When Britain is shattered who do you need to win the next UK election? Latest What's Left episode with pollster Luke Tryl drops amongst the “OMG this poll has Reform predicted to win 400 seats” hysteria. Chillllll, Winston, we’re still a few years out. Of course, any given poll should be taken with a pinch of salt and a shot of tequila + lime. Politicos are taught not to read polls in isolation - but to look at the average across the polls for a sober analysis. Even then, you only have a limited snapshot and political parties and No 10 have their own operations with more accurate data. But if we’re being fully real rn, to quote Castillo, the average of the public-facing polls is “not looking good brev [sic]”. So what explains Labour’s drop off and the dramatic rise of Reform in the polls since the election? Who better to ask than one of the UK’s leading pollsters, Luke Tryl.Luke is the Executive Director of More in Common, widely rated as one of the best polling companies in SW1. He’s long had his finger on Westminster’s pulse, having served as a Special Advisor in the Department for Education during the Theresa May premiership following years on the think tank circuit. His analysis is deeply respected across the major parties, as shown by his frequent guest appearances on The News Agents’ podcast. In this discussion we delved into More in Common’s latest report, ‘Shattered Britain’, and its segmentation of the electorate which identified 7 types of voter. In particular, we zoomed in on the growing anti-system sentiment across the UK and Labour’s challenge in being seen as defenders of a rotten orthodoxy. Luke also made some adroit observations around the prospect of widespread social disorder, that has been whipped up by Farage and co over the past few weeks. No one wants to see the ugly and violent scenes we saw last year. Cool heads are needed to avoid talking ourselves into a febrile atmosphere. And Reform themselves would be wise to heed Luke's advice on how the public views such self-fulfilling prophecies...So how can Labour win the next election? The government needs to be seen to deliver for normal people - it’s about returning control to the electorate around a politics of respect. A renewed social contract, where you give in and understand that you also get out. Now more than ever, we need to rebuke the Thatcherism that 'there is no such thing as society' and create an integrative common culture. Otherwise, the UK will capitulate to the f@r-r1ght. It really is that deep, I’m afraid.Chapters00:00 Intro01:35 Britain is Shattered11:23 Pro-System vs. Anti-System21:23 What’s Causing Social Fragmentation?30:30 Splitting the Left Vote37:10 Better Political Comms 42:33 Impending Civil Unrest?46:30 Immigration and Social Integration53:10 Can our Electoral System Cope?59:50 How to Win the Next Election---------------Follow Luke on Tw*tter: @LukeTrylFollow us on IG/TT: @wtf_is.leftBe safe be lucky people yh!
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A Wealth Tax that Works... – Dan Neidle
Wealth taxes are all the rage as we approach an Autumn budget where money affi make for the Treasury.75% of the British public want a wealth tax (2% tax on assets over £10 million) according to YouGov polling. Gary Stevenson, Dale Vince and the Patriotic Millionaires crew say it will raise £24 billion - so why doesn't the government just do it... Dan Neidle is the UK's foremost tax expert - head of the Tax Policy Associates and formerly Clifford Chance's Head of Tax for 20 years. His tax vigilanteism led to the sacking of senior Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi. His organisation 'Tax Policy Associates' continues to go after dodgy tax schemes, creating more scuffles with some of the most rich and powerful in the UK. We call him Professor (ta)X, some call him tax Batman.In this episode we discuss a wide range of ideas - not just wealth taxes - but wealth inequality, populist comms and radical pro-growth reform of the UK's antiquated tax system. P.S. for our leftist audience, we're not giving up on an internationally co-ordinated wealth tax.We also hone in on a land value tax, supported by every tax policy wonk across the political spectrum but a big fat 0 politicians. Maybe the govt's mission really should be a housing-theory-of-quite-a-lot, moving with far more urgency and doing whatever necessary to upend the UK's supply problem.But of course, the cost of that is votes - votes that virtually every party has deemed necessary not to challenge, leaving us with council tax home valuations from the 90s... It really is such a mess. Enough of the doomerism. Hopefully this episode will leave you, like us, feeling a bit more informed about the shape of British tax policy and how we should be influencing the national conversation.------Chapters00:00 Intro01:23 Will a Wealth Tax Work?08:02 Are Millionaires Leaving the UK?14:00 Wealth Tax vs. Economic Growth21:12 International Wealth Taxes26:53 Fixing the UK’s Boomer Tax Problem31:58 Land Value Tax = A Real ‘Wealth Tax’38:00 Farmer’s Inheritance Tax Solution41:06 Why Politicians are Failing on Tax52:55 Eradicating Tax Havens59:00 Fighting Fraud and Tax Avoidance1:04:51 Private Sector vs. Public Sector------Watch on YouTube: Youtube.com/@wtfisleftFollow Dan on X: @DanNeidle Follow us on IG + TikTok: @wtf_is.leftJoin our Discord: https://discord.gg/vmF3SjKu
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Cooking Charlie Kirk - BlondePraxis
New left-wing commentator unlocked!! Tilly Middlehurst a.k.a. BlondePraxis shot to TikTok fame after her debate with Charlie Kirk at the Cambridge Union went viral.Charlie Kirk made a name for himself by turning up on US college campuses to troll leftie students. When he came up against Tilly, a competitive British debater currently in her 2nd year at uni, the chronically online US political scene went ballistic. Kirk had certainly met his match.With over 300k followers on TikTok, Tilly has done what Robbie Williams failed to do – broken America. Her content focuses on the state of American democracy, insurgent populism in the UK and abroad and what that means for left wing politics.In this podcast, we chatted about Cambridge, meritocracy and got the inside scoop on the pushback she had post the Kirk debate. There’s also an in-depth discussion about the new Left party in the UK and its wider political implications.It’s always a pleasure to see the emergence of a new voice on the scene!!! And a privilege to host Tilly’s first of very many podcast appearances on our channel.00:00 Intro 01:23 Charlie Kirk Debate 09:45 Working Class in Cambridge16:52 Meritocracy, Identity and Code Switching25:15 Controversy post-Kirk Debate31:00 Is Gen-Z Polarisation Real?38:00 What are Tilly’s political views?45:20 Do you support the Labour Party?53:46 Corbyn-Sultana's New Left Party
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Manosphere Deprogramming Course – James Bloodworth, Matt Shea
Worried about the Manosphere? We got you w a DLC.We've got two of the world's leading authorities on what is really going on inside the world of the pay-to-play male paranoia.James Bloodworth is a journalist and author, who has recently published 'Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere'. Matt Shea is a former VICE journalist, best known for his series of documentaries on 'you know who', which were aired on the BBC.Hopefully this 90+ min discussion can help explain the deeper complexities that tie the manosphere, the conspiracy right and male loneliness together - and offer some thought-provoking ideas on how we move forward.Chapters00:00 The reality of the manosphere12:00 The male anxiety marketing industry22:50 Lessons from leaving the manosphere31:15 ‘Feminism has gone too far’46:16 Why are the left losing with men?55:00 Social Media has changed our relationships1:09:13 C0rn, doomscrolling and dopamine addiction1:24:19 Conspiracy theories shifting the Overton window1:28:50 - Positive masculinity and role modelsDon't forget to drop us a follow @wtf_is.left on IG/TikTok. Stay blessed people.
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Why I rebelled over welfare - Labour MP, Henry Tufnell
Labour welfare rebel Henry Tufnell is the first MP in the hot seat at WLHQ… There’s been no breaks to the psychodrama of UK politics since 2016. We can’t be the only ones who are feeling completely exhausted.This week the government had to climb down from its proposal for welfare reform which targeted the UC + PIP bill (benefits) which has ballooned since COVID and is projected to double over the course of this parliament. Critics of the bill said it would target the most vulnerable. Many economists said it was absolutely necessary.If you want to know what’s really going on here, who better to ask than one of the signatories to the amendment that killed the bill?Let’s not cap, this has been an incredibly challenging week for the Starmer-Reeves premiership. Most of the country is ever more confused about the direction of travel. And there is clearly a disconnect between number 10 and the backbenches. So how do we solve this seemingly intractable problem? We need to find a way to unite, a story that offers a solution to the deep rot we can sense in our communities – a new social contract, perhaps. More questions than answers, and ever more pressing a time to help us figure out what’s left.
'What's Left?' is a progressive political podcast for the generation tasked with returning order to political chaos.With 'Left/Right' no longer a clear distinction for our politics, what does it really mean to be on the political 'left'? And given the enormous change we're living through, what is left of our values, institutions and political systems?Co-hosts Jovan Owusu-Nepaul and Freddie Feltham are ex-Labour Party staffers, who have scrapped with Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate between them. Through in-depth chats with friends and experts inside Westminster and beyond, we hope to reveal what's really at stake as civilisation crosses the AI Rubicon.This is a show for anyone fed up with the status quo; ready to listen, learn and do in pursuit of a better and fairer future. Oh - and we wanna have some fun with it too.Jovan + Freddie
UK