Keir Starmer's personality

[dustcollective]

Not so much a political commentary here or asking about people's voting intentions, but more about Starmer's personality- a lot of the press seems to paint Keir Starmer out to be "posh" and "boring / grey", however it seems he really isn't either of those things - having just read an extract from a biography of him. I had no idea how challenging his childhood was, his brothers needs, schoolyard fights or how emotionally abusive his father was - not letting them have tv in the house, insisting on silence at the dinner table, no hugging or warmth. I knew about his mums poor health but not to the extent that she / they suffered. It must have bed. So hard for the children.

I found it interesting that he hasn't really "mined" any of these experiences to sell himself and has kept most of it largely private. He's talked about his mums health and his dad being a toolmaker but hasn't shared much else and often comes across as somewhat rigid and dull. In some ways I suppose it's refreshing that he doesn't go on about his upbringing - a contrast to the likes of "Spare" etc - but also I feel he's not coming across as who he truly is. I now think so much more of him having read this and was quite surprised by it all.

If anyone's interested the link is here www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dee0d8b7-c480-4882-a0f2-4f31300f2c02?shareToken=b2a4a731e2c198fb2abafef4137744f8

Bless. It’s been scaled back because there’s no money.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/07/keir-starmer-to-announce-scaling-back-of-28bn-green-investment-plan

They might have noticed the pandemic since 2019 and huge amounts of energy support

They might have noticed that Truss bankrupted the country too.

Whatever they were looking at it wasn’t outside their pre conference rooms

Some basic sums there

Do Conservatives think we've forgotten their U turns (double U turns in some cases)? Admittedly it's been quite difficult to keep track of them all, partly because they've had to change leaders repeatedly.

Truss spent her entire leadership campaign refusing to discuss energy support "handouts".

"....... huge amounts of energy supports..."

I don't understand governments giving energy supports to people and yet allowing energy companies to make huge profits that increased while prices soared for the consumer.

The tax payer footing the bill while the energy companies profits climb higher and higher.

Im a historic labour voter, now politically homeless.

I dont care about any of their personalities, I care about their policies and plans

Exactly. Total madness, they should have taxed the hell out of them. But then Tories are good at the reverse Robin Hood.

I agree with this^ as well.
And I don’t think he is boring. What exactly is he supposed to do? Signing and dancing? Wearing flamboyant clothes? Get himself a tarantula?

Gavin Williamson has already done the tarantula thing.

I want boring and courageous and able to defend women's rights. And know what a woman is. And if he and his colleagues can row back on these statements I'll vote .
however , we don't vote for a Prime Minister , we vote for an MP who represents us.
The leader of the political party who gets the most seats becomes Prime Minister. The leader of the party is elected by members of his own party.
so unless you are a member of a political party or in his or her constituency, you can't vote for a prime minister.

Ever heard of grandmothers and eggs @Runningwildish?

Taxes are automatically higher for oil and gas in the UK. You might re able to get a bit more as they did for one year but if you want to see a competitive CT rate look at ROI

Generally you won’t find a gov unaware of how competitive tax is as a market, thankfully

Hence Reeves switching on no bonus caps and changing on scrapping non dom. They seem a bit late as a year or so earlier they were against. The reality of overtaxing becomes clear

Blair was similar he didn’t go for high top taxes

Tg they’ve changed some behind thinking but better if they drop the last policy doing it

Well it does seem that some people when they complain that they didn't vote for the Prime Minister don't realise the process. It's your MPs opinions that also matter.

@WallaceinAnderland

Interesting thread

I am curious about your post about how 🤔 Starmer difficult childhood could have affected him
such as he says one thing to another person something different to someone else

You described it as self preservation learned behaviour,

Can you elaborate as i find human psychology interestingly insightful subject on myself and others

Because they want to be able to do what they planned, but the Tories trashed all hope of it?

It was ‘fully costed’. Then the Tories further trashed the economy and the money isn’t readily available.

It can’t have been at the 2023 conference

Why?
You insist they cost everything.
They cost something.
The Tories make the financial situation worse.
Instead of continuing to promise something they now know will be difficult or impossible to deliver, they re-cost and alter financing.
You accuse them of a U turn.

Meanwhile Tories have done so many U turns they are dizzy, cost no policies (if they even have anny) and continue to trash the economy and give all the money to their mates.

Your support for them is incomprehensible.

My comment is on the feasibility of the statement fully costed in October 2023

I thought it unlikely then, probably posted and got Labour push back

My view then on funding was that it wouldn’t support that policy with those numbers and I’m glad to see I was correct

I don't care about charisma, look where that has got us with Boris. We need competence. Starmer is a highly trained barrister. As a barrister he will choose his words carefully so may come across as more measured than we are used to.

Very measured when he said 99% of women don't have a penis

Yeah, no. The Equality Act, granting protection to transgender people, was introduced 6 months after the Conservatives came to power in 2010 and has remained in place for the entirety of the Tory regime since. If you're voting Tory, just say it's because you're a Tory, don't bring the cliched gender argument into it.

Yep. Decent, moral and almost certainly a lot more fun than he lets on!

Yes, exactly this!

He seems like a decent chap. Compared to the dross currently masquerading as Conservatives, he's a God Among Men. Vote Keir.