Generally, there seems to be an issue with Labour politicians being unable or unwilling to accurately diagnose the challenges to achieving the outcomes they want to deliver and making the case for the policies - and trade-offs - needed to deliver that. Theory of change limited to ‘Tories bad’.

Then there’s GMP, which was bad. Asleep at the wheel as PCC despite longstanding issues and whistleblowers. Seemingly accepted GMP excuses (blame Tories) until it all blew up and went into special measures and he eventually engaged and sacked the Chief Constable.

Untenable promise of ‘no net loss’ of greenbelt that provided cover for breaking the existing GM spatial framework he inherited and has had to be reneged on anyway. Blames govt for higher population projections.

Needless pre-election promises on congestion charge - despite near-certain North Korean level winning margins - led to a narrow, anti-business clean air zone plan that he then backed down from (after putting all the cameras in place)

Chagossians backed and provided the moral heft to the Mauritius case for decades to increase leverage over UK for right of return. They don’t get that, but that case does win. Realisation then sets in of what that means and self-determination becomes a very recent demand i.e after this 2020 letter.

One tiny irony is UEFA and Conmebol dislike Trump’s beloved FIFA for the same - largely justified - reasons the US dislikes the UN (and is trying to sideline it with the Peace Board thing).

Not remotely silly. I bet UEFA would be right behind them too. Never let a crisis go to waste and all that. UEFA - and maybe even Conmebol - hate FIFA enough they would be up for arranging an emergency (then permanent) non-World Cup.

Have never understand why so many planners and architects seem pro TCPA and its offspring. You’re basically going to the barricades for a system that provides you less work and sacrifices your valuable jobs - numerically and qualitatively - to devote more money and headcount to lawyers.

Instead of that extremely valuable - and globally normal - industry, our discretionary system means we have the very unusual industries of ‘planning consultancy’ including ‘s106 and viability experts’, ‘local planning public affairs’ (not dodgy at all).

S106 just shouldn’t exist. Symptom of broken discretionary planning system. MSA MDCs and/or Master Developers should be buying the land for new towns/extensions, zoning for growth, sorting out the master plan, building the roads/sewers etc and selling off the plots. Allocates risk so much better.

Yep. Getting there (away from major sites at least). For small sites and the new medium sites category (10-49 units) NPPF draft talks about potential 10% of GDV as standardised commuted sum for affordable housing. Then a plug and play standardised s106 for the infra bits.

Absolutely. Already a handful of MPs young enough to say they didn’t get a say at the referendum. That will be any new MP under the age of 31 by next election.