When Politicians Actually Agree on Something, You Know We're Screwed

By HOAR Team 25 June, 2025 5 mins read 123 Views

Look, I've covered politics for fifteen years now, and when I see former Tory bigwigs teaming up with Labour MPs, my first instinct is to check if hell has frozen over.

But here we are. Sir Sajid Javid – remember him? – is literally holding hands with ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas to launch some grand "unity" mission. Their goal? Stop Britain from tearing itself apart like it did last summer when those riots kicked off.

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The "Oh Crap, We Ignored This Too Long" Moment

Javid's basically admitting what we all knew: politicians have been burying their heads in teh sand for years. His exact words? "Successive governments have treated community and cohesion as second-tier issues." Translation: we only give a damn when cities are literally burning.

Smart move, guys. Really.

This whole thing started because of what happened in Southport last summer – and then Sunderland, and then... well, you remember the footage. Streets that looked like war zones. My mate Dave, who lives near one of the worst-hit areas, texted me: "Feels like the country's coming apart at the seams."

21 People Walk Into a Room...

So they've assembled this dream team of 21 "experts" – and I'm using air quotes because, honestly, when has a committee of experts ever fixed anything? But the lineup is genuinely weird in an interesting way.

You've got Tim Montgomerie (yeah, the Reform-supporting guy), Lord Bilimoria from Cobra beer (because nothing says unity like good lager?), and Dame Sara Khan, who used to be our counter-extremism czar. It's like someone threw darts at a board of "Important People Who Might Actually Talk to Each Other."

The whole thing is being coordinated by Brendan Cox from Together – and if that name sounds familiar, it should.

Democracy's Having a Bit of a Moment

Cox isn't mincing words here. He's calling this an "existential threat to democracy," which sounds dramatic until you remember that both Starmer and Farage are warning about the same thing from completely opposite angles.

Starmer's talking about "cracks in our foundation." Farage is predicting civil unrest over immigration. When those two agree that something's broken, even if they disagree on what... that's when I start paying attention.

"We will only see progress if we can forge both a shared vision of where we are going, and an effective roadmap of how to get there," Cox said. Which sounds lovely in theory.

In practice? Good luck with that.

Why This Might Actually Matter (Or Not)

Here's the thing that's been bugging me since I first heard about this commission: they're meeting for the first time today. Today! It's been months since those riots, and they're just now getting around to their first meeting.

But maybe – and I'm being cautiously optimistic here – maybe the fact that it took this long means they've actually been doing homework instead of just scheduling photo ops.

Cox admits this isn't going to be easy, "especially not in the current climate." Understatement of the year, mate. We're living in times when people can't agree on basic facts, let alone shared visions for the future.

Still, when the alternative is more burning buildings and communities that feel like they're living on different planets... well, 21 people in a room talking beats 21 people throwing rocks.

I guess we'll see if they can actually pull this off. My money's on cautious optimism with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Because honestly? What else have we got?

Frequently Asked Questions

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Political parties play a crucial role in organizing political activity, representing diverse viewpoints, and facilitating the electoral process. They provide voters with choices and help structure political debate and policy-making in a system.

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The legislative process typically involves several stages, including proposal, debate, amendment, and voting. A bill must be approved by both houses of the legislature before being sent to the head of state for approval or veto.

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