UK Politics Thread 🇬🇧

[DaRealness]

 

[Heimdall]

I actually don't think about Brexit that often any more, though it's clear that it has affected pretty much everything. It doesn't seem like there is any political will to confront it, as if such a thing can be ignored, which would be the first step in fixing it (rather than using immigration to offset the drop in economic activity).

also lol @ Malcolm. Turned that creh into a punchline

 

[Heimdall]

oh, just remembered this

 

[DaRealness]

 

[Kasgoinjail]

 

[Kuma the Bear]

Hold Lewisham hostage brehs

 

[Heimdall]

Starmer’s dislike of real politics is plain to see. It’s why his government has no direction | John Harris

In power, Labour’s agenda has been stripped back to an empty obsession with growth and an imitation of Reform UK. The public isn’t falling for it, says Guardian columnist John Harris

www.theguardian.com

Snips:

In 2021, we are told, the Labour leader was visited at home by one of his predecessors, Ed Miliband, and Tony Blair’s old flatmate, Charlie Falconer, who presented him with a handful of challenges: “Are you left? Are you right? Are you middle? Why should we be in power?” No answers seemed to be forthcoming: the problem, among others, was that Starmer was “a leader who did not much like politics”. This revelation explains the other defining feature of his time at the top: the fact that, as Maguire and Pogrund tell it, Starmer has taken his most basic political orders from a coterie – or “project” – centred on his all-powerful strategist and mentor Morgan McSweeney.

In that sense, the directionless mess the government has fallen into has two interlocking causes. Having cunningly manoeuvred Labour to victory, Starmer’s advisers have apparently failed to supply him with a coherent governing script, exposing his lack of politics, and leaving him panicked. Onlookers sense this as a matter of instinct: his approval ratings, for what they are worth, have lately registered numbers even worse than Rishi Sunak’s low point.

Reboots and relaunches now seem to arrive on an almost weekly basis: the latest is all about being “disruptors”, and delivering shocks and surprises that may not actually be shocking or surprising at all. Last week, Labour launched online adverts seemingly purposely created to look like Reform UK propaganda, complete with such slogans as “Labour hits 5-year high in migrant removals” – the kind of flimsy posturing that surely makes it look like Nigel Farage is dictating the political weather, and encourages even more people to support him.

At the same time, the kind of moves that might substantially weaken Reform UK’s insurgency in old Labour heartlands seem to be off limits. Angela Rayner today talked up Labour’s determination to meet its target of building 1.5m new homes, but who sees any signs of that? And amid plans to drastically develop the corridor between Oxford and Cambridge and build a third runway at Heathrow – eventually – what of the seemingly flatlining prospects of the old coalfields and manufacturing centres where Farage and his party may soon clean up?

Which, once we are past a work and pensions secretary claiming that many people on sickness and incapacity benefits are “taking the mickey” while her department threatens cruel cuts, brings us to the current defining feature of Starmerism. The government’s re-energised belief in economic growth at all costs is exactly what people with precious few substantial ideas would pick as their chosen cause.

Monomaniacal growthism is also making Starmer’s administration sound discomfitingly weird, something highlighted by a quote from a government spokesperson included in a recent run of stories about the UK’s childhood mental health crisis: “We are committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and recognise the importance of this to our number one mission – economic growth.” The tone suggests one of Stalin’s five-year plans being fronted by Alan Partridge.

And a tl;dr provided by RecapioGPT

Spoiler

In their book "Get In," journalists Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund depict Keir Starmer as a Labour leader lacking in political engagement and ideological conviction. Despite his ability to connect with people, Starmer's reluctance to express political opinions and his reliance on a close-knit group of advisers have left him directionless. His leadership is characterized by a ruthless approach to eliminating rivals, but this ruthlessness is not rooted in strong beliefs, leading to a perception of him as panicked and out of touch with the electorate.

Starmer's government has attempted to adopt a social-democratic agenda, with initiatives in workplace rights and public services, but these efforts are increasingly seen as disconnected from a coherent political vision. The Labour Party's recent strategies, such as adopting rhetoric reminiscent of right-wing parties and focusing on immigration issues, reflect a troubling shift away from its core values. This has resulted in a sense of desperation and a lack of substantial ideas, as the party appears to prioritize economic growth at any cost, even at the expense of its previously championed green agenda.

The authors express concern that Starmer's leadership is emblematic of a broader crisis in orthodox politics, particularly as global challenges mount. His administration's fixation on deregulation and economic growth raises alarms about the potential consequences, reminiscent of past disasters. As Labour struggles to define its purpose and connect with voters, the fear grows that it may become another relic of an outdated political landscape, unable to respond effectively to the evolving political climate.

 

[LuuqMaan]

Trump said, you need to inject more money
Starmer more than happy.

Cutting back on foreign aid to increase defence

In a surprise announcement, Starmer unveiled the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war, with the budget rising to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned – and an ambition to eventually reach 3%.

“see mr Trump, you said 2%, we actually doing 2.5”

 

[FAH1223]

And there’s Starmer flip flopping

 

[FAH1223]

 

[bnew]

Spoiler: full text & large images

1/1
@theworldtruthe
/search?q=#BREAKING Starmer: “You mentioned Canada—I believe you’re trying to create a division that simply doesn’t exist.”

Trump: “That’s enough.”



https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1895238889066942465/vid/avc1/1280x720/_iwmD31Z9nIKMF1P.mp4


To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196

 

[bnew]

Spoiler: full text & large images

1/1
@Newsweek
Ahead of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to the United States to meet Donald Trump, Newsweek asked London citizens what they thought about the US President.

Here's what they had to say.



https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1895136463370539008/vid/avc1/720x1280/nkI3_5I_Ix6EiqRc.mp4


To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196