Sir! Keir! Starmer!

Even just an affirmation of his leadership campaign promise to maintain the radical policy agenda would be enough.

I’ve asked you repeatedly about this. From what I’ve seen he hasn’t made the slightest indication that he intends to jettison the more ‘radical’ policy agenda. And let’s be honest, it would be easy enough for him to do so

But he hasn’t

Or am I missing something?

Oof, the introduction

From what I’ve seen he hasn’t made the slightest indication that he intends to jettison the more ‘radical’ policy agenda.

That’s quite a lot different from actually offering up any kind of vision for the future though isn’t it. I mean ‘I’m not actively evil and incompetent like the current lot’ is enough for me but it’s not very inspiring is it.

Even just an affirmation of his leadership campaign promise to maintain the radical policy agenda would be enough.

Gives easy ammo to the tory press and thus would be stupid to do

i say again – he needs to reach the people who voted tory not the lefties

From what I’ve seen he hasn’t made the slightest indication that he intends to jettison the more ‘radical’ policy agenda.

Well I guess many, including myself, are probably looking at what he’s not saying than what he is. Maybe that’s unfair and perhaps a little paranoid but given the history of the labour party and the fact that its centrist wing is represented by some pretty divisive and self-serving characters it’s not entirely surprising. It wouldn’t take much to get a lot of the sceptics on side.

perhaps a little paranoid

Yep. Stop looking for things that aren’t there. He is not running an election campaign, he is trying to get a party back together that looks like it could actually get elected.

our disfunctional and unfair electoral system hasn’t gone away

As someone who thinks that our voting system is at the heart of much all of our current problems… I think Starmer should go no where near that as a talking point right now… there is no quicker way of turning away people who think Labour is a party for discussing ideas, rather than fixing the problems in their day to day existence.

Liking the new Britain First look.

Being a patriot means wanting the best for our country and for all of our people. It means wanting a child's future to be determined by their potential not by their postcode or their family's wealth.

Our Labour values of unity, compassion and fairness are British values. pic.twitter.com/64LV1RwToO

— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) September 22, 2020

(jokes aside they’ve got to do something to speak to us red-wallers)

So this is how they’re going to reconnect with the ‘working class vote’ – try and look a bit Brexit-y/racist without actually going there.

It means wanting a child’s future to be determined by their potential

How about everyone having a decent future regardless of their ‘potential’?

The red flag was dropped for the red rose back in the day for a reason.

Liking the new Britain First look.

To be fair, it’s just an update on the existing one

I’ve been slacking on my forum photoshop duties of late 😀

Fidal
Kier

You didn’t go to Sixth Form did you? 😉

I wonder if the way they’ve minimised the saltire is prophetic.

You didn’t go to Sixth Form did you?

I’m barely literate. Why do you think I draw pictures 😀

I’ve edited it though.

Rone confusing patriotism with nationalism. Patriots do their thing from within on their own terms, nationalists by command from the top down. Choose carefully.

“I want this to be the best country to grow up in and the best country to grow old in”

Make Britain Great again?

sandwich confusing blood and soil nationalism with civic nationalism 😉

I think it says “we’ll spend on education and social care” in a non-gammon/magic money tree triggering way. 🤷🏻‍♂️

“a country that embodies the values I hold dear. Decency, fairness, opportunity, compassion and security”
What no motherhood or apple pie?

Can you explain what you’re getting at Bill?

Can you explain what you’re getting at Bill?

It’s shorthand for an appeal to traditional values that no-one could reasonably disagree with. Arguing for security and fairness is such an example as no-one is campaigning for insecurity and unfairness.

This is a preparation for a general election when we can win that general election and produce decency and real opportunity for everyone in our society,” JC 2016, pls note no apple pie.

Cheers Ransos

Apple pie is a bourgeois construct

PM, it’s so bland and feeble it makes John Major look charismatic.
Apple pie is pre-bourgeois, the first recipe being written up by Chaucer in 1381 in (anti-elitist) vernacular English.

If Keir Starmer insists on going down the vomit-inducing ‘I love my country’ route, instead of reaching for the rose-tinted imperialist dog whistle, he’d be far better off highlighting how the british working class were far ahead of their time in challenging capital and winning concessions like trade union recognition, suffrage for women and working men, better working conditions, the weekend and a whole host of other things which the working class had to fight and suffer for. Anyone think he’ll do that? I doubt it.

he’d be far better off highlighting how the british working class were far ahead of their time in challenging capital and winning concessions like trade union recognition, suffrage for women and working men, better working conditions, the weekend and a whole host of other things which the working class had to fight and suffer for. Anyone think he’ll do that?

too high a risk of Billy Brag setting that to music.

If Keir Starmer insists on going down the vomit-inducing ‘I love my country’ route

You can’t have it both ways.

You’re the one always banging on about the working classes being a bunch of unconstructed flag-waving Neanderthals, so when the labour party does something to try and win their votes (and patriotism does not automatically equal nationalism or racism, before you start) then you slag him off for that.

With that attitude you’ve just neatly summed up why the Corbynite left never ever stood the remotest chance of being elected in this country.

Clearly theres a massive chunk of the countries population who’s votes are somehow unworthy, sullied and obviously beneath you and your superior, enlightened middle class metropolitan values. Let them take their filthy ballot papers somewhere else

Oh look… they did

Nationalism was a concern for self-determination hence the American Revolution etc and more recently, anti-colonialism/imperialism. Patriotism is about defending the status quo and all the pageantry of conservatism and inequality.

Wrapping himself in the flag is a canny and necessary move by Starmer. They have to reclaim ‘patriotism’ from the Right even if it’s toxicity lead to Brexit. Otherwise the culture war card will forever be deployed by the Right, to devastating effect

It’s a necessary first step to becoming electable IMHO although the have to be careful but hopefully their ‘metropolitan liberal elite’ base will get their heads round it

It’s why ‘Best for Britain’ the pro remain campaign group use their union jack branding. Why should the Right have exclusive dibs on pulling this top trump, pardon the pun, card?

Actually Britain were woefully behind on suffrage for women. NZ was first in 1893. Suffrage was not extended to all women in UK until 1928.

It took a good war and women doing the jobs at home to make real progress.

patriotism is about loving your country.
nationalism is about hating everyone elses.

Arguing for security and fairness is such an example as no-one is campaigning for insecurity and unfairness.

They may not have it in their campaign but the Tory party are very good at delivering insecurity and unfairness, which is his point.

They could tie nationalizing shit with nationalism.

Do we want the french/German/Chinese/yanks profiting off our water/ railways/ energy/ Nhs ?

They may not have it in their campaign but the Tory party are very good at delivering insecurity and unfairness, which is his point.

Nah, it’s just a naked grab for votes by referencing values perceived to be held as important by Tory voters. See also “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” and the symbolic adoption of the British bulldog. I don’t have a problem with it in and of itself, but as I’ve said before, at some point he’s going to have to outline his vision and support it with a bit more than platitudes.

Do keep up.

He just needs some punchy 3 word slogans

Thats what wins elections nowadays

Do keep up.

He just needs some punchy 3 word slogans

Thats what wins elections nowadays

Ah yes.

Education, education, education.

I’m Not Boris.

Thank god we have binners here to give us the authentic voice of working class labour voters, speaking as a graphic designer who lives in Ramsbottom.

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