Chris Clarke

Understanding Micawber’s Law This piece is a deep dive into the psychology of debt, the metaphor of the household budget, and how this has come to affect social democratic politics in 2026.

Thoughtful and thought-provoking piece from @warringfictions.bsky.social on how a Labour government could achieve 'fiscal conservatism with economic radicalism'.

#UKPolitics

open.substack.com/pub/parables...

As we settle into a New Year I have done a deep dive into the psychology of debt, the metaphor of the household budget, and how this has come to affect social democratic politics in 2026:

parables.substack.com/p/understand...

Odds and Ends #50: The weird thing about London's New Year's Fireworks Plus how the government should respond to Musk's nonsense, and an AI video that might just show us how video production is going to change.

As I pointed out last year: Bit weird the Mayor of London gets completely unmediated access to broadcast whatever message they like on BBC One at midnight!

(Even if in this case I agree with the message.)

takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/odds-and-e...

It's a pretty stark chart.

I also think @warringfictions.bsky.social has a good set of proposals on how to face the situation.

bsky.app/profile/warr...

Thank you Pete!

This is excellent, a very good read. Time to smash the Ming Vase!

I read this Ian Dunt piece just after reading Chris Clarke's paper, link below. Have you seen it? I would be interested in your take.

bsky.app/profile/warr...

There’s a lot of good sense in his. I hope Labour listen.

Thanks so much for discussing.

The paper, ‘Putting Down the Vase’, can be downloaded here: shorturl.at/jJ8nu

Or read as a series here:
• parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...
• parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...
• parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...
• parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...

🚨NEW EPISODE🚨

As Keir Starmer's approval ratings hit a new low, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and @rory-stewart.bsky.social unpack what’s behind Labour’s struggles, what the party must do to recover, and whether the shifting political landscape has left them out of time.

Link in the replies 👇

Really delighted to hear this discussed on the @therestpolitics.bsky.social this morning, by @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and @rory-stewart.bsky.social

Link to the podcast here: youtu.be/jnVr2hPzgpg?...

Putting Down the Vase (Part 1) This is the first in a series of articles, entitled ‘Putting Down the Vase’, about how Labour can respond to populism across four distinct areas.

Worth a read.

I am just re-upping this, in light of the #Caerphilly by-election result…

It may have started with the coalition making the Lib Dem leader more unpopular than before, but the trend continued after 2015

Striking chart from Chris Clarke of total net satisfaction with all 3 main party leaders: voters have gone off them since 2010 parables.substack.com

6/ Part 4 looks at migration policy, the issue which increasingly overshadows all else. It sets out six suggestions for navigating this.

It can be read here: parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...

Full paper here: shorturl.at/jJ8nu

ENDS

5/ Part 3 looks at policy, at a time when room for manoeuvre is limited. Idealism should not be limited to populist parties. The blog consists of ten suggestions for injecting choice and agency.

It can be read here: parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...

4/ Part 2 looks at electoral strategy when catering to a fragmented and polarised electorate. In a multi-party system, you cannot be defined by who you’re not. There are five suggestions.

It can be read here: parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...

3/ Part 1 looks at communications in an era of hyper-scrutiny and low deference. Populists should not have a monopoly over authenticity. The blog consists of nine suggestions in this area.

It can be read here: parables.substack.com/p/putting-do...

2/ This chart, which shows average Ipsos satisfaction with all party leaders for each year since 1977, features at the start. The direction it points towards is unsustainable for a democracy, and means mainstream parties must change their whole approach.

1/ I have written a paper/ 4-part blog series called ‘Putting Down the Vase’. It is about populism, trust, and how Labour can stop Reform. The central argument is that, in a climate of low trust, risk-aversion at the centre must be overcome.

The full paper can be read here: shorturl.at/jJ8nu