Any Burnham wants to radically redo Britain. But he faces the long shadows of the twin curses of Thatcherism and Brexit.
In "greed is good" Thatcherite Britain, public services had fallen into private hands. When cost of living spikes, the government's hands are tied. This is a slippery bread-and-butter issue that taxes the governing ability of the new Labor leader.
And then there is toxic Brexit. It has irreversibly shrunk the British footprint beyond its border and shriveled opportunities within it. Exodus from the EU has split the United Kingdom into two disunited halves. Appeasing one is antagonizing the other: a damned-if-you-do-and damned-if-you-don't situation. Can Handy Andy wriggle his way out of this dilemma?
In the foreign domain, the UK-US special relationship is now just pure nostalgia. Trump is a hard-nosed realist. Britain can no longer expect sweet-heart deals or kit-glove treatment from the predatory US leader. His loyalties follow the dollar sign. For Trump, short-term gains far outweigh long-term things any day. This once critical bilateral relationship is now just as transactional as any between non-allies.
The EU is coy to UK overtures at rapprochement. It is in no hurry to let Britain back into its fold without claiming its pound of flesh. Rejoining the European single market will be a slow and painful process, not to mention its disruptive impact on domestic politics. This is a huge headache that will test the wizardry of a deft player.
Burnham knows that there no are quick fixes to Britain's woes. Everywhere he looks, he is staring at tip-of-the-iceberg problems, many of them intertwined beneath the surface.
The only bright spot is China. Given the stalemate between Tehran and Washington, the only major power capable of brokering or bringing an end to the war is China. Even as Mayor of Manchester, Burnham was well aware of the benefits of befriending Beijing. In China may lie Britain's way out of its affordability crisis. It is high time to retire this nonsense about the trumped-up China security threat---it is all figments of the American imagination. China, never the troublemaker, is the dutiful son, while America is the black sheep of the international family. If Burnham has any political guts, he should forthwith defrost the UK-China relationship, and unleash the mutual benefits that await both parties. With a wobbly economy, Britain can't afford to pour its overstretched financial resources into boosting its war machine. That is a fool's errand.
Burnham's slogan "Hope Again" rings upbeat. But is he "hoping against hope?" The economy needs major rebooting, and reindustrialization in the age of AI is teeming with uncertainty. As one critic wisecracked, Britain is not only broke but broken. The repair work will take years if not decades. Does Andy or Labor have decades to spare? The good news is that he has three more years before having to call an election. If he plays his card right, and co-opt China, a hi-tech-enabled manufacturer, as an economic partner, he stands to reap quick and tangible benefits. The UK-China ties are overdue for a rethink. With the Middle Kingdom on board, the United Kingdom may weather the storm of a global order in turbulence. China is not your red meat to be fed to right-wing red necks. It is your lifesaver in swirling rapids. The hornet's nest over Hong Kong is nothing more than misplaced nostalgia by colonial hangers-on in the dying days of decolonization. Redefining its relationship with China takes political courage. The Hong Kong unrest is a nasty piece of CIA dirty work. Don't let it derail an era-changing strategic partnership.
Burnham promises the "biggest change to Britain in 40 years." He is big on ambition and promises. Let's see if he is also big on delivery and change-making at the micro level. Andy has said that hope comes with honesty. I hope that this honesty includes an unbiased view of a new reality, the promise of a purposeful China, misrepresented and much misunderstood.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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