Saturday, May 07, 2022

Future of the left

As Fergal Kinney's intro to this Quietus Baker's Dozen implies, Andy Burnham is as close as British politics - and certainly Keir Starmer's Labour Party - has to a poster boy. As Manchester Mayor, his stock is high, not least because "[h]is pragmatic, soft-left regional populism - splitting the difference between Wilsons Harold and Tony - chimed with the demands of the pandemic".

Burnham's selection does him no harm either. The choices might not come as any great surprise - The Beatles, The Smiths, New Order, The Las, Doves, The Wedding Present, Billy Bragg - but wouldn't it be nice to have a Prime Minister who's not only been a regular at the Hacienda but also actually listens to young people (in Burnham's case, his children turned him on to Big Thief)? Given the current incumbent,  I think we could forgive him liking The Stone Roses, including Adam And The Ants in the category "all kinds of rubbish" and hailing The Courteeners as "the best live band I've ever seen".

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