Starmer: An Myghtern yw marow. Re vewo an Myghtern a'n North!

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Link to previous thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5541352-thread-51-starmer-pedo-mellon-a-minno?page=10&reply=153095543

Yy she had some great outfits the wafty maxi dresses were fabulous
“Christmas hasn’t been delivered” we say it every year.

Re Dennis Wheatley. I haven't read any of his books, but when I was in the 4th year at primary school, so would have been 10yo, our class teacher read an extract to us. I have no idea why, nor have I any recollection as to why he chose the piece that he did, but he read us the part in The Ka of Gifford Hillary where he's buried alive in his coffin.

Not really sure that was suitable for our age!

Very serious. He was politically excellent - told a story, outlined a vision and used “hope” a lot. I liked it.

I don’t think he is, sadly mor at least only for ‘the North’ by which he means ‘of England’. He needs to stop being so focused on Manchester for a kick off. He’s not the mayor now.

My reason for thinking this is that despite him saying for 20 years that the Barnett formula needs revising he’s now said he won’t do it. Fairly clearly that means he doesn’t have further devolution for Wales (and by extension, the other devolved parliaments) as something he’s serious about.

He’s proving as annoying, people pleasing and - dare I say it - populist as I feared and he’s not even PM yet.

A story that he’s undermined with other comments though. We don’t need ‘a story’ that isn’t consistent or based on actual beliefs.

I think the North (the whole of it) is a good focus, though. It's very Left Behind. Gove promised to Level Up and then levelled up Tory places.

It's where the Red Wall fell. Politically, it makes sense. A lot of Reform support is in pockets of the North. I'd like him to focus on coastal deprivation, too.

I'd like to know his thoughts on Wales, Scotland and NI, of course, too.

Having someone from the North, who has seen firsthand what the problems are, is a start. In theory, devolution should have delivered better benefits for Wales and Scotland with their own focused Parliaments and it's a crying shame so little has been achieved. They only have 3 and 5 million people apiece - over 16 million live in Northern England. If we want representative democracy, it's about time that region got more say.

As always, it's deeds, not words that matter with politicians and cardibach is right to point out Burnham's inconsistencies in his story.

I liked some of his speech. It was clearly a pitch to win back the Red Wall which, as Piggy says, makes political sense.

He rambled a bit too much, though. And some of the pauses for applause felt a bit false. I also found the whole speech a bit...presumptive? It was the sort of speech that should be made after becoming PM.

I am on the fence about him. I feel a bit like @cardibach does, but I also very much would like to be proved wrong.

I think there are two things hampering him. One is that he’s only got three years and he’s going to have to make changes that are evident in that timescale. The other is that he can’t do a whole lot of stuff that wasn’t in the 2024 manifesto and he has to deliver on the things that were. It’s a tough balancing act.

Watched it. Summary:

Devolution.

High density residential council homes. Reform business rates - Britain's renaissance
No 10 North - Manchesterism

Imagine. Hope in every heart. Imagine no more, let's make it happen.

It's not a three year plan.

I am going to say that the most perfect sitcoms are the ones that can deliver intense pathos without you realising.

Obviously "Blackadder Goes Forth" is the GOAT. But a combination of PKs performance and the scripts achieved some moments in TGL and TTMB. I can't recall specifics, but there were a few times where you felt not only sorry for Margo, but sorry that you had ever ribbed her.

My dh doesn't have many childhood memories, but one of them was sitting next to Christopher Lee on a train. He was utterly charming according to dh.

I haven't heard Burnhams speech. Will try to catch it after work.

I know, but he does need to deliver some sort of positive change within the next three years otherwise his ten year plan is up the swanny.

I would like him to be very clear about what his aims are for those three years.

Yes, read that. Even aged 10 or 11, I twigged that "Gifford Hillary" was probably the product of a part of society that would not have welcomed my family.

I think peak Wheatley-does-restore is "The Satanist". Assuming it's not been shredded for modern sensibilities, I could probably get myself banned for a precis on MN ....

Rupert Lowe could be a Dennis Wheatley lookalike, so if politics doesn't work out, he can always open fetes in the shires

The water still hasn't cleared and there really do seem to be sharks out to get Farage.

Leading to one of the best comments on the internet:

If FauxRage was suspended from Parliament how would we know?!

😀

He's a vague theory. Farage is bringing too much heat onto the craptobros. I think they'd rather not be examined in a political battle in the UK that they are on the losing side of.

The City welcomes Burnhams speech - pound up a bit and gov borrowing down slightly - and CBI largely approves

But Kwasi said ....

That’s going to piss some people off.

I certainly hope so.

Starmer’s wasn’t a 5 year one. Didn’t stop people criticising for not doing all of it in 18 months though.

I noted the criticism as starting at the 18 day mark.

18 hours more like.

Definitely, since they’re trying so hard to argue that he’s ‘far left’.