Keir Starmer

[Phil1]

I reckon chippy voted at least a 100 times in that poll..

 

[BlueHammer85]

Can anyone be a successful PM nowadays with the amount of scrutiny and shit thrown at them constantly? Honestly think it’s an impossible ask

 

[mosssideblue]

Can anyone be a successful PM nowadays with the amount of scrutiny and shit thrown at them constantly? Honestly think it’s an impossible ask

particularly when the media hone in on the slightest err rather than evaluate and promote the positives

 

[Brewster's millions]

Can anyone be a successful PM nowadays with the amount of scrutiny and shit thrown at them constantly? Honestly think it’s an impossible ask

It’s a genuine question, and whoever the PM is, they have to face the background pressure of high debt, rising taxes and the wider health/demographic spending pressures. If you look at the underlying trends, it’s been pretty much the same story for the past 25 years - albeit getting worse over time - and it’s only made the job more difficult because the pressure is always there.

That’s the reality of the situation, and tackling that requires some very difficult and mostly unpopular measures which will probably get you kicked out of office. But what you can’t do is make the scrutiny worse by doing daft shit, being a hypocrite and constantly creating another angle for people to attack you.

 

[BlueHammer85]

It’s a genuine question, and whoever the PM is, they have to face the background pressure of high debt, rising taxes and the wider health/demographic spending pressures. If you look at the underlying trends, it’s been pretty much the same story for the past 25 years - albeit getting worse over time - and it’s only made the job more difficult because the pressure is always there.

That’s the reality of the situation, and tackling that requires some very difficult and mostly unpopular measures which will probably get you kicked out of office. But what you can’t do is make the scrutiny worse by doing daft shit, being a hypocrite and constantly creating another angle for people to attack you.

The other issue is that we have a population outraged over someone declaring a free pair of glasses but totally gloss over any positives and changes that a government make - ending strikes in public and transport sector, implementing positive changes for workers rights, building relations with Europe, ending riots, tackling debt etc etc. all that is totally swept under the carpet because the front page news is often dedicated to someone in Labour getting a free pair of Taylor Swift tickets.

 

[Brewster's millions]

The other issue is that we have a population outraged over someone declaring a free pair of glasses but totally gloss over any positives and changes that a government make - ending strikes in public and transport sector, implementing positive changes for workers rights, building relations with Europe, ending riots, tackling debt etc etc. all that is totally swept under the carpet because the front page news is often dedicated to someone in Labour getting a free pair of Taylor Swift tickets.

So you don’t take the free glasses and the other freebies, because it will always piss people off.

Not a difficult decision.

The other stuff about ending the strikes, building relations with Europe - do you actually believe that? Serious question.

 

[BrianW]

Anyone who thought the land of milk and honey was coming was naive.

It was always going to be tough, not least because Labour are conforming to the 'conventional' approach and are in absolute dread of upsetting the markets.

1. The country is up to its eyes in debt.
2. Growth has been poor for some years and productivity has been an issue for decades.
3. We live on trade, and our trade has been fucked by the stupid Brexit decision which massively increases bureaucracy, delays and costs in any dealings with our most significant and proximate market. From which we import much of our food.
4. The number of pensioners is growing by the year and people are living longer. (Despite being arguably the most privileged generation in history, all a lot of pensioners do is fucking whine. And I am one!)
5. No one wants to pay more tax. (This is understandable when wages are low compared to the wicked cost of living. But it doesn't help.)
6. The world is more unstable than it has been for years, thanks to Putin and sundry other cunts.
7. We have had 14 years of an inept government focused on Brexit and then culture wars. They did nothing but divide the country and have completely fucked practically every public service you can name.

 

[BlueHammer85]

So you don’t take the free glasses and the other freebies, because it will always piss people off.

Not a difficult decision.

The other stuff about ending the strikes, building relations with Europe - do you actually believe that? Serious question.

In hindsight yes, but it was nothing illegal and all declared - the media made a complete storm in a tea cup over it, which they can do about anything. there is always something the media can find,blow up and put everyone into a frenzy. especially the gullible and those who already hate Labour.

second point, yes.

 

[Chippy_boy]

The other issue is that we have a population outraged over someone declaring a free pair of glasses but totally gloss over any positives and changes that a government make - ending strikes in public and transport sector, implementing positive changes for workers rights, building relations with Europe, ending riots, tackling debt etc etc. all that is totally swept under the carpet because the front page news is often dedicated to someone in Labour getting a free pair of Taylor Swift tickets.

Perhaps because most of the population do not see all of the above as positives, like you do?

Ending strikes by just paying people off, is not deserving of any credit. You or I could have done that if in charge. “Here Pete - lob them some money - sorted”. That’s brilliance, sheer brilliance. (Putting aside the fact that he has been banging on for 100 days about not having any money!”

The changes to workers’ rights have been rushed through and ill thought out. They will be very damaging to growth, significantly depressing employers’ propensity to hire additional staff. (And doing this whilst also banging on for 100 days about a pro-business growth agenda, is fucking bizarre.)

Many people (most people?) are deeply concerned about two tier policing and the very obvious leaning on the judiciary to put people in prison in a matter of hours for anything remotely connected with the disturbances, whilst protesters in other matters were ignored, or even praised. Locking up people for tweets, whilst letting rapists and other violent criminals out early to accommodate them? So no credit there either.

Building relations with Europe as a precursor to softening Brexit even further, in direct conflict with what the country voted for in the referendum.

Only a Labour zealot such as yourself would list the above as unconditionally positive.

What I will say is he said the right things at the conference yesterday, but let’s see if they were just his usual hollow words - he’s very good at that - or they will be backed up by positive actions.

 

[hilts]

Can anyone be a successful PM nowadays with the amount of scrutiny and shit thrown at them constantly? Honestly think it’s an impossible ask

We could give it Southgate till the end of the term:-)