Sir! Keir! Starmer!

I just listened to that on Radio 4

So what Starmer pointed out has now been picked up, quite rightly, by the media. And as you said; Brandon Lewis’s had no answers, because they complacently ****ed it up.

Far from it being just PMQ’s, this is clearly now setting the media agenda.

It’s a long time since the Labour Party did that in a positive way. The Tory’s are really on the back foot over this. As they should be.

No doubt there will be lots more Nadine style nastiness in reply

I am waiting for Keir to say to a floundering bojo at pmqs “unfortunately no fridge to hide in here”

That novara link

Mleh, 10, maybe 11 people read Novara.

No doubt there will be lots more Nadine style nastiness in reply

Let’s hope they overstep the mark, despite the careful coaching of Dom, and openly libel him.

It would be nice to see Sir Keir Starmer QC say with a smile on his face “I’ll see you in court” to Nadine Dorries FW.

FW standing for….

Also, the momentum is with Starmer right now.

He should openly challenge Lewis to explain in full his chaff comment about being ‘disappointed’ and explain what he means by ‘out of context’ in this instance.

However, the Tories aren’t daft when it comes to the muckier end of politics (it is their basic MO). They may well be doing a kind of DDOS attack on Starmer using otherwise useless backbenchers to smear him and hope some sticks. He won’t be able to fight them all.

Mleh, 10, maybe 11 people read Novara.

They are very adept at getting their people onto TV though. Most of their ‘opinion forming’ work is done via TV media and Social Media shares… the website comes a distant third.

Im going to stick my neck out here and say that he’s the next PM with at least 3 terms in him.

I so want you to be right, but still think he’s going to be wiped aside at a general election by either Johnson or his replacement pushing simple impossible dreams and lies, and evading all questioning and challenges using the toolset they’ve proven to work so far, and a lot of highly targeted, contradictory, divisive, false messaging.

ransos, the exchange of posts with you has become tiresome.
You can confirm for yourself the wider interest in PMQs.
As for ‘…evident excitedness’ – wrong; if you had said ‘positivity’ that would have been accurate.

Watching channel 4 news leading with care home deaths would suggest that Keir Starmer has, rightly, massively drawn attention to this issue and the governments complacency

Exactly what the opposition is meant to be doing. Holding the government to account.

Maybe if we’d actually had an opposition for the last 4 years then the government wouldn’t have been allowed to get this complacent and many more people would still be alive

An opposition, awake to political realities rather than just sneering from behind a placard.

It’ll never catch on…

Maybe if we’d actually had an opposition for the last 4 years then the government wouldn’t have been allowed to get this complacent and many more people would still be alive

You are utterly deluded.

Somehow – it’s Corbyn’s fault we are where we are with C-19?

Take your logic one step further – you have your functioning opposition now – why have they not reduced the deaths? Because if an opposition that is no longer in power can exert influence you talk of then the current opposition should be doing an even more robust job? How many lives have they saved?

Oh the Government is worse than ever and their popularity is still increasing BTW.

Ian Austin is available for a pint.

ransos, the exchange of posts with you has become tiresome.

If you don’t wish to substantiate your claim that’s fine.

Do you think Liverpool would prefer to play Manchester City or Norwich?

Corbyn wasn’t even Norwich. It was like an FA Cup game against a third division side. The political Accrington Stanley

Keir Starmer has offered more opposition in 2 months to these ****s than Corbyn managed in 4 years of clueless 10 second shouty Tweets.

Thankfully, we now appear to have an opposition again.

Thankfully, we now appear to have an opposition again.

As I said before, you only think that because now you’re prepared to listen. Starmer has had no more ability to change things than Corbyn did. In fact the labour party and the unions got the government to bring in the furlough scheme before Starmer became leader. Credit where it’s due?

Eh? Starmer has been setting the media agenda since PMQ’s on Wednesday?

The only time Corbyn managed that was when another photo was unearthed of him standing grinning with another bunch of terrorists

You’ve bitched about Corbyn like a massive bitch for the last christ knows how long – do you think you could give it a rest, now he’s no longer leader?

I will do when his fan club stop mourning his return to the allotment and appreciate that his time as leader* will be as quickly forgotten as his decades as an anonymous backbencher.

The point I’m making here is that the Tory’s have had 4 years without anything even remotely resembling a functioning opposition. And the complacency that that’s fostered has contributed to where we are now.

Thankfully that no longer appears to be the case.

* the word is used figuratively etc

Depends what you want from an opposition. An opposition that is actually different or an opposition that is the same but appears a bit more competent.

Corbyn was elected as he was different to the Tories. Opposed austerity!, opposed the various wars, he had some ideas if you remember the leadership hustings unlike the other candidates.

Its clear the Labour Party cant win with Corbyn or any of that bubble. But when Corbyn was elected it was equally clear Labour couldn’t win from the centre.

Anyway…. Starmer drowns puppies

Why do people keep posting crap from Novara like its a source the general public have actually heard of? Christ, more folk have actually heard of the Morning Star and look how seriously that’s taken!

I’ve been taking an interest in this Starmer love in post on and off for a while. In no shape or form am I defending Johnson or the governments handling of the crisis. The only opinion I can offer is its easy to slam what the current administration is doing from the sidelines and with the benefit of hindsight when you know you will never be in a position to prove you would have been able to have done things any different. Assuming we never have another situation like this ever again.
So far I’m liking what I see with KS compared to his predecessor but time and policies will tell when all this is behind us.

I don’t think hindsight is required to slam the government’s handling of this crisis.  It’s clear that they can’t communicate in an honest fashion provide clear advice or are following scientific recommendations, BMA backing teacher unions is the latest in a long line of this.

Other countries are acting in a more timely and cautious manner and appear to be protecting their populations, so learning and precedent is being set that can utilised by this government, yet they can’t even copy others as that would be seen as a weakness (possibly, I’m not sure what stops them, probably ideology).

The Tories need their feet held to the fire for their handling of this as they continue to put us all at risk.  KS is doing an admirable job so far and the approach appears to be working with the right wing press questioning the actions of the government.   Hell even Matt Lucas and Phillip Schofield are doing a good job of this which suggests that government advice is poor from the outset, no hindsight required!

Depends what you want from an opposition. An opposition that is actually different or an opposition that is the same but appears a bit more competent.

Well, quite. My hope is that Starmer will lead a genuine opposition but some of his actions so far are not at all promising.

I suspect we’re all riding a bit of a wave of relief, with Starmer appearing to rub far fewer people up the wrong way than JC seemed to.
I’ve personally rejoiced at the PMQ performances so far.
It’s an interesting comment that

some of his actions so far are not at all promising

Can you say which actions those are?
Genuine question, and my apologies if you’ve already articulated them up there ^^^ somewhere and I’ve just missed them.

An opposition that is actually different

Is there where the “Starmer is just like the Tories” nonsense begins?
We all know it’s coming.
Let’s get it done and out of the way.

kelvin
Subscriber

An opposition that is actually different
Is there where the “Starmer is just like the Tories” nonsense begins?
We all know it’s coming.
Let’s get it done and out of the way.

I thought my post was clear but for you K- I was putting the election of Corbyn in context rather than criticising Starmer. Labour must get elected next! Its self defeating to criticise him for the sake of it and I’m disappointed that Labour cant get its shit together and pull in one way. The centrists should have got behind Corbz the lefties should get behind Starmer.

Agreed. I’m a ‘lefty’, who only started voting Labour because Corbyn shifted their polices. I can get behind Starmer, and will be voting for Labour under him. But “getting behind him” doesn’t mean that I can’t talk about my concerns as regards his lack of charisma and how he can counteract the new bread of populist Tories at the next general election. Likewise, getting behind Corbyn didn’t mean turning a blind eye to who he appointed as advisors, or the way he dealt with Labour MPs, especially female ones. My preferred policies were very much inline with Corbyn’s, I’m one of the few who welcomed the broadband initiative for example, and I even support his long standing position on nuclear weapons that he had to put to one side as leader, but he turned out to be an utterly useless party leader. Being voted in leader the first time helped change the party to one I could vote for. Once he’d shown he wasn’t up to the job of leader, he should have moved on or been moved on. I’ll be leaving blind faith and lack of critical thinking to the Johnson followers.

I’ll be leaving blind faith and lack of critical thinking to the Johnson followers.

These are the people Keir needs to win over

Can you say which actions those are?
Genuine question, and my apologies if you’ve already articulated them up there ^^^ somewhere and I’ve just missed them.

So far he’s failed to support renters and is backed by the Friends of Israel. I don’t think this should be Labour territory. There’s other stuff in the article upthread that was dismissed without anyone really saying why it was wrong.

I think there’s a real risk of Starmer being the polar opposite of Corbyn: an effective parliamentary leader who isn’t fully behind what should be core Labour values. I say this as someone who put him as second preference…

Labour Friends of Israel seek a two state solution. The Labour Party has long had support for a two state solution as policy. What exactly is your problem?

Thanks ransos – I see where you’re coming from; the renters thing seems to be an odd decision to me, too, although I can’t say I understand all the details or ramifications.

For me I guess, I’m happy to see someone electable, and performing competently in the lead of the opposition. I’m going to accept things that I wouldn’t necessarily agree with as a price I’m, so far, very happy to pay to see the tories on the back foot.

I joined the Labour Party after the last election, although I think I’m atypical of a labour supporter in some ways, as this bunch of idiots we’ve currently got need to be stopped in my view, at almost any cost. I’m still finding my feet as a new party member, and need to get more up to speed with exactly those kind of issues (above) that people are showing concern about, so I understand them better.

Thanks for indulging me.

I really don’t give a stuff about Israel they are a pain in the arse.

Therefore I really don’t care about anyone elses opinion of Israeli.

What I do want us someone to hold the bloody Tories to account.

I see where you’re coming from; the renters thing seems to be an odd decision to me, too, although I can’t say I understand all the details or ramifications.

I don’t think it’s in anyone’s top ten of big things to worry about at the moment.

Unless you are a renter, in which case it’s about no. 5

I really don’t give a stuff about Israel they are a pain in the arse.

If you don’t give a stuff about other people’s problems then vote Tory.

Labour Friends of Israel seek a two state solution. The Labour Party has long had support for a two state solution as policy. What exactly is your problem?

The group is an apologist for the racist Israeli government.

Can anyone point me at some information about the renters thing, please…?

or the way he dealt with Labour MPs, especially female ones

???

He had a majority female shadow cabinet and women in most of the senior shadow cabinet posts. I’d be quite happy to never talk about Corbyn again but it’s this sort of ludicrous comment which keeps bringing me back. He was no more a sexist/mysoginist than he was a racist, and now he’s back volunteering at food banks in his community rather than in the media spotlight people think they can just make whatever shit up about him that they like. It’s pathetic.

It’s pathetic.

That doesn’t sound like a conversation starter… so I won’t bother.

I see where you’re coming from; the renters thing seems to be an odd decision to me, too, although I can’t say I understand all the details or ramifications.

I don’t think it’s in anyone’s top ten of big things to worry about at the moment.

Unless you are a renter, in which case it’s about no. 5

I’d say the risk of losing a roof over your head is pretty high up there but whatever, must be lovely to be financially secure and not have that worry. Meanwhile those at the bottom aren’t worth considering. Charming.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/10/keir-starmer-failing-renters-coronavirus-labour-momentum-says

Forget who is asking for what, read the details and see why it’s bad.

The Guardian is reporting the latest polling has Starmers approval ratings above Johnsons after this week.

With that renters thing, is there any possibility of an argument that it’s a temporary position to avoid hardship now, and then consider a better solution when the biggest issues are under better control?

I can see a sweeping “cancel all rent for a period” being the kind of thing that might have unintended consequences?