Why is Johnson more popular than Starmer?

OakDryad, I couldn’t have put it better myself. Have you ever thought of standing for your constituency??? We could do with someone like you.

I heard it summed up on Have I got news for you wher somebody said Kier Starmer is like Teresa May but without the personality ?

Great comment - I agree wholeheartedly and I would definitely be in the dumping group!

M0nica

Whatever he is in real life - and all the virtues you attribute to him Iam 64 are all the virtues of a man lacking in charisma and very worthy.

But in politics, as far back as you go, it is the charismatic and/or the rogues that win hands down over the worthy. Lord Palmerston, Disraeli, Lloyd-George, Thatcher, Blair.

A party is viewed through its leader, and if the leader comes over as dull and boring, that is how the party is seen.

There is a real difference between how we like to think people vote and how they ought to vote, and how they do and leaders who cannot come over to the electorate as having a strong and distinctive personality are death to their party.

At the end of day people are attracted to a rogue, especially a loud noisy ebullient one and have a respect for one that somehow always gets away with it. This applies on ordinary life. How often do you here people describe someone, a local man, or a neighbour, that leads his life on the edge of the law being described as 'a lovable rogue'.

When you say the rogues ‘win hands down’ Monica it depends entirely on what you mean by that. Being popular, initially at least, certainly doesn’t mean that when viewed with hindsight some of those you name did the best jobs for the country as PM. Some of the best PMs were not charismatic at all, but they were principled and far sighted. I think those attracted to rogues are those who can’t be bothered with the serious business of politics.

PS Thatcher did not have any charisma in my view, she was humourless. I don’t agree with her at all, but I do think she was a serious politician.

OMG. I do wish Johnson realised just how much he can make people's skin crawl with the "putting our arms around .... (fill in the current blank)" He's at it again. Does this mean more people will die than needed - just as it did before?

We don't have to like our Prime Ministers do we? All I want from a PM is that he works to better the lives of ALL the population, is honest, trustworthy not a cheat and liar.

Boris fails all round. I don't actually think much of Starmer either, he doesn't 'oppose' enough for me.

Hear hear - unbelievable that this is a fab it when people vote for him. All I see is a callous self serving weak person

This is a reason….

Rameses coming late to this debate, I do agree with your posting and also that of Doodledog. The media has a lot to answer for - and who owns a lot of the media? Foreigners who delight in stupid headlines and watching the UK fall apart.
The Daily Mail's pursuit of Starmer over 'Beergate' for 5 front pages, which was an incident cleared up at first calling, compared to their silence over Partygate and Johnson's proven lying, just highlights our shallow electorate.
Keep telling people a lie (and as Trump proved,) they happily swallow it.
How any woman can find Johnson charismatic when he is a buffoon, a liar, a womaniser and totally lacks empathy, makes me despair. Give me an honest, intelligent man who has come up from real roots! Not a windbag who has lied, lied and will lie again (just ask his teachers, bosses, wives etc)!

Bozo is a corrupt libertine with no thought or concern about anybody but himself. I do keep wondering when the public are finally going to do something about him and his ilk, who are milking the system and stealing public money.

When the energy cap is increased by £800 in October, ie about £70 per month, and winter is coming in, there might be a bit of action. As for Starmer...

Starter strikes me as having no personality...very hard to like someone like that...I hate Boris but he has personality

Just glad that Corbyn is no longer around - hopefully Rayner will continue to keep her head down and disappear.

I'm so disillusioned with all of them I might just spoil my ballot paper if I even bother to vote in 2024. I spent a lot of time talking to local representatives last time and not one of them told the truth or they just didn't bother to answer my questions. In the end I voted for the person in my constituency that I knew most about and that had supported my causes. The fact that he was Conservative wasn't really an issue at that time.

The cult of personality reigns nowadays and has spread to politics. Competence and honesty are not enough and Johnson doesn't even has those essential qualities. Instead he has an abundance of personality and will always fill the headlines and gossip columns. I'm sure he's a hugely entertaining dinner party guest but he should not be PM. He will sell anyone and everyone down the river to save his own skin and remain top dog. Of course Starmer is boring in contrast but we are looking for a someone to run the country not someone to win a TV popularity game show. I just wish Starmer had a bit more passion and oomph. Andy Burnham would be my current choice for next Labour leader.

@gloryanny
He quite simply lies better than stammer tells the truth. He also has the right wing media propping up his agenda. Acting like Dennis the Menis in a suit has paid off for him.

dizzygran

Just glad that Corbyn is no longer around - hopefully Rayner will continue to keep her head down and disappear.

But Rayner has personality!

Treetops05

Starter strikes me as having no personality...very hard to like someone like that...I hate Boris but he has personality

So for that reason you prefer the country to be led by someone like that?

I prefer tolerated not popular. Only when there's an election will truth out.

I’m afraid your basic premise OP is flawed.

Poor Keir Starmer

So far he has appeared as Stammer and Starter

That's better than what Johnson gets called sometimes.

I am dubious about Starmer. During lockdown, he used to bang on about his wife being an NHS keyworker and there were many articles stating that she was an Occupational Therapist. That used to be my profession so I was interested, wondered where she had trained and so on...did a bit of research and found that she was not and never had been. The title is protected, you can't use it unless you are qualified and hold a current registration so I contacted the Health Professions Council and the media articles were removed or edited...now they (the Starmers) may never have said this and the media do get things wrong, but along with the article removal, he seemed to have shut up about her being a key worker....and he never has said what her NHS job is. Now I know there are NHS jobs where you don't advertise what you do...they are usually to do with child protection but you really keep quiet about them and they aren't done by people who have no clinical qualification...so either he lied about her working for the NHS or he should have kept his mouth shut entirely. In either case yes she is entitled to her privacy and no one has a right to know what her job is but in that case he shouldn't have been using her as a campaign tool!
I too am a YouGov user. I am definitely a floating voter and do get asked the political questions.

I don’t “like” either of them. I vote based purely on who I trust to run the country better. For years I’ve voted tactically. I’m ashamed of the British Government and have been for years. I’ve voted for Tory as Labour as I haven’t seen or heard a believable manifesto from Labour for most of my adult life. My daughter (mid 20s) told me last time round that she was voting for Labour based on the fact that everyone would get free prescriptions, free university education, all children would get free school meals. When I asked her where that money was coming from she couldn’t answer. I’d love to vote for the Green Party but it would just be a wasted vote.

I also do wonder if Lady Victoria's Jewish faith was a factor in the Labour Party's choice after the Corbin anti semite debacle....although I will say that he doesn't push it.