“In 2010 stelde Andy Burnham zich kandidaat als Labourleider, maar hij eindigde met slechts 10% van de stemmen. In 2015 deed hij opnieuw een gooi, maar behaalde slechts 19%. Wat veranderde er tussen 2015 en 2026, wanneer hij de steun kreeg van 94% van parlementsleden? In één woord: Manchester.”

Ben Coates@bencoates1.bsky.social · 2w ago

I am supposed to be staying offline but I accidentally wrote a piece for the Groene Amsterdammer about Andy Burnham, his Dutch romance and how Manchesterism could save the UK 👇😃👇 “Het VK heeft sinds 2016 inmiddels evenveel premiers gehad als Nederland sinds 1977” www.groene.nl/artikel/de-w...

I am supposed to be staying offline but I accidentally wrote a piece for the Groene Amsterdammer about Andy Burnham, his Dutch romance and how Manchesterism could save the UK 👇😃👇 “Het VK heeft sinds 2016 inmiddels evenveel premiers gehad als Nederland sinds 1977” www.groene.nl/artikel/de-w...

I am supposed to be staying offline but I accidentally wrote a piece for the Groene Amsterdammer about Andy Burnham, his Dutch romance and how Manchesterism could save the UK 👇😃👇 “Het VK heeft sinds 2016 inmiddels evenveel premiers gehad als Nederland sinds 1977” www.groene.nl/artikel/de-w...

I am taking a few weeks off social media. I hope you all have a lovely summer. If you need me I will mostly be riding my bike, reading books in the garden and watching 30 Rock.

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This is your regular reminder that if you have somehow failed to do so, you absolutely should order and read my book on Amsterdam. Romans, colonialists, slave traders, artists, poets, Nazis, rock stars, stoners… they’re all there. It’s a jaw-droppingly good read www.waterstones.com/book/the-inv...

The Invention of Amsterdam by Ben Coates | Waterstones

Buy The Invention of Amsterdam by Ben Coates from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

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can I gently suggest that if you are already, six minutes into his premiership, massively disappointed with all the ways the nefarious Andy Burnham has let you down then perhaps your expectations were a bit off to begin with

Interesting piece I’m not sure I’ve ever articulated it well but one thing I admire about the Netherlands is the way people seem able to appreciate life’s small pleasures a lot High status job with an important title? Who cares Cycling to the cafe for a piece of apple pie in the sun? Everything

Henry Mance@henrymance.ft.com · 3w ago

Really enjoyed this article in defence of meritocracy as.ft.com/r/5afd25c1-e...

You’re all going to regret those tattoos

Black Aziz Anansi@blackazizanansi.blacksky.app · 2w ago

What's your old person trait?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told NATO chief Mark Rutte this morning that the appointment of John Healey, as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer "was a signal of his intent" In other words, expect the UK to spend even more on defence.

can I gently suggest that if you are already, six minutes into his premiership, massively disappointed with all the ways the nefarious Andy Burnham has let you down then perhaps your expectations were a bit off to begin with

Interesting piece I’m not sure I’ve ever articulated it well but one thing I admire about the Netherlands is the way people seem able to appreciate life’s small pleasures a lot High status job with an important title? Who cares Cycling to the cafe for a piece of apple pie in the sun? Everything

Henry Mance@henrymance.ft.com · 3w ago

Really enjoyed this article in defence of meritocracy as.ft.com/r/5afd25c1-e...

I thought this was a very good episode - a blistering (but not unfair) accounting of Starmer’s failures One point I found particularly strong: the idea that he presided over a collapse of cultural norms around racist rhetoric. “The share value of dog whistles has really fallen”

Origin Story@originstorypodcast.bsky.social · 3w ago

Starmer Revisited – Where Did It All Go Wrong? The bonus episode is out now! As Starmer steps down and Andy Burnham steps up, @dorianlynskey.bsky.social and @iandunt.bsky.social perform the autopsy. Listen / watch ➡️ linktr.ee/originstoryp...

The only pundit you need Don’t have a substack, buy my books

Ben Coates@bencoates1.bsky.social · 3w ago

Ed Miliband is the most likely (and a good) choice. But I wonder if John Haley doesn’t have an outside shot at chancellor. He’s guaranteed a big job and has long experience at the Treasury; someone with perfect Labour credentials but less likely to spook the markets and the tabloids

I am pretty relaxed about most of AB’s choices but it really seems odd to me that a moment when your own chancellor is predicting war in Europe in a couple of years, you would give all your top foreign policy jobs to people who never seem to have had any interest in it at all

Ben Coates@bencoates1.bsky.social · 2w ago

one notable thing about Burnham is his lack of interest in foreign affairs - he’s never worked on it, rarely mentions it, hasn’t traveled much It’s therefore odd that his big picks - Miliband at FCDO, Streeting Defence, but also Purnell etc - are also people with no background. an odd vacuum

de welbespraakte vuilnisbak

Het Parool@parool.nl · 2w ago

In het Zuid-Engelse Clacton is het Farage versus Binface, de welbespraakte vuilnisbak

one notable thing about Burnham is his lack of interest in foreign affairs - he’s never worked on it, rarely mentions it, hasn’t traveled much It’s therefore odd that his big picks - Miliband at FCDO, Streeting Defence, but also Purnell etc - are also people with no background. an odd vacuum

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 2w ago

Latest Cabinet appointments announced by no 10 Wes Streeting is Defence Secretary Alex Norris is Justice Secretary

replacing Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham is like deciding your Ford Puma ST is a totally useless and badly designed piece of junk and replacing it with a Ford Puma ST-X

Cameron - Oxford May - Oxford Johnson - Oxford Truss - Oxford Sunak - Oxford Starmer - Oxford Burnham - Cambridge Change is possible!!

Andy Burnham’s wife has organized a special welcome party at Downing Street tonight

Ben Coates@bencoates1.bsky.social · 3mo ago

True story: Andy Burnham’s wife, Frankie van Heel, is Dutch. Years ago she went on the TV show Blind Date, and won a date with a guy who turned out to be comms director for the Conservative Party. When they got backstage she said: “Fuck off, I never want to see you again”. And then she married Andy.

the Milibands are the Dulles brothers of the twenty-first century Surely the first siblings to both serve as foreign secretary?

Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ed Miliband is foreign sec

omg

Ben Coates@bencoates1.bsky.social · 3w ago

Ed Miliband is the most likely (and a good) choice. But I wonder if John Haley doesn’t have an outside shot at chancellor. He’s guaranteed a big job and has long experience at the Treasury; someone with perfect Labour credentials but less likely to spook the markets and the tabloids

If you don’t know much about Andy Burnham then this interview (from four years ago, with @mrjamesob.bsky.social) is a good place to start Burnham comes across as a pretty decent bloke podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/f...

From The Vault: Andy Burnham, MP for Makerfield and Mayor of Greater Manchester

Podcast Episode · Full Disclosure with James O'Brien · 18 June · 58min

podcasts.apple.com

I am curious to see how long it takes for the British public/media to decide that this latest blandly-centrist friendly-football-dad middle-management type is in fact the dumb racist spawn of Thatcher and couldn’t be trusted to clean a carrot, let alone run a country. Five weeks? Eight?

Cameron - Oxford May - Oxford Johnson - Oxford Truss - Oxford Sunak - Oxford Starmer - Oxford Burnham - Cambridge Change is possible!!

replacing Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham is like deciding your Ford Puma ST is a totally useless and badly designed piece of junk and replacing it with a Ford Puma ST-X

is this.. like the peace prize? it sounds a bit like the peace prize

Maarten Hopman@maartenhopman.bsky.social · 2w ago

Toeteren!!!

when it comes to being wrong, there can only be one world champion

Trump: "Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I'd like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. Cut off all trade with Spain, please. Including visits. We don't want anything to do. They're hopeless. Bad people."

I never watch football but happened to turn on the World Cup thing at half time and… jesus. Old Madonna, fat Ronaldo, the Muppets doing the White Stripes, terrible multicolored synchronized violin playing… is *this* what you’ve all been watching all these years?

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