What I’ve come to realise about Keir Starmer….

Witzend agree that he does always Seem to look uncomfortable but I like him over others in his present party and he has intelligence and comes across respectable to others but maybe thinks ?do i really want to sort out this mess of a present government if Labour wins next election..and yes, Harris27 would say he's the best of what we've got

I'm sure I'd have that sort of expression if I was in his job!

I don't know about his politics as I'm not into such a subject but as a person away from that he seems nice enough and is fan friendly.

For NiceNanny, and your "My personal opinion is that he looks shifty, uncomfortable, I can't take to him, he sways with the wind, he changes his mind/principals at the drop of a hat will say anything to get elected.". Soooo funny! Having voted in what is now 7 decades, I'm surprised that ANYONE by now needs a reminder that just about ALL politicos share those same, er, 'attributes'.

"Changes mind/principles"?? "Will say anything"? Comes with the territory! And by a sad irony, the wretched Thatcher, who hung her many hats on the "not for turning" peg, had a nasty habit of being totally wrong in her original decisions, so NEEDED a few BoJo & Sunak U-turns! [eg:- Poll Tax, not replacing the Housing Stock she decided to sell off, decimating the finance reserves of New Towns, oh, and destroying most of our manufacturing industries. Etc]

Doodledog

Iam64

sazzl, you’re wrong to suggest Starmer was aware of or had any part in Saville not being prosecuted.

Whomever came up with that slur (was it Michael Fabricant?) has done so much damage, as people have swallowed it hook, line and sinker. I wish Starmer or the PLP would prosecute the perpetrator for slander, as it is such an unfair accusation, and maybe (if the right wing press actually published it) the publicity would get the message across that it is wholly untrue.

I agree, this slur keeps getting thrown about by the ill informed. Johnson threw it at Starmer in the HoC too, and those who believe what that clown says will believe anything.

I think he appears very wooden and serious and not a leader. I also think he's probably very hard working but in public appears lacking in personality, doesn't display any 'oomph'.
Whoever is the next PM they need a strong, knowledgeable team behind them and when you look at the people behind both party leaders there doesn't seem much experience there.

Grannybags

I read the Times article and one of his friends said that when he watched Starmer on TV at the party conference he seemed to be a different person, holding back and distant, almost wooden compared to the generous, numerous and empathetic man he knows.

I think he’s terrified of saying the wrong thing

It must be tricky having a Jewish wife and trying to lead an anti Jewish party that largely supports Hamas!

Being all matey and chummy with old friends doesn’t help when he needs to be acceptable to the general public. Most wouldn’t see a barrister as having an average life!

I saw a post recently asking how a person with brown skin can possibly be Prime Minister. They all have obstacles to climb.

It must be tricky having a Jewish wife and trying to lead an anti Jewish party that largely supports Hamas!

Really? That is a potentially libellous statement you know.

For Iam64, and Doodlebug, whilst subsequent reviews found that Starmer was unaware, at the CPS, of the issues around the wretched Savile case, there is a clear argument that as CPS leader, who had already realised that too many important decisions were made at local level, he SHOULD have put in place better directives to get decisions shifted upwards to a higher level.

Doubtless Savile played his main cards, when looked at by Surrey and Sussex Police, of his support from Thatcher and Royalty. But the sheer base fact that the CPS DESTROYED its records on that case should give substantial cause for doubt -- funnily enough though, at the time of the later Levitt Review, a 'CPS spokesperson' said (from the FullFact website) “There is no reference within the investigation report to any involvement from the DPP (ie Starmer) in the decision-making in the case. The reviewing lawyer at the time set out their own reasons for the decisions they took, which are reproduced in the report.”. Amazing powers of recall, given the documentation had been destroyed?!

NB >> That Levitt review concluded that Police and the CPS had certainly blundered in that case, (no surprise with those 2 police forces?!) as various witnesses confirmed that IF they'd realised they weren't the only victims (and far from it!) they would indeed have been far more willing to testify in court.

The Times article said his wife is far less religious than he is, so probably not relevant.

I actually like him - but I won't vote Labour in the next election as I can't bear the shower he leads 🫣

Mollygo

missdeke
^ Quite honestly I feel sorry for whoever becomes Prime Minister after this lot. They will have a great deal of problems to try and sort out. The trouble is the general populace will expect an instant solution.^

’Twas ever thus.
The reason the Tories got in after 13 years of Labour was because the general populace thought Labour weren’t doing a good job any more. The new government blamed their predecessor for the mess they had to deal with.
No matter how justified the need for change, it’s the same thing all over again.

Oh I definitely agree with you, but the Tories have had long enough and simply made matters worse.

I would rather have him and labour than these evil lying clowns which we have now.

Add comment | Report | Private message | Quote Nicenanny3 Sun 18-Feb-24 15:06:37
My personal opinion is that he looks shifty, uncomfortable, I can't take to him, he sways with the wind, he changes his mind/principals at the drop of a hat will say anything to get elected.

I couldn’t disagree more! He’s just a hard working guy, who clearly has a lot at stake. He’s not really u-turned on much, he’s honest by stating he will never promise what he cannot deliver. He might “look” unsure, however as a trained barrister I think he’s pretty much in control and knows his own mind. He’s made mistakes, he’s human!

Brown did so much harm to DH’s pension that I was glad to see the back of him.
They all have their particular failures, including the current lot, which were compounded by Covid and we have nothing to measure how other governments would have dealt with that.
The good/bad news for this and future governments is that all actions are under scrutiny and every misdemeanour will be revealed, either intentionally by leaks, or by intensive research.

I'm hardly likely to meet the man, so whether he is charismatic or not means nothing to me. I'd prefer someone serious and down to earth rather than a grinning multi millionaire, married to a billionaire, who seems to think that he understands the ordinary working class person.

I like and admire him. He's intelligent, has good manners and is very very knowledgeable. I am pinning my hopes on him for our future. We certainly need someone who understands the lives of ordinary people.

Nicenanny3, I agree with you. After the scruffy bumbling fool, Boris, we need a serious statesman-looking Prime Minister who will fight for the ordinary person on the street. We certainly don't need the Eton elite Conservatives who only look out for themselves.

I read that article too, silverlining48, and I liked the sound of the man.

Sir Keir has the knowledge, experience, wisdom and empathy to be the Prime Minister we need. No, he is not an overtly charismatic man, but we are not casting a stage production here. He has made few choices that I’m not with 100%; who am I to know the tangled and prejudiced media web that he is trying to unravel? I wish him luck with that other tangled web when he takes on the job - that of the mendacity and corruption the Tories have used to demonise the poor and needy, and demote out country to an international political and fiscal joke.

Nicenanny3

He has zero charisma in my opnion.

People should look at the individual’s record and values. We all look off in some photos and that’s what newspapers want to print 🙄 As for charisma, I prefer someone to be serious morally robust and intelligent when they are running the country. Johnson had charisma and look where that got us 🤷‍♀️

I'm all for attacking policies but not the person. Some of Keir Starmer's jibes at Rishi Sunak are below the belt. so no vote from me. After voting for what I later found out was a lazy Lib Dem MP in Devon, i can't vote Lib Dem. My dad would never forgive me for voting Tory so there is nobody to vote for .

It’s no wonder what with the press breathing down his neck and jumping on every word and statement that he makes.

Also, most politicians will say anything to get elected:
Boris Johnson comes to mind.

Starmer at least sounds plausible.

I wish him lots of luck:

Starmer doesn't sound plausible to me. I do wish Labour had a better leader. They will win the election but Starmer will hopefully go, sooner rather than later

There's an interesting short Ted Talk by Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic at the University of Nevada in 2019. The subject was "Why do so many incompetent men become leaders?" It can be found on You Tube.

I can’t take to him either, even his voice is irritating. He seems to change his stance according to what’s being said around him.