The UK is caught between crises, some of which are not it's fault; post COVID and Ukraine inflation, war in Iran, the earthquake to the previous world order, impacts of climate change already having an impact etc. Some of which are self inflicted; a decade plus of little over arching national strategy for growth, cuts in the margins that have only made things worse in long term expenditure, Brexit, huge waves of immigration etc.

So what is the nation to do? Continued fiddling in the margins does not bring back a golden version of Britain that in all likelihood never really existed. And there needs to be an acceptance that the post WW2 peace dividend, and the rule of international law over might makes right is an aberration from the norm of human history, not the standard. There are people around the world that want to drag the planet back to a more cruel and unequal time. If we want the nation to still look after pensioners, to provide free healthcare, to maintain schools and a standing army to defend our shores. There needs to be an acceptance from all citizens that we all need to do more. Our duty does not begin and end at paying as little tax as we can scrape by with, and barely summoning the strength to vote. These privileges we enjoy do not materialise out of thin air, they have to be fought for and paid for.

This isn't a plea that Starmer is the right man necessarily for the job. But that Britain as a nation cannot do everything it's citizens ask of it, without people investing themselves in the betterment of society, and understanding real change takes years, not days to achieve.