What planet is Starmer on?

[Noeuf]

So, I vote Labour usually, I like their values etc. However wtf - at a time when Boris is vulnerable Starmer comes out tonight with a back up Boris speech? No need - the website has crashed, queues are huge - he didn’t need any reinforcement of his bag a booster message.
Just incredulous he’s wittering on.

Keir Starmer doesn't seem capable of coming up with any ideas of his own

It was the bloody flag - I weep for our country and the lack of good governance. How do you pick between this shower of shite.

I didn't think he should have done this, but what ideas could he have come up with ?
The vaccine and the boosters are the only way out of this and the threat of lockdown next year
looms large , they all banking on this working and keeping things going
Nobody wants schools shut again
They haven't got a lot of choices left really !

Keir Starmer doesn't seem capable of coming up with any ideas of his own

Doesn't really matter if he 'comes up with ideas' or not since he's not in charge, because what can he do except support or oppose the government.

I don't like the flag either, but I can see why he did it, because it belongs to all of us not just right wingers.

I'm not inspired by Keir Starmer at all (life long Labour voter) but I think he's quite right that now is not the precise moment to go for the jugular.

I feel that for Keir Starmer he is 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'

It's clear that what the government is proposing is the best that can be hoped for at the moment and it's not clear to me what not supporting the measure would achieve (except, probably, they're not going to get through the House of Commons).

The government is inept and corrupt, there is no question of this, but this seems to me a case of 'Pick Your Battles'. Let's face it, there are lots of other areas where Mr Johnson is ripe for being pilloried.

[quote Noeuf]@rrhuth no I knew he was up - I’m commenting on tonight’s speech[/quote]
If you knew he was going up in the polls, and you therefore can see that what he is doing is working, why did you say I was really excited to get someone who was on a level field with Johnson superficially - educated, sanitised, could maybe tempt a few across from centre right ?

He is tempting people over.

Your agenda is clear OP. You should be ashamed of posting this.

‘four non blondes
Your agenda is clear OP. You should be ashamed of posting this.’

yeah outrageous that I’d want a bit of chitchat about being disappointed in Labour. Shoot me now.

Wittering on? I thought it was a solid message.

He made it very clear that he is putting public health above party politics.

It's a Public Health crisis. He's not playing politics, he's doing the responsible thing. Like a grown up.

He was also leading the way in the combing your hair and looking smart stakes. It did create a contrast.

Ok I’ll give him that @Poetrypatty

One thing is for sure, the result of the vote isn’t going to determine whether the PM stays or goes, or whether the Tory party will continue to be the party of government.

If Labour stand aside and the vote fails to pass you can be pretty sure the UK print media would be highlighting Labour’s role in proceedings….”Labour fail to support country etc…”

If OTOH the vote passes with Labour’s assistance hopefully the spotlight is going to fall on the those who voted against….most probably the head bangers in the CRG and their fellow travelers. Just maybe a few voters will finally begin ask if their elected representative has any interest in constituents welfare..

As others have said, the leader of the opposition is playing the long game.

It wouldn’t have been commented on if he hadn’t followed with his own address.

@MintJulia

So he doesn't want to undermine that.

And there will still be the inevitable people who refuse a booster
because they don't like Boris...

Like the idiots who voted for Brexit because David Cameron wanted us to remain.

He is putting the health of the nation first rather than playing party politics if he agrees with the restrictions he should support them.

@MintJulia

Maybe he thinks that people will be best protected by having a booster, and wanted to add his weight to that message. You know, to protect people! To reduce hospitalisations and deaths !

Maybe he puts people's lives before small-minded party political squabbling

This! Sometimes there are more important things than scoring political points.

@Puppylucky

Keir is reinforcing Johnson's weakness to the parliamentary party. If its evident that the Plan B legislation only gets through the Parliamentary vote because of Labour support then that's a major nail in Johnson's coffin. It's called playing the long game

Absolutely this. He made it quite clear that strong leadership is needed and that we don't have it. He made the whole 'public health' element a priority and emphasised he fact that Labour are going to our party politics aside for public safety.

I wasn't too enamoured with the whole patriotism thing but if Labour want to win elections they need to win over a whole section of society that this will appeal to.

Starmer is doing the opposite of what Corbyn would do in the same situation; supporting the government during a public health emergency. He even used the word ‘patriotic’ twice. If you look at the most recent polls, it seems to be working.

Boris Johnson looked like a mad scientist today on the news ! It was scary.

I am going to go against the grain and defend him.

I am so glad he came out and reinforced that message instead of making cheap sly digs at Boris. He wasn't backing Boris - he was telling people to to follow the advice the scientist have given us. He is the opposition leader and he used that time to basically say 'look guys, follow the advice'

I am so fucking glad it wasn't Raynor who would have used that time to fluff her feathers up instead of delivering a very important message.

I am sick of Labour mudslinging instead of getting on with what they need to, tonight - Starmer did that.

Starmer if you ever get to see this thread well done for not using a very important message delivery as a slag off fest. It would have been embarrassing. Break away from Raynor and get the old Labour back

@PlanetNormal

Starmer is doing the opposite of what Corbyn would do in the same situation; supporting the government during a public health emergency. He even used the word ‘patriotic’ twice. If you look at the most recent polls, it seems to be working.

Well it worked for me. I thought he was very good. I

Actually, Jeremy Corbyn isn't in favour of making people have vaccines or the vaccine passport idea ( which is more popular than it is on mumsnet )
He wouldn't have done this and sided with the likes of Steve Baker and co!
Again, politics is a strange land!

@Motheroftigers you are very much with the grain! I’m the only one I think not impressed and thinking it was irritating!

Anyway, interesting to see how differently we interpret things and aside from a few very weird posts thank you for the discussion.