Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Speaking of politics and PMs
Whether or not my vote at the last general election helped or hindered his rise, I must say that Keir Starmer’s quiet style has been a great relief from what might be called the media-obsessed celeb style of politician (often surrounded by image masseurs) that has become increasingly obtrusive in recent years and is now exemplified to an extreme degree by Donald Trump. So there you have it, Keir Starmer is the polar opposite and long may he remain so. I suppose that we shall never find him trying to fill the airwaves with sensational garbage intended to distract attention from his failings. He pays attention to the job, not to we think of him. More power to his elbow, I say.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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More power to his elbow, I say.
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I say it's more likely he'll be elbowed out soon.
Yesterday he publicly lost the confidence of the Home Secretary.
Appearing in shirt sleeves won't cut it. One of the most important attributes in this media age is being able to fake authenticity and he's not brilliant at that!
Going further and faster and again repeating that he's about delivering change isn't persuasive.
Starmer's past cosying up to the delinquent US president (including his appointment of Mandelson) was always a mistake. At least two Commonwealth PMs instinctively knew the right way to deal with the Trump: assertively, not toadying. i.e. Australia's former PM Malcom Turnbull and Canada's current PM Mark Carney: both wise leaders. Both countries, members of the Five Eyes which group may yet survive the tension within.
Pure ambition got Starmer where he is, but where now? A New Labour-ex-Haringey Councillor is now an MP. He often sits on the bench behind Starmer. Beyond ambition, the question for them has long been … what do they believe in?
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them … well, I have others!
(Attributed to Groucho Marx)
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Permalink Reply by Julia Pearce
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Malcolm Turnbull, former PM of Australia, could afford to play hard ball with Trump because Australia has valuable minerals that the US needs. There is not much that Trump needs from the U.K., apart from pomp and ceremony to plump up his ego.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton
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Dick,
Have you watched Starmer's speech carefully?
I went back to it to think harder and pay more attention to the detail.He emotes a bit more than usual. Is perhaps a bit cross. He took his jacket off.
I tried to be fairer. Was it the speech of a Prime Minister setting out the key points he and his team will be driving forward across the United Kingdom?
Have you and i watched the same speech?
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris
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Mine was not a comment on his speech Alan. Even if someone with a bit of charisma was available it isn't likely to save Labour MPs seats from the snake oil of populism. A bit of recognition of the reality we face wouldn't go amiss.
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POSSIBLY the most important aspect of the role of PM, is relations with other countries.
The flattery and sucking up to Donald Trump by the earlier Starmer-Mandelson partnership, earned Starmer only fickle-Trump's contempt.
One has to worry about Reform Party Leader Nigel Farage's even more cosy relations with the chaotic US President. The only UK Party leader to describe Trump accurately and honestly, is the Liberal Democrats' Ed Davey.
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Resisting wars of choice
Starmer supported Netanyahu's war-of-choice on Gaza,
Apart from this big ugly mistake, internationally Starmer has done well:
- First by continuing the UK's strong support for Ukraine and NATO
- More recently, calling for closer relations with the European Community
- He also made the right call by keeping the UK out of Trump's war-of-choice on Iran
Ukraine was concerned that replacing Boris Johnson PM with a different PM, would lead at the time to a loss of support by a key ally (the UK) against Putin's war-of-choice on Ukraine.
Although I'd credit the PM with these non-Trump-approved points, there is no reason to suppose that Starmer's Labour successor will alter those vital foreign policies.
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The songs heard in football stadiums around the country attest to the busyness of his elbow.
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I think Starmer is taking a lot of bullets for Rachel Reeves who is killing business and growth
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