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Sunday 7 November 2021

Keir Starmer - Deliver Or Depart

When Jeremy Corbyn was leading the Labour Party, those inside the media bubble insisted, time and again, that with any other leader, the party would be 20 points ahead of the Tories. So after a new leader was elected early last year, that hope meant many Labour members were optimistic that things would soon change for the better.


They did not: we now have a Government riven by sleaze, a cabinet notable only for a sustained level of ineptitude and dishonesty, a litany of chaos and failure with Brexit hobbling the economy, Covid-19 running rampant, and corruption equally viral. In Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson we have an alleged Prime Minister whose only priority is the upward trajectory, welfare and promotion of Himself Personally Now.

Yet if there were a General Election next Thursday, Bozo would most likely be returned to power, and with a majority hardly reduced from its current level. And that comes down to one thing, and one alone: the quality and visibility of the opposition. Put bluntly, we know little of the quality because the visibility is not there, is not cutting through.

That in turn is down to Keir Starmer, whose leadership of Labour has at times appeared hardly visible. He is unconvincing. He equivocates. He waffles. There is no fire in the belly. All of which was on increasingly painful view on The Andy Marr Show™ this morning.

What about Tory sleaze? Yes, Starmer was angry. Or at least he said he was angry. So we had to take that on trust, which, for someone who aspires to be Prime Minister, isn’t cutting the mustard. There was none of the thunder of Gordon Brown, none of the insistence of Ed Miliband, none of the passion of Jeremy Corbyn. Thus the problem.

Would he support the Government if they triggered Article 16? There was a straightforward answer to this question, and that answer was NO. So did he say that? Sadly, he did not: he waffled, he equivocated. He would make Brexit work, which would be an interesting thing to see, as there is not a snowball in hell’s chance of Brexit working.


And so it goes on: at PMQs, yes, he takes Bozo apart, but his deputy Angela Rayner does not stop with a mere forensic examination: she subjects our hapless PM to a verbal flogging. We are left in no doubt that she means it, the denunciation of Tory corruption comes from the heart. Does Starmer’s message come from the heart? We can’t tell.

Worse still, festering away in the background - and Starmer can count himself lucky that Marr did not ask about it - is what looks more and more like a party becoming messed up. Last week came a massive data breach that, it seems, no-one wants to talk about. Rather a lot of party members might just want answers. What if they don’t get them?

The current General Secretary was reputed to be Starmer’s choice. Right now, he gives the appearance of being more interested in a war on left-wingers rather than a war on the Tories. Who is Labour supposed to be fighting? What does the party stand for? In the latter case, the public don’t know. Because the leadership is not sufficiently visible, nor does it give the voters a straightforward message. And doesn’t look like it will any time soon.

So many on the left and centre-left wanted Starmer to do well. But with the inevitability of night following day, they are drifting away. Labour needs a winner. Keir Starmer isn’t one.


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43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Labour is "becoming messed up" because that is precisely the Establishment brief to the Quiff Quisling and his apologists. The fellow is an utter fraud, a treacherous far right carpet-bagger of the worst kind, a tenpence red tory tin drummer with the most dishonest face in politics. As rotten-to-the-core as Bozo. His "anger" as effective as a rabid moth attack on an elephant. Once again he looked like a shyster lawyer who doesn't even believe his own words.

I watched the tory Yesman Marr Show for the first time in years. It'll be many years before I even think of watching that dollop of decaying wet tory propaganda tripe again.

There he was, the same old elocuted-to-death bullshitter Marr, the Dundee lad who now pronounces "Gordon Brown" as "Gordon Brine" and "House of Commons" as "Hice of Commons". He's almost a CGI caricature.

Then there was "the paper review" by some jazz hand meff from the Financial Times and, just for "balance", yet another far right gimp from, wait for it, the Spectator.

Altogether, another indication that this country suffers from a far worse and much older disease than CV19.

Zoe Paleologa said...

What he said....

J said...

Keif is the Kinnock in this situation... that has become far to apparent. His job is not to win elections, his job is to kick the left... then hand it over to some Blairight tribute act after a couple of failed GE's.

Also re:data breach... when I left I explicitly asked (by email) for my data to be deleted (except where kept for legal requirements). I received a "thanks for all the fish" email, and thought that was it... sadly not as I've received a "Some mysterious third party that we refuse to name has lost all your data - ooops sorry about that, but that's life. Any issues are your problem not ours so you should be mindful of any pishing attacks and financial issues as we don't give a shit" (or at least legaleaze that means the same). So even with an explicit demand for data deletion they have failed. So what's the best way to raise a demand for financial recompense (and no, I don't feel like signing up to some random "no win no fee" company that everyone is suddenly suggesting; at a massive % cut of any win)?

Anonymous said...

Clearly the makeover boys and girls have given Starmer some attention: the quiff is flatter, the shirt collar "business cutaway" (like Umunna, remember him, now at international barrow boy money launderers JP Morgan), the suit blue, and the interview conduct strident and body-forward-leaning to denote "determination" (like the shouty propaganda clerk Bradby at ITN).

The overall impression is that of a second hand car salesman at the end of the bar just before closing time.

An appalling individual.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

J @15:17
As you say, "except where kept for legal requirements".
"financial recompense"? Explain how you have lost financially through the Labour Party's inability to access its membership database for a short period of time.

We never see Keir Starmer and Scooby Doo together. Funny that.

Burlington Bertie from Bow said...

Anonymous, Anonymous
So good he wrote* it twice.

*shrieked

Anonymous said...

Burlington Bertie from Bow.

So good he wrote* B thrice.


*Then fled, squeaking.

Mr Larrington said...

@Graham's Concrete Jungle: you never see Max Headroom and Sir Keeves in the same room either…

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@Mr Larrington
Sharing a page in Private Eye isn't enough.
If Starmer could effect stutter, warp and flutter like a glitchbot he'd win more support.

Anonymous said...

That's nothing.

I got a reminder to renew membership. So I answered that I would reconsider leaving when Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn were reinstated, Starmer gone, and founding principles re-established.

No shit, I was then asked to fill in a form.

It was so comically incompetent I couldn't be arsed to guffaw, "Oh fuck off, knobheads."

Meanwhile, I continue to receive email circulars from local and national offices which confirm just how clueless they are.

That's what happens when righty time-servers try to kid themselves the membership isn't receding like a riptide in reverse.

Anonymous said...

Starmer?

A fart in a bottle.

Current Affairs said...

"So I answered that I would reconsider leaving when Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn were reinstated, Starmer gone, and founding principles re-established."
That means, you'll leave when Loach and Corbyn return, Starmer quits and the old pre-Blair rules are brought back. No wonder that you were asked to complete a form.

"A riptide or rip current is a strong and narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore, and it is the strongest near the surface of the water, which is why many surfers and swimmers should be aware of the possible dangers. Most swimmers and surfers caught in a riptide are not aware of what’s happening and try to swim directly against the current, towards the shore, exhausting themselves." - snowbrains dot com

Anonymous said...

@16:14.

Your paragraphs 2 and 3 are exactly why people are leaving the Labour Party in droves. Soon it will contain only right wing boors with that kind of Daily Mail bullshit "current affairs".

Well done. Mission accomplished.

Red Wall Tory. said...

Rip tides in reverse are my specialty.

Due thanks to messrs Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Campbell and co.

RAS Putin Academy of English said...

People are leaving the Labour Party in droves due to the definition of 'riptide'.

Dubya Bush Institute of Integrity. said...

People are leaving the Labour Party because they believe the honesty of my great friend and war ally Tony Blair and his fine comrade in arms Keir Starmer. Arm in arm together forever.

Starmer Campaign Office. said...

We are grateful for any straw on any tide. In or out.

Keir likes straws.

Joe McCarthy Memorial Society said...

Joe of blessed memory would have liked this very much.

God bless him, the Yewnited States of Amerika. And Tony Blair.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@Dubya Bush Institute of Integrity
War ally? FFS
'Sorry, Mr Blair, but 1441 does not authorise force' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 17 Mar 2003.
'Airstrikes in Syria are lawful, but I’ll be voting against them' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 30 Nov 2015.

Anonymous said...

To 12:54.

So what?

That was 18 and 6 years ago.

His behaviour since contradicts that. Makes it look like he was merely positioning himself for political convenience, a standard ploy of Labour righties on the make - Bliar for instance.

I wouldn't trust the Starmer mentality to hold a door open. The fellow is an utterly greasy conman, something which will become even more obvious in the future.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@15:38
List Starmer's recent views on war that now place him as an ally in Blair's foreign policies.

Anonymous said...

Graham's Concrete Jungle 12:54.

Starmer also voted against an inquiry into the Iraq war.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@21:31
You're really shit at lying.
Gordon Brown launched the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War in 2009, 6 years before Keir Starmer became an MP.
'Chilcot’s lessons on going to war must be enshrined in law' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 6 Jul 2016.

Anonymous said...

@21:28.

https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Keir_Starmer&mpc=Holborn_and_St_Pancras&house=commons&dmp=975&display=motions

RAS Putin Academy of English said...

@Anon 21:31
The investigation into events leading to the Iraq War (Chilcot Inquiry) began in 2009, six years before Keir Starmer became an MP.
If you're referring to Alex Salmond's witch hunt, that was chucked out by a majority vote.

Anonymous said...

@09:58.

You're really shit at facts.

For facts, see 11:00.

But you're good at weasely evasion on the issue. As are Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Campbell and co. And Starmer.

Joe McCarthy Memorial Society. said...

Keep going, son.

We'll make you an honorary Fellow.

Anonymous said...

To 09:58.

Tsk tsk.

This makes you look a bit daft:
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/divisions/pw-2016-11-30-99-commons/mp/25353

Thank me later.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@15:02
No, that makes you look daft.
That was not a vote against an inquiry into the Iraq War. That was a shit-stirring exercise by Alex Salmond.
Starmer voted NO to Alex Salmond's Early Day Motion and so did most Labour MPs. 5 Labour MPs were in favour, 158 against.
Total - Ayes 69, Noes 438.

Anonymous said...

To 16:06.

Tsk tsk. More of your weasel words. Appropriate for the Starmer Gang.

Here's the full text of the EDM:
"That this House congratulates the BBC for a vivid and restrained account of the suffering of the loved ones of the British soldier Tom Keys who was killed in the Iraq War caused, in his father's opinion, by the lie of the threat from non-existent weapons of mass destruction; looks forward to the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry Report, but is concerned that attempts may be made to invent a fictionalised history of the reasons for the UK's involvement in the second Iraq War; and recalls a letter sent to Tony Blair by the hon. Member for Newport West in March 2003 which warned that the world would be a more dangerous place at the end of hostilities in Iraq than it was before, and that the UK's involvement in President Bush's Iraq War would deepen the sense of grievance among Muslims that the Western and Christian world seeks to oppress them and that this would provide a propaganda victory to Osama bin Laden that would increase his support and the likelihood of more acts of terrorism."

The truth always hurts liars, particularly the warmongering mass-murdering type.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@17:27
WRONG. That was NOT the EDM. You have quoted something totally different that was said during 'Business of the House' on Thursday 9th June 2016. Months before the EDM.

The EDM motion from Alex Salmond MP was debated and voted on 30th November 2016.
Jeremy Corbyn was Leader of the Opposition at that time and all Labour MPs were subject to a One Line Whip to vote 'NO'. 5 Labour MPs defied the Whip and voted 'AYE'.

Anonymous said...

Before De Klerk died he "apologised without qualification" for the apartheid era in South Africa.

So here's an opportunity for Starmer to do the same for Blair's illegal mass-murdering wars, lies and "support whatever" for war criminal Bush.

After all, he has stated support "without qualification" for the Israeli apartheid of Zionism.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

@22:27
In keeping with your demand that people apologise for the actions of others, I beg forgiveness for the posts on this thread from Anonymous.

Anonymous said...

The murderous war criminal actions of other Labour leaders that Labour "leader" Starmer now fails to acknowledge let alone apologise for.

The same Starmer who looks and sounds like a second hand car salesman. As do his apologists.

The same Starmer who supports "without qualification" the Zionism which oppresses and murders the Palestinian people.

The same Starmer whose "opposition" to a government of thieving scoundrels was non-existent until even corporate media couldn't ignore the corruption. After which, he fell in line with the Daily Heil... to the surprise of nobody.

Starmer is, and always will be, a right wing political weasel of the type who reduced Labour to the level of tenth rate tories.

Anonymous said...

Given Starmer's action against a former leader and other members it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect him to act against a former leader guilty of the most heinous crimes in this century thus far.

As a lawyer Starmer will know that's what the International Court in The Hague is also for....
...

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

Anonymous @times numerous
Corbyn didn't stick the knife in Blair's back so, you're blaming Starmer and lying through your teeth.

Anonymous said...

@14:57.

The only liar here is you.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-still-prepared-to-call-for-war-crimes-investigation-into-tony-blair-a7042926.html

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2016/jul/06/jeremy-corbyn-apologises-for-iraq-war-on-behalf-of-the-labour-party-video

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

Anon @18:30
Pure speculation by The Independent that came to nothing.
Anon @19:50
It pays to read the article. Nothing in Corbyn's statement about Blair. In fact, the article points out that Corbyn failed to name the former Labour Party Leader.

The shit from Anon on this thread is normally found on anti-Labour Party YouTube channels and blogs from basement dwellers.

Anonymous said...

@20:49.

Yet more weasel words from a pro-war red tory Bliarite.

Jeremy Corbyn unequivocally condemned the Iraq war...which Bliar led Britain into - as a Yank poodle.

Wilful ignorance on your part. Exactly the kind of insanity that causes hundreds of thousands of innocents their their lives, community and even costs millions their country.

Small wonder this country has become the sick man of the world, its "leaders" nothing but thieves, liars and mas-murderers irrespective of political party - at the present rate the current gang threatening even worse "possibilities".

Anonymous said...

@20:49.

None of it stopped the Starmer Gang from stabbing Jeremy Corbyn in the back. Which is to be expected from a mob of red tory soap opera Quislings. They'll get worse too. All to feather their own political nests. Starmer is merely the latest greasy version.

Graham's Concrete Jungle said...

These public statements seem to be not good enough for Anon: -
'Sorry, Mr Blair, but 1441 does not authorise force' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 17 Mar 2003.
'Airstrikes in Syria are lawful, but I’ll be voting against them' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 30 Nov 2015.
'Chilcot’s lessons on going to war must be enshrined in law' - Keir Starmer, The Guardian, 6 Jul 2016.

From today's posting from Tim: 'Whatever: good Tory activists, Councillors, AMs and yes, MPs, will continue to keep schtum, while the Labour Party, often very publicly, will continue with left and centre beating up on each other in no style at all.'

Anon - Doing what the Mogg the Weak and Michael Puker channels do on YouTube.

Anonymous said...

Since then:
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25353/keir_starmer/holborn_and_st_pancras/divisions?policy=975