Starmer's vision quest

[Stevo 666]

Just thought I'd drop in and see the excuses fly 🙂

 

[First Aspect]

I see Starmer is taking full responsibility (="I've said the words so no further action or changes").

Maybe worse is he's yet again using the same speech as previous electoral failures and leadership threats, going to go "further and faster" after a "reset".

And he's clinging on
Starmer vows to fight on as PM despite heavy local election losses for Labour.

I do wonder if now many backbench Labour MPs will be considering their own re-election prospects and that might make a leadership challenge more likely.

If they change leader they will be guilty of the same "silver bullet" thinking that is driving people to reform.

 

[Psamathe]

If they change leader they will be guilty of the same "silver bullet" thinking that is driving people to reform.

I would agree but then Starmer/Reeves is a disaster. But I can't see any of the leadership contenders being any less bad (ie they'd all be even worse). Periodically I think Burnham but I know nothing of his policies, capability, etc. so my brief periods of hope are that he's "none of the above" (a poor basis for such a post).

Starmer can't of won't change as we've been through this loop several times already and nothing happens and "further and faster" on a bad course just means you arrive at the disaster sooner and less able to fix.

 

[icowden]

Latest results have Reform ahead as predicted but Labour are still second.
Lib-Dems third and Conservatives fourth. Greens are way, way back off the scale. Reads like Reform have the biggest share, then a 3 way split.

It's *very* early though. Only 46 of 136 councils have declared and of those, only 5 have changed hands according to the BBC. Reform have taken one from Conservatives (unsurprising) and one from NIC.

(that's according to the map)

According to the results list labour have lost 8, conservatives have lost 1, Lib Dems gained 1 and reform gained 2. 6 have moved to NIC.
So whilst Reform may have gained a lot of councillors, it hasn't really put them in control of much.

 

[Pblakeney]

It's *very* early though. Only 46 of 136 councils have declared and of those, only 5 have changed hands according to the BBC. Reform have taken one from Conservatives (unsurprising) and one from NIC.

(that's according to the map)

According to the results list labour have lost 8, conservatives have lost 1, Lib Dems gained 1 and reform gained 2. 6 have moved to NIC.
So whilst Reform may have gained a lot of councillors, it hasn't really put them in control of much.

My point was more about questioning the Greens doing well narrative.
Not from what I’ve seen so far.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

They've been doing that in Worcestershire, as well as providing the highest council tax increase in the country, for the last year. Kent are no better. Let's see if the electorate are as perceptive as you hope.

In a funny way, it will probably be the small stuff that trips them up. People seem to get very irate about bins, potholes, roadworks etc. whilst caring little about the big stuff. If anything will bring Reform down it could well be their (very likely) ineptitude at a local level.

 

[pubrunner]

I would agree but then Starmer/Reeves is a disaster. But I can't see any of the leadership contenders being any less bad (ie they'd all be even worse). Periodically I think Burnham but I know nothing of his policies, capability, etc. so my brief periods of hope are that he's "none of the above" (a poor basis for such a post).

Regarding Burnham, there was a rumour of the MP in the 'safe seat' of Bootle standing aside . . . Bootle went reform yesterday. Is there a 'safe' seat anywhere, for Burnham ?

Starmer, meanwhile, is furious because he was not told local elections had taken place yesterday. He has ordered an enquiry into why the elections had gone ahead without his knowledge and will sack all civil servants in charge.

 

[C R]

In a funny way, it will probably be the small stuff that trips them up. People seem to get very irate about bins, potholes, roadworks etc. whilst caring little about the big stuff. If anything will bring Reform down it could well be their (very likely) ineptitude at a local level.

I admire your optimism.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I admire your optimism.

Never underestimate the strength of people's feelings about bins!

 

[C R]

Never underestimate the strength of people's feelings about bins!

From what I can see around here the problem is that councils were already providing pretty poor service due to austerity. Reform's incompetence can't make things much worse than they already were, so people are unlikely to notice.

OTOH, there are a lot of voters that relish the opportunity to be openly racist again.

 

[BoldonLad]

In a LOCAL election, it is the “little stuff” which counts (or should). My local councillor(s), we have 3 per ward here, have no influence over national policies, but, I do want them to attend to the “trivia”, ie potholes, litter, flytipping, ASB, dog fouling, etc etc

 

[C R]

In a LOCAL election, it is the “little stuff” which counts (or should). My local councillor(s), we have 3 per ward here, have no influence over national policies, but, I do want them to attend to the “trivia”, ie potholes, litter, flytipping, ASB, dog fouling, etc etc

YOU and I do, it looks like, unfortunately, many voters don't.

 

[BoldonLad]

From Welsh results, so far, maybe PR didn’t pan out as Labour expected, and, it doesn’t seem to have prevented “extreme” parties gaining

 

[Pross]

From Welsh results, so far, maybe PR didn’t pan out as Labour expected, and, it doesn’t seem to have prevented “extreme” parties gaining

I think that whatever system was used Labour were going to take a hammering. As ever, people are voting based on national issues that aren’t under the control of the people they are voting for. That said, I think only one constituency has been declared (which happens to be mine) and it has ended up a fairly even split 2 Reform, 2 PC, 1 Labour and 1 Tory. Both former constituencies in the merged one would have been solid Labour in the past but the prediction I saw before yesterday was for there to be 3 Reform so I think a fair chunk of Labour has gone to PC instead (I wouldn’t class them as extreme).

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

From what I can see around here the problem is that councils were already providing pretty poor service due to austerity. Reform's incompetence can't make things much worse than they already were, so people are unlikely to notice.

OTOH, there are a lot of voters that relish the opportunity to be openly racist again.

May well be true. I do think though that Reform (as with Kent CC) have pitched themselves as the party that are going to magically uncover all these massive cost savings and improve local services. They haven't played down expectations or said don't expect miracles as there is no money.

I think a lot of their voters expectations might be quite high. I also think that as they have presented themselves as anti-establishment, when people realise they can't deliver anymore than the status quo, they may not give them as much leeway as the traditional parties receive.

I am fully prepared to accept that all the above may well be wishful thinking on my part though!