Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)’s Post

Interesting info below. Be interesting to see how things change as the year progresses ……

What is economic insecurity and why it matters? Check out the first insights on the role of insecurity in the upcoming UK General Election in the report by Nuffield College and Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

Gerrymandering and socially engineered exclusion has been the hallmark of successive cabinets of political mediocrity. The aim is to keep Tufton Street and their political stooges in power regardless of any demonstrated ability to run the country. These puppets of the wealthy ex-dom elite and expatriate media magnates are mandated to achieve and sustain political power by any means possible. Their policies have facilitated the successive rape of the British economy though lawless corruption. And when they get caught with their snouts in the trough they get promoted to House of Lords. For the last three parliaments and for 13 years wealth has been siphoned out of the U.K. and stashed beyond reach of the Inland Revenue. Wage earners on PAYE pay unprecedented tax on earnings while millionaires and billionaires pay almost nothing on their wealth. Property owners see their wealth increase during periods of inflation while renters pay the majority of their income on keeping a roof over their heads.

Nearly half of all UK adults didn't vote according to IPPR research. The young and those earning a low income were less likely to vote than wealthy elderly adults. This is unsurprising when you analyse UK's low social mobility trends. Education, technology and the economy are changing at a dizzying rate yet leaving a massive number of people behind. The new government must invest in services for young people and low income households if we want the 'have-nots' to have an equal faith as the 'haves' in British democracy and policymaking. https://lnkd.in/dun-jS84

#Ukelection They were warned. For a very long time. But they didn’t listen. It has been like talking to a cult. Their eyes would gaze over when you spoke to them (from the PM downwards). They would just talk down to you when you asked them why they have not delivered what was promised. Or what of real lasting substance has the UK government accomplished since 2015 that would create a real sustained improvement in economic welfare for the majority (education being an exception). And what was the plan to address the UK’s fundamental problems. The electorate doesn’t have much choice. Labour offers nothing new. No substantive answers to the UK’s fundamental problems. Just more of the same. Reform is asking the right Qs and daring to talk about them. But doesn’t have credible answers. And the Conservatives are acting like a party in opposition rather than one that has been in government for the last 14 years. Their campaign has been an utter disaster aimed at the wrong target. The manifesto very poor. A list of far too many pledges that no one is listening too as they have lost all credibility. And no apologies for many years of poor governance post 2015. It’s time for change. But who to chose? The discussion is at least civilised to the UK’s great credit. I wish its government didn’t matter. But it does. Answers to follow…..

Being born in the UK, and having witnessed the electorate choose either the Conservative or Labour parties, what seems to be the impetus is a desire for change. We get tired of seeing the same people who govern us, and vote for the other party. Eventually, the other party will need to be booted out of office. England gave Labour a large parliamentary majority. Political capital that Sir Starmer a should use quickly to improve the lives of Britons. Canada is now seeing the same incumbency fatigue that led to the demise of the British conservatives. What is bewildering is the absolute hate for the PM, who is blamed for all of the county’s woes. Like Labour in the UK, the Canadian Conservatives, currently His Majesty’s Canadian opposition, could see a large parliamentary majority too. My concern is that the anger and hatred towards the PM and the party in power is irrational, and insufficient to guarantee a new government would be any better at managing some seemingly tough portfolios. Those include, housing affordability, and availability, very high interest rates, environmental, and health issues. How will a possible Conservative government do better than the incumbents on the big and small dossiers? I’d like to see government burocracy move ten times faster than it does now. I’d like to see an economy robust enough that we can all afford our food, homes, energy, education, and have a decent retirement where the elderly pay little or no taxes at all. The goal should be to achieve a level of prosperity for all people, that will make it possible for the wealth redistribution function of the state, to be reduced. I hope the Conservatives can have enough solid policies that the voter can use their head, instead of a heart full of hate for the current Canadian PM and his government.

Data from our Vulnerability Index was featured in The Independent on Monday, revealing which Conservative-held seats are most likely to flip due to the high numbers of financially vulnerable people.     15 so-called ‘red wall’ seats, which the Tories won at the last election, are among the 50 constituencies with the highest number of financially distressed voters in the country.   Areas with the highest number of financially vulnerable people include Great Grimsby, Blackpool South and Walsall North.    The findings should be causing alarm bells to ring at Conservative HQ ahead of an election in which almost two-thirds of voters believe the economy to be one of the top three issues facing the country – ahead of healthcare and immigration.    Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/euDcZZaG   #data #election #politics #vulnerability #finance

As we approach the Spring Budget, a majority of the public from our British Social Attitudes survey say taxation and spending, particularly health, education and social benefits should be increased. #SpringBudget #BSA40

I usually refrain from politics online. But Reform UK feel too close to home. I am from Stoke-on-Trent, where in the small hours of today, Labour gained three seats from the Conservatives. Across those three constituencies, Reform UK averaged >23% of the vote. Nearly 1 in 4. I am familiar with talk of political abandonment. I am related to people on long NHS waiting lists. I am friends with people who are struggling to find work. I know people who cannot access the basic resources they need to live. I listen to conversations about mainstream politicians who ‘do not care’. My lived experience suggests a ‘protest vote’ goes some way to explaining Reform UK’s relative success in Stoke. In which case, listening to the working-class voices that have been obscured from the last 14 years of British politics is more important than ever– we are not a classless nation (bearing in mind that not all Reform voters are working-class, of course). I do not believe the way to do that is by leaning into Reform UK’s scapegoating. Whatever your thoughts on Starmer’s Labour government, I hope they take the opportunity they now have to interrupt the pattern of the rising far-right across Europe and elsewhere. That will involve listening deeply and unconditionally to the perspectives of Reform UK’s voters. I hope that paying attention to the issues they face, and fixing problems at their root cause (complicated that may be), can pave the way towards a more inclusive politics. [Image credits: Bloomberg. All views are my own.] #ukelection

We were delighted to launch our new More in Common UCL Policy Lab study yesterday looking at what happened during the 2024 General Election and what voters expectations are for what comes next. Using polling and focus group research of more than 10,000 people in the week after the election and more than 60 focus groups, during and after the election campaign we explore how 'Change' - rooted in improvement of public services (and particularly the NHS) but also in a new settlement between politicians and voters rooted in respect - can act as a antidote to the cynicism, apathy and sense of futility that dominated much of the election campaign. Labour's new electoral Coalition spans across different geographic, ideological and demographic groups, a Coalition of pragmatism rather than of pure principle. That new coalition enabled Labour to win a big majority on a relatively low share of the vote. But despite that low vote share there is no doubt that the public think Labour has a mandate for change - in fact 67% of the public, including majorities of those who voted Conservative or for Reform UK think that Starmer now has a majority to change Britain. However the onus now - from both a position of pure politics and maintaining that transactional coalition, but also for people's faith and confidence in Government as a whole - is to deliver on that change and to make people feel that Britain works again, and works for ordinary people. For the Conservative's the message is clear that the route back to Government starts with restoring a reputation for competence, and demonstrating respect for the electorate. Chasing one ideological pole or another will only have limited gains. The Conservatives will have to win back some of those who switched to Reform UK on the right, those who switched to Labour and the Liberal Democrats on the left - but also the large group of 2019 Conservative voters who through loss of trust in the party sat at home - for 77% of these non voters it was the first time they hadn't voted for the party. The report stresses the need for all British politicians to learn from the experiences of those who have failed to quell the populist tide in Europe and elsewhere to avoid making the same mistakes here. The 2024 election represents a clear demand for change from the British public, but delivering on this mandate will require navigating low trust in politicians and institutions. The new government must focus on tangible improvements to people's lives while demonstrating respect for ordinary citizens to rebuild faith in politics itself. Lots more I could add, but please do take a look at the full report and let us know what you think. https://lnkd.in/eremVHHE