We write this month to announce a short unscheduled hiatus here at The Norwich Radical. Due to a combination of factors, our writers and editors had less time to work on the new issue in recent weeks than we would have ideally liked, and rather than push ourselves to produce a below-standard issue under those circumstances, we decided it was better to take a summer break. We plan to resume normal service with our next issue in September.

In the meantime, we wanted to share a few thoughts on the changing political situation in the UK and elsewhere. Following a largely uninspiring, if at times cathartic, general election, the Tories have been pushed out of government after 14 long years. Their replacements, Keir Starmer’s Labour government, claim to be a “government of service”. But who do they really serve?

As OpenDemocracy’s excellent reporting has revealed in recent weeks, Labour took an astounding number of meetings with corporate lobbyists in the year leading up to the election. If Rachel Reeve’s private investment-driven housebuilding plans are anything to go by, Labour seem to be happy to serve corporate interests first, before the actual needs of a population who have suffered through successive social, health and financial crises under the Tories.

And while this new government will be different from its predecessor in some ways - most notably in its willingness to actually engage with the mechanisms of parliament and the civil service to achieve policy aims - in others it is happy to pick up where the Tories left off. Wes Streeting’s recent comments on gender affirming healthcare for trans youth show that Labour are quite happy to continue the Tories’ project of eroding trans rights, while David Lammy seems reluctant to end UK sales of arms to Israel despite his pre-election promises.

Starmer’s Labour won a general election, and they have earned a lot of goodwill from the media and the public as a result, even though it was something of a victory-by-default against an opponent who fled the arena. There is also the not insignificant result of the Greens increasing their seats to four MPs, from the previous two, which most mainstream media has downplayed. The powerful must always be held to account, and it is crucial that critical reporting like the examples linked above continues to scrutinise Labour’s actions as they settle into power. We plan to contribute to that in our own small way, bringing you perspectives on life, art and politics in this new era for the UK - and for Norfolk.

See you in September!

A Technical Note

When you next hear from us, you may notice that things look a little different - that’s because this is the last newsletter we’ll be sending using Mailchimp. From September, we’ll be communicating with you via Buttondown instead. You don’t have to do anything to keep receiving emails from us - but if you do want to change anything about how we contact you, please do email us at thenorwichradical@gmail.com