Alex Smith

Emma Burnell announced as new LabourList Editor - LabourList LabourList is delighted to announce that Emma Burnell has been appointed as the new Editor of the leading media and events platform for all things Labour.

Fantastic hire by @labourlist.bsky.social - when I was Editor, Emma was one of best contributors to the site in every sense. She understands what LabourList is and what it has the power to be. Good luck @emmaburnell.bsky.social labourlist.org/2025/07/new-...

Emma Burnell announced as new LabourList Editor - LabourList LabourList is delighted to announce that Emma Burnell has been appointed as the new Editor of the leading media and events platform for all things Labour.

Thrilled @emmaburnell.bsky.social is the new @labourlist.bsky.social editor. Emma started writing for the site in 2009 and has always been thoughtful, pluralist and deeply connected to the site’s mission. Good luck, Emma, and congrats to all involved on a great hire.

labourlist.org/2025/07/new-...

To those who question what Labour stands for – look at Best Start. It will change Britain’s future | Polly Toynbee Sure Start was New Labour’s finest achievement, and the Tories destroyed it. Now it’s back with a mission to put children at the heart of everything, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

'Those near a Sure Start centre in early years performed better at 7, 11 and 16 and got better GCSEs. At 15 they had 15% fewer absences from school. 12- to 14-year-olds had 50% fewer mental health hospitalisations.'

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I crisscrossed America to talk to people whose views I disagreed with. I now have one certainty I’ve spoken to white nationalists in Tennessee and Black activists in Texas – and learned about what it takes to connect across difference

"We have much to lose in the erosion of neighborly concern, the impetus to look out for others we don’t know that well. Neighborliness is collective belonging."

This is thoughtful about how progress comes when people from different experiences bond:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

YouTube video by The Rest Is Politics: Leading Ed Miliband: Why Blair & Farage Are Wrong About Net Zero (Part 2)

So good to see Ed Miliband so humble about the past and so passionate about the future (especially on climate) in this @therestpolitics.bsky.social with @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and Rory Stewart. Two fantastic episodes, ultimately rooted in hope:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMg...

Retention is just as important to an organisation’s culture and success as recruitment. MUFC have lost some very good players prematurely over the years. McTominay and Lukaku deserve every success at Napoli ⚽️

LabourList job vacancy: We're looking for a new Editor - LabourList Job Title: Editor Location: London, including some home working Reports to: LabourList Board Salary: Approximately £40,000-55,000, depending on…

Editing @labourlist.bsky.social was one of the great privileges of my career. The site remains a vital place for debate, influence and action. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to build on the last 16 years (!) of impact.

labourlist.org/2025/05/labo...

I’ve written for @thespectator1828.bsky.social about people’s stories in focus groups of how they’ve turn inward and become less social since the pandemic and the risk it leaves us lonelier, more isolated less cohesive and less open to new experiences. www.spectator.co.uk/article/were...

What is the meaning of life? 15 possible answers – from a palliative care doctor, a Holocaust survivor, a jail inmate and more I asked some well-known names for their thoughts on the ultimate existential question. Their answers were fascinating, funny – and could help us frame our days on Earth

‘What matters most isn’t success, or wealth, or stuff. It’s connection and relationships and love.’

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

‘If you don’t like what is happening, you don’t need to wait for someone to come along: you need each other.’

Inspiring call to action on what it takes to build a movement of change:

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/o...

'Belief and resilience sit on three key foundations: identity, connection, and culture. We need to authentically connect with those around us, and feel the sum is greater than the part. We need to build genunine connection – in homes, schools, workplaces and communities.'

How do we build belief and resilience – not just individually, but collectively, as a nation?

Gareth Southgate is asking some of the questions, offering some of the answers, and telling part of the story that will help us navigate the future.

Yes, ball games: drive to take down signs warning against play begins in London Charity says thousands of signs on capital’s estates deter children from being active, and is covering some of them up

‘This is your home: you’re welcome to play here.’ 💕

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

YouTube video by Common Sense The Loneliness Epidemic: What No One Is Brave Enough to Say | Alex Smith

Always a pleasure to be with Mike Omoniyi.

In this conversation we discuss inequality and loneliness, why boys and men are vulnerable in ways we've not grappled with, and the bigger national story that's needed to help everyone feel they belong.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEZB...

The Loneliness Crisis: Evidence on Causes and Solutions from the UK | Shorenstein Center In October, 2018, I stood inside a drafty community center tucked under a bridge over a quiet side street in otherwise bustling south London, nervously awaiting the arrival of Britain’s prime minister...

As a Visiting Fellow at @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @shorensteinctr.bsky.social I've reviewed evidence on The Cares Family's impact from 2011-2023.

The study shows how intergenerational connection can reduce loneliness and build community in times of change:

shorensteincenter.org/commentary/l...

30 Charts That Show How Everything Changed in March 2020 It can be easy to forget, or look away from, the pain and disruption of the pandemic. The numbers will be there to remind us.

'The pandemic gave many people more time at home. But it also left them more alone, detached and disconnected – changes that have lingered.'

Of all the stark charts in this, the one showing the decline of socialising is most striking:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

“We have still not reckoned with all we have lost.”

Opinion | How Covid Remade Our America, Five Years Later It feels as if the pandemic is behind us. But we’re living in the world it made.

Have we ever really recovered from the pandemic?

I’m always amazed that after such a shocking period we took next to no time for collective reflection.

This piece is about the US but has lessons for the UK too.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Reminded tonight of Starmer's words on July 5:

'A government unburdened by doctrine, guided only by a determination to serve; to defy, quietly, those who have written our country off; committed – to a calm and patient rebuilding.'

YouTube video by Great Company AMOL RAJAN: NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THE DEATH OF A PARENT

Love this conversation between Amol Rajan and Jamie Laing about male relationships, loneliness, and creating connection in a disconnected world.

It's so important that these conversations happen and great to see men engaging about love and loss, hope and heartbreak.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F05S...

Mo Salah is bringing Messi 2011-2015 levels of silkiness to this Liverpool-Newcastle game. Outrageous footballer in outrageous form.

This @newsagents.bsky.social episode offers clarity amid chaos and a history lesson on how we got here – and reminds us that democracy is ultimately about the freedom to live without fear.

Thank you, @lewisgoodall.com @jonsopel1.bsky.social.

youtu.be/K93nRJslESI?...

Labour must heed the warnings from the German election Social democrats will lose if they fail to challenge an outdated liberal consensus.

'Radical change must be part of a national story. Communication must be responsive to the modern world. Patriotism – making Britain great again – must be at the heart of this vision.'

Required reading from @jakerichardsmp.bsky.social @fredthomasuk.bsky.social:

www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...

Asia-Pacific leaders reunite in Bangkok Leaders from across Asia-Pacific gathered in Bangkok to share insights, grow skills, and foster collaboration within the Obama Leadership Network.

I love this video showing the energy and connection between Obama Foundation Leaders working to make the world greener, fairer, more democratic. In tough times, their optimism and action, and their determination to make an impact together, are inspiring.

www.obama.org/stories/asia...

Consider This: Our Place in the World with Ben Rhodes YouTube video by Oregon Humanities

‘If you’re confronted with someone with a different ideology, grab onto a human lifeline, and try to build from that to expand common ground.’

This Ben Rhodes talk on listening to people with different perspectives to make a better world is superb:

www.youtube.com/live/AXPazJX...?

I want community – but am I prepared to put the work in? Community is billed as the cure-all for isolation, ageing and even climate change. Are we prepared to put the work in?

Enjoyed this on the care – and generosity – required to build real, meaningful community.

Belonging comes from seeing and being seen, and that takes effort. But the benefits are immense.

www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Green transition should benefit ordinary Londoners, says deputy mayor Mete Coban, 32, says climate policy will bring ‘social, economic and racial justice’ to deprived communities

I’m proud to call @metecoban92.bsky.social one of my Deputy Mayors.

From retrofitting our city’s homes to making London more resilient to the climate crisis, here’s some of the work City Hall has been doing over the past six months to ensure a fairer, greener London for everyone.

We have a new problem: a ‘conservative’ echo chamber on X, and a ‘progressive’ echo chamber on BlueSky.

This separation is harmful not just to those using the platforms, but for our wider public dialogue.

We need to do more to find views we may disagree with – online and in our communities.

As ever an important film from @johnharris1969.bsky.social, reminding us that ‘connecting with people is what matters’ – for individuals, communities and democracies.

Do Trump's politics connect in these English towns? - video As the second Trump presidency begins, John Harris and John Domokos go to a Staffordshire town whose economy went from coal to Amazon warehousing to find out if 21st century populism is cutting throug...

‘Every time you look at your phone or switch on the TV, you see large explosions of fury and division. And then you see these very small, human-sized things happening – and they’re the antidote to all that.’

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...