Starmer's vision quest

[secretsqirrel]

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Starmer's stepped down as an MP. He's even more of an enigma to me now. I suppose he gets his lifetime pension as an ex-PM, so he won't be struggling.

He wants to work in international affairs, and fighting violence against women and girls, as he did before. That this was difficult as PM tells you all you need to know about how ungovernable this country is.

Burnham knows the problems with Westminster, but it will be a difficult nut to crack.

 

[briantrumpet]

He wants to work in international affairs, and fighting violence against women and girls, as he did before. That this was difficult as PM tells you all you need to know about how ungovernable this country is.

Burnham knows the problems with Westminster, but it will be a difficult nut to crack.

I think it also tells you something about Starmer's appetite for parliamentary politics. Sunak's not run away, despite his ignominious end as PM.

 

[Psamathe]

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Starmer's stepped down as an MP. He's even more of an enigma to me now. I suppose he gets his lifetime pension as an ex-PM, so he won't be struggling.

So it's "if I can't be in charge I don't want to play". Does/did he ever consider his constituents? He did keep telling us how bad these by-elections are so that's be another £250 000 (of our money not going to nurses, prisons, disability care, etc.) just because he he can't play leaders.

 

[First Aspect]

I think it also tells you something about Starmer's appetite for parliamentary politics. Sunak's not run away, despite his ignominious end as PM.

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He's 63 years old and has done what a lot of ex PMs do. Blair left parliament immediately. Boris after 9 months. Cameron after 2 months.

 

[icowden]

He's 63 years old and has done what a lot of ex PMs do. Blair left parliament immediately to make more money. Boris after 9 months because the offers to pay huge sums of money for speeches had dried up and he'd been offered a job writing drivel for the Mail for lots of £££. Cameron after 2 months because he was so embarrassed about Brexit and had no credibility left - he had no offers of £££ other than the £800k for his memoirs.

FTFY

Just a guess but it's possible that Keir has been offered some £££

 

[briantrumpet]

So it's "if I can't be in charge I don't want to play". Does/did he ever consider his constituents? He did keep telling us how bad these by-elections are so that's be another £250 000 (of our money not going to nurses, prisons, disability care, etc.) just because he he can't play leaders.

Yep, my thoughts. Hard to criticise Farage's wasting taxpayer money on the Clacton by-election when Starmer throws in the towel as soon as he suffers a setback.

 

[secretsqirrel]

Yep, my thoughts. Hard to criticise Farage's wasting taxpayer money on the Clacton by-election when Starmer throws in the towel as soon as he suffers a setback.

Its easy to criticise Farage because he wanted to be re-elected a few weeks later and gained nothing. Starmer won a massive majority and got shunted by his own party, so maybe his heart isn’t quite in it anymore?

One hell of a setback. More comparable to Thatcher than Farage.

 

[briantrumpet]

He's 63 years old and has done what a lot of ex PMs do. Blair left parliament immediately. Boris after 9 months. Cameron after 2 months.

It's fair to say I haven't got a lot of time for any of those either. More respect for Brown, May & Sunak for being willing to be team players even after rejection.

 

[briantrumpet]

Its easy to criticise Farage because he wanted to be re-elected a few weeks later and gained nothing. Starmer won a massive majority and got shunted by his own party, so maybe his heart isn’t quite in it anymore?

One hell of a setback.

And no apparent realisation on Starmer's part why he was so unpopular with both the electorate and his MPs. (Ditto Johnson and Truss.)

 

[secretsqirrel]

And no apparent realisation on Starmer's part why he was so unpopular with both the electorate and his MPs. (Ditto Johnson and Truss.)

Maybe thats why he quit.

 

[briantrumpet]

Maybe thats why he quit.

And never served as a backbench MP. Straight into the shadow cabinet.

 

[Beebo]

Im not surprised.
He realistically has a short window of time to secure a job. All other PMs have done the same except Sunak and May. I don’t think he’s driven by money, he could have earned far more in private practice but took on pro bono work.

 

[briantrumpet]

Im not surprised.
He realistically has a short window of time to secure a job. All other PMs have done the same except Sunak and May. I don’t think he’s driven by money, he could have earned far more in private practice but took on pro bono work.

It's not about earnings, but more of an indicator that he just doesn't really like politics, which was fairly obvious by the way he outsourced most of the hard political stuff to other people, including Blue Labour.

I'm currently reading this excellent book on the Department for International Development, and the stuff about Clare Short is astounding: obviously a fierce intellect putting it to single-minded use to promote a cause (international poverty - defined in this case as having to survive on less than 1$ per day). https://www.cgdev.org/publication/rise-and-fall-department-international-development

It's the opposite end of the spectrum from Starmer – I do think he has an intellect, and probably has beliefs, but I don't think they were ever wide enough or deep-seated enough in the general Labour cause to end well as PM. Maybe it would have been different if he'd done the grind as a backbench MP first. We'll never know.

 

[Psamathe]

Its easy to criticise Farage because he wanted to be re-elected a few weeks later and gained nothing. Starmer won a massive majority and got shunted by his own party, so maybe his heart isn’t quite in it anymore?

One hell of a setback. More comparable to Thatcher than Farage.

I see last General Election more as Conservatives giving Labour a massive majority rather than anything Starmer did. My hamster could have got elected had he stood up and said "I'm not a Conservative".

And then Labour MPs suddenly realised the real reasons for their majority and that Starmer isn't this vote winning machine they'd thought and decided they wanted to keep their jobs.

 

[briantrumpet]

I see last General Election more as Conservatives giving Labour a massive majority rather than anything Starmer did. My hamster could have got elected had he stood up and said "I'm not a Conservative".

And then Labour MPs suddenly realised the real reasons for their majority and that Starmer isn't this vote winning machine they'd thought and decided they wanted to keep their jobs.

I think we were all gagging for someone sensible, not a loon, a bit boring, and Starmer fitted the bill.

What I didn't appreciate was quite what a blank slate he was, and how much he'd just leave government decisions to pollsters and Blue Labour, from Day 1 not governing and making bold decisions, but trying to outflank Reform as if there was an election in 12 months' time.

In effect what we got was a coalition of McSweeney and his polling saying they had to be hostile to immigrants, and Maurice Glasman who is both batshit crazy and ought to be in Reform anyway.

Meanwhile the comms was all back to front: introduce half-baked policies with no preparation of the ground before, then inevitable back-tracking with half-baked excuses. That's on Starmer. But maybe he's a details man without any ability to see a bigger picture or to do politics.