Starmer's vision quest

[secretsqirrel]

Starmer awarded Ballon D’Or,


sorry Legion d'honneur.

“In his tribute, Macron praised Sir Keir's "decency" and expressed his gratitude for the "commitments for obviously your country, but the security of Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship".

 

[Pblakeney]

Starmer awarded Ballon D’Or,


sorry Legion d'honneur.

“In his tribute, Macron praised Sir Keir's "decency" and expressed his gratitude for the "commitments for obviously your country, but the security of Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship".

...and yet he's barely welcome in the British Legion.

 

[briantrumpet]

Not a bad summary of Keir Starmer, from Robert Hutton:

 

[Ian H]

This Guardian graphic gives a snapshot of how Keir Starmer destroyed Labour’s Broad Church from 2020-25
https://kmflett.blog/2026/07/19/how-starmer-destroyed-labours-broad-church/

 

[spen666]

Now that Starmer is no longer leader of the Labour Party and will imminently cease to be PM, can anyone answer the question as to what Starmer's Vision quest was?


for a leading lawyer he has completely failed to get over his vision to the public at large.

 

[C R]

Now that Starmer is no longer leader of the Labour Party and will imminently cease to be PM, can anyone answer the question as to what Starmer's Vision quest was?


for a leading lawyer he has completely failed to get over his vision to the public at large.

The conclusion by many in here is that he had no vision. He was just an empty vessel, a vehicle for blue labour to take over the party.

 

[icowden]

The conclusion by many in here is that he had no vision. He was just an empty vessel, a vehicle for blue labour to take over the party.

And if he wasn't he didn't do much to disabuse people of that notion. He also seemed to be unable to move away from the ideas of his advisors about seemingly running the next election campaign from the start rather than actually having a plan for governing. Everything seemed to be knee jerk reaction or pandering to whatever was trending on X.

I still don't really understand how someone seemingly so bad at debating managed to end up as a KC.

 

[spen666]

And if he wasn't he didn't do much to disabuse people of that notion. He also seemed to be unable to move away from the ideas of his advisors about seemingly running the next election campaign from the start rather than actually having a plan for governing. Everything seemed to be knee jerk reaction or pandering to whatever was trending on X.

I still don't really understand how someone seemingly so bad at debating managed to end up as a KC.

He became a QC ( as it was then) at a very young age. He is obviously a very good lawyer to achieve this. I can only presume it was on the basis of written work rather than spoken advocacy. His tone never convinced the public at large, nor did he get his message across in speeches.

 

[C R]

nor did he get his message across in speeches.

As the title of the thread suggests, he had no message to get across in the first place.

 

[spen666]

Starmer this morning in his resignation speech said:

"'My work is done. In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024."

He clearly took party to a landslide election victory - no one can deny that
However, did he change the party to enable this, or was it simply between 2019 and 2024 the Tories so screwed up things that country were desperate to see the back of them and Labour were a shoe in no matter who was leader?

 

[C R]

He clearly took party to a landslide election victory - no one can deny that
However, did he change the party to enable this, or was it simply between 2019 and 2024 the Tories so screwed up things that country were desperate to see the back of them and Labour were a shoe in no matter who was leader?

Starmer didn't win by a landslide, as you point out, the tories lost by a landslide. And I think Labour got fewer votes in 2024 than in 2019. He was in the right place at the right time and won by not being the guy that people really hated, rather than by being the guy that people really wanted. None of his handlers have ever acknowledged that.

We'll have to see if Burnham is anything else other than not Starmer.

 

[First Aspect]

He successfully steered the party away from any Corbynite succession.

The comparisons of % popular vote over the years are misleading. They represented an effective 2 1/2 party system. A Corbyn lead or Corbynite offering at the last election wouldn't have done as well. There are only so many people thick enough to believe that free internet etc would have been affordable.

 

[spen666]

Starmer didn't win by a landslide, as you point out, the tories lost by a landslide.

Its unfair to suggest Labour did not win by a landslide. Thewy absolutely did.
the reason for the landslide is I think as we both agree down to the Tories being so unpopular

And I think Labour got fewer votes in 2024 than in 2019.

I think that is right and is part of what prompted my earlier post

He was in the right place at the right time and won by not being the guy that people really hated, rather than by being the guy that people really wanted. None of his handlers have ever acknowledged that.

Agree totally.

We'll have to see if Burnham is anything else other than not Starmer.

Wonder how soon we shall have to wait to find out?

 

[briantrumpet]

He successfully steered the party away from any Corbynite succession.

The comparisons of % popular vote over the years are misleading. They represented an effective 2 1/2 party system. A Corbyn lead or Corbynite offering at the last election wouldn't have done as well. There are only so many people thick enough to believe that free internet etc would have been affordable.

I got roundly told off by someone on Bluesky for calling Polanski a populist. And I avoid 'debate' with people who still think that Starmer is a wronged saint with amazing policies.

 

[First Aspect]

I got roundly told off by someone on Bluesky for calling Polanski a populist. And I avoid 'debate' with people who still think that Starmer is a wronged saint with amazing policies.

I think he thought that dull and competent would be enough.

And Polanski is about as populist as Corbyn was. And Corbyn was a populiast. Just not brazenly in it for the wrong reasons, like Farage.