When a political movement is out of power, it's easy to unify against a common opponent. Once they gain power and become the establishment, internal disagreements surface, leading to factions and infighting as they debate the group's future direction.

Ideological loyalty is an illusion in politics. Once in power, parties will quickly abandon the very groups that propelled them there if it is politically expedient. Examples include the UK's Labour Party turning on unions and Democrats ignoring BLM after the 2020 election. Power, not principle, is the goal.

Facing deep economic stagnation, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition has outsourced key reforms to commissions. This strategy allows them to publicly acknowledge problems like pension and welfare system unsustainability while deferring politically difficult decisions, revealing a lack of consensus for immediate, disruptive change.

Keir Starmer built his political identity on being a departure from scandal-plagued politics. By appointing Peter Mandelson, a figure with a long history of controversy, he created a self-inflicted wound that directly contradicts his core message. This demonstrates the high risk of associating with influential but tainted figures, regardless of their perceived abilities.

Directly attacking a charismatic leader can backfire due to personal loyalty. A more effective political strategy is to target their key advisors. Removing controversial figures can weaken the leader's power structure, as it is easier to build consensus against "bad actors" than the principal.

Despite accurately identifying severe economic and social challenges facing Britain, Keir Starmer's Labour government has proposed policies considered too small and shallow. There is a significant mismatch between the gravity of his diagnosis and the scale of his proposed solutions, leading to criticism that his administration is not meeting the moment.

Instead of isolating Nigel Farage's populist movement, the UK's Conservative Party adopted many of its core tenets, such as Brexit and anti-immigration stances. This strategy of assimilation blurred ideological lines, making a future coalition with Reform UK more palatable internally.

The Peter Mandelson scandal became a career-ending crisis for UK Labour leader Keir Starmer not in isolation, but because it amplified existing perceptions of his leadership as directionless. It directly contradicted his core political brand of bringing calm and competence, making it a powerful symbol of his failure to deliver on his promises.

UK Labour leader Keir Starmer's survival of a leadership crisis is aided by the lack of a clear, consensus-driven successor. Each potential challenger carries significant political baggage or lacks broad party support. This disunity among would-be challengers gives a weakened incumbent a path to cling to power, despite widespread dissatisfaction.