Britain | Bagehot

The secret to good government? Actually trying 

Effort always beats ideas in British politics

illustration of Keir Starmer being admonished by Beckett, depicted in headmaster attire. Beckett is pointing his finger at Starmer in a stern manner, emphasizing the need for Starmer to try harder. The background is red
Illustration: Nate Kitch

The power of a new government stems not from its ideas but its enthusiasm. Labour, which took power on July 5th, kicked off with a flurry of green measures approved with the simple squiggle of a minister’s pen. Three giant solar farms were nodded through. A ban on onshore wind farms was removed by ministerial diktat. Or as Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, put it in peculiarly teenage syntax: “It was just, like, ‘delete’.”

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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The secret of good government? Trying ”

From the July 20th 2024 edition

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