by Jack Parbrook
Keir we go: Starmer’s first month in Downing Street
The Labour party’s first two months in government has not been easy. Firstly, Sir Keir Starmer had to tend to riots across the country. Protestors, enraged by high levels of migration, took to the streets, with some assaulting police officers, attacking mosques, and committing arson against hotels housing asylum seekers. Sir Keir was dubbed “two-tier Kier” by some online, for his severe crackdown on the riots; his detractors felt he had been more forgiving to those protesting for other causes than to these rioters.
Labour’s full economic plans are to be revealed in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October budget, which Sir Keir has already assured an already pessimistic country will be “painful”. A foretaste of this has been provided by some of their already announced plans. Labour have controversially elected to cease winter fuel payments to certain pensioners, increase public sector pay by 5.5% per annum, and charge 20% VAT on private school fees.
Labour have also unveiled a range of reforms. One of which is removing the 92 remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords. Labour argues that this will ensure the UK’s system is more democratic but have said nothing on whether it will remove the PM of the day’s ability to appoint peers to the UK’s upper house. This marks a departure from Sir Keir’s stance two years ago, when he promised to abolish the house entirely and replace it with a body elected by the public.
Far-Right Blight: German Regional Elections
Björn Höcke began his speech for the Thuringian state elections with the phrase ‘Alles für Thüringen’ – Everything for Thuringia. This is alarmingly (and intentionally) similar to the banned former Nazi party slogan “Alles für Deutschland” – a phrase Höcke himself has been fined €13,000 for using. Höcke leads the campaign of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in the German state elections of Thuringia. On Sunday the 1st of September the party came first in Thuriniga’s regional elections, though it fell short of an outright majority. It seems unlikely they will be able to form a government in the region.
The problem is that none of the other parties are willing to co-operate with the AfD, who currently poll at 18% nationally – second only to the centre-right CDU. Its incendiary anti-immigration rhetoric and pro-Russia views have seen it branded as far-right by much of the German media and Germany’s domestic intelligence services. However, lacklustre economic growth, an increase in violent crime and a sense of being left-behind amongst some makes fertile soil for the AfD, who blame such ailments on mass-migration. In 2025’s federal elections, a change of tune from some parties to obtain some power in a coalition could prove tempting.
Out with the very old: Harris’ bid to be POTUS
Kamala Harris took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in the USA this August. She secured her party’s nomination after his realised it was apparent to the public that Joe Biden lacked the faculties to run the world’s most powerful country. She has secured the support of her party, but with Harris just leading the polls against Trump by 48.8% to 45.2%, her lead is not as comfortable as she could hope. Donald Trump floundered in his debate with Harris, receiving particular attention for his outlandish claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Ohio.
Furthermore, some of her policies such as price controls have received flak from economists; her support for Biden’s plan to tax unrealised capital gains of those with net worths in the hundreds of millions has caused jitters amongst some and raises myriad questions regarding how such a tax would work in practice and what incentives it would create.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own, and may not reflect the opinions of the St Andrews Economist
Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bj%C3%B6rn_H%C3%B6cke_spricht_in_M%C3%B6dlareuth_20191003_015.jpg
