Tom Baker

@mrtombaker.bsky.social

938 Followers 352 Following

Husband, Dad, politics/campaigns/organising at @savechildrenuk.bsky.social, Christian, Reading FC, like to 🏃, help with Cubs, bad at spelling, blog at https://thoughtfulcampaigner.org/ Own views.

Image of a Statement from Lucy Powell taken l from https://lcid.org.uk/deputyleadership-election-2025/
Text which reads: While Republicans are scripting, recording, and posting, Democrats are stuck in an approvals email chain waiting for a fifth sign-off. By the time our content goes live, the moment has passed. They’ve ripped countless long and short-form videos, shaping the narrative, and we’re playing catch up. And when our content finally goes live, it’s often a recycled TV ad, stump speech, or one-off explainer — content designed for the Obama-era, not the Trump-era algorithm.
WhatsApp message from June 2025 saying: Agreed - I have a whole ‘vibes’ theory of what makes an issue politically salient that I’ve been kicking around in my mind that the individual polling often misses that.
Image of a billboard in Liverpool which says ‘wasn’t the point of winning to lift kids out of poverty’
Text which reads: The first thing I learned in polling is that there is a silent majority out there who are often very different from the noisy people that you hear from. Newspaper headlines do not represent the public view. My email inbox does not represent the public’s views. Planning consultations, which mostly hear from people who are opposed to projects, do not represent the views of the public who often appreciate, for example, the importance of building new homes or energy infrastructure. The second thing I learned is not to sweat the small stuff. Ultimately, there may be an issue here that seems like it's really big, it seems like it's the end of the world, it seems like it's the only thing everyone ever cares about. But most voters are getting on with their lives, trying to look after their families and do their day job. They're not getting obsessed with what we're getting obsessed with.
Text box that reads For starters, most Democratic campaigns in recent years have struggled to compete in the attention economy. There’s an outdated school of thought in Democratic communications that goes something like this: You start by crafting your poll-tested, focus-grouped message that’s so polished and flawless that it’s utterly boring and unremarkable. Then, you try to shoehorn this perfect message wherever you can — maybe a quote in a paywalled local news article or a wordy tweet that virtually no one reads.
Graphic taken from last page of report at https://www.5654.co.uk/our-perspective/influence-and-information-media-habits-of-westminster
And a wider question looms: how will a government intent on “a decade of national renewal” win re-election? Psephologists liken the broad but shallow coalition that elected Starmer last year to a Jenga tower or a sandcastle – one easily toppled. Private polling circulated by the “Unite the Right” campaign – which is discussing Reform-Conservative strategy – shows that a third of 2024 Labour supporters would consider voting Liberal Democrat or Green. Critics argue that recent decisions, such as cutting welfare, backing a third runway at Heathrow airport and reducing foreign aid by 40 per cent (to fund higher defence spending), risk unravelling the party’s delicate coalition.
Graphic showing the public’s views of the policy successes and failures of the first few months of the Labour government
Front cover of book.
Extract from FT article which reads: https://www.ft.com/content/9f2be125-ba1b-4062-ab2d-4b2977db20b0 There is a huge, and growing, media world that is hidden from sight for mainstream audiences. Today’s podcast stars are both very famous — filling up Madison Square Garden, for example — yet also unknown to large portions of Americans. My parents, who are in their seventies and still keep “the news” humming on their TV set all day, have never heard of them. For younger generations, YouTube has supplanted cable television. Media observers have been talking about this fragmentation for many years. But during the recent US election, the trend seemed to explode in plain sight, as exemplified by the influx of podcast bros inside the marbled halls of Washington this week. The reordering raises an existential question for the giant conglomerates that have dominated the US media for the past century: where will the dust settle? And what will be the role of traditional media in 10 years’ time?
Graphic with 10 circles outlining the different roles and relationships outlined in the blog post -
Text reads Dan Paskins, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns said: “The Prime Minister is right to raise the target for the number of children ready for school because we know the earliest years are vital for future success. For those experiencing poverty however, the challenges are even more acute, and we look forward to working with ministers to ensure resources are focused on children who need the most support. "We are also pleased to see the UK Government’s intention to increase high-quality childcare places, vital for both children’s development and parents’ access to the workforce. Children’s outcomes vary considerably based on factors including income, ethnicity, and disability so addressing these inequalities will be critical to ensuring this target is met. "Plans to increase real household disposable income is also a step in the right direction, children across the country have been struggling because families do not have enough money at home. "Putting more money in families' pockets is vital and the Child Poverty Strategy needs to address this when it is published in spring next year."
Statement reads: "We are outraged by the extremely low target of $250 billion per year by 2035 in the latest draft of the COP29 finance agreement. It fails to reflect any ambition or take into account the huge increase in the costs of climate action since the $100 billion goal was agreed more than a decade ago, in 2009 . Let's be clear - these figures will not come close to delivering climate justice for children and their families on the frontlines of the climate crisis. "So much has changed in 15 years, with an alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of climate events. We’ve brought 15 year olds to Baku for COP29 who have spoken powerfully about how extreme weather is already pushing them out of school, how children in their local area have been killed in heavy flooding. “This finance agreement must keep pace. Let's be clear - these figures will not come close to delivering justice for children and their families on the frontlines of the climate crisis. "We strongly urge the UK to show leadership in pushing for an ambitious and fair agreement that meets the needs of children and young people in lower-income countries – and one that doesn’t trap them into cycles of perpetual debt for decades to come.”
Photo of the two books in the message. Practical Radicals has a yellow cover and Power to the People has a blue cover
Cover of Liverpool Echo with a front page sponsored by Unite which says ‘stop the cuts’
Billboard for Trussell Trust outside Liverpool Lime Street station.
Photo of article in the FT newspapers on former city trader Gary Stephenson.
Photo of billboard at Hereford Train Station that says speak up for the Wye. They can’t. With an image of an otter with its mouth replaced by a human mouth.
Photo of billboard that says ‘thank god for immigrants’