Kmflett's Blog

Before Starmer’s Imperial Delusions: Welfare & Warfare, a Social Democratic View. The 1970 Labour Manifesto

Keir Starmer has made what will hopefully be his last major speech before departing Downing St. A summary of it comes down to paying more for defence while cutting things that make Britain worth defending. It is arguably a traditional Tory view and perhaps that of a section of the old Labour right. It is not social democratic let alone socialist.

While defending the UK from attack, as likely from the US as Russia in the current moment it might be thought, is appropriate, expenditure on global warmongering is not. Surely Britian was meant to have learnt that lesson in the 1960s. The pressure for more defence spending and less welfare comes from the political hard right and from defence industry lobbyists (often former senior armed forces figures).

Starmer who is most definitely not a (labour) history man says that Labour Government’s have always prioritised defence spending and security. That is 50% right. When those Government’s have also been social democratic they have balanced that with welfare spending, understanding that the two go together.

The extracts below are from the June 1970 Labour Election Manifesto. Labour lost to the Tories but the two extracts strike what might be considered a social democratic balance between welfare and warfare.

Certainly from the formation of NATO Labour was (and still is) committed to warfare- that is defence spending. During the Cold War defence was seen by the Labour right as a key issue but there was a quid pro quo. What was being defended and why? It was a country that looked after the sick and aged in a ‘compassionate’ welfare system.

The 1970 Manifesto arguably leaned a little to the left and the left position of welfare not warfare can be seen. It didn’t mean ignoring defence spending, but it was focused on decent public services and welfare provision.

The Starmer Government wanted to try and diverge from both the classic positions of the Labour right and left. Considerable increases on defence spending are proposed at the same time as considerable cuts in public investments.

The result may over a period of time (perhaps not immediately in each case) leave considerable numbers in poverty and economic infrastructure crumbling even more than it is now. It’s not a recognisable social-democratic position based in the historical context of Labour policy

1970 Labour Manifesto

We must make a rising standard of provision for those who, on account of age, sickness or other circumstances, are unable to provide for themselves. A compassionate society is one that does not grudge help for those in need

in the world as it is today, Britain must maintain her defences and her firm commitment to NATO. It is true – and it is a truly Socialist shift in priorities – that we now spend more on education than on defence, and that in the near future the health and welfare service expenditure will also exceed defence spending. Yet, because of our shrewd and sensible reduction in commitments, with Labour, the armed forces are better paid, better equipped and more effective in NATO than ever before. More than that, in contrast to the hundreds of millions of pounds wasted on costly prestige projects under the Tories, Labour’s defence planning gives the taxpayer value for money.

1970 Labour Party Manifesto –

Andy Burnham gave a major policy speech at the People’s History Museum on 29th June.

He was dressed in trademark jacket and dark T.

He already has a place in the Museum. A jacket he wore in 2020 at the peak of the COVID crisis and which saw him dubbed King of the North is an exhibit

Collections Display – People’s History Museum: The national museum of democracy

The style is impeccable but turning policy into meaningful change will require the second half of the traditional labour movement slogan, the past we inherit the future we build. Building in this case will require organisation and campaigning from below, something the People’s History Museum rightly documents going back to Peterloo in 1819 and before

Collections Display – People’s History Museum: The national museum of democracy

Footballers & Managers at the World Cup. Multinational & Multilingual

I’ve extracted a few key points from a longer piece Simon Kuper wrote in the Financial Times on 13^th June 2026

Kuper notes that football clubs became multilingual workplaces from 1995 when the European Court ruled that EU citizens could play sport in any EU country.

Numbers of squads at the World Cup have players representing them who were not born in the country and don’t necessarily speak the language well.

Until recently Kuper argues this was  a problem. He quotes Carlo Ancelotti when he managed PSG from 2011-2013 ‘first you tell the Italians in Italian, then you tell the Brazilians in pseudo-Italian and then you tell David Beckham in grunts and gestures’.

On occasion translators have been used but in general things have moved on.

Kuper notes that Kylian Mbappe learnt Spanish at PSG well before he moved to Real Madrid. Mbappe told Kuper ‘it is important to speak multiple languages if you are playing with players of international dimensions’.

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku grew up in Brussels where Kuper notes ‘he used to start a sentence in French and finish it in Dutch and throw in some Spanish or Portuguese or Lingala depending on the neighbourhood’

Kuper concludes ‘some multinational businesses could learn from the linguistic sophistication of football teams’.

I think we may also see here why Nigel Farage is really not that interested in football. It is  a world of which he wishes to have no conception

A banner currently on display at the People’s History Museum

Andy Burnham chose the People’s History Museum in Manchester to make a policy speech on 29th June.

Unlike most such speeches it did actually have some content, how radical or implementable it is will be discussed.

The choice of venue was significant. Manchester is full of venues where such an event can take place. Burnham however used an events hall at the People’s History Museum. The Museum is an important research archive for historians but its general exhibitions are of considerable interest not just for labour historians but for anyone interested in the history of the fight for democracy and equality.

One exhibit is the ‘donkey jacket’ that Michael Foot wore at the Cenotaph in 1981

Collections Display – People’s History Museum: The national museum of democracy

However much of his Blairite past Burnham still has, this is not a location where Blair would ever think about making a speech.

It does indicate, and its likely that Burnham learnt this during his Manchester years, location, theatre and style matter in politics. These are things which passed Starmer completely by.

E P Thompson wrote in Homage to Tom Maguire that the British socialist movement was formed not in London Head Offices but in ‘those shadowy parts known as the Provinces’. The Independent Labour Party was formed in Bradford in 1893, although shortly after it operated from Manchester. London was shunned.

How much of that history Burnham knows is another matter but what it does tell us, is whatever is to be made of his speech, if he is to make a difference for the better, it will require organised pressure from below from trade unions, communities and campaigns. There is a lot about that on display in the People’s History Museum.

In March 2026 the US medical cannabis and craft beer company acquired Brewdog out of administration for £30m

The CEO of Tilray has told the Times that since then they have put £50m into Brewdog to keep it going and invest in its future. This is hardly unexpected, but does of course come with the hope that the investment pays off.

Simon also revealed the key reason why Tilray bought Brewdog- essentially for access to market for its US beer brands

“Do you know how hard it would have been for me or for Tilray to come to the UK and introduce our American brands without having Brewdog? 

“We would have spent millions of dollars to get distribution and to get the consumer aware of it. This is a big, big plus for Tilray and a big, big advantage.”  

Since the takeover, Tilray has introduced 24 new American beers to bars in the UK as well as an energy drink, Hi*Ball.

Beard Liberation Front

29^th June

Contact Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social

Beard, Shorts & Sandals Season. Campaigners warn of trouser cultists

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that the 2026 Official Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season is under threat from trouser cultists, particularly in workplaces.

As temperatures have soared above 30C across Europe and look set to continue in the coming weeks, evidence has emerged that some employers, followers of the trousers cult are banning the wearing of shorts at work.

The Bank of England, based in the City of London, does not allow shorts with Bank Governor Andrew Bailey telling the Sunday Times (28^th June) that no one wants to look at his knees.

The Head of the Financial Times Tokyo Bureau Leo Lewis (27^th June) reports that while FT staff are mainly shorts wearers, Tokyo is only slowly distancing itself from the trousers cultists. He underlines that an instance on trousers reflect a refusal to grapple with the impact of climate change.

No Guidelines in 2026

The Beard Liberation Front, one of whose founding principles is that people should be able to dress and appear as they want, is increasingly concerned about official diktats on how people should or should not appear.

For the first time the voluntary option of wearing shades or sunglasses has been added after consultation within the network.

However the BLF urges those participating in the 2026 Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season to take care out there:

1 UV levels. It’s not just sun that can lead to sunburnt legs

2 Pogonophobia. Participants should beware beard haters

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, the Beard, Shorts and Sandals season has been a major influence on summer fashions in recent times and the 2026 season is no different. We are very concerned about the activities of trousers cultists and will be focusing campaigning to oppose their Victorian dress codes.

So, Farewell then Bazball

With the unexpected resignation of Ben Stokes as England cricket captain on 28^th June the future not only of Coach Brendan McCullum but also his method of playing, known as Bazball is under question.

Marx, who was not as far as is known a cricket fan, saw a declining rate of profit as being one of the key issues with a capitalist market economy. One way of looking at this is, that while an innovative company can make good profits initially, competition develops. With this more investment is needed to keep up develop, and more capital investment starts to impact on the initial profit rate, as technological advance decreases the amount of workers needed, from profit is derived. It is however a tendency not an absolute.

There is a sporting analogy. In football from time to time a manager introduces a new way of playing which brings initial success. However over time opposing sides work out what the new way is, and find effective ways to counter it.

The same appears to be true of Bazball. It first operated in the summer of 2022 when England won a series against, er, New Zealand. For an extended initial period the success of the England’s Men’s team in Tests with McCullum as Coach and Stokes as captain was very high. From 2024 into 2025 the success began to drop, so that before the 2025/6 Ashes series which England lost 4-1 it was still just under 60%.

The reality was that opposing teams were able to work out what Bazball was and how to counter it. Over time the initial advantage declined, even allowing for occasional tweaks in the method.

The departure of Ben Stokes is likely linked to the dysfunctional nature of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) although it’s a struggle to find a sports administration at the top level of sports that does work particularly well. But underlining this is the reality that the Bazball system, which can provide exciting cricket at best, is no longer one that delivers sustained success.

Stokes departure should provoke the end for McCullum and Bazball and perhaps (less likely) changes at higher levels in the ECB. The next Home Test series against Pakistan starts on August 19^th…..

As Gramsci (someone else who was not a cricket fan) noted in his Prison Notebooks, ‘the old is dying, but the new cannot be born..’

Beard Liberation Front

28th June

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has paid tribute to Ben Stokes who has announced his retirement as England Men’s Test cricket captain and from international cricket.

The campaigners say that Ben Stokes has the most impactful England cricket beard since W G Grace.

His Beard Power has been a distinctive and lasting presence not just with bat and ball but also as captain

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we hope Ben Stokes and his Beard Power has a continuing role in cricket, and we can only hope that he and his follicles continue to flourish

The Ambridge Socialist

28^th June

Ruth puts Brian on the spot: ‘what is it you really, really want?’

The attempt by Ruth to mediate between Adam and Brian predictably failed at least in part because it was not a proper mediation. Before Adam and Brian were let loose on each other in the same room, Ruth should have explored their respective positions with them separately and then determined if there was a way forward in a joint meeting. Any way that is probably rather boring even for the Archers so Home Farm going into administration remains the most likely option.

The Ambridge Socialist at the Borchester Show

We’ll have a presence at the Borchester Show handing out our specially produced flyer ‘down with big farming’

Work Experience..

Keira is doing work experience at the Rewilding project. Good news for Ed Miliband if we have read the runes correctly. Meanwhile George & Keira are clearing the barn which was something Eddie Grundy should have done…

Anne-Marie

Amber’s mother is still promoting her RP pronunciation

The new milking parlour

Helen is planning an expansion having acquired some new cows. Tom is grumpy about it, because he wants new polytunnels. Another band of warring relations