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UK: Rough sleepers off streets by Christmas, says Andy Burnham
(www.bigissue.com)
There's some incredible double-think involved in politicians making promises they know will fail but doing it anyway because the good optics now minus the bad optics then is a net positive by just being in the media saying nice things.
Sunak knew he'd not stop the boats, but he said it anyway.
Boris Johnson knew he'd not build 40 new hospitals but he said it anyway.
Burnham knows he won't get all rough sleepers off the streets in five months, but he said it anyway.
We're perpetually governed by people who calculate that lying for good press now and being caught in that lie later is worth more than not lying in the first place.
Ending rough sleeping is a completely practical goal. The idea that its a natural and inevitable part of daily life originated in Thatcher's time and is one of the reasons its so common nowadays, it allows people to become apathetic toward it.
I think its a great idea to rebuild a sense of community using a national drive based in empathy for other human beings, not insular hostility like "stop the boats" was.
Add to that "Smash The Gangs" by Starmer.
About the only accurate thing he said was that his dad was a tool maker and his mother was a nurse. Did you know that? Had to look it up.
No way! Is this how I find out?!!!!!
his dad certainly made a tool
His dad definitely made a tool
Wait. The research said "preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless would save taxpayers £370 million"... But he's not proposing preventing homelessness, he's proposing making homelessness more tolerable. So we'll be out over £400 million and we won't get the benefit of preventing 40k people becoming homeless? Am I reading that correctly?
Edit: To clarify, I'm all for making homelessness more tolerable, it's the sloppy thinking I'm concerned about.
this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
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