Andy Burnham - how can this be allowed?

Really! A sittng Tory MP gave up his seat so an by election could be called and Boris ushered in.

Of course not. he was voted in a General Election. He did not ask a Tory MP, in the middle of a Parliament, to shuffle over, call a by election and let him have his seat.

It really is not the same thing or pretty much anything like what Burnham is doing.

Burnham went around asking people to give up their seat, call an expensive by election and usher him in (this last may not happen and be a surprise to the gormless bugger) for a reward which will no doubt become apparent as time jogs on

Well, I mean that's bollocks because if we were just voting for Keir Starmer in the 24 GE then there's no way labour would have won because even most labour supporters don't like him

Its still not how our democracy works
People might be voting with the leader in mind, but our system means anyone within the leading party can be PM

i think the issue is that a moderate leader won the election and Burnham is very left wing so the tone and policies of the government will change. We didn’t vote for that.

No you are right, it would be another victory for common sense. The idea that AB is somehow good for the UK is laughable IMO, he has openly said that you can ignore bond markets, that alone should disqualify him from any position in government. On the other hand prudent savers and sensible people looking for a return on their money and a nice crash in the property bubble should be willing these idiots on, I think AR has the slight edge in potential to blow up the UK Gilt market, only a slight edge though.

Pretty much exactly what Boris Johnson did.

Oh - I have been paying a huge amount of attention thanks, and I fully understand the process. However, the fact is that the people of Makerfield are likely to choose the next Prime Minister. A person who didn’t even stand in the ‘actual’ General Election. Just does not sit right with me at all.

Let’s face it - yes, the process is that in a GE - you vote for your local MP. In reality though, in a GE - people are voting for who will be the next Prime Minister. Andy Burnham was not voted for in the General Election.

You're correct of course, and YANBU. However this is the labour party, and the labour party have proven to be a sorry pile of highly incompetent weasels. So this is just business as usual for them.

They don't care about the electorate (well, apart from the local AB one), and they Really don't care about the tax paying majority. Sooner they go the better. It is going to be a long 3 years. We are paying for them - how do we get rid of them? Vote for the Conservatives in 2027. Kemi Badenoch for the win.

You're correct of course, and YANBU. However this is the labour party, and the labour party have proven to be a sorry pile of highly incompetent weasels. So this is just business as usual for them.

They don't care about the electorate (well, apart from the local AB one), and they Really don't care about the tax paying majority. Sooner they go the better. It is going to be a long 3 years. We are paying for them - how do we get rid of them? Vote for the Conservatives in 2027. Kemi Badenoch for the win.

I know that there is a long way to go over the coming weeks, with by-elections and leadership challenges. But fundamentally - how can it be right that a man who was not even a candidate in the General Election, was therefore not voted for in the General Election - become Prime Minister? Effectively, the people of Makerfield are selecting the country’s new Prime Minister (as it is pretty obvious that AB would win a leadership contest).

This feels wholly undemocratic in every way.

AIBU - Andy Burnham has every right to become PM

AINBU - it is not right that a by-election in Makerfield can determine who the next Prime Minister will be

No, that would not be funny, at all.

A large part of the fault lies with the electorate. Someone said here that we live at a time of Amazon Prime style politics, and that is exactly it. Everyone expects a smorgasboard of their own personal preferences catered to instantly by any political leader and if people don't get exactly what they want, when they want it, they call for the resignation of said leader and basically cancel the party, as has happened with Labour. All the good and positive changes Labour has already managed to achieve in a very difficult national and global climate go unnoticed.

The media which is largely controlled by right wing billionaires whips up hysteria about the small boats and brown people and people respond to the dog whistle politics of Farage and co who play to people's worst instincts and promise the world (which they will not be able to deliver).

So look in the mirror, guys, when you point the finger at Labour. You are to blame for this as well.

My preference would have been for Keir Starmer to say in power and get on with the job, but as that ship appears to have sailed and he is on the plank, my money is on Andy Burnham to have the best chance (even if limited) to beat Reform at the next GE. Yes, he may have personal ambitions but at this point I think all that is irrelevant, he just needs to beat Reform, and I imagine that is what he means to do, irrespective of his ego and ambitions.

It's funny how people call for this impeccable integrity and disinterestedness from Labour politicians when to me most people have zero maturity or integrity in their voting habits and political opinions.

Or a proper leader runs a GE campaign and the voters vote for that person and their policies more or less i.e Farage at the next GE or Boris when he made the correct noises about Brexit. When they are parachuted in (RS wasn"t even elected by the party members?) the power of that government evaporates quicker than steam.

Or a proper leader runs a GE campaign and the voters vote for that person and their policies more or less i.e Farage at the next GE or Boris when he made the correct noises about Brexit. When they are parachuted in (RS wasn"t even elected by the party members?) the power of that government evaporates quicker than steam.

I know that there is a long way to go over the coming weeks, with by-elections and leadership challenges. But fundamentally - how can it be right that a man who was not even a candidate in the General Election, was therefore not voted for in the General Election - become Prime Minister? Effectively, the people of Makerfield are selecting the country’s new Prime Minister (as it is pretty obvious that AB would win a leadership contest).

This feels wholly undemocratic in every way.

AIBU - Andy Burnham has every right to become PM

AINBU - it is not right that a by-election in Makerfield can determine who the next Prime Minister will be

I'm a leftie Labour Party member, and also a member of an affiliated union, and I didn't vote for Andy Burnham in 2010 or 2015. I probably will this time if I get the chance but he has a lot of hoops to jump through.

Makerfield voters will not just be voting for the next PM, as if Burnham loses the other candidates are not going to be Labour leader, and any other winner is also not necessarily going to be their party's candidate for leader or PM. If Burnham wins, and it's still a big IF, it's in Labour MPs' hands in this case to decide whether a leadership election takes place. Then he needs to get

I don't argue that this is democratic, just pointing out that one constituency isn't going to get to choose whether the current PM stays and who the next one gets to be.

Well that's the other aspect of this. Labour gambling with safe seats. Like they did with G&D - and LOST. And now as you say the same could happen here. Typical Labour fcking over the electorate.

Labour are doing everything they can to give Reform control. Reforms greatest gift.