To think Andy Burnham needs to start to show us he can talk about more than "the north" and "buses"

[joeymaynardssandwiches]

I want to get behind Andy Burnham, I feel he's got the potential to be a great counterpoint to the rise of reform. And I do know it's "silly season" in politics and with parliament closed I guess there's a limit on what initiatives can be announced

But so far it feels like he hasn't broken away from being a northern caricature who just bangs on about buses.

I'm a "northerner" (who always thought of Manchester as the part of Midlands ) but I can only do my job in the south and I can assure Andy there are big pockets of deprivation in the south too.

And I am all for public transport, and investment in it. But it just feels like a real "low hanging fruit" approach for his first few weeks and I want to hear him talk about thornier and less uncontroversial issues.

And admittedly I haven't been reading every news story in depth as I have been busy with the kids so he may have discussed other things. But that is my overriding impression at the moment and it feels a bit frustrating

Well we’ll see. I understand why she responded to Starmer as she did, he was horrendous.

She’s not afraid to tell the truth, she understands the impact the current culture wars are having on the country and most of all she understands that men can’t grow themselves a cervix regardless of how they identifies. Im happy for her to say all of that in any tone of voice.

Anyone got any sound bites of whether AB can identify what a woman is? I’m guessing he’s as clueless as the rest of his party.

I promise you, I don’t live in an echo chamber - but you’re arguing with something I haven’t said.

I’m not saying the majority of people want Labour to succeed necessarily - although currently, as you say yourself all the polls do show that most people prefer Labour to the other parties available - I am saying the vast majority of people, whatever their party politic beliefs, are sick of leadership turnover and Downing Street musical chairs and want a period of political stability for the good of the country.

I think it is very unusual to be actively willing the leader of your country to fail.

When they’re part of a weak government I'm very very keen for them to be succeeded, that’s not an unusual viewpoint.

Andy Burnham has been critical of the combative nature of British politics, and also talked about doing politics differently. He's stated that he wants to work cross-party on social care. In line with this, he could stonewall Kemi and simply refuse to trade insults with her.

In the late 1980s, I was on a caravan holiday in Cornwall with friends from Scandinavia. One rainy afternoon, they put the TV on. Parliament Live was showing, a recent innovation. One of the friends, whose English is good, asked what the name of 'this comedy show' was. When I explained that he was watching elected politicians in the mother of all parliaments, he struggled to believe me. Nothing has changed, nearly 40 years later.

Have you seen other countries trying to debate things? Their politicians actually fight with their fists instead of debate. In America the left wing politicians just refuse to show up when it’s something they don’t agree with. I think the cut and thrust of our politics is a good thing. We just need a strong government who aren’t terrified of their looney fringe. Then something might change.

@joeymaynardssandwiches
First of all, he hasn’t just been talking about the north and the buses.
In his first weeks in the office he has:

• cut down the VAT on electricity.
• has paused early prison releases and has been looking into how the criminals like the killers of PC Harper can be excluded from the scheme.
• has expressed his commitment to the social care reforms.
• has proposed to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues.
• he has proposed devolution of further powers and revenue measures to regional mayors in England.
• pledged his commitment to Ukraine.
• repeatedly stated that it is in UK’s interests to build stronger ties with Europe
• proposed reforms in education to offer students a choice of more technical subjects.

Secondly, public transport is crucial for millions of less privileged people who don’t have access to cars and those who can’t drive for medical reasons.

The North has been neglected for decades.They have the highest rate of unemployment in England. If we want to significantly cut the spending on benefits, the situation in the North has to change dramatically.

Finally, he has been PM for a month. Did you expect him to wave a magic wand and sprinkle the golden dust everywhere?

That gold dust line has been going for a while. It got Starmer through two years.

He reminds me of a middle manager. Speak to the people , see what they want , chuck out some titbits of nothing with any substance and move on 😪

People who are not expecting the golden dust have noticed the things which have improved since Labour came to power:

• end of zero hour contracts
• renters’ protections
• shorter NHS queues
• record drop in immigration
• In the first quarter of 2026 UK economic growth of 0.6% was at the top of G7 countries.

All these have happened during the most challenging times when the world’s economy is being destroyed by the lunatic in the White House with his tariffs and wars. While the other lunatic continues his war in Ukraine.

• has paused early prison releases and has been looking into how the criminals like the killers of PC Harper can be excluded from the scheme.

A very unpopular Labour policy brought in by his predecessor.

• has proposed to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues.

A disastrous policy also brought in by his predecessor.

• repeatedly stated that it is in UK’s interests to build stronger ties with Europe

Ignoring the referendum result as Labour knows better.

And people who need work or have dc who need a job have found things harder.

He needs to talk about defence. He needs to talk about welfare (which he won’t because he’d like to see working people taxed more to pay for even more benefits). He is only talking about things he has experience of from Manchester…like Manchester and ending rough sleeping for a few days over Christmas. He’s rubbish. After the events of the last few days and many before that we need a tough prime minister who can start holding scum bags to account.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast

The referendum happened in 2016. UK left EU years ago and the economy has never recovered from that.
You don’t need to be a member of Labour Party to understand that UK needs strong ties with EU to prosper. Anybody with common sense understands that.
Just look at the food prices ( even before the two lunatics in Moscow and Washington started the antics).

@EasternStandard
The world is in turmoil. We have two wars which are destroying the economy around the world. Everyone is finding things hard.

I think he looks isolated. Where are his cabinet big hitters? He has a very disapponting and lacklustre cabinet. Other than Shabana Mamood no one seems to have been in the news. Streeting as Defence Sec seems an odd choice, where were the Prisons Minister and Justice Minister during the early release issue? I don't have a clue who is Foreign Sec either. They all seem to be absent or invisible.

Labour’s policies have made it harder. The NI policy especially and high borrowing doesn’t help.

Do you follow the news at all?
In the last month Ed Miliband (Foreign Secretary) has attended ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Philippines, visited France, Spain, Qatar, Washington.
Last week he issued a statement condemning Israeli settlements in West Bank.
He gave a newspaper interview on the eve of Ukrainian independence anniversary confirming our commitment to Ukraine.

Labour cannot win, can they? There is so much worry about funding state pensions, but when they do something about it (NI contributions go towards funding pensions), they are the bad guy again.

I think we need to just wrench ourselves away from them entirely to be honest.

We are in the worst of both worlds currently. Independent from them in every way that has no value to us, but tethered to them still so they can cause us maximum pain.

It’s like being in a perpetual state of separated from an abusive spouse as no one will sign the Decree Absolute, and yet they spend every day driving you mad through WhatsApp and demanding child support.

Awww. It breaks you heart doesn’t it. Poor Andy 😖

Well yes having a job matters. Do you know any young adults looking for work?

Mister Net Zero has visited all those countries on a plane I assume?!!!!! My god has he not heard of Teams.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast
What are you on about? What should UK do? Move to Mars? Relocate ourselves to Antarctica? Open an Atlas. What is closest to UK? Europe!

It makes economic sense that we have close relations with them. Importing/ Exporting food is cheaper when done short distance. They have high food standards. UK does need chlorinated chicken, toxic dyes or GM food.

Your last paragraph is totally bonkers so I won’t even comment on it.

Not everything revolves around you. My previous post was a response to the poster who doesn’t seem to have noticed who our FS is as apparently he is invisible.