Labour isn't Working - Thread 37

[NoWordForFluffy]

In Nuthatch's absence, I've been asked to start the new thread!

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

"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy; its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5548208-labour-isnt-working-thread-36?page=1

They’ve had Farage on this evening.

@SapphireCasino sheer bad luck I would say I’m in glossy glos and the left wing that surrounds me is off the scale. Stroud is always mentioned for being a desirable place to live well yes if you’re left wing green with dubious washing habits I’m desperate to leave for somewhere less left

I do get cross when people start ranting about Margaret Thatcher. She was PM when I was a child (I am firmly middle aged now) and has been dead a long time. It’s like an obsession for some people.

I also think people who go on about Reform don’t realise how much they are irritating those who don’t think exactly as they do. Reform loved it whenever KS mentioned them - he was keeping them in everyone’s minds without them having to do anything.

Firstly I do not understand why that conversation belongs on a birthday night out.

I agree. I think it’s bad manners to start a political chat at a social do as it can start an argument and ruin the party.

I went to stroud once there is a wonderful pub there the wool pack and Laurie Lee and a circus

@SapphireCasino what ever anyones political persausian there is a personality type that talks at people as though they all agree.
A lady at work just after labours landslide " it's great isn't it, it will be amazing ". She went v quiet after they went for the pensioners

AB was having a pint at my former local last night!

He seems to have made a good impression on the ppl, smiling selfies, etc.

That means bugger all when it comes to how he's going to run the country. I'm sure he's great to have a pint with. Doesn't mean he'll make a good PM.

I do hope he is though, for all of our benefits. Nobody wants to live in a failing country where ideological politics leads to an employment disaster for young people and kills growth. So, 🤞🤞 Burnham comes good.

I totally agree with you, but I wanted to be fair, he seems to have charmed his audience.

I would have asked him the date of the next GE 😄

Because I still can’t wrap my head around the fact he becomes PM on Monday, based on a single by-election. No one voted for this bloke they are now touting as the second coming of Jesus, except 25,000 ppl in Makerfield.

@SapphireCasino I'm sorry it happened at a birthday event. The woman is an ignoramus. Either close your ears or find a way to shut her down. You do have the intellect to use a pithy Put down.

Pre Margaret Thatcher. Churchill got a bad rap from many deluded individuals. As someone said it's history that will judge in the end.

On the pub thing I can imagine that, opposite to Starmer really on that score.

If he holds back on various things he has a chance. On that I mean not pummelling people with taxes. But he’ll be up against it with the cabinet announcement as it’s likely to be a bunch of names the public will think oh god really over.

Not diehard Labour, but that’s par for the course.

We must all hope so. I’m not liking the early signs though.

Burnham knows - and Labour supporters all know - that he’s the only change they can make. A third PM would be disastrous. They’ve already lost the ‘no chaos’ and ‘grown ups’ claims. Forcing out another Labour PM is just not an option, especially as nearly 100% of Labour MPs have backed him. So he’s the master of all he surveys inside Labour. He’s untouchable from within the party.

But instead of using that position to say some uncomfortable truths about the direction of Labour and its dismal economic and social record he’s decided to emote about the days of Callaghan, Benn, Healey and Foot.

That doesn’t mean he’ll even attempt to spend hundreds of billions on nationalising industries and building a National Care Service. And I doubt he will - the Labour sentimentalising is more for show than action, IMO. But he’ll certainly create the conditions for industrial unrest and an aggressive left.

But he’ll be up against it with the cabinet announcement as it’s likely to be a bunch of names the public will think oh god really over.

Unfortunately for Labour they have very few MPs suitable to be in the Cabinet / ministerial roles (look at how Starmer had to scrape the barrel after resignations!). So there will always be a 🙄 moment at choices made!

I missed the National Care Service stuff. How expensive is that? Not all, but many people use their house as an asset to pay for multiple years care rn. The tax payer is picking that up?

It’s coming in strong, I guess the question is where is the money.

Yes and on a deck of cards reshuffle the person out for whatever reason still carries that baggage. It’s not fresh just rehashed.

I saw the national care stuff, and thought, argh. And Rayner to lead health…We can’t make the nhs work properly, so we’re going to expand the remit? I hope for all our sakes it’s better than it looks because it looks like we’ll be buried under taxes by 2030…

How could we possibly pay for it? We’re out of road with tax hikes as per the IMF and OECD

There really is a dearth of talent in Labour, isn’t there. The better performers have been the older, more centrist hands like Cooper, McFadden, Healey and Alexander. All the newer ones have been absolutely terrible. (I’m not sure about Mahmood yet.) And they’ve been given the bigger jobs.

More to the point, there’s no sign of any latent talent at all. No up-and-coming skilful thinkers or doers. They’re all just former pressure group and trade union hacks. It’s the lanyard mob.

On TRIP Campbell was saying he thought a return to back benches was possible for Cooper. I wonder what the grudge is there with AB?

It was just bonkers that out of 400+ MPs, there was nobody who could take over from Starmer. That was a damning indictment on the quality of the MPs.

The Cabinet has some questionable 'talent' in it as it stands (David 'men can grow a cervix' Lammy, for instance. And, not to point the finger solely at him, James Murray is also appalling!). But there appears to be nobody better in the ranks.

What a sorry situation it is.

Yeah, relegate one of the few competent ones. Good plan. 🙄

I have to say…I hope I’m wrong but so far there isn’t hope in this heart that AB is going to deliver growth - but you know, as long as it’s positive by a tenth of a decimal they’ll crow as if they’ve achieved great things…

Good morning 😁

Just back so haven't caught up yet. I've had a total news blackout all week. Bliss!

I take it you're all unimpressed by Burnham's speech yesterday judging by comments on here? I haven't seen it, nor am I planning to. I heard he did a little dance at the end. 😬
Stepping away and then stepping back, it seems even more crazy that Andy Burnham is about to just plop into No.10 and become PM. He only became an MP last month fgs. He's ruthless, that's for sure.

Good to hear that Miliband is unlikely to become chancellor - phew.

Thank you for starting the new thread @NoWordForFluffy. Love the OP and cartoon.

Maybe ruthless is what's needed? I dunno, I'm really hoping he's going to get stuff sorted out and correct Reeves' previous errors. He needs to work some magic to unite his backbenchers, as they're a disparate bunch!

And yes, I'm sure most people will be glad that Miliband isn't going to be chancellor. I saw somebody claiming that they'd seen that businesses were supporting him to be chancellor, but the total opposite is true:

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/07/15/who-will-be-uks-next-chancellor-ed-miliband-streeting-mcfadden.html

And yes, @Middlerage, I saw 0.1% applauded like it was amazing.

Welcome back!

His speech was vibey and the usual. But it feels a bit like another bowl of bran flakes. A bit 70s, and not much substance.

It seems there could be a where’s money coming from issue but we’ll see.