Britain | Bagehot
Why Britain’s Labour government enjoys hippy-punching
And why that risks being more of a fetish than a strategy
Hippy-punching is a simple concept. To gain the trust of voters, leaders of centre-left parties must hunt down their most left-wing members and pummel them. Once an Americanism, it is associated in Britain with Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader who won power with his knuckles covered in leftie blood.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The limits of hippy-punching”
Britain July 27th 2024
From the July 27th 2024 edition
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