Do you like Andy Burnham?

[paddleboardingmum]

I want to like him but am finding him quite annoying and smug. I'm worried the power will go to his head.

He reminds me of Blair. In the early years before the Iraq War fiasco. Except Burnham hasn't had to schmooze the Daily Mail et al cos he knows their power is declining.

Optimistic. Social conscience. He might turn out to be a disappointment but he's our Prime Minister (7th in a decade!), I wish we could get behind him. And GB.

Doesn’t matter whether I like him or not. I find the “smug” comments utterly bizarre. No idea what it means. If it means confident then that’s surely a good thing.

What will happen if the “power goes to his head”? What will he do?

Yes but I hate the way everyone is hero worshipping him right now. "Andy Burnham spoke without a lectern". Big wow.

Ive worked with himand think he is intelligent, good with people, compassionate and gives a shit about making lives of everyone better. He obviously has an ego (what person that believes they can be PM doesn't) but isn't a narcissist. I think he's pretty strategic and like the LiveWell stuff in Manchester.

What will happen if the “power goes to his head”? What will he do?

Things not in the manifesto.

As for being smug that's how he seems. It's not the same as confident. More like self satisfied and thinks he knows best about everything.

Yes

Worried - he gonna be worse than Starmer

No. He has a very irritating expression

I like him. I think his heart's in the right place.

I do. I actually know him a bit and he’s a decent guy.

I’d like him more if he’d come in willing to articulate his plan.
As a small business owner Labour so far have been pretty dire and more uncertainty just makes it that little bit harder.
I hope he has some good ideas up his sleeve that stimulate growth. Because the funding for all these taxes has to come from somewhere.

He’s better than Sir Keir, but I doubt he’ll last long either.

Literally exactly what Starmer thought...

No idea. I don’t know anything about him. I wouldn’t recognise him if I fell over him either.

Yes I do!

Don't all MPs have a huge ego, that's what drives them?

I was friends with Morgan McSweeney's wife in school, she had other ambitions at the time.

He seems alright so far. He isn't painful to listen to.

No, I voted for Labour and have a good MP but I really don't like the way this all happened. I know they can change the leader that way but it seems unnecessary, expensive when there is no money and perhaps naively it is the same party so the whole narrative about a bright new world, ten year plan etc seems a bit odd. We haven't just elected Obama, the party in power didn't like their leader so staged a by-election to get this guy in rather than anyone else already in the party. Not convinced he will live up to his own hype.

I agree with all you said @Squirrelintree

I did like him on TV when he was Manchester mayor. It's just how he's suddenly come in and is saying all these promises without a leadership contest or anything, it does feel unusual, where is the money going to come from.

He is going to ask those in work to contribute a tiny weeny bit more

I think if he raises taxes even more it will be very unpopular.

I work in economic development and went to an event where he did a keynote. I wasn’t expecting anything - I didn’t really know who he was - but he was actually brilliant. He had ideas, ambitions, plans, and it felt like he had drive and clout. I hope he realises that promise. The country needs it. Keir was too clever, too smarty smarty. I get the impression that Burnham’s a doer and a bit ruthless - less touchy feely, more brute force and banging heads together. If he can do nationally what he’s done in Manchester then I’d be right behind him.

I don’t know much about him - it’s his first day as PM.
I like the fact he isn’t a Tory though - this country cannot have its schools/NHS/social care/council funding destroyed again.

No strong opinion. Just feels like another Temp has started.