You seem to have a pretty vivid imagination mate. The vast majority of people, including young affluent London labour voters, will just focus on what his policies are.
Of course policies should be the main event – housing, devolution, cost of living, reindustrialisation, "No 10 North," etc. No argument there. And most normal people outside the Westminster/media churn will judge Burnham on delivery, not his cagoule or trainers....
But let's not pretend aesthetics and cultural signaling are irrelevant. Young affluent London Labour voters (the hipsterati set) aren't a monolith, but their world does run on vibe, references, and in-group markers....
Remember Jeremy Corbyn’s scruffy uncle chic? His corduroy and ethical knitwear "get up" got a free pass as authentic socialism all the way to Glastonbury!!
Burnham's unapologetic northern "Oasis Dad" look the trainers, casual jackets, T-shirt under the blazer is deliberately not that. It's Mancunian everyman by design, and it signals a different type of Labour .
And plenty will post performative "love the authenticity!" tweets. In the WhatsApp groups and thinkpieces, you'll get the quiet eye-rolls about "performative northernness" or coded class stuff.....
It's how tribal aesthetics work in every political scene. London Labour has its own dominant cultural flavour, and Burnham's rise tests whether the party papered over those oil-and-water divides....
Vivid imagination? Nah, just pattern recognition from watching British politics (and London bubbles) for years....decades!!
With maybe a bit of toungue and cheek thrown in about the tension between the "serious policy" veneer and the "vibe-checked" in the reality of modern political tribalism....
www.express.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
www.theguardian.com
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