One of my unfashionable opinions is that being a local councillor is a very good preparation for being a member of parliament.
You are forced to apply your instincts and ideology to an agenda that is not of your choosing, particularly if your party is in opposition.
Contrast that with the route to Westminster that the fashionable people approve of - working in a think-tank or becoming a special adviser. In those roles you are not rewarded for finding the weak links in your party's thinking: what gets you ahead us doubling down on its current pet ideas.
So what should you believe if you want to get on in today's Labour Party? The Guardian has the answer:
A radical blueprint for reforming the state is being drawn up by government officials, including a crackdown on quangos and thousands more civil service job cuts, the Guardian understands.
Proposals to restructure NHS England, with entire teams axed to save money and avoid duplication, could be replicated across a range of arm’s length bodies that spend about £353bn of public money.
Separately, No 10 and the Treasury are understood to be taking a close interest in proposals drawn up by Labour Together, a thinktank with close links to the government, to reshape the state under plans dubbed “project chainsaw”.
The project’s nickname is a reference to Elon Musk’s stunt wielding a chainsaw to symbolise controversial government cuts for Donald Trump’s administration.
This is not the first time we have seen Labour adopting Trumpian language. Anas Sarwar, the party's leader in Scotland, has already promised "our own Department of Government Efficiency" if it wins next year's Holyrood elections.
No doubt such language makes ambitious young Labour people feel all macho, but there are few signs that it appeals to voters.
h/t Euan Healey and Steven Fleming.
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