Peter Fludde

Writer and researcher, interested in the edges where all the important stuff ends up

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@WordMercenary UK will be handed a few years of relative stability and autonomy in return for the whopping great favour Burnham will do for a foreign power within six weeks of taking office?

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@davidyelland In fairness, they never said whose control they meant.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@krassenstein Calculated insult is a technique turned tactic, a pre-emptive strike before the violence starts. Unanswered insult and contempt reduce people's sympathy for the victim and create a climate of apathy.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@Mylovanov Leaked memos from Putin's office suggest his intelligence chiefs thought it unnecessary to recruit Johnson as he was doing sufficient damage to the UK free of charge.

So they say.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@SandraDunn1955 Yes, broadly agree, and would probably add SKS's resistance to hiring out our armed forces again.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@MartinDochert12 These ideas are not Burnham's. It is the strategy we see across the Atlantic: distort the public's mind with incessant lies, trivialize their concerns and distract them from policies and actions which they never voted for and which do not serve their interests.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@QcWynter kofkofforeigncontrolledmediakoffkoffsplutter

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@a_libutti Agreed. It will also be interesting to see how foreign policy changes as soon as Burnham becomes PM. A northern Downing Street will grab headlines and be a useful distraction if UK armed forces are suddenly placed at the disposal of another country.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@imageplotter Could be seen as an attack on the status and power of London as a whole. There are those abroad who'd back that. The city is an example of a thriving multi-racial and tolerant secular community, environmentally aware and strong enough to go its own way - not to everyone's liking.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@bmay There’s no need to be rude. KS stood up to Mr Trump on Iran and the ME. One hopes Mr Burnham does the same, but fears he may not. Mandelson was appointed as an able and experienced negotiator, and with his assurances (false) of no wrongdoing. The damning emails emerged later.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@bmay less foreign policy is code for disengaging from Europe and taking orders from America and its allies

only an opinion

[Martha Scargill #FBPE @ahshudupayaface]

@CamillaTominey What did he do wrong apart from being a Labour politician? Fucking media in this country. Shame on you

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@ClareTa97789912 Someone in a hurry. Someone needing a quick change of policy - on Europe, Palestine, fossil fuels... who knows?

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@100glitterstars He is a stalking horse for Milliband.

Only a theory.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@bmay The same capture of a democratic government as we see across the Atlantic, organised by the same people, for the same purpose. Burnham is not writing the script for this.

Only a theory.

[Ben 🇬🇧 @BenInRushcliffe]

All this in two years. @Keir_Starmer.

Feel free to share.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@Keir_Starmer Dear PM, Best wishes to you and family and please - a political plea, sorry - continue your excellent leadership of this country. We out here can see what the media are up to. There is _no_ general dissatisfaction with your government, and widespread support for you personally.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@Graham__Hancock Good to know the surgery went well, Mr Hancock. Very best wishes to you and family.

[Peter Fludde @FluddePeter]

@bmay Smokescreen. It's not about the Left. It's about Mr Starmer and his insistence on law and British interests.

Only a theory.

[Just me — Thomas @TomSoede]

Open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing as a Labour supporter who is deeply concerned by the growing pressure surrounding your leadership, but also as someone who has developed a genuine admiration for the way you conduct yourself.

What I respect most about you is your seriousness.

You are not a political showman. You do not rely on constant drama, easy slogans or theatrical promises. You come across as disciplined, intelligent, decent and deeply conscious of the responsibility that comes with leading the country.

In an age when politics is increasingly dominated by noise, outrage and personality cults, your calmness is a strength.

Your resilience is also admirable. You have faced relentless criticism, personal attacks and an often hostile media environment, yet you have continued to behave with dignity. You rarely lash out. You do not appear consumed by ego. You keep returning to the work.

That matters to me.

Britain has already endured years of political chaos, revolving-door prime ministers and governments more interested in internal warfare than governing. The country does not need another leadership contest. It needs stability, seriousness and delivery.

You were elected with a mandate to govern. You inherited damaged public services, weak growth, overcrowded prisons, an NHS under enormous pressure and public trust worn down by fourteen years of Conservative government. None of that can be repaired overnight.

I hope you will remain Prime Minister and continue the work until the next general election in 2029.

Labour MPs should understand that removing you now could trigger weeks of division, uncertainty and damaging promises made during a leadership contest. The press would feed on the chaos, financial markets could react, and Nigel Farage and Reform would be handed exactly the political instability they want.

This is not the time for Labour to imitate the Conservative Party.

I also believe your personality is better suited to this difficult period than many people appreciate. You are methodical rather than impulsive, measured rather than reckless, and focused on governing rather than performing.

Those qualities may not always generate exciting headlines, but they are the qualities a serious Prime Minister needs.

Leadership is not only about popularity. It is about character.

It is about remaining calm when others panic, showing discipline when others chase attention, and continuing the difficult work when the noise becomes unbearable.

Please hold the line.

Many Labour supporters still believe in your integrity, your determination and your sense of duty. Britain needs less political theatre and more delivery, and you deserve the opportunity to complete the job the country elected Labour and you to do.

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Soede