Off Topic The politics thread - Starmer/Burnham/Reeves/Farage etc.

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A tweet from Jack Dart, too long to just link to but hits the nail on the head.

If people genuinely believe Burnham won’t receive the exact same media onslaught, they’ve not been paying attention.

Starmer is not, objectively, bad. This idea that he is somehow the worst PM in British history is frankly laughable.

Liz truss lasted 49 days, crashed the pound and was laughed out of Downing Street.

Since Labour took office, Keir Starmer’s government has:

• Scrapped the two-child benefit limit, lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and putting money back into some of the hardest-pressed households in the country.

• Expanded free school meals, cutting costs for families and making sure more children get a proper meal during the school day.

• Expanded funded childcare, reducing one of the biggest monthly costs facing working parents and making it easier for people to stay in work.

• Raised the National Living Wage, increasing pay for millions of low-paid workers.

• Strengthened workers’ rights, giving people greater protection against insecure work and bad employers.

• Introduced statutory sick pay from the first day of illness, so workers are less likely to choose between their health and their wages.

• Ended no-fault evictions, giving renters more security in their homes.

• Brought rail operators back into public ownership, taking key services out of failed private hands and giving the public a stronger stake in how they are run.

• Cut NHS waiting lists from their post-pandemic peak, meaning more patients are being seen sooner.

• Raised the state pension through the triple lock, protecting pensioners’ incomes against rising costs.

• Scrapped the old non-dom tax regime, making some of the wealthiest people in the country pay more fairly.

• Added VAT to private school fees, raising money from those most able to contribute.

• Removed business rates relief from private schools, ending an unjustified tax break.

• Increased neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and PCSOs back into communities.

• Helped bring knife crime down, meaning fewer families face the devastation of serious violence.

• Recorded the lowest homicide rate since the 1970s, a material improvement in public safety.

• Created Great British Energy, giving Britain a publicly owned clean energy company.

• Created the National Wealth Fund, backing investment in industry, infrastructure and clean energy.

• Passed planning reforms aimed at getting homes and major projects built faster.

• Improved relations with the EU, reducing diplomatic hostility and rebuilding practical cooperation.

• Agreed a UK-EU security partnership, strengthening cooperation on defence and European security.

• Signed a long-term partnership with Ukraine, reinforcing Britain’s support against Putin’s invasion.

• Secured new trade agreements, opening up markets for British businesses.

• Helped restore seriousness to government after years of scandal, chaos and decline.

People do not have to like Starmer. They do not have to vote Labour. But pretending this is the record of the worst Prime Minister in British history is absurd.
 
A tweet from Jack Dart, too long to just link to but hits the nail on the head.

If people genuinely believe Burnham won’t receive the exact same media onslaught, they’ve not been paying attention.

Starmer is not, objectively, bad. This idea that he is somehow the worst PM in British history is frankly laughable.

Liz truss lasted 49 days, crashed the pound and was laughed out of Downing Street.

Since Labour took office, Keir Starmer’s government has:

• Scrapped the two-child benefit limit, lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and putting money back into some of the hardest-pressed households in the country.

• Expanded free school meals, cutting costs for families and making sure more children get a proper meal during the school day.

• Expanded funded childcare, reducing one of the biggest monthly costs facing working parents and making it easier for people to stay in work.

• Raised the National Living Wage, increasing pay for millions of low-paid workers.

• Strengthened workers’ rights, giving people greater protection against insecure work and bad employers.

• Introduced statutory sick pay from the first day of illness, so workers are less likely to choose between their health and their wages.

• Ended no-fault evictions, giving renters more security in their homes.

• Brought rail operators back into public ownership, taking key services out of failed private hands and giving the public a stronger stake in how they are run.

• Cut NHS waiting lists from their post-pandemic peak, meaning more patients are being seen sooner.

• Raised the state pension through the triple lock, protecting pensioners’ incomes against rising costs.

• Scrapped the old non-dom tax regime, making some of the wealthiest people in the country pay more fairly.

• Added VAT to private school fees, raising money from those most able to contribute.

• Removed business rates relief from private schools, ending an unjustified tax break.

• Increased neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and PCSOs back into communities.

• Helped bring knife crime down, meaning fewer families face the devastation of serious violence.

• Recorded the lowest homicide rate since the 1970s, a material improvement in public safety.

• Created Great British Energy, giving Britain a publicly owned clean energy company.

• Created the National Wealth Fund, backing investment in industry, infrastructure and clean energy.

• Passed planning reforms aimed at getting homes and major projects built faster.

• Improved relations with the EU, reducing diplomatic hostility and rebuilding practical cooperation.

• Agreed a UK-EU security partnership, strengthening cooperation on defence and European security.

• Signed a long-term partnership with Ukraine, reinforcing Britain’s support against Putin’s invasion.

• Secured new trade agreements, opening up markets for British businesses.

• Helped restore seriousness to government after years of scandal, chaos and decline.

People do not have to like Starmer. They do not have to vote Labour. But pretending this is the record of the worst Prime Minister in British history is absurd.

Jumping on that bandwagon just became very trendy very quickly, mainly because he's boring and lacks so-called charisma ...

... after Trump, Boris, Blair, Truss, Farage, etc, that's exactly what I was hoping for.

All this 'Ask the King to dissolve Parliament or General Election now' stuff is a bit daft imo.

At the moment we have Trump going nuts, wars is Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine and other stuff.

I'd rather just let things trudge on while things settle down, there's no big crisis that needs hysterical action imo.
 
Key takes from this

What is a trillion?
A million seconds is about a week and a half. A billion seconds is 32 years. A trillion seconds is 32,000 years. That is the difference between a million and a trillion. It is not a bigger version of the same thing. It is a completely different order of magnitude.

Someone worth a trillion dollars, earning 5% passive income annually, makes $137 million every single day. That is $5.7 million an hour. Around $1,600 every second – not from working, but simply from owning things.

SpaceX owns satellites used in weather forecasting and military operations. Governments will need to pay him to use them

It comes from you. When billionaires grow their wealth at 40% annually and the economy grows at 1%, the difference is not conjured from thin air. It is transferred – from governments, from the middle class, from ordinary asset owners – to the billionaire class

The choice facing society is not left versus right. It is not Labour versus Reform. It is a much simpler question: do you want your children to own things? Because you cannot have an untaxed trillionaire class and widespread asset ownership at the same time. The maths does not allow it.

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Think carefully about who you vote for and whether they will ruin your childrens future for personal benefit. Some aren't on your side.
 
Jumping on that bandwagon just became very trendy very quickly, mainly because he's boring and lacks so-called charisma ...

... after Trump, Boris, Blair, Truss, Farage, etc, that's exactly what I was hoping for.

All this 'Ask the King to dissolve Parliament or General Election now' stuff is a bit daft imo.

At the moment we have Trump going nuts, wars is Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine and other stuff.

I'd rather just let things trudge on while things settle down, there's no big crisis that needs hysterical action imo.

Yep..no PM can do anything about Ukraine Iran or idiot Trump.

We also have maxed out our credit cards and all we can do is not do anything that will increase the debt but slowly climb out of the hole we are in. Yes benefits need to be curbed and defence spending increased. RRs rule not to borrow for current spending is sound. This fine mess we have got ourselves into is mainly down to the tories... as with Brexit/immigration.

Imho Burnham has about 5 minutes to do what he has to do before chaos ensues once he walks into no 10.

Unfortunately changing PMs doesn't change the reality of financial and external problems. No matter how unboring and charismatic you are
 
The single and only reason the Parliamentary Labour Party is getting rid of Starmer and going for Burnham is because they know the best bet is they'll lose the next election if they don't. It's panic after the local elections and purely politician self-interest,which may not, even then,be successful. It has little to do with what's good for the country.
A long running theme from MP's and Govt. over at least the last 30 years in my opinion. None of them are trustworthy or deserving of the position they hold.
 
You think it's a good thing having 7 prime ministers in 10 years? We used to laugh at Italy for this sort of thing. It's beyond a joke, we are now a banana republic.
Every time a PM Resigns or is kicked out by his party, a general election should occur especially if the party wants to go away from its manifesto promises.
 
Yep..no PM can do anything about Ukraine Iran or idiot Trump.

We also have maxed out our credit cards and all we can do is not do anything that will increase the debt but slowly climb out of the hole we are in. Yes benefits need to be curbed and defence spending increased. RRs rule not to borrow for current spending is sound. This fine mess we have got ourselves into is mainly down to the tories... as with Brexit/immigration.

Imho Burnham has about 5 minutes to do what he has to do before chaos ensues once he walks into no 10.

Unfortunately changing PMs doesn't change the reality of financial and external problems. No matter how unboring and charismatic you are
On the financial challenges see my post above yours. Someone had to have the balls to take it on. It would be the dividing line between fill my pockets Farage and the Labour Party. Money exists in the pockets of quite often evil people. It’s time it was deployed for humanity
 
As a Labour man, I am pleased Starmer has gone. Very disappointed with him. Let's hope Burnham proves to be better.
Why will Burnham make them better, will he do policies that the silent majority want or will ge bow down to the left of the party.
 
Farage vowed to throw everything at Makerfield to stop Burnham and lost
Blamed the result on it being a protest vote against Starmer, which makes absolutely no sense
Now wants a general election as he knows fine well the tide may turn if Burnham becomes PM

There is a long way to go, its certainly not guaranteed that Burnham will even become PM but Farage is already running scared and looking a bit desperate.
 
Farage vowed to throw everything at Makerfield to stop Burnham and lost
Blamed the result on it being a protest vote against Starmer, which makes absolutely no sense
Now wants a general election as he knows fine well the tide may turn if Burnham becomes PM

There is a long way to go, its certainly not guaranteed that Burnham will even become PM but Farage is already running scared and looking a bit desperate.
Were you asking for GE when Tory leaders left office.