Are you two the best we can do?

Siope

Joseann

Well, King Charles had better get the business meeting done and dusted by mid afternoon on Friday, July 5th then. It's a good hour from the Palace out to Kentish Town in the rush hour, even longer on a Friday.

But Downing Street (which is where he’d be going if he’s in a position to attend that meeting) is fortunately much closer!

No, I think he said somewhere he wasn't going to move his kids in there, so if he pops into number 10 first to pick up his papers, he'll need to put his foot down for 6pm!

Victoria didn’t sign up to be married to a future PM. The fact that she is supporting him totally in this and the way that he is wanting to give his children as normal a life as possible shows how much love and respect there is between them. I think they’re a lovely family. As for insinuations that Keir isn’t a hard worker, well, words fail me!

No desperation, wwm, but disappointment in the priorities of someone who says ‘country first’. He isn’t Jewish. He is putting his wife and children ahead of his responsibilities to the country.

MayBee70

Victoria didn’t sign up to be married to a future PM. The fact that she is supporting him totally in this and the way that he is wanting to give his children as normal a life as possible shows how much love and respect there is between them. I think they’re a lovely family. As for insinuations that Keir isn’t a hard worker, well, words fail me!

👍

Germanshepherdsmum

No desperation, wwm, but disappointment in the priorities of someone who says ‘country first’. He isn’t Jewish. He is putting his wife and children ahead of his responsibilities to the country.

Says someone who, I assume would have voted for Johnson purely because he was a Conservative even though you didn’t like him and knew what he was like morally. Apologies in advance if you did put country before politics and abstain from voting for someone like that

I always vote for the party, not the person - and whilst I was disappointed in Johnson’s appointment the worst of him came out after the 2019 election.

During the leadership campaign, Starmer talked about his commitment to trying to keep Shabbat with his family on Friday evenings. He told an anecdote anyone with daughters would identify with about his daughter’s comments on this.
He isn’t Jewish, his wife is and he said they aim to bring their children up with understanding of their heritage.

He will have worked long hours in previous employment and as an MP. I admire the Starmer’s desire to try and protect their children as much as possible given it seems likely Dad will be PM.
The aim to keep the Friday tradition so far as is possible is a good one.

GSM I disagree. Starmer isn’t putting his wife and children before the country - he’s a loving, responsible husband and father. The country would be a better place with more like him

Agreed MayBee and as he isn't Prime Minister yet I don't see that he can be judged on his potential work ethic in advance.
If, for example, he missed Cobra meetings for spurious reasons in a pandemic, took holidays during crises, partied in Downing Street, then one might be able to sit in judgement.....
I think commitment to your family is important and I have no doubt he would be at work in Downing Street or elsewhere if it were essential. I am also sure that if you have held a role as important as DPP then you will have learnt to manage your time effectively.

Wait and see. The political timetable won’t run to his family’s religious beliefs. I have worked with a good many Jewish people and have never known one to schedule meetings or time in the office as Starmer wishes to. This is in stark contrast to Orthodox Jewish lawyers who I have found tend to work together, work for clients of the same religious persuasion and close their offices early on Fridays and on Jewish holidays.

Germanshepherdsmum

Wait and see. The political timetable won’t run to his family’s religious beliefs. I have worked with a good many Jewish people and have never known one to schedule meetings or time in the office as Starmer wishes to. This is in stark contrast to Orthodox Jewish lawyers who I have found tend to work together, work for clients of the same religious persuasion and close their offices early on Fridays and on Jewish holidays.

Keir is not an Orthodox Jew though, is he?

I didn’t say he was. He isn’t Jewish. Perhaps read my post again.

Mr Starmer has said exactly what will happen on Friday nights.

He said that he will not be booking any nights away from home like dinners, events etc, which apparently have hardly ever happened, as far as is possible.

He will however still be the prime minister 24/7 - so his private secretary and other civil servants will continue to be by his side and ready to give advise etc.

I’m trying to imagine Johnson making time to spend with his kids, but the logistics are making my head spin.

Just to set GSM’s mind at rest, Starmer had today said,

“I do carve out Friday nights, as best I can, for Vic and the kids and her dad as protected time.

Her dad’s side of the family is Jewish, as people will appreciate, and we use that for family prayers – not every Friday, but not infrequently.

That doesn’t mean I’ve never had to work on a Friday, of course it doesn’t, plenty of times I haven’t been able to do it [have time off].

But I’ve tried to protect that time. I’d like to try and protect it in the future but I know very well, it’s going to be really difficult to do it.”

My mind doesn’t need to be set at rest, thank you. I will see the reality if he is elected.

Siope

I’m trying to imagine Johnson making time to spend with his kids, but the logistics are making my head spin.

Now, that's not really fair, is it? He was seen at various theme parks and on beaches etc with his younger children.
I applaud Starmer for attaching great importance to his family, but let's not think he is the only dad with responsibilities in politics achieving this aim by comparing fathers in other parties unfavourably.

Thinking of people that are worried about a Labour government. Maybe they’ll understand how frightened some of us have been for 14 years. And our fears were justified. First of all we had Cameron who gave us Brexit ( the greatest act of self harm that any country has inflicted upon itself) because he was scared of UKIP. Then Johnson who was too busy sorting his divorce out to pay much attention to a pandemic that was sweeping across the world. Who tried to illegally prorogue parliament ( but still got away with it because he was a vote winner). Then Truss who crashed the economy in a matter of days ( or was it hours?). And at the end of it all they’ve achieved in fourteen years is to destroy their own party. Labour will have to go some if they want to wreak that much damage during their time in office.

My experience of working with Jewish lawyers/psychologis/doctors/social workers and more was that Shabbat was always important, if more so to orthodox people. As with other faiths and cultures we did our best to accommodate.
This isn’t 1950’s England. We are a more diverse culture with greater respect for people of non white British heritage

Starmer is setting a good standard of trying to keep one evening for his family, it won’t and hasn’t always been possible but good on him (and Mrs S)

Joseann but what about the other 5…6…7…

Crikey. The Conservatives have dug Johnson up now in an attempt to claw back a few votes. My own Conservative MP dug up Edwina Curry

Did you see Boris on the BBC 10pm news. Same old same old, thank goodness he's gone.

The other point raised was Bravermans statement - she said basically they were going to lose, don't vote Reform, and the news commentator remarked it sounded like a first go at a leadership bid. (😳)

They were laughing about Johnson on Sky News. I think it’s an insult to the electorate wheeling out a disgraced PM and finding it funny. Oh look at the hair. Tee hee. His suit doesn’t fit…he’s put weight on; so Boris, it’s what the electorate love. Hand me the sick bag somebody.

I saw Gove trying to spin it. If I hear the word supermajority one more time I shall scream. There is no such thing. Anyone interested in understanding why could watch this from the Institute for Government

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq7wNiIZDFI

Or read this:

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/conservatives-supermajority-warnings

In reality, apart from the HR problems created for the opposition leader, in parliamentary terms the difference between an 80-seat and 200-seat majority is not material – the most significant factor for democracy is the attitude a government takes to the role of parliament and the value of scrutiny.

Boris Johnson secured a much larger majority and immediately adopted the attitude that nobody should be able to oppose his parliamentary plans. His ministers refused to entertain even the smallest amendments to bills and some were extremely reluctant to appear before select committees. He was free with the creation of new ministerial powers and their exercise – using secondary legislation to pass numerous measures without the possibility of parliamentary opposition. In practice his opposition came more from within his own party than other parties.

In other words, the Tories have a damn cheek playing this fallacious card when they so blatantly took advantage of their own majority to avoid scrutiny in 2019.

If Labour do secure the large majority being predicted, I'm sure Starmer will act with integrity in the Parliamentary process.

Johnson married a Roman Catholic, as did Tony Blair who later became one.

I don't recall this was much of an issue in the media then.

We should leave religion out of this.