Rachel's Organic Growth

Iron Duchess

I must get out more but I had already done my morning exercise and the rain meant that the garden could wait. Coffee and the TV called. I was surprised to find Rachel Reeves giving her speech at the Labour Party Conference. Whilst I normally find her thoughtful if a bit dry and bossy, there was something different about this speech and I was drawn in by her oratory, directness, and comprehensive actions that she would take if she were to become Chancellor. 

It sounded more like the speech of a Chancellor in touch with the issues that needed addressing rather than the moribund promises that were seldom even delivered by the clutch of Chancellors since 2019. Sajid Javid, Rishi Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi, Kwasi Kwartang, and the current incumbent, Jeremy Hunt have all contributed to the current state of the economy and the cost of living crisis. Jeremy Hunt had only been allowed 10 minutes to explain his part in the downfall to an empty hall at the Conservative Conference. Rachel Reeves was still firing out proposals to a tsunami of happy clapping after an hour. 

It felt like one of those moments when we had entered a new era. The hall had been full, conference delegates were locked out and the business delegates were there in spades and appeared to be won over by the speech. Even Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, a darling of the media and the financial sector, released a video giving his endorsement for her.

"Rachel Reeves is a serious economist.
She began her career at the Bank of England, so she understands the big picture.
But crucially, she understands the economics of work, of place and family.
And, look, it is beyond time we put her energy and ideas into action."

On any other day, this would have dominated the news headlines but the Hamas attack on Israel and the declaration of war by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, dominated news coverage.

It was the range of issues covered, the acknowledgment of problems, and the clarity of intent by Rachel Reeves that was so refreshing after the Panglossian claims of  Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak and their acolytes. There was no attempt to paint a brighter Britain, she stressed that it would be a hard slog to turn things around. She wanted growth but it should be organic, harnessing the skills and inventiveness of the British people to build a greener and better Britain. It is a big ask but the impression was that she could become the Iron Duchess by defeating the terminal decline of the UK.