It's Bloody Complicated - A Compass Podcast The Starmer Symptom with Mark Perryman
It's clear that this Labour Government are in a bit of trouble. Already floundering in the polls off the back of a year in which their promise of 'change' in 2024 hasn't lived up to expectations, they have now been rocked by a series of scandals and resignations - Angela Rayner, Peter Mandelson, Paul Ovenden - that are undermining Sir Keir Starmer's Premiership. With a Deputy Leadership contest now being seen as an internal referendum on the leadership, the 2025 Party Conference is set to be one to keep your eye on.
To that end, the release of Mark Perryman's new book, 'The Starmer Symptom', couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The Starmer Symptom brings together leading political writers to navigate the complex terrain of this seismic shift in British politics. This unique collection analyses voter data, and looks at the break-up of the two-party system with the rise of a populist right in Reform UK and a new independent left. Will Keir Starmer’s government be able to successfully combine the pragmatic and social democratic to produce radical change? And if not, who is waiting in the wings?
Perryman sits down with Compass Director Neal Lawson, who contributed a chapter to the book. Other contributors include Clive Lewis, Danny Dorling, Emma Burnell, Gargi Bhattacharyya, James Meadway, Hilary Wainwright, Jeremy Gilbert, Phil Burton-Cartledge, and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
Special Offer for Compass Members and Supporters: ‘The Starmer Symptom’ for JUST £11.89 (usual price £16.99). Use coupon code ‘STARMER30’ at Pluto Press here.
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