Starmergeddon time

[hash tag]

Labour have taken power with Starmer at the helm. Will he make a good PM.
I think he will be a good diplomat and statesman. I also think he will be good for discipline in the party and will hold it together.
Is his only issue his politics?

 

[Silas Loom]

Media and messaging is going to be an issue. It’s all very well to get on quietly and do the job, but there does need to be a narrative to feed the beast, especially given that the Tory press and various types of extremist on social media (including the sort of people that Urban likes) will be savaging his administration from next week onwards.

It needs someone stellar to run it for Starmer. Not sure any of the current team are up to it.

 

[MrCurry]

Taking power is always the first step in the downfall of any politician. His clock is ticking…

 

[gosub]

Having spent the last 6 weeks asking for change...chances are taxes are going up

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I think he will be a good diplomat and statesman.

Are you being very dryly sarcastic?

Israel has the right to cut off power and water to Gaza.

Now I suspect that to an extent he was tricked into agreeing with this statement, but agree with it he did. Not very diplomatic.

I dread to think what messes he will take us into, and how many lives will be lost as a result.

 

[Maggot]

Title reminds me of

 

[plurker]

Title reminds me of

I was of the same mind, and assumed it were a deliberate titling.

 

[The39thStep]

Taking office rather than power

 

[hitmouse]

I suspect he won't have the benefit of the same economic prosperity that Blair enjoyed during the peak things-can-only-get-better years. Also, seeing Starmer trying to recreate the classic Bush'n'Blair double act as Trump's sidekick will be... well, it'll be something.

 

[MickiQ]

I don't know is my opinion, Sir Kier the Beige is the unchallenged master of not committing himself to anything. Which is OK when you're trying to win power and be all things to all people. Now he's in office he will need to make decisions and do stuff.
No matter who is No 10 & No 11 over the next few years there are loads of real actual problems that need dealing with and hard choices to be made, we will have to see. It doesn't matter what he does there are going to be people praising him for doing a great job and others calling for his head on a spike. I agree with hitmouse though Blair had a long honeymoon period largely due to economic prosperity, the economy is currently in the shitter so results are going to be needed fast.
I wasn't impressed by Rachel Reeves being interviewed in the wee small hours at her count. She kept saying "We need to grow the economy" like it was some kind of magic incantation. Well Yeah but I could've told you that, the question is do you have an actual plan to deliver said growth?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

He'll deliver the UK in to the hands of Farage and other far right wankers.

 

[Epona]

Of course he's going to be shit, he's been consistently shit in opposition and he's not going to rip off his shirt to reveal Left Wing PM superhero outfit now, is he?

Expecting parliamentary politics to deliver any real change is part of the problem.

(Was still pleased to see the tories getting trounced last night mind you).

 

[hash tag]

I wasn't impressed by Rachel Reeves being interviewed in the wee small hours at her count. She kept saying "We need to grow the economy" like it was some kind of magic incantation. Well Yeah but I could've told you that, the question is do you have an actual plan to deliver said growth?

If they are not raising taxes, they have to get spending money from somewhere.
I think starmer will be a better leader than many of his predecessors which is not hard and I'm hoping he will be better in power than he was in opposition. He will certainly have more integretory than the likes of Johnson and truss.

 

[hash tag]

He'll deliver the UK in to the hands of Farage and other far right wankers.

I fear that is happening anyway. They had very little increase in vote.

 

[WouldBe]

It’s all very well to get on quietly and do the job, but there does need to be a narrative to feed the beast, especially given that the Tory press and various types of extremist on social media (including the sort of people that Urban likes) will be savaging his administration from next week onwards.

Just needs to put his right hand to his forehead and say "Loser".

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I fear that is happening anyway. They had very little increase in vote.

Beige Keith will offer fuck all to a populous who want something different, the only folk offering something different will be the extremes and people will flock to them with gusto. Labour's landslide looks good on paper, the reality is anything but good.

 

[hash tag]

Keith will be fine he has the support of a red top.

 

[mauvais]

I think he is exactly what he appears to be: a middle-managerial placeholder.

There are legions of these people out there, infesting the world. They develop through doing some particular job within particular parameters, ideally an individualist job rather than actual leadership, and they do so competently. So they appear holistically competent. They look like the sort of person who you might be able to leave in charge of things - thanks, biases - and actually it probably is safe to do so, as long as you don't actually need anything and aren't confronted by any difficulty.

A cardboard policeman.

So they are highly palatable, and do well for themselves, because they don't present any liabilities or risk to the status quo. They're benign.

But they have no values and vision, so all they are capable of is administration at best. Ideology & dogma can obviously be a dangerous thing, but you need at least a little of it to have some idea of what good looks like & to drive anything forward, especially when you are it and nobody else is going to do it for you.

And we are in an emergency, where these type of people are the worst people to have in charge, because they have nothing in their DNA to bring to the emergency. The scientifically measured tweaking of a dial, the mildest of reforms. And it probably will kill us.

 

[Balbi]

He'll keep trying to triangulate to a centre being sent further right by Farage dragging the Tories that way, and keep disavowing the left because he thinks it'll mean the media leave him alone.

But they won't. Prepare for the UK Media to discover that austerity is bad, that the problems Labour want to change can't be changed by competent managerialism, and that the Labour party is too left wing.

 

[gosub]

So much for sunny uplands...its raining.

AND I've had to buy my own jam

 

[hash tag]

I guess his first call was the appointment of a cabinet. Unsurprisingly, I see there is no place for Thornberry. Thought Jess Phillips might have got something. Please to see Lisa Mandy brought in.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Unsurprisingly, I see there is no place for Thornbury

i was expecting junior minister at transport, with responsibility for light commercial vehicle policy...

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

If they are not raising taxes, they have to get spending money from somewhere.

Three scary words: Private finance initiatives.

 

[Pickman's model]

Title reminds me of

Should be keirpocalypse now. Some day this parliament will be over

 

[hash tag]

It sounds like Starmer is already answering questions about Timson. I see Hilary Benn has gone to Nthn Ireland; good luck with that one.

 

[skyscraper101]

Listening to his first press conference this afternoon, he certainly sounded comfortable in the job. More comfortable than the last few weeks of campaigning.

Putting aside any personal feelings about his politics, it feels for now like at least he won't be a total embarrasment on the international stage, which after Johnson and Truss in particular, is somewhat of a relief.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Is his only issue his politics?

Who knows? Maybe he has athletes' foot or jock itch?

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Or a permanent blocked nose?

 

[Epona]

Listening to his first press conference this afternoon, he certainly sounded comfortable in the job. More comfortable than the last few weeks of campaigning.

Putting aside any personal feelings about his politics, it feels for now like at least he won't be a total embarrasment on the international stage, which after Johnson and Truss in particular, is somewhat of a relief.

I feel like the international stage has its political eyes aghast and firmly on the skip fire that is going on wrt the US election race right now tbf.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I guess his first call was the appointment of a cabinet. Unsurprisingly, I see there is no place for Thornberry. Thought Jess Phillips might have got something. Please to see Lisa Mandy brought in.

Philips (belatedly) quit the shadow cabinet to oppose Starmer's position on Gaza. Still almost lost her seat. If she hadn't quit, she probably would have lost it.