Lest we forget what we have just lost ....

He was chosen by Labour Together a think tank by Josh Simmons McSweeny Mandelson given hundreds of thousands of £s not declared to crush the left. He is authoritarian no polices for change same neoliberal economics. The five words he used 'Isreal does have that right' interview on LBC before becoming PM about withholding water power in the siege. He participated in the genocide giving more arms 2025 than in the three previous years. Thousands of hours of spy planes flying over Isreal giving Israel intel diplomatic cover. Rolling out red carpet to Isreal president while banning speakers in support of Palestine from entering the country, Ignoring international law.

He is the only PM to reject the most Jewish people from Labour if they were anti racist in supporting Palistinians people.

That's why many voted Green or not voted Labour.

Every single UK government since 1980, including the current one has been run according to these principles. They are destroying public services, keeping people poor and causing huge resentment, loss of trust in government and a desperate search for someone to blame for their situation. A search which is being gleefully exploited by the prime beneficiaries of neoliberalism, the wealthy and super wealthy.
Thatcher has so.much to answer.

I think Starmer was misguided to have been trying to appease the far right .. he did not do enough to move away from what had gone before.

But he was starting to make inroads and now he has been stopped in his tracks.

If we persist in crumbling under the media-led demands for instant results or you are out, no sound long term policies can be enacted.

Instant gratification is the name of the game and it is getting us nowhere.

Moii Your point about benefits being exploited by a minority of people has been a problem for a very long time and is nothing to do with Labour.
It is very important to remember that it us a minority. When I was a social worker I saw far more people who were not getting the benefits they needed and were entitled to thannpepple who were exploiting the system. Exceptions are not a good basis for policy making.

He told my MP who is very upset about what has happened to stop being grumpy ( not said in a nasty way but as a way of comforting her) it’s all about the Party. Even now all he cares about is the Labour movement. I wish I was as nice and forgiving as he is. ( but I’m not!)

There’s a lot he’s done which I don’t agree with. I don’t think anybody should pay for primary or secondary education. Loading costs for employers was shortsighted and every one suffers including the low paid. Removing the benefit cap was a mistake although I do think there should be targeted help for families within the education system to see that they get fed, clothed, etc properly. The rent rules changing weren’t all bad but they are now talking about all rental properties having heat pumps. On that basis we will sell. We have updated all our properties with the recommended energy Efficient boilers already and just cannot afford the new technology.
I would never have voted for Starmer but do recognise he was a relatively calm hand on the tiller.

Cronesrule

I liked KS because he seems decent and has integrity. The list of his government’s achievements is impressive. OK some things had a downside but you cannot please all the people all of the time. In the end, he was ousted because the right wing media had it in for him, as they do all PMs but especially Labour. I despair of the Labour MPs who did not support him. Not keen on Burnham; seems like a bit of a throwback and a whiner. But let’s hope if he gets the job he makes a good go of it!

Tend to agree with this.

Someone commented about people now finding it too easy to 'throw a sicky' now - I'd prefer someone with covid or other infectious disease to stay home and not be forced to work by financial pressures.

Madgran77

Well an obvious one would be the rising unemployment; employers not taking on new staff; cutting staff numbers hence redundancies; not taking on youngsters/school leavers; reduction in starter jobs; hence increasing numbers of NEETS.

I am not going to join in a back and forth on this; its pointless. I absolutely get the point of what the OP says and certainly see benefits but I think it is relevant to look at the wider impact as well as the headline. Where is the strategic joined up thinking to counter negative consequences when new policies are brought in? Sadly in my view that has been missing or at the very least has been too slow hence much bigger negative impacts of positive policies than was necessary.

I know that I keep on and on about this to the point of annoying everyone, but this is all the result of adhering to an economic ideology. Neoliberal economic ideology took hold in the 1980s. Very much due to the influence of Ronald Reagan, who had no economic credentials whatsoever, and his faithful acolyte, Thatcher, who also had no economic credentials and regarded the nation as a household on a small budget which she had to look after very carefully. It is now globally pervasive.
We can see by its results globally that it doesn't work for most of a country's citizens as it channels wealth upwards and increases inequality, not only of wealth but of the access to services such as education and the law which seriously adversely affects the life chances of those who can't pay for them.

Neoliberalism is the belief that:

Markets know best.
Government is largely a problem.
Public provision is inherently inefficient,
Taxation is a burden,
Economic success is best judged by the rate at which GDP grows.

These points can be expanded by anyone who cares to ask questions about them.

Every single UK government since 1980, including the current one has been run according to these principles. They are destroying public services, keeping people poor and causing huge resentment, loss of trust in government and a desperate search for someone to blame for their situation. A search which is being gleefully exploited by the prime beneficiaries of neoliberalism, the wealthy and super wealthy.

I thought that our potential next PM recognised this with his talk about reversing 40 years of neoliberalism, but sadly, his rumoured choices of cabinet colleagues, staff and advisors, not to mention his apparent promise not to change the basis of the current economic policy, those ridiculous 'fiscal rules' , seem to indicate that he has no more understanding of the cause of the UK's problems than most other people and no room to radically change.

I think we'll continue in the same old way but with a more upbeat and focussed face at the helm.

I think most of the people who are against Starmer ignore any achievements whilst he has been Prime Minister simply because he doesn't shout loudly enough about what he has done. Plus what people see as his ineffective stance against illegal immigration, which apparently have been reasonably effective so far. He's only been in office for 2 years and whoever takes over as Prime Minister will still have to deal with the same problems. This recent habit of changing Prime Ministers without giving them the chance to sort out the mess we were in makes us a laughing stock to the rest of the world.

Personally I have never been a particular fan of Starmer but at least he seems to be a decent, intelligent human being, Andy Burnham gives me the impression of being a career politician who is more interested in being in the top job than on what it entails. Only time will tell.

I was so hopeful of Starmer's leadership. Everyone credits him with being a decent person, a man of good faith, in contrast to certain predecessors.
And it is true that there have been major achievements. But the early mistakes, the withdrawal of WFA (U-turned), the double whammy for businesses of increases in NI and minimum wage, have dogged him and Rachel Reeves. And the U-turns, a weak look.
The Mandelson appointment looked clever at the time but came back to bite him.
And he didn't do enough schmoozing with his MPs, like all of them with big egos which need stroking.
I suppose Andy Burnhsm (of course it's chummy Andy) will be better at keeping the MPs on side. I think he's more of a chsncer, but I do wish him success because the possible alternatives,are worse.

Unfortunately, they harmed industry with tax changes so many of the changes to benefits are not really affordable. They have also abolished Green Belt.

Maremia

Yes, MOnica, the election result was a good effective use of tactical voting .
But, there was a lot of undeniable 'joy' when the big change was achieved.

The joy was at getting rid of the Conservatives, not of greeting Labour with any enthusiasm.

Part of Labour's problems since the last election has been that it convinced itself that it was in power because everyone loved it, when a more realistic belief that they were only there because the other parties were wanted even less, might have given them the chance to become a reasonably good government.

Well said Luckygirl3
Agree with every word.
Its shameful.

Thry only removed the 2 child cap after massive pressure. They didn't plan to do it.

Mojack26

And you think they are allgreat do you? 2 child cap should never have been discarded. If you really think the child benefits you are deluded! Just more for the parents

Evidence for your claim?

Oh I forgot you are an evidence free zone. You never need evidence when a good solid unfounded defamation can be made.

And you think they are allgreat do you? 2 child cap should never have been discarded. If you really think the child benefits you are deluded! Just more for the parents

Luckygirl3

Since Labour took office, Keir Starmer’s government has:

- Scrapped the two-child benefit limit, lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and putting money back into some of the hardest-pressed households in the country.

- Expanded free school meals, cutting costs for families and making sure more children get a proper meal during the school day.

- Expanded funded childcare, reducing one of the biggest monthly costs facing working parents and making it easier for people to stay in work.

- Raised the National Living Wage, increasing pay for millions of low-paid workers.

- Strengthened workers’ rights, giving people greater protection against insecure work and bad employers.

- Introduced statutory sick pay from the first day of illness, so workers are less likely to choose between their health and their wages.

- Ended no-fault evictions, giving renters more security in their homes.

- Brought rail operators back into public ownership, taking key services out of failed private hands and giving the public a stronger stake in how they are run.

- Cut NHS waiting lists from their post-pandemic peak, meaning more patients are being seen sooner.

- Raised the state pension through the triple lock, protecting pensioners’ incomes against rising costs.

- Scrapped the old non-dom tax regime, making some of the wealthiest people in the country pay more fairly.

- Added VAT to private school fees, raising money from those most able to contribute.

- Removed business rates relief from private schools, ending an unjustified tax break.

- Increased neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and PCSOs back into communities.

- Helped bring knife crime down, meaning fewer families face the devastation of serious violence.

- Recorded the lowest homicide rate since the 1970s, a material improvement in public safety.

- Created Great British Energy, giving Britain a publicly owned clean energy company.

- Created the National Wealth Fund, backing investment in industry, infrastructure and clean energy.

- Passed planning reforms aimed at getting homes and major projects built faster.

- Improved relations with the EU, reducing diplomatic hostility and rebuilding practical cooperation.

- Agreed a UK-EU security partnership, strengthening cooperation on defence and European security.

- Signed a long-term partnership with Ukraine, reinforcing Britain’s support against Putin’s invasion.

- Secured new trade agreements, opening up markets for British businesses.

- Helped restore seriousness to government after years of scandal, chaos and decline.

- Revived Sure Start under the guise of Best Start Hubs.

- Stood up to Trump and kept us out of Iran without the US/UK relationship falling apart.

- Restored international faith in the UK

And this is the man who has been hounded out for not being flashy enough and not courting the media.

Do you know a family with 6 children one on disability not working because they can claim carers and renting so they claim housing benefits are getting just under £6000k cash every 4 weeks. Shame people who take personal responsibility with a mortgage can't afford more than 2. Yes it's real I've seen the paperwork.

Well an obvious one would be the rising unemployment; employers not taking on new staff; cutting staff numbers hence redundancies; not taking on youngsters/school leavers; reduction in starter jobs; hence increasing numbers of NEETS.

I am not going to join in a back and forth on this; its pointless. I absolutely get the point of what the OP says and certainly see benefits but I think it is relevant to look at the wider impact as well as the headline. Where is the strategic joined up thinking to counter negative consequences when new policies are brought in? Sadly in my view that has been missing or at the very least has been too slow hence much bigger negative impacts of positive policies than was necessary.

Yes .. please do.

Yes, MOnica, the election result was a good effective use of tactical voting .
But, there was a lot of undeniable 'joy' when the big change was achieved.

Madgran77

The OP is is a too simlpified surface description of the "facts"! Underneath many of those headline "achievements" are wide ranging impacts that are not in the interests of the country.

Please feel free to elucidate on that….

The OP is is a too simlpified surface description of the "facts"! Underneath many of those headline "achievements" are wide ranging impacts that are not in the interests of the country.

eazybee

Exactly, and now there appears to be universal joy at the prospect of the replacement, who was rejected for Leadership twice, and has won one by-election on home territory, not a leadership contest.

Certainly not universal. I know a lot of Labour members, myself included, that are going to resign our membership over it. And my MP is furious about what has happened. But we’ve been drowned out.

Exactly, and now there appears to be universal joy at the prospect of the replacement, who was rejected for Leadership twice, and has won one by-election on home territory, not a leadership contest.

Oreo

Sadly, what Monica says is true.

Yes it is.

Sadly, what Monica says is true.