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Original poster

Where is Keir Starmer?

233 replies

DirtyCarrots · 05/08/2024 20:43

Does anyone else find it weird Keir Starmer isn't more visible this week? He hasn't held a press conference in days, wasn't obviously present at No. 10 after the Cobra meeting and won't recall parliament. Surely he can't have actually gone on his holiday when the UK is in meltdown?

OP posts:
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absquatulize · 05/08/2024 21:55

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 05/08/2024 21:53

He’s been very visible, making regular statements / press conferences and chairing COBRA meetings, and other meetings with police etc.

Hes been absolutely visible and very much on it.

Quire unlike the last shower in comparable circumstances.

Hard to believe anyone could genuinely not have noticed.

My DD has been out of the country for more than a week, she didn't know there had been riots and no doubt was unaware of what the Prime Minister had been doing during that time.
Could it be that others who have not noticed what the PM is up to are similarly not in the UK?

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 05/08/2024 21:55

Tryingtokeepgoing · 05/08/2024 21:50

Dull definitely. A poor public speaker for sure. But on effectiveness the jury is out…it took him the best part of a week to have a COBRA meeting 😂I think he’s finding the transition from opposition, where all you have to do is criticise, to power when you actually have to do something somewhat of a shock. Decisions need to be made quicker in times like this…though we have had a lot of statements and aspirations…

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Again - I’m really unsure if you are talking about the same person. He’s a far better than average public speaker. He’s been absolute on this.

Far from finding the transition to power a shock, he’s clearly - and I mean absolutely obviously - come right into his element being in power.

absquatulize · 05/08/2024 21:54

Notonthestairs · 05/08/2024 21:28

"assured people he would listen to everyone."

Nope - you burn a library or a hotel or drag people out of their cars you get sent to prison, not an interview with the PM.

Of course if you are in prison and after sentencing then you are not allowed to vote, so perhaps when people say that voices are not able to be heard, it is those prisoners that they are thinking of?

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 05/08/2024 21:53

He’s been very visible, making regular statements / press conferences and chairing COBRA meetings, and other meetings with police etc.

Hes been absolutely visible and very much on it.

Quire unlike the last shower in comparable circumstances.

Hard to believe anyone could genuinely not have noticed.

absquatulize · 05/08/2024 21:51

MissyB1 · 05/08/2024 21:21

OP I have a suggestion for you, try watching the news, then you won't appear so ill informed.

Its an amazing thing, we have the ability to find out any information we want more easily than we ever had before on the internet, and yet people seem quite happily to go around demonstrating their ignorance.
It seems to happen more and more.

Tryingtokeepgoing · 05/08/2024 21:50

KateDelRick · 05/08/2024 20:47

I don't care what he sounds like as long as he gets the job done. Dull and effective is fine. It's a nice change.

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Dull definitely. A poor public speaker for sure. But on effectiveness the jury is out…it took him the best part of a week to have a COBRA meeting 😂I think he’s finding the transition from opposition, where all you have to do is criticise, to power when you actually have to do something somewhat of a shock. Decisions need to be made quicker in times like this…though we have had a lot of statements and aspirations…

BeachParty · 05/08/2024 21:45

SocksAndTheCity · 05/08/2024 21:26

You think anyone should listen to those who set a building housing frightened, traumatised people on fire and then try to block the exits, @Sallyshome ?

I'm all for everybody having their say, but attempted murder isn't my idea of reasoned debate.

Or mine

Baital · 05/08/2024 21:45

Legitimate concerns? Sounds like racism to me. We've just had a general election to choose our representatives.

Immigration was discussed in the election, and the electorate chose Starmer and his manifesto

StuckOnTheCeiling · 05/08/2024 21:45

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“Listen to everyone”?! Listen to the absolute waste of resources who have taken advantage of the horrendous murder of three little girls and used it to fuel their sick fantasies of killing brown people, and had a bloody good try at it by attempting to set a hotel on fire while preventing anyone from evacuating it? You really think those people deserve anyone but a judge listening to them?

If free speech gets limited you can blame the sick racist thugs for that.

BeachParty · 05/08/2024 21:43

Skodacool · 05/08/2024 21:40

Exactly. You can keep the likes of Johnson with their big personalities but no moral compass. we need efficiency.

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Well said, I'm sick of "big personality" politics.
Bring on grown up and efficient.

samarrange · 05/08/2024 21:42

pointythings · 05/08/2024 21:32

You have an interesting idea of what constitutes freedom of speech there, @Sallyshome .

The rest is just bullshit right wing paranoia on your part.

Basically these people want to be able to shout "fuck off, P#@*" at people in the street. (Which you can actually do in the United States — where, famously, no race hatred has ever happened.)

Frenchsplit · 05/08/2024 21:42

There’s a lot of anti Starmer stuff around just now. Almost like it’s orchestrated

BeachParty · 05/08/2024 21:42

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assured people he would listen to everyone

You don't listen to or appease rioting, racist thugs.
I want to hear he's getting tough on them.

JockTamsonsBairns · 05/08/2024 21:41

What on earth are you on about, OP?

Starmer has been all over this.

Skodacool · 05/08/2024 21:40

KateDelRick · 05/08/2024 20:47

I don't care what he sounds like as long as he gets the job done. Dull and effective is fine. It's a nice change.

Show quote history

Exactly. You can keep the likes of Johnson with their big personalities but no moral compass. we need efficiency.

Lastarse · 05/08/2024 21:40

He’s not a drama llama OP, like the previous government were full of. He is not going to be a PM like that, so better get used to it.

Izzymoon · 05/08/2024 21:35

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People rioting on the streets are not voicing legitimate concerns. Let’s not pretend they are.
Why on earth would or should he assure people that he would listen to everyone? People who are burning buildings and attacking people should absolutely not be given a political platform.

BeaRF75 · 05/08/2024 21:33
  1. The UK is not "in meltdown", quite obviously
  2. I've hear Sir Keir on the radio news several times this week.

I'm not particularly a fan of Keir's, but I'm sure he is acting proportionately - don't over-dramatise stuff.

pointythings · 05/08/2024 21:32

You have an interesting idea of what constitutes freedom of speech there, @Sallyshome .

The rest is just bullshit right wing paranoia on your part.

ExtraOnions · 05/08/2024 21:28

“Shutting Down Free Speech” .. or, ensuring prosecutions against those people using racist language, or making threats. You can say what you like, but you can’t say it with consequence. We don’t live in a consequence free society

Notonthestairs · 05/08/2024 21:28

"assured people he would listen to everyone."

Nope - you burn a library or a hotel or drag people out of their cars you get sent to prison, not an interview with the PM.

Headingtowardsdivorce · 05/08/2024 21:27

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Well, they won't be able to "voice" their concerns through violence, no, you're right.

SocksAndTheCity · 05/08/2024 21:26

You think anyone should listen to those who set a building housing frightened, traumatised people on fire and then try to block the exits, @Sallyshome ?

I'm all for everybody having their say, but attempted murder isn't my idea of reasoned debate.

FrivolousKitchenRollUse · 05/08/2024 21:26

DirtyCarrots · 05/08/2024 21:11

Well yes, I do think we need strong leadership as a country at the moment and having a visible and present PM is important (even if the civil service are responsible for actually delivering stuff). I expect more than a pre-recorded statement yesterday and a press release today. Maybe I am expecting too much?

If he was "visible" (not sure what that even means) then he wouldn't be in the COBRA meeting. Best you tactically retreat...