Two Years of Keir Starmer. What do we think?

I too stopped voting Labour after Blair. I have started again now as I want to give Starmer a chance. The trouble is that I feel he is too much of a gentleman to go for Johnson’s throat when he refuses to answer a question. His deputy, now, she would not hesitate.
However, playground squabbles are not what I want either. I will continue to give Starmer my support. He doesn’t need to entertain me with a witty quip but I do need to see him as an honest person who takes his role seriously.

A bit like Blancmange.

Could not resist the insult, could you
Kali
That's not an insult; it's just an English colloquialsm.
It just means that MerylStreep thinks he's rather bland, I think.

I can see your point, MerylStreep and think perhaps he should show a bit more fire and passion, but that's probably not who he is.

I think he's steady, quietly impressive but hasn't had a chance to show us his best with everything that has been happening.

I will definitely vote for the Labour party under Starmer, he is intelligent, not showy and is building an excellent team with as Whitewave has written about some excellent policies.

I re-joined so I could vote in the leadership election. I saw Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Long Bailey in Manchester. Long Bailey was unimpressive. Nandy good but inexperienced. Starmer likeable, politically astute and by far the best candidate.
I admired the pro Bono work he did as a barrister, his leadership of the CPS and I’m happy with his leadership so far. He’s building a good team around him.
I like the policies. It’s curious the press line is to say Labour doesn’t gave any

Kali2

Yes, time for me to rejoin too. I am a member of the Lib Dems- but I'd be happy to be a member of both.

I didn’t realise you could be a member of two parties simultaneously - but I guess nothing to stop you.

Starmer is consensual and seems likely to work well with other opposition parties which will be important.

Look, we’ve left the EU. There’s no case for rejoining, so we have to make it work. We are out and we’re staying out.” So that rules out a return to the single market or customs union under a Labour government? “Yes, it does. We’ve got to make Brexit work from the outside and not reopen old wounds.”

... that's the bit I'm having difficulty with. A return to the SM and CU would make life a lot easier for an awful lot of people, but with it comes FOM. It would seem - listening to quite a few Brexiters - that it would be totally unacceptable. to them, so I can see where the problem lies. Is that what he means by opening "old wounds"? I don't know - he hasn't been specific.

And that's the problem. How, in reality, do you make Brexit "work"? It's almost another slogan like "get Brexit done" and almost as meaningless - in that Brexit will not be "done" for quite some time to come, not in the true sense, anyway.

If he would lay out what he would do to make it work, I might be more enthusiastic. I'd certainly want to see a better, more friendly relationship with the EU. The constant anti-EU rhetoric and the posturing coming from the Tory party and its press whilst people are struggling with the ramifications of leaving are not helpful. Although I'm a Remainer, I've never thought the EU is perfect and, along with others, can see obvious and glaring faults with the way it functions, so I am trying to be realistic. But this 'cold war' with Europe / EU cannot continue if we are going to make Brexit "work".

Starmer appears to be a decent enough man - we've not seen any skeletons in his cupboard. An encouraging slogan is fine as an opening gambit, but the devil is in the detail - and we don't have any of those from him yet, so I'm far from convinced at the moment.

I do agree with an article I read in the Guardian
The improvement in Labours position is not because he is doing his job much better, but because the government is doing even worse

Look, we’ve left the EU. There’s no case for rejoining, so we have to make it work. We are out and we’re staying out.” So that rules out a return to the single market or customs union under a Labour government? “Yes, it does. We’ve got to make Brexit work from the outside and not reopen old wounds.”*

that's the bit I'm having difficulty with. A return to the SM and CU would make life a lot easier for an awful lot of people, but with it comes FOM. It would seem - listening to quite a few Brexiters - that it would be totally unacceptable. to them, so I can see where the problem lies. Is that what he means by opening "old wounds"? I don't know - he hasn't been specific.

That disappointed me, but I suspect that he's still looking at the red wall seats and not frightening the horses..

I've said before that I have observed that once a party gets into government very few voters particularly care what they actually do. Even if they did, there's not a lot they can do about it until the next general election came along. So Starmer could well slide us back into the SM and CU without many people really even noticing it. nothing else makes any sense, really.

I was even more disappointed about his 'no' to nationalisation. How is he going to deal with the water and energy companies who are either doing a dreadful job, water, or making huge profits from the current energy crisis? And, dammit, even the tories have virtually renationalised the railways without anyone complaining.

As you all know, I have an alternative view of how the economy works and how much good it could do, but while Labour is stymied by the completely undeserved perception that Labour is poor at running the economy and the 'How are you going to pay for it?' question it's probably best to look conventional. Again, don't frighten the horses or give hostages to fortune.

rosie1959

I do agree with an article I read in the Guardian
The improvement in Labours position is not because he is doing his job much better, but because the government is doing even worse

I think that raises an interesting question, Rosie

Do people vote for a party because it's done a good job in opposition?

Or, do they vote for it because they're tired of the party in government?

Or is it the party's policies and the way they're presented?

People vote for so many different reasons that it's difficult to pinpoint any particular one, IMO.

Two Years of Keir Starmer. What do we think? Not a lot!

Yes I will certainly vote for him, we need a calm, truthful leader not a clown

Just imagine the calmness, the integrity, truth and competence, what a wonderful change.

I joined the LP at the first JC leadership election because I thought he was the best candidate at that time. I still think that he was an honest man but found his stance over antisemitism confusing. I also thought that his manner when being interviewed was wrong. He showed his displeasure far too often, even when the interviewer was not being aggressive.

The LP at that time had some good polices but towards the end of the campaign for the GE he went over the top - eg free broadband. Most of the MSM rubbished the Party's policies but Johnson took some on board when he became PM. I remember reading that there was a series of focus groups organised throughout the country to discuss the policies with groups of people. The people weren't told whose policies they were. The majority agree with most of the policies but once they were told they were those of the LP they changed their minds.

That's the power of the press in action. People believe the rubbish that is written.

I think that KS is doing a good job. I watch PMQs most weeks and he always manages to rattle Johnson who immediately blusters about vaccines or test and trace and rarely actually answers a question.

KS has written several pieces for a number of newspapers but I suspect that most people don't read them. He is building up a good opposition front bench. Despite some GNers thoughts about Angela Rayner (because of her background/accent/language whatever) she has put on a god performance when opposite Johnson - I think she enjoys it and lets it show.

I have hopes for the LP in the next election. I think that now, with the GE probably 2 years away, is not the time to come up with policies since they would have to keep changing in line with the ongoing situation in the country. But KS does tell us his thoughts and ideals.

If Sunak becomes the next Tory leader I also think that Starmer will be a good opposition.

Largely because Sunak is very politically immature. He has never be subjected to real critical security, and the one time I have seen him being seriously questioned he cut the interview short and walked off.
Remember Sunak has only been an MP for 6 years, a very short time, he is very young and needs time to mature I think.

When he was campaigning to be leader. He said I want unity knowing he would get rid of the left. He said Jeremy Corbyn was vilified by the press they knew what they were doing and they knew why they were doing it.

Reeves said 200,000 left good they don't have our values. People have taken Labour to court over this statement ordinary people including Jews thrown out. That's more money Labour will lose.

Starmer wants a smaller labour membership no activists. So he can say to the elite you can trust us 1% we won't rock the boat.

But Starmer will never be a party of the people. Change won't happen his labour will be imitation Tory so the two main parties are interchangeable and nothing will stop the status quo.

Yes, I would vote for Labour now that we have KS.
I was completely put off by JC.

Whitewavemark2

If Sunak becomes the next Tory leader I also think that Starmer will be a good opposition.

Largely because Sunak is very politically immature. He has never be subjected to real critical security, and the one time I have seen him being seriously questioned he cut the interview short and walked off.
Remember Sunak has only been an MP for 6 years, a very short time, he is very young and needs time to mature I think.

I thought Starmer had only been an MP since 2015 have I misread that

I will vote for KS. I feel I can trust him and he will do his best for the whole country with integrity and fairness.

rosie1959

Whitewavemark2

If Sunak becomes the next Tory leader I also think that Starmer will be a good opposition.

Largely because Sunak is very politically immature. He has never be subjected to real critical security, and the one time I have seen him being seriously questioned he cut the interview short and walked off.
Remember Sunak has only been an MP for 6 years, a very short time, he is very young and needs time to mature I think.

I thought Starmer had only been an MP since 2015 have I misread that

No you are correct, but he has the maturity and has proven himself as opposition leader.

Sunak would be the youngest PM ever I think, neither has he proven himself under pressure. He has a tendency to disappear when things get a bit uncomfortable.

I really think we need more stability and maturity after the past disastrous decade.

He's nearly bankrupted the party. He's expelled hundreds of members for criticising Israelis making Palestinians knock down their own houses, calling them Anti-Semitic, (even the Jewish LP members). He's done nothing to criticise the selling-off of the NHS. And he's gone back on each of his own ten pledges.
Nightmare.

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1498591/keir-starmer-labour-party-conference-boris-johnson-10-pledges-jeremy-corbyn-spt

Whitewavemark2

rosie1959

Whitewavemark2

If Sunak becomes the next Tory leader I also think that Starmer will be a good opposition.

Largely because Sunak is very politically immature. He has never be subjected to real critical security, and the one time I have seen him being seriously questioned he cut the interview short and walked off.
Remember Sunak has only been an MP for 6 years, a very short time, he is very young and needs time to mature I think.

I thought Starmer had only been an MP since 2015 have I misread that

No you are correct, but he has the maturity and has proven himself as opposition leader.

Sunak would be the youngest PM ever I think, neither has he proven himself under pressure. He has a tendency to disappear when things get a bit uncomfortable.

I really think we need more stability and maturity after the past disastrous decade.

Didn’t realise Starmer was nearly 60 must admit he doesn’t look it

Whitewavemark2 Sunak would definitely not be the youngest PM ever, William Pitt the Younger was only 24! I remember because my history teacher thought it was one of the most interesting political facts we needed to know, and it stuck in my head.

Oh yes! I forgot him. He would be the second youngest then????