In 1849 French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the phrase “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.”

It means “The more things change, the more they stay the same”, describing situations where superficial adjustments are made but fundamental issues stay unchanged.

Step forward Andy Burnham. The latest PM arrived proclaiming his intention to change the shape of Great Britain for the better.

His promises induce a feeling best expressed by another French turn of phrase, déjà vu.

Keir Starmer’s grand promises

We’ve all seen this movie before. The last time was in July 2024, when Keir Starmer arrived with similar grand promises.

Since then, have you felt even the tiniest tremor of change shaking the structural inequality on which Britain is built?

Other than multiple U-turns, Starmer delivered hee-haw and after 745 days he was shown the door by his own party.

The Tories are worse. Where Labour serially disappoints, the Tories deliberately diminish the life chances of many fellow citizens.

From the moment David Cameron succumbed to demands for a Brexit referendum, Britain’s economic decline has accelerated, aided by successive leaders May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. Most of us have been made poorer in many........

© The Courier