Labour Isn't Working - Thread 30

[WaffleBomb]

A chat thread for those who don't like this Labour government. 💙

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5506586-labour-isnt-working-thread-29?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

There’s a really interesting piece by Dan Hodges on MailOnline about Starmer possibly being ousted next week because of an answer he gave to Badenoch at the last PMQs that there was no pressure put on the FO. Philip Barton’s evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee will say different, according to Hodges.

I’m not convinced Hodges is right, at least about the likelihood of Starmer going that quickly. But this does fit with my expectation that if he isn’t chucked out by his party Starmer will be brought down soon enough by what he’s said in the commons about appointing Mandelson. The degree of denial, flannel and obfuscation is so far off the scale that it’s very deep into misleadingness.

I really struggle to understand how any thinking person could regard Starmer as a straight guy. It’s a nasty sight watching him wriggle and waffle. He is worse even than Johnson. And at least Johnson never pretended to be Mr Rules, the clean up kid.

So many versions of this type of thing around!

And I agree. Boris Johnson was a known entity. We all knew what to expect from him, he'd never hidden his personality.

Starmer and Labour sold themselves as squeaky clean, nothing like the sleazy Tories, they were so much more moral and upstanding. If you stand on that basis, damn right you set yourself up for a shit load more criticism than the bloke who never pretended to be morally upstanding etc!

ETA: I didn't vote Conservative when Boris was in charge.

Yeh there’s no decency with Starmer and diehard loyalists.

Funny pic

The Car Picture of Doom has been published.

😁 What is the Car Picture of Doom?

Haha is it looking bad in a car à la AMW?

Oh, please let it be this. I need to hunt this picture down.

I saw a funny post with four versions of it including AMW saying which type of photography do the British excel at, or something like that

Made me laugh

That can be added to

Love this post 😂😂
Where have you seen it please? I love the doom photos taken at night where their eyes are glowing red 🤭

Here you go!
https://x.com/NewsWire_US/status/2047051098549010741

Sadly no red glowing eyes but the rest is present and correct.

@TheNoWord "DurableDog and DelicateDog go on a pub crawl" is definitely an episode for the cartoon strip, they can meet my other cartoon character who is called barfly...I also have a mixologist who is an octopus. And a whole bunch of other characters. Sadly, I can't draw. I could put this into AI, I suppose.

Delicate must be having a small sherry, yes? Durable will be on something stronger and then tequila shots as a chaser.

@WaffleBomb someone having a "Vote Labour" poster up does remind me that they have a majority.

I haven't been out with my pub group because I'm so overwhelmed with dental treatment (yes that sounds mad) but I wonder if it's the sort of thing that's under discussion. We normally try not to be political. There were definitely people who were very glad when Labour got in. It's not until an election that you know how many people are just walking around going "yeah everything is fine."

someone's going to post the meme about everything being on fire now, aren't they 😂

Thanks @SapphireCasino that properly made me laugh 😂

Delicate is definitely a ‘small sherry’ kinda gal, maybe a Pimms in summer if she is feeling frisky, but Durable is pints all the way. Even of Tequila 😜

Sending sympathy for the dental saga; it does knock the stuffing out of us ime.

Ha let it be so. He should go.

I like this cartoon, but even better that it’s The Guardian running it.

It seems to me these days that "Starmer" is nothing more than shorthand for a car crash in slow motion.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/efacc4fc4b234065

It's a great photo! But, I think it's from back in February and they have rehashed it for the current batch of articles.

If Bollard goes, what are people's thoughts on his replacement? It's hard to imagine anyone could possibly be worse until you look at the likely successors...

Streeting - empty suit careerist who also got cosy with Mandy.
Mahmood - my personal preference, but probably seen as untested and someone who punches down (?).
Rayner - OMFG, just no - would probably lead to a run on sterling and a trip to the IMF.

Miliband - Hunger Games within 6 months.

Cooper - dull technocrat (definitely don't need any more of those)
Lammy - clown.

I can't see a route back for Burnham.

Not sure but the Miliband Hunger Games line made me laugh.

This is superb!

Ah okay. I suppose it's the running with it now that's signalling though!

All considered I think Cooper is the best of a bad bunch. She’s entirely unremarkable. But I suspect there’s more between her ears than Starmer’s (low test, granted), she doesn’t seem as massively arrogant and self-serving as Starmer, and she has previous and current experience of government. And she’d be Labour’s first woman PM.

Mahmood seems quite brave but I’m not sure I trust her not to swerve sharply left if it suits her. The others are unelectable as PM in a GE, bar Streeting who will lose his seat anyway.

One thing about Rayner that isn’t said enough is that she’s up there with Starmer as a loudmouth ‘high standards’ hypocrite. I doubt Labour will want another ‘Mr Rules’ hostage to fortune like Starmer. I’m thinking of Rayner’s second job hypocrisy more than her tax affairs, but they’re both damning.

Yeah, it definitely speaks to the state of things.

I've given up on wants @Vinvertebrate. A year ago I'd have said Streeting, but I hadn't realised how much he and his husband were tethered to Mandelson. Mahmood has been pretty strong on immigration but she behaved like a student activist prior to joining the cabinet. Agree that they all seem to be terrible in their own unique way.

But I cannot abide Starmer now. I can't abide a coward - I really can't. A reprieve from the snivelling, nasal, arse covering, u-turning, bollarding robot - will at least be a change - whoever the withered Labour membership and the many union voters throw up.

Same.

I’d put money on a solution being found for Andy B.
that’s one of the issues Labour have - too many not spectacular politicians who think they’re ’good enough’. Rumours Reeves would have a crack too…back me, I’ve got the markets onside…

Goodness, Reeves would be a turn up. And a disastrous choice for Labour to make. Quite apart from being a terrible and destructive Chancellor, she has her own problems with personal trust - her CV and all that.