john williams

This seems to me to be necessary reading. The overall strategy seems right given where Britain is, and so do many of the details. It contains its own contradictions and fails to spell out some of its own implications. And putting vast resources into dealing with, say, illegal migrants, answers none of Blair's own questions. But it at least is a proper contribution to the debate everyone says they want

Further to Blair. Literally every honest sensible person in all the main parties privately agrees with all these propositions: - welfare spending is too high and is throwing good people on the scrapheap - defence spending is too low - the triple lock is unsustainable - without cheap energy we cannot exploit the AI revolution - we should be investing in EVERY form of energy: renewables, nuclear and the North Sea - migration needs to be controlled to boost social cohesion and because the boats look like a huge failure of the state - any new relationship with the EU will be imposed on us until we are stronger and cannot involve the closeness some desire without freedom of movement - we are deeply embedded with America in ways which the public does not understand and cannot be told and however joyous it makes us feel to hate Trump, disengagement at the deep state level is not only wholly unrealistic but also undesirable - Whitehall needs a total overhaul so specific project expertise and political appointees can be brought in quickly Blair basically says all that. The one thing he doesn’t say and which the same group of people agree on is this and it’s something Blair left behind: - judges and quangos have too much power, are unaccountable and without redressing the balance in favour of parliament it is very difficult to do anything big fast - the bare minimum that needs to change in this regard is to reform judicial review and planning law so we can put building and economic growth ahead of newts and NIMBYs None of that above really ought to be up for discussion. It is all common sense but not one of our politicians will publicly say all of it Whatever you think of Blair, engage with what he’s saying not how he makes you feel. The bare minimum we should expect from any leader is that they have an analysis of the current situation and a plan to deal with it which is as coherent and realistic as his intervention. Pretty well every critique I’ve read so far has failed to meet this requirement. Over to Andy and Keir and Kemi and Nigel and Zack and all the others

Whether you agree or disagree with him, you can tell that this is what real political argument looks like: an arc, not a list.

“Our country has slipped in its provision...” “There are some conditions that no amount of palliative care can help...” Lady Hale and Bishop Rowan Williams discuss palliative care and their opposing views on assisted dying. #Newsnight

“What I'd like to happen is a kind of reshaping of the NHS… that would guarantee more people a death with dignity.” Bishop Rowan Williams calls for changes to healthcare instead of legalised assisted dying. #Newsnight

Curiously, the people redesigning NHS employment models are rarely redesigning their own terms and conditions. In every NHS reform, insecurity seems to travel downward. myemail.constantcontact.com/Even-more.html…

It's hard to argue with this from Tony Blair: "Governments which succeed don't start with a personality contest. Or a political question - as in how do we "save the country" from Reform. They start with an idea, a project, a governing purpose"

“the new paper has raised questions about whether some of the risks of climate change have been poorly communicated or overstated in years past and how best to think about those risks going forward.” nytimes.com/2026/05/26/cli… via @NYTimes

“A chair is not meant to be the high-profile person. The CEO is the leader of the business,” “chair allegedly overstepping his role” “They accused him of a habit of talking down to employees at all levels and a “shouty” management style” ft.com/content/887026…

AM

Looking down..

New arrivals

“Everyone’s diagnosed the problem, but the movement towards the solution is just way off the pace in terms of the speed at which we and others are building companies,” Ed Bussey, chief executive of Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE)” thetimes.com/article/ef8e71…

Teenage patients 'ignored' before fatal NHS trust failures - “ the former patients and families who have now won their fight for a public inquiry hope their many questions about the trust's care failures can finally be answered,” bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Yes, I get it, you all hate Tony Blair etc you’ll find loads to disagree with here I’m sure - but the quality of analysis of our problems and what any potential leader ought to be thinking about if they want to solve them puts this essay light years ahead of what any current contender for national leadership has offered. Anyone who wants to be an effective prime minister (including the current one) should read it

“The government should now remove all obstacles to AI-related business growths, radically increase planning reform, reverse its North Sea energy policy and make fundamental changes to the welfare system,” theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

“It’s not too late for the left to change course & address AI in a way that takes the tech & its potential danger seriously. But that will require listening to & heeding what tech workers say— less flamboyant than the promises of Silicon Valley leadership” nytimes.com/2026/05/26/opi…

‘Armageddon’: The Blockbuster Melodrama That Left Our Heads Spinning Michael Bay wasn’t remotely worried about the science in his 1998 science-fiction action hit that launched an elite ensemble cast to space.” Epic film. nytimes.com/2026/05/26/mov… via @NYTimes

“Regulation should not be seen as a barrier to innovation.” @MHRAgovuk CEO @LawrenceTallon says the UK needs a smarter, more adaptive approach to regulating AI in healthcare, one that gets proven technologies to clinicians and patients faster while maintaining trust and safety. Key themes: • NHS AI adoption • Medical LLMs • Post-market monitoring • Proportionate regulation • UK life sciences growth politicsuk.com/news/ai-health…

'Overwhelming consensus' that screen time harms children, top doctors say .. Vs “There is no consensus among the wider scientific community that screen time overall is harmful to children” Consensus is not evidence.. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…