For one fleeting moment in this mad world we had Normal. Starmer put the wind up the right wing media & earned genuine respect & sympathy from many ordinary voters for his swift action after the Farage riots. We’re heading into a Trumpian wasteland. We’ll miss the calm.
If these reports are accurate, they reinforce what I have been thinking for some time.
Sir Keir Starmer appeared to have a long term strategy for the country. Whether people agreed with every aspect of it is another matter, but it was recognisably a national strategy. It sought to rebuild Britain's economy, strengthen our international relationships, move progressively closer to Europe and govern from the centre for the benefit of the entire United Kingdom. He had until 2029 to pursue that programme under the mandate the electorate had given him.
By contrast, I have yet to hear Andy Burnham articulate a comparable national vision. What I hear are regional priorities, political soundbites and briefings from unnamed allies. If those briefings are an accurate reflection of his thinking, they suggest a politics that remains rooted in Greater Manchester rather than one that speaks for the whole nation.
A Prime Minister cannot govern simply for the North, any more than they can govern simply for the South. They must govern for every citizen who contributes to this country's success. The people who create wealth, pay taxes and build businesses live in every region of Britain. They deserve a Government whose first instinct is to grow the national economy, not to divide it into competing regions.
Nor do I believe the old political labels carry much meaning today. The so called working class is no longer a single political bloc. Britain is a nation of working people in every profession and every income bracket, all striving to build a better future for themselves and their families. The old idea of a permanent Red Wall belongs to another political era.
That is why I remain unconvinced. A Mayor can afford to think regionally. A Prime Minister cannot. The office demands a vision for the whole country, and that is the vision I am still waiting to hear.
"I would go down to the river and find a quiet place, secluded, hidden beneath the bank, and sit there for hours, watching the water as it gently twisted and eddied past me. Then I might see a damsel fly, its wings making a dry whispering sound." ~C.R.Milne
We live in a world where a grown man films himself blocking an 80-year-old woman, refusing to move out of her way so she can use the handrail for support near the top of the stairs.
He tells her to walk around him, and she says she can’t because she’s 80.
He then posts the video himself, thinking he’s in the right.
People like him are sickos who clearly weren’t raised right.
He needs to be named and shamed since he wants clout. And i hope someone buys that lovely lady flowers.
Big up these two heroes, Mohsin Qayyum and Mohammed Yusuf Iqbal.
They rescued an elderly couple and their grandchild from a house fire in Leeds on Friday.
The couple’s granddaughter also confirmed the story and thanked them for their bravery, and another guy called Ben Russell
For one fleeting moment in this mad world we had Normal. Starmer put the wind up the right wing media & earned genuine respect & sympathy from many ordinary voters for his swift action after the Farage riots. We’re heading into a Trumpian wasteland. We’ll miss the calm.
A consolatory hug goodbye: European leaders embrace Keir Starmer at Berlin summit as departing PM makes one of his final foreign trips https://t.co/67cSgSgIr9
I never felt strongly about it until this utter jackass came along, but now I definitely believe we should introduce a law to prevent political parties from imposing a PM ahead of a general election. It’s a mercy it’s no worse than this.
I wonder if it’s not too late for @Keir_Starmer to pull off some spectacular u-turn and stay on, against all odds. There must be someone who can come up with a clever plan for how this may be done. @UKLabour
Yes. I think Keir Starmer has a moral duty to turn right back around and say ‘It’s my premiership and I’ve decided to see it through to the bitter end’. Can someone please persuade him to do this. It would be a bold comeback. I mean, we live in the age of Trump. @nazirafzal
I wonder if it’s not too late for @Keir_Starmer to pull off some spectacular u-turn and stay on, against all odds. There must be someone who can come up with a clever plan for how this may be done. @UKLabour
I wonder if it’s not too late for @Keir_Starmer to pull off some spectacular u-turn and stay on, against all odds. There must be someone who can come up with a clever plan for how this may be done. @UKLabour