Five Most Popular Posts in October

Did you get mugged by costume-clad kids last night? Don't worry, I have some post-Halloween treats for you: what was hot in October as decided by the internet going public.

1. Uncovering Starmer's Fraudulent Politics
2. What about the Little Lenins?
3. What Happened to One Nation Conservatism?
4. Politics after Caerphilly
5. Racism and the Right

Coming out on top was my right up of Paul Holden's press conference about his new book, The Fraud. It contained detailed and evidenced claims about the dirty tricks and the law flouting that has attended Keir Starmer's rise to and leadership of Labour. Mr Rules indeed. Second was a meditation on the far left and what role for them in Your Party. I see from reports around the country that the SWP have shown themselves keen to run events themselves, up to and excluding others from any organising role. Even so, I still wouldn't favour banning them from the new party. In at three as my thinking about one nation conservatism, a philosophy and attitude long departed from the Tory party as it exists today. Four was the fall out of Labour's catastrophic loss of their Caerphilly seat for the Senedd. Are there any signs that they recognise the roots of their malaise? Nope. And coming up last is a foray into considerations around the shape of hegemony in Britain today. What does Sarah Pochin's racist "outburst" say about the state of elite politics?

The post selected for the second chance promo treatment is The Second Green Surge. Has Your Party missed the boat with dithering and infighting? What's powering the rapid growth of the Greens? Is it just because Zack Polanski is a dab hand at the social media?

The unwelcome intrusion of Covid meant I didn't write quite as much as I hoped in October. But for the first time in a long time, I'm feeling motivated - even if politics is still a bin fire. Bubbling under I've got more things I want to say about the Greens, about Your Party, and what's going on with the Labour Party. Is it too caught in the grip of a process of long-term decline just like the Tories? I want to throw down some more thoughts about the debates around hegemony/anti-hegemony, and something might appear about our old chum Jean Baudrillard. On top of that the usual commentary on events, dear boy will populate this blog. As ever, if you haven't already don't forget to follow the (very) occasional newsletter, and if you like what I do (and you're not skint), you can bung a few quid and help support the blog. Following me on Bluesky, Facebook, and for what it's worth, Twitter, are cost-free ways of showing your backing for this corner of the internet.

Image Credit