Whenever major reform is proposed in the UK, the media, big business, and Westminster quickly conclude it is too expensive and disruptive.
This pattern does not bode well for potential reformers like Andy Burnham.
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In an old, often anxious and conservative country, the perception of risk is a potent political weapon.
If a policy or project seems too risky—or can be made to seem so by opponents—it can be swiftly killed off, joining the pile of possible futures that never occurred.
Riskiness is sometimes real.
Foreseeing that Brexit or the 2003 invasion of Iraq might not end well did not require huge foresight.
Yet often, the perception of risk is politically constructed, reflecting powerful forces, their self-interest, and what they want or don't want to happen.
The possibility of war with Russia within a few years dominates discussions about British defence spending, despite Russia being bogged down in Ukraine.
The argument that spending should be funded by benefits cuts is also prominent.
The arms industry and military-media complex now form a stronger lobby than that for the poor and jobless.
The risk to the most vulnerable from more austerity—supported by much of the media for ideological reasons—is presented as less real than the risk of conflict with a country the UK hasn't fought for a century.
A Nation in Crisis, Yet Afraid of Change
Across the party spectrum, the idea that Britain is in deep trouble has become commonplace.
