2021

Another year, another terrible year thanks to Covid-19. Lockdowns, restrictions, not seeing people, long-term illness, and unexpected and premature deaths. 2021 is not one likely to be remembered with fondness, but politically? Now we're talking. The start of the year saw the parties level pegging, and in short order Labour's numbers fell off a cliff while Johnson, despite his overt corruption and light mindedness soared upwards again. "It's the vaccine bounce", they said, without looking at Keir Starmer's contribution to this dismal state of affairs. And then, late in the summer, the Tories suffered one self-inflicted wound after another. The Afghanistan implosion, the National Insurance increases, cutting Universal Credit, they compromised the foundations of Tory support ahead of Johnson's Christmas collapse. First, the earth shaking rumblings of the Owen Paterson affair. And then in short order the cave in of the Xmas party scandals. It's been painful to watch, but finally we're there. Johnson's own hubris has laid him low, all without Labour laying a glove on him.

Who knows what the next year has in store, but turning our heads back to the immediate past have the most read posts of the year. Perhaps you wanted an explanation for why Starmer is so awful, or what strategic genius informs his and LOTO's thoughts. Maybe you can't get enough of Labour-on-Labour factional action. Perhaps you like my obsession with the Tory party (have you heard I have a book out?), or just find the relentless pushing of 21st century class politics refreshing. Whatever the case, thank you very much for clicking and reading.

1. One Abysmal Year of Keir
2. The Tory Food Parcel Scam
3. On Labour's Poll Collapse
4. Why Labour Isn't Serious About Winning
5. A Note on Ruthlessness
6. Margaret Hodge's Attack on Unite
7. Boris Johnson and Thatcherism
8. The Right Wing Defence of Starmerism
9. Why Isn't Keir Starmer 20 Points Ahead?
10. Starmerism and Fabianism
11. Covid Is Killing Britons Faster than WWII
12. 10 Points on Trump's Attempted Coup
13. The Uses of Captain Tom
14. Keir Starmer's Pathetic Witch Hunt
15. The Green Threat to Labour
16. A Sociology of Tory Covid Short-Termism
17. The Appeal of Jess Phillips
18. Why Boris Johnson is Teflon
19. 10 Points on the 6th May Massacre
20. A Party for Management Consultants

Any posts that aren't on the list but deserve to be? This on the Tory anti-maskers is worth a shout. There's this wee piece on the two types of capitalist realism. And for a triumvirate of second chancers, this on deceleration deserves some time. Perhaps I should do more theory pieces in 2022. But then again, there is the second book to work towards. We'll see what free time the fates deal us.

Unfortunately, we did unexpectedly lose some people along the way in 2021. Ed Rooksby passed away in February from complications arising from long Covid, and Dawn Foster was also suddenly taken from us in early summer. A pair of outstanding comrades struck down in their prime and with so much more to give. No matter how hard it gets, may their memory inspire us to keep at it.