Strictly Starmer, Newscast programme, did you listen?

I agree foxie. He seems a thoroughly nice man but, as you say, lacking something - maybe charisma?

I find it sad because we need a decent opposition.......or a decent centre party!

How do I watch it?

I did watch it in the hope that I might see something to change my mind. I didn’t.
Having said that he did come across as the most interesting that I’ve ever seen him …….. but, he’s not the whole Labour Party.

Ilovecheese

How do I watch it?

BBC sounds.

*MerylStreep No, he's not the whole Labour party but he is the current leader and he recognises that if the party is to be electable then he needs to win over the ex Labour voters rather than just talk to the converted. That's the sensible way forward IMO but it's also high risk if he doesn't carry the whole party with him and I sense that you aren't with him?

I watched it, he is an honorable man, but he has a massive Corbyn shaped mountain to climb doesn’t he judging by what people were saying? I think they said what a lot of us have articulated on here, that the party needs time to get back into order, and that those vociferous dissenters need to either shape up or ship out and let him and team get on with it.

I’m not a fan of charisma politics, I didn’t think it is effective, and want serious politicians who fully understand the implications of the actions they take in charge, but I’m probably in the minority.

Clement Attlee was a quiet unassuming man and he gave us the NHS, pensions and a great house building programme. I am done with showmen and their antics. At least Keir Starmer has the guts to sack those that step out of line and swiftly too. I am thinking of Rebecca Long Bailey who gave Corbyn 10 out of 10 for his ability to lead the Party and then retweeted an anti Semitic remark. She was gone in hours. I am also done with the incompetence, sleaze and the cover ups by the shambolic government we have led by our “charismatic” leader. Starmer’s problem is the ghost of Corbyn and Covid which has overshadowed the very real problems we have now relating to the Brexit negotiations. If it hadn’t been for the vaccination programme implemented by Katherine Bingham ( think that is her name) this government’s failings would be in plain sight.

I will watch when i go to work. I was watching him on Life Stories and thought he seemed very decent.

Why has he not spoken up though. He has missed too many opportunities to put BoJo on the spot. It's a shame he could have been a very good leader but i feel he has missed the boat.

Possibly too honest and decent too quietly unassuming.
I just don't feel he takes the lead i hope he gets louder soon.

Whatdayisit

I will watch when i go to work. I was watching him on Life Stories and thought he seemed very decent.

Why has he not spoken up though. He has missed too many opportunities to put BoJo on the spot. It's a shame he could have been a very good leader but i feel he has missed the boat.

Possibly too honest and decent too quietly unassuming.
I just don't feel he takes the lead i hope he gets louder soon.

Do you not watch Starmer take Johnson apart each week at PMQT? I think, if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic we would see a very different Starmer but it’s very difficult when the most important thing for all politicians to do is get us through this pandemic, and battles over other things pale into insignificance. I don’t understand the ‘lack of charisma’ argument. I mean, we’ve got a PM who is supposedly charismatic and look where that’s got us. I think business and unions seem to be able to work well with Starmer. People I know that have met him have been very impressed. I think he’s a very decent, sincere man who genuinely cares for this country and it’s people.

Starmer name was on Labour’s amendment calling for the Health and Care Bill to go no further towards becoming an Act of Parliament – but, after it failed, he has nothing to say against the legislation.

Of course, Jeremy Corbyn warned us about the Tory threat to the NHS in the run-up to the 2019 general election

The media were more interested in how he got this leaked document than what was in it. Now we look set to pay the price with the #NHSprivatisation Bill going through, which will remove rights to healthcare. It's vile, dangerous and we've sleepwalked into this.

Can't bite the hand that feeds you? How much better it was under Corbyn who had enough money just from real Labour members

Is this why the Labour Party are not screaming loudly about the Health and Social Care Bill
@PhillipsBarrie
Talking about money, Labour Together's most significant donor to date is Martin Taylor, a private healthcare lobbyist (seeking £1 billion of NHS contracts) giving the group over £700,000. £556,00 in CASH. Taylor also funded Rayner & Starmer.

businessinsider.com/labour-together-donations-under-investigation-by-electoral-commission-2021-2?r=US&IR=T

Corbyn and his toxic legacy is why Labour hasn’t yet made an impression ( on voters) under Starmer.Hardly a great start for the Opposition with Covid on the rampage.I think Starmer has pitched things just about right on the whole.

He does seem to be a thoroughly decent man and more statesmanlike than many.

There's a long way to go before he can win back the trust of Labour voters lost because f Corbyn.

He needs a good team around him but I'm not sure he has achieved that yet. There are others with more experience he could have picked but I wonder if he sees some as possible rivals?

Some of the experienced people are working on the select committees doing important work holding this government to account. I think the shadow health minister is excellent.

Jeremy Corbyn was indeed a thoroughly decent man
Look at the right wing press, why do you think they vilified him?
They had a lot to loose

MayBee70
Absolutely agree. He always looks and sounds a decent caring man. But he’s not the whole Labour Party, that’s my problem.

We have had enough of 'charisma' politics- à la Trump and Johnson to last us a few centuries and more.

It is time that the Labour Party accepted the realities of the UK First Past the Post system- and that no-one from the extreme left will ever be elected, and back this amazing, hugely intelligent and honest caring man.

Thank you foxie48

Kali2

We have had enough of 'charisma' politics- à la Trump and Johnson to last us a few centuries and more.

It is time that the Labour Party accepted the realities of the UK First Past the Post system- and that no-one from the extreme left will ever be elected, and back this amazing, hugely intelligent and honest caring man.

Totally agree with this. There's no point in having policies that can never be acted upon because you are never in power and I can't foresee a change in the way we elect a government either. Well over 2.6m council homes have been bought under "right to buy" I'd be so interested to know how that has affected the distribution of votes as there is a strong link between home ownership and voting Conservative.

And saying this, I totally agree that Corbyn was maligned and wrongly accused of antisemitism. The attacks on him by the Right wing press, etc, were appalling. He is and never was, electable.

Decent and honorable but lacks charisma and does not inspire voters, even BJ inspired voters before the last election. He must up his game a lot before the GE but hard at present with Covid dominating everything.

Kali2

And saying this, I totally agree that Corbyn was maligned and wrongly accused of antisemitism. The attacks on him by the Right wing press, etc, were appalling. He is and never was, electable.

But when are the far left of the party going to admit ( or even realise) he was unelectable? I get so much abuse on Labour Party Facebook pages by some of them.

But when are the far left of the party going to admit ( or even realise) he was unelectable?

Never, because they are inflexible and unable to compromise. As long as they remain thus, the LP will remain unelectable.

They seem unable to realise or admit that the majority would vote for a left of centre party and then at least some policies would get through.

We all have to compromise in life and in politics.

Kali2

And saying this, I totally agree that Corbyn was maligned and wrongly accused of antisemitism. The attacks on him by the Right wing press, etc, were appalling. He is and never was, electable.

He was electable and in 2017 it nearly happened. I do believe if The Grenfell Tower fire had happened before the election Labour would have won then.

Hence why the Corbyn backlash had to be so vicious.

And Jonathan Ashworth who was mentioned up thread stuck the knife in to Corbyn the day before the 2019 election on TV. The Labour MPs infighting did the Party no good and gave us what we have in Government now.

Keir Starmer comes across to me like a hardworking good man he needs to work a lot harxer and quick at rebuilding the wrecked party.

The far left would much rather labour remained the opposition party, it’s either ‘my way or no way’, the country didn’t want a far left PM, but it’s blamed on the press, voters are not capable of thinking for themselves.