Labour isn't Working - Thread 33

[Nuthatch26]

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/5528337-labour-isnt-working-thread-32?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Oh, I'll talk about any bollocks on here, which has included - but not limited to- complaining about my neighbour's banging gate, my kid's inability to cook anything that didn't burn for the first month at uni and the fact that everyone around us had masses of snow over winter while we had none. I'm not intending to stop my annoying stream of consciousness any time soon. Chat away.

I mentioned the Mail journalist’s interview upthread. I see this has come out:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/22/charity-demands-apology-from-farage-for-intimidating-uninvited-visit

I suppose some desperate Labour fans will just swallow this uncritically. Fools.

TBF to the Guardian they do include Reform’s response quite fully. But you don’t actually need to see Reform’s response. The Mail journalist is a third party, who made an immediate record of what happened.

I wondered whether Burnham would use that letter from the cafe owner. And he has: it’s on his x feed. (Although it looks like he put it up and then took it down and then put it up again, for some reason.)

The replies to his post are revealing.

I went in hunt to see the comments on Burnham's post, failed - got sucked into an x black hole - but emerge with this gem 😁

https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/2057553948433637803?s=20

More in Common polling on who people would vote against, which seems more and more meaningful a metric than ever...

Labour 35 (+1)
Reform 32 (-6)
Greens 11 (+4)
Conservatives 7 (-)
LibDems 5 (2)

Compared with March of last year.

Edit to actually add the Conservative number - not that I'm biased or anything

That is interesting

Excellent!

"...only candidate to safeguard UK's finances."

Oh, my sides 😂😂😂

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/23/rachel-reeves-makes-case-chancellor-reports-andy-burnham-favour-ed-miliband

Isn't it? It's nice to have a gut check on something that feels instinctively true, that the Conservatives might benefit from the grievances held towards other parties, especially when the vote is split as it is.

Love this, and the Hugo Rifkind 'diary'. I'm assuming Hugo is related to Malcolm, as it's an unusual surname?

Burnham should go on 'Stars in their Eyes'...'Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be...whatever I think the people of Makerfield want me to be.' It beggars belief that he's now come out in support of the EHRC guidance / Supreme Court ruling. Arsehole.

Right, don’t pile on me…but I actually think Reeves is looking more chic these days. She’s grown her hair longer. She looks good in the pic above. And I recently saw a photoshopped picture of her in a ushanka and Russian military overcoat which I thought made her look very stylish.

I think it was mostly the double-breasted coat that did it. I like double-breasted and might have a look around for a winter coat (not in khaki) going cheap now.

I don't often praise Reeves, but yes, she scrubs up well. I wonder if she's got herself a stylist.

You could tell when Rayner had seen a stylist, because left to her own devices she makes Hannah Spencer look like a sober dresser.

Yes, I think Hugo is his son.

I agree. Part of it is that last summer and autumn she looked terrible - she perpetually looked as though she’d been crying in the loos. She needed to raise taxes while, at the same time, absolutely mustn’t raise taxes. While her boss was endlessly flying abroad.

Oh god, Rayner. What a complete fashion Chernobyl she is.

Whatever the advice, though, both her and Reeves ruin any good work as soon as they speak.

Yep. Deffo has had a glow up. Starting from a low base though, hair and makeup were very harsh and high contrast. Someone has softened all the edges, she looks much better.

However, she is still shrill and tetchy. Never mind the economics which must embarrass her alma mater.

Labour do get tetchy don’t they. Really bad at hearing their policies are the problem.

Aesthetics aside - she remains a nasty POW.

I can neither forgive, or forget, what she has done. The smirking and the vindictiveness.

I was confused when you were talking about Henry Nowak. I had not heard a thing. Then I found this:

https://spectator.com/article/why-did-the-police-cuff-henry-nowak/

or here: https://archive.ph/rzByK

First Makerfield By-Election '369' responders
Survation...
Labour 43%
Reform 40%
'Restore' 7%
LibDems 4%
Greens 3%
Cons 2%

This Poll is actually 'terrible' news for Burnham, because as this Campaign progresses I think Burnham will be exposed and the news for Labour in the next three weeks is not going to produce anything positive for Burnham ( Restore 7%) crackers. I think Reform are going to win based on this poll

The Bookies are going to have to change their odds, which have been putting Burnham at about 70% likely to win !

Another thing with that Poll Burham has nowhere to go with Lib and Green on 5% combined opposed to 9% with Restore voters on 7% more likely to vote to remove a Labour Party Figure.

Green Lib Dems 7% and possibly only 2-3% winnable for Burnham 9% Cons. Restore with 7% winnable with a good presentation from the local Reform Candidate Robert Keynon ..

I’m not so sure. I said upthread that I think Burnham’s ‘local boy’ act will win it for him and I still think that. But some tactical voting might keep him out.

I’d absolutely love it if that posturing twat was seen off in Makerfield. How funny would that be? Burnham sulking in Manchester and Starmer dying a political death in London. I don’t like Reform, but I’d love to see Burnham eat humble pie on the platform when the returning officer says “[not Burnham] is duly elected…”