No mandatory digital ID after all.

Galaxy

It isn't comms I dont think. He doesn't know what he wants to do with the power he has, he hasn't a vision, belief system call it what you like. If he did he wouldn't care what people thought, or what the reaction was.

Exactly… for all her faults the late Margaret Thatcher knew exactly what she wanted to achieve and what she thought would be best for the country and did it.
Tony Blair, whilst being a bit more bending in the wind had a vision too.
Keir Starmer doesn’t appear to know what he wants.

It’s all very well to have an ID card to help stop illegal workers where the onus is on the employer to check the validity of that person.
But who is going to police the employer 🤷‍♀️ The police, the border agency?
A clip was shown on the news where a Chinese nail technician was found to be working illegally. She just put her coat on and walked out leaving the officers in the shop.
Where is she going to go? Onto another nail salon.
And the merry go round goes on and on 🙁

Blunkett told the BBC that he is disappointed but not surprised. ..."because the original announcement was not followed by a narrative or supportive statements or any kind of strategic plan that involved other ministers and those committed to this actually making the case. ....so sadly it's an indication of a failure to be able to enunciated why this policy mattered, to be able to follow through with a detail of how it would work and then reinforce that by a plan and communication of action"

I'd say his comments sum up perfectly why there are so many U turns.

Though I do find it ironic that a policy to help prevent illegal employment has been greeted by howls of rage from Conservatives and Reform.

I think Keir Starmer has a very strong belief system, but I am with David Blunkett on this one.

I think that:

1. Before announcing new initiatives they should be 100% clear about the wider consequences across all their policies so that what they announce is "right first time" as Wes said recently

2. Stop making generalised statements about it's going to get better without giving clarity about exactly what they have done that is going to actually make that true!

3 A very effective Comms team s needed working across departments to ensure that positive summaries of what has been achieved AND the impact by departments are highlighted consistently and change the narrative

Looking at the U-Turns, the reasons given for them are SO often clearly obvious and should have been considered and either agreed regardless OR mitigated by adapting the policy before the original announcement.

This is just good practice in Strategic Planning frankly.

It isn't comms I dont think. He doesn't know what he wants to do with the power he has, he hasn't a vision, belief system call it what you like. If he did he wouldn't care what people thought, or what the reaction was.

It is a good question and this was in the Independent.
(Though I think David probably dictated enunciate rather than annunciate).
Labour peer Lord David Blunkett said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by the U-turn, which he said is a result “failure to be able to annunciate why this policy mattered”.
"I’m not surprised because the original announcement was not followed by a narrative or supportive statements or any kind of strategic plan which involves other ministers and those who are committed to this actually making the case.
So very sadly, it’s an indication of failure to be able to annunciate why this policy mattered. To be able to follow through with the detail of how it would work and then to reinforce that by a plan and communication of action.
And when you fail to do all of those things, it’s not surprising in the end that the thing runs into the sand.”
Sounds about right to me!

Sorry, I meant not meaningful to KS himself.
I was not questioning the effectiveness of the system, nor am I confused as to how it works. It could well be beneficial to the country.

What is being criticised here is the way in which KS perceives it as all important and valuable one minute, then as good as insignificant the next, enough to ditch it.
Perhaps if he were more adept at giving meaningful reasons for his U-turns, people would have more time for him, but as has been stated so often, he is getting it wrong and bringing about misinformation for himself. Let alone all the effort and money put into deciding to go one way, then backtracking.

I totally agree Doodledog. It isn't just about the spin put on, it is about the way stuff emerges as total misinformation. Why did people think a Digital ID involved a card to carry? That has to have come from the MSM reporting as well as Social Media.
The comms have been dire from the start and factions within the Labour Party don't help, but verified information is pretty easy to find these days if people can be bothered.

It’s always the same, Mamie. No chance to criticise the government is missed, and the truth is often a casualty.

It was pointed out on here ages ago that the scheme would only affect those starting new jobs (so presumably few of us), and would be otherwise voluntary, but all of that is forgotten in favour of repeating headlines from the anti-Starmer press.

My hairdresser was fuming yesterday about how ‘the government’ is ‘strangling’ small businesses like hers (term sound familiar?). I asked how, and she cited minimum wage and higher NI. Her only salon employee left over a year ago, so neither apply. When I pointed that out she said that higher wage bills (which she doesn’t have) increase her VAT bill 🤪. At that point I gave up - it’s like plaiting fog. People will believe what they want to believe, and seize on ‘catchy’ phrases to back it up.

I think the government desperately needs a good Comms team who can help them to counter the negativity from the media. They should maybe hold back from announcements about what they are considering, so that if the considerations end in the decision not to go ahead they can’t be accused of ‘U turns’, and they need to shout about the things they have done much more loudly and in a way that people don’t have to search for.

MartavTaurus

My issue is why spend all that money on a system that isn't meaningful?
It seems to me that KS doesn't have the confidence to see anything through. He keeps backtracking. Does he not consult with all his MPs first?

The system is meaningful, you use it to access UK Government services such as HMRC and it will save money on the separate One Login system that is currently in use for multiple services. I have set it up and used it from France so I am not sure quite why people are so confused by it. Judging by posts on other forums some people even seem to think it is a card they must carry!
The idea to use it to sign in to register and help prevent illegal working is, in my opinion, a good one, but the communications were badly managed, misunderstood by the press and resulted in confusion with uproar about carrying ID when we are talking about a digital sign in.

Obviously the Government isn't either as it's one U turn after another.

That’s one of the more worrying aspects of the government at the moment. If your own party don't have faith in you . . .

LizzieDrip

^What would you like to see? Are you happy with all the policies they’ve made so far?^

Oreo I’ll answer that with the same level of detail that you afforded my question to you.

I would like to see KS remain as PM.

I’m not happy with all the policies the Labour government has made so far.

I’m not happy with all the policies the Labour government has made so far.

Obviously the Government isn't either as it's one U turn after another.

Well that’s something I suppose LizzieDrip 😄
I have the most time for Wes Streeting who does appear to have a bit of backbone and vision, so if he could be swapped overnight with Starmer then that would please me and we’d see how things went on from there.
The worry is to most Labour voters that the gruesome twosome will carry on as usual and that will be the end of the Labour Party for the next 20 years.

What would you like to see? Are you happy with all the policies they’ve made so far?

Oreo I’ll answer that with the same level of detail that you afforded my question to you.

I would like to see KS remain as PM.

I’m not happy with all the policies the Labour government has made so far.

The trouble is nobody can make any decisions at the moment because nobody knows what the Government is going to come up with next. And then when people take action based on some policy or other, a bit later there’s a uturn and they would have been better to do nothing. So that’s what they do in future.

Businesses aren’t taking on staff, manufacturers are keeping tried and tested products, wholesalers are stocking the minimum.

On a personal level people are unsure and are just holding to what they have. Nobody wants to take a risk with a new job, new house, new car, a family, anything.

The whole country is paralysed by a lack of confidence in what this Government sees as the future. Or indeed, the present.

LizzieDrip

Oreo

When will Labour do something to replace him? And the hopeless Reeves as well.I feel like pulling my hair out sometimes.

Out of interest Oreo, who would you like to see replace Keir Starmer as PM? And, as you are a professed Labour voter, what sort of Labour government would you be happy with?

You frequently criticise current Labour policy but don’t give much indication about what you think would be better

What would you like to see? Are you happy with all the policies they’ve made so far?

I haven’t noticed that you have criticised them so you either agree enthusiastically with all the policies they’ve made since taking power or you think they’re above criticism

Eh? Neither of those assumptions are true.

Oreo

LizzieDrip Perhaps somebody with some vision and backbone? And for Chancellor somebody who knows what they’re doing.
Btw I am far from being the only dissatisfied Labour voter on this forum.
Preferring a certain political party doesn’t mean they can’t be criticised ever.
I haven’t noticed that you have criticised them so you either agree enthusiastically with all the policies they’ve made since taking power or you think they’re above criticism.

I voted for them as I have done in the past (not always and not for Corbyn though).

Just listening to the party political broadcast for the Labour Party by Starmer and I could weep. He sounds so plausible but things are getting worse and I see no indication they will get better as he claims.

New houses with the infrastructure to match? New homes, yes, but no infrastructure at all, resulting in utter chaos at rush hours, taking an hour sometimes to travel a couple or three miles as more people are having to get to work in the cities but encouraged to buy the new-builds in other villages and small towns.

Improved NHS ? Really? Sitting on a chair for days with a suspected heart attack and forced to go privately? Even a trolley in a corridor would be an improvement.

Five months' wait to get an appointment to see the new Labour MP? Who has no clue what is happening in the constituency anyway.

Starmer must live in a gilded bubble.
I could weep.

However, what is the alternative?
Perhaps we need an emergency coalition because we seem to be in crisis.

😡

LizzieDrip Perhaps somebody with some vision and backbone? And for Chancellor somebody who knows what they’re doing.
Btw I am far from being the only dissatisfied Labour voter on this forum.
Preferring a certain political party doesn’t mean they can’t be criticised ever.
I haven’t noticed that you have criticised them so you either agree enthusiastically with all the policies they’ve made since taking power or you think they’re above criticism.

Oreo

When will Labour do something to replace him? And the hopeless Reeves as well.I feel like pulling my hair out sometimes.

Out of interest Oreo, who would you like to see replace Keir Starmer as PM? And, as you are a professed Labour voter, what sort of Labour government would you be happy with?

You frequently criticise current Labour policy but don’t give much indication about what you think would be better

Cossy

SORES

Ive told this tale a few times on here
- when we first moved here 3 years ago,
I ordered a particular bottle of gin from Amazon, on offer,
delivered to the door by a young Eastern European lady, held the box, asked to see id which I knew was safely packed in a box somewhere, Passport and drivers licence.
I said I didn’t have anything, only bank cards and Senior Railcard which she wouldn’t accept as it didn’t show my photo.
brooking no argument, off she went with my Martin Miller gin.

Amazon refunded me at full price for my disappointment and then sent another, via non judgemental DPD who left it on the doorstep, confident that I was (well) over 25 and would not cause trouble.

I disagree, I think it’s quite important to show ID for deliveries, I had to show ID recently for both alcohol and a new knife block I’d ordered.

There are no people living in my home who are under 23, however, close neighbours have young children and many teenagers up and down the road.

My “safe” place for deliveries s an open poor, open as in the door is left unlocked specifically for deliveries.

I’d be very upset if someone managed to take my deliveries if they were alcohol or things that could used to hurt others.

I have no issue in having to show photo ID when signing for something. I carry my Driving Licence in my purse.

I agree with Cossy.

Some under 18s can look much older than their age too.

^ Does he not consult with all his MPs first?^

As far as I can tell Starmer has had very little to do with his MPs until a recent belated charm offensive. It is usually asserted that his strings are pulled by McSweeny and Blue Labour, who so far seem to have done little but lead him into disaster.

I have seen it said today that the U turn on digital ID is a result of the protests against it being a rejection of government led racism. I think this can’t be quite right as here in Reform Central there was a lot of objection to it. As Reform is blatantly racist this can’t be the grounds for their objection

My issue is why spend all that money on a system that isn't meaningful?
It seems to me that KS doesn't have the confidence to see anything through. He keeps backtracking. Does he not consult with all his MPs first?