AIBU to think Andy Burnham might call a general election soon?

1688 called and wants it's bigotry back.

If he called one he would get more seats than he will in 2 years time.

The best he could hope for though is a hung parliament.

I don't think he will do it. The bad news will keep piling in and he will be as popular as Stammer in 6 months time.

You what now? Labour supporters did to the last gov on social media what they’d like to stop now. Obviously that’s not going to happen.

A Roman Catholic PM. I've just discovered another reason to be wary but that's a whole new thread.

And a good thing too.

Sorry just to be clear, are you claiming the people using social media during the 2019-24 Tory administration were Labour supporters, and nobody of any other political persuasion engaged?

I've told you before about not going waaah you just think that because you support Labour when someone whose politics you don't actually know makes a point you don't like, but I want to be clear exactly what flavour of that is happening here.

Because - as we discovered when Boris illegally prorogues parliament - the Monarch has fuck all power.

There is it’s all the Labour supporters who used SM. You can see it on here. Now you and others say hang on this is tough, well yeh that’s what you enjoyed at the time.

Yes we have the exterior disinformation to worry about now. Concerning whatever your politics.

Why would he do that? He’s the PM why would he risk someone else getting in?

Don’t talk shite

I think there is something rather large missing from this equation - Musk. He didn't go after the Tories the way he has gone for Starmer and Labour. MN posters, btl press etc. are a speck of SM dust in comparison.

They didn't. There is no definition of 'set the scene' that will back up your claim. The tendency to call for GEs already existed and was not set by Labour, and the escalation of social media importance wasn't either. These things are facts.

It is true that Labour didn't say hang on, and it's also both a different point and a goalpost move. They didn't call for change and instead continued practicing an already established tradition, they couldn't possibly have done anything about the social media spiralling because they didn't have the power. For balance, this all applies to the opposition who are doing it now.

We also have mass disinformation campaigns, hacks etc coming out of China, Russia and North Korea. To combat that we need a properly funded, workable defence. Trump may be saying outrageous nonsense on Social Media but he is doing it in plain sight. Pobably as an accidental distraction tactic, encouraged by his BFF's Putin and Xi.

Why doesn't Charles refuse to accept Starmer's resignation - do something useful for once

Those MN posters are very quiet now, bar a few. I guess their huge expectations on the incoming adults taking the reins fell rather flat.

Yes Labour MPs did this, I agree they are responsible but the calls for SM to stop criticising from Labour are slightly separate. They were happy to use the same to their advantage.

ETA agree Labour blame others too much over MPs for the ousting but a different issue to Labour now wanting SM to calm down to their benefit.

Should Burnham call an election? No. He should get on with the job of sorting this country out & making life better for ordinary working people. Changing PMs between General Elections is perfectly normal in the U.K. The Labour Party won the 2024 election, not Starmer personally, and it’s for them to decide who their leader should be. Just as the Conservative Party, not Boris Johnson personally, won the 2019 election.

Will he? No, I think it’s extremely unlikely. This is a guy who has been trying to get the top job for 16 years so he’s not going to gamble with it now. Labour has a legitimate mandate to govern for 3 more years, it currently has a massive majority which will allow him to do big things & force them through parliament. Labour is trailing in the polls and that shows no sign of changing.

Labour overall including supporters set the scene. Mn is an example, but obviously across the board, btl on press too. No one from Labour said hang on maybe we should hold back on this, they will say it now as they’re under the spotlight.

Why would a party that won a mandate to rule for 5 years call a GE after 2 years? That would be utterly mental. Let them get on with the job.

A Labour party in opposition certainly didn't have the power to drive that level of change. It's a trend that had been happening for a number of years, was escalated probably during covid when more moved online, and goes well beyond anything one political party could do. That includes even the one in government at the time. Not surprisingly, already established patterns of oppositions calling for GEs using whatever channels get them most attention are expressed through the channels that get them most attention.

Because unless you happen to have a time machine about your person, neither you nor I can do anything about what happened in 2022.

The best time was then, the next best time is now.

Whereas the one I know voted for Sunak because Truss was “mad as a box of frogs”.

Why isn't Badenoch a fan of a GE - she knows Reform would get in? She certainly knows the Tories would be struggling.