A Search for Identity
In his pre-budget speech, Keir Starmer promised that everything his government did would be in the service of working people. However, he offered no concrete guarantees on tax rises or public service cuts. Instead, he presented a more abstract definition of a "working person" as someone who instinctively knows who they are through a process of self-actualization.
This definition raises several questions. What happens if people look in the wrong places for their working-person identity? What if they are misled by false gurus? And how do we define a working person in a world where tax rises and rising costs of living can impact everyone?
Starmer argues that being a working person is not a binary state, but rather a process of constant transition. He suggests that our perception of being taxed more is a personal choice rather than an act of government, and encourages us to adopt the mindset of someone who isn't being taxed more.
This approach raises concerns about accountability and transparency. It would have been easier for Starmer to simply state his plans for tax increases and spending cuts, rather than relying on vague definitions and personal choices.
Despite the lack of specifics, Starmer presented his budget as a long-term plan to repair the economy after years of Conservative mismanagement. He acknowledged the difficult choices that needed to be made and promised to treat the country as a grownup.
things are bad, but they might get better. This was all he could have hoped for, and with no fatal flaws yet identified in the budget, Labour could live with that.
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