Is Keir Starmer too boring to be prime minister?

Morally corrupt because he'll say anything in order to win power.

KS got elected head of the Labour Party on a platform of being both respectable, competent and leftish. As head of the Labour Party, he has overseen a vicious purge against even vaguely left. He has reneged on just about every pledge he has made. He said that Israel had the right to cut off power and water -- then tried to deny it when it didn't play well.

I'm still going to be voting Labour because the Tories' corruption is far far worse -- the reason the Spectator focusses on dullness is because they know the Tories are far worse vis a vis the corruption stakes. But let's be clear about who we're dealing with here.

I want boring. Remember how Spitting Image used to portray John Major...more peas Norma? Not a Tory and wasn't a fan then, but my god how amazing would it have been to have had Major in power these last few years instead of what we've had

If labour win it’s as people voted against the tories rather than for labour.

I think this is true every single time the government goes from one party to another - whether it's from Labour to Cons or the other way round.

For the most part, people tend to vote for the status quo and so a vote for something different is always a rejection of the current state.

Cameron, Braverman, there are a few who could throw their hat in the ring .

"If the tories change leader, labour is in trouble again."

And who would they pick? The current party is a talent vacuum. Rees-Mogg? Braverman? James Cleverly. Sunak was barrel scraping. They're out of ideas now.

Boring is the wrong word from the spectator, and on this thread has resulted in a slew of posts about entertainment. The truth is He lacks charisma and gravitas. He has failed to make his mark or mount a credible defence. Sunak also lacks charisma, although he is gaining some gravitas, simply through experience, but not close to enough.

May you live in interesting times is a Chinese curse.

Boring is unfair - what does that even mean? Have you been stuck with him at a party? I know people who have met him and he is not boring in real life. He was well thought of by colleagues at the CPS. Agree he was a massive disappointment on the trans issue. I was with him until that.

Might be because he bought his mum a donkey?

I would have hoped that the Boris Johnson disaster would have shown people that "fun" most definitely doesn't equal competent.

Look at the policies. Vote for a good local MP. The PM is not what you are voting for.

Inept and effective how?

I'm gender critical and can see that if the Conservatives get in again there will be nothing left of any public services so no point on arguing about who gets to use a refuge: there won't be any left. No point getting agitated about pronouns on NHS emails: there won't be an NHS. My feminism is primarily concerned about addressing the poverty gap which disproportionately impacts women, which Labour are prepared to do something about and the Conservatives aren't, and is a MUCH bigger feminist issue than the trans question.

"Starmer is Boring" is a trope that's been pushed by the hard-right press for a while, a classic misdirection to steer people away from the cess-pit that the Tory party has become.

Yeah, bring back Liz Truss, she was a right laugh. Hopefully the next PM could start a war with France to cheer us all up.

Gawd, I long for boring. Just an end to the constant drama. He's a politician, not an entertainer.
I think our politics started to go wrong when people started to treat it like the X Factor.
Also, this is The Spectator. They aren't exactly balanced. This is one of their recent headlines
"Did the Romans handle slavery better than the Americans?" WTAF?

He’s little to no charisma, and is failing to mount a credible defense. If labour win it’s as people voted against the tories rather than for labour. If the tories change leader, labour is in trouble again.

Only if we've all become too addicted to the adrenaline that goes with seeing what fuck up the current crop are going to do next....

Care to expand on why you think he's morally corrupt?

I'm no fan of KS but the current world-wide fad for choosing prime ministers on account of how 'entertaining' they are is creating some exceedingly dangerous governments. And I'm not going to take seriously anything about Labour from the fanatically right-wing Spectator.

Morally corrupt? How so?

I think anyone who votes for someone based on how fun they seem is an idiot. Who cares how boring he is ffs, criticise him on substance.

I want boring and centrist. He’s got my vote. And I like Angela Raynor too - if you’re not convinced then listen to her interview on the Leading podcast.

Boring would be fine if he looked like he knew what he was doing and had principles he was prepared to stand by.

Anyway, you don't vote for the PM, that can change during a government, so the best thing is to vote for an MP who you think will serve your constituency well, and/or contribute to a majority for a particular party.

I'm not looking for excitement in a prime minister tbh. My bar is pretty low after the past few years but I'll gladly take competent and dull. I really just want some grown-ups running the show.

No. I think boring aka sensible would be a relief after the chaos.

You have to vote with your head really.

I feel those whining about 'boring' sound like teenagers.

Charisma is overrated.

He's somewhat staid, yes, but to me that's reassuring. Look at the damage so-called 'charismatic' leaders have done worldwide over the centuries. If a politician is too slick it generally makes me trust them less.