Corbyn suspended

[Purple]

No wonder Starmer is pocketing the gifts and Raynor buying the beach apartment. They are acting like an administration that knows this racket is not going to last too much longer.

Starmer, like most senior politicians, would make a lot more money in the private sector.

 

[Marsupial]

Starmer, like most senior politicians, would make a lot more money in the private sector.

Including that substantial tax-free pension that he recently awarded himself through House of Commons legislation?

Not to mention the countless other freebies that he and his family have been hoovering up like a herd of gigantic ant-eaters.

'Freebie' Starmer grabbed one-man exemption from 55% 'horror' tax on £1m pension

Everyone knows PM Sir Keir Starmer loves a freebie. But why are we surprised? The signs were there 15 years ago, when he secured an amazing tax-free pension deal that almost nobody else gets.

www.express.co.uk

Face it Purple, the man is a complete grifter, a human sponge.

 

[Sister Sara]

Starmer, like most senior politicians, would make a lot more money in the private sector.

Probably. So what?

 

[Purple]

Probably. So what?

So he's not in it for the money.

 

[Sister Sara]

So he's not in it for the money.

He is in it for the prestige.

And while he's at it, to pocket himself freebies and entitlements that land his way regardless of the fact that under his watch he lost 40% of paid party members.

 

[Purple]

under his watch he lost 40% of paid party members

The extremists who made Labour unelectable to moderates and floating voters left the party. That was a good thing.

 

[PMU]

Well we are all entitled to our opinion. He is the worst Labour Party in my lifetime.

No, in recent years it’s Corbyn. In terms of seats won Labour went from 262 seats in 2017 to 202 seats in 2019, a net loss of 60 seats. It was Labour’s worst performance since 1935.

He may have led the Labour Party to 411 seats but it was up against the calamitous Tory Party that hung itself by its own petard through the Brexit shambles.

No. Brexit is ancient history in the UK. Neither Labour or the Tories covered it as a policy issue in their electoral manifestos. The Conservatives loss was primarily due to Liz Truss’s mini-budget that caused sterling to plunge; markets to drop; and the cost of pensions to rise; and crazy views like Kemi Badenoch’s comment that up to 10% of civil servants are so 'very, very bad,' they ‘should be in prison' ; and Robert Jenrick’s claim that British special forces were “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.

Starmer won because Labour has now positioned itself as a normal party of Government in the UK, and is not just the voice of the trade unions. That is to say Labour has transformed itself into a social democratic party that will do the best for Britain and not just for the trade union movement. Harold Wilson initiated this transformation with the publication of ‘In Place of Strife’ that proposed a reform of industrial relations in Britain by e.g. introducing ballots before calling a strike, establishing an Industrial Relations Board, etc. While Wilson did not succeed in introducing it and it was later stymied by Callaghan, over time its policy objectives were adopted in the UK and Labour itself reset its own relationship with the trade unions by Blair in 1995, by dropping clause 4 of its constitution, which committed Labour to the “common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange”, and replacing it with a new Clause 4 that now commits Labour to building a ‘community of solidarity, tolerance and respect’, with a government that serves the people, i.e. more social democratic values. That’s why Labour won. It’s a centrist party for all of Britain, not just one section.

 

[Sister Sara]

That is to say Labour has transformed itself into a social democratic party that will do the best for Britain and not just for the trade union movement.

Every British political party says this.

Labour Party vote share was 33.7% in 2024. Its the lowest recorded vote share to obtain an overall majority in UK history - nothing to do with Starmer, all to do with an imploding Tory party. Corbyn had 32% of the vote in 2019.

Labour Party vote is now at 22%. If this were to mirror in an election it would be the worst vote return in Labour Partys history since WW1.

They smell the writing on the wall, they know there is no second term. Thats why they are lifting every freebie that comes their way.

 

[cremeegg]

Starmer has 411 seats and a working majority of about 150. Even if you disregard the Corbyn faction of about 30 – 40 MPs, and the ‘Gaza’ block of about 15 MPs, many of whom are also in the Corbyn block, it’s still a working majority of about 100.

This is true and it is the important point of context.

What is he achieving with this majority ? Not much.

Why despite this majority does he manage to look like yesterdays man ?

 

[Purple]

Why despite this majority does he manage to look like yesterdays man ?

It doesn't help that he's being attacked by the far left Corbynite social luddites in his own party.

 

[Sister Sara]

It doesn't help that he's being attacked by the far left Corbynite social luddites in his own party.

Starmer was quite content to serve in Corbyns shadow cabinet advocating for Labour policies under Corbyns leadership.

 

[Purple]

Starmer was quite content to serve in Corbyns shadow cabinet advocating for Labour policies under Corbyns leadership.

That's because he's a pragmatic politician.

 

[Marsupial]

It doesn't help that he's being attacked by the far left Corbynite social luddites in his own party.

On the contrary, Corbyn's mob is performing a very valuable service in helping to undermine the appalling, yellow-pack, Forrest Gump imposter currently squatting in No. 10.

 

[Purple]

On the contrary, Corbyn's mob is performing a very valuable service in helping to undermine the appalling, yellow-pack, Forrest Gump imposter currently squatting in No. 10.

But making it far more likely that Reform will win the next election.

 

[Marsupial]

But making it far more likely that Reform will win the next election.

Not sure whether a youngster like you is as big a fan of Paul Weller as I am.

But, allow me to remind you of the following lines from his excellent ditty (composed in his Jam days) "Going Underground":

What you see is what you get
You've made your bed, you'd better lie in it
You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns
And the public wants what the public gets

But I don't get what this society wants
I'm going underground (going underground)

So if the public wants Reform, then what right have you or I to criticise them?

 

[losttheplot]

So if the public wants Reform

The First Past the Post system used could mean 60-70% of the public don't want them but could end up with them Having said that, the same public voted to keep that system in place.

 

[Sister Sara]

The First Past the Post system used could mean 60-70% of the public don't want them

Reform UK are against the First Past the Post system.

 

[losttheplot]

Reform UK are against the First Past the Post system.

I was highlighting the disparity between votes and seats that the system in the UK throws up. Looking at the 2024 election you can see why they would be against it. Reform had a slightly higher % vote than the LibDems (14% vs 12%). Reform got 5 seats the LibDems got 72.

Labour have about 30% votes but 60% seats. So potentially, 70% of the electorate may not want Labour but they got them. It could be Reform in a future election.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I was broadly aware of those figures but nonetheless Reform UK sticks out as a loser in FPTP. And the reason - their votes have an even geographic spread. By contrast Labour and the Tories have geographic concentrations. Geographic concentrations are a function of economic factors. So Reform UK do seem to have a claim to cross the class divide in the UK.

 

[Sister Sara]

I was highlighting the disparity between votes and seats that the system in the UK throws up.

Absolutely, couldn't agree more.

The current UK administration has won a landslide majority on less votes than in 2019 which was Labour's 'worst result ever' election. My earlier headline clip demonstrates it.




Given the 2024 UK election result....does anyone really have a clue what way the winds are blowing there?

From outside looking in, it looks like a very, very divided country.