The 'no policies' mantra is bizarre. MesBede has spelled out why there aren't policies at this stage of the election cycle.
Plus, as Labour members know, some policy is drawn from Conference - and we didn't have Conference last year because of the Pandemic.
Keir Starmer and the Labour Party are releasing - in verbal and written form - statements about the direction of travel.
None of its a surprise: plans for economic recovery that focus on social and economic equity; getting to grips with the social care problem (which is urgent); economic plans that focus on dealing with climate change; putting an emphasis on children (education and well-being).
It's all pretty obvious stuff, which I guess doesn't get the pulse racing.
Of course, one obvious point is that it's not being done by our present government.
And, sadly it needs to be said, Labour's defeat in 2019 was extraordinary. Unparalleled in its history. To revers that loss and gain government would require a voting swing that has never been achieved previously.
The media know this as well as I do. So media aren't making a big song and dance about Labour being 'on course for victory' because, statistically, it's not likely.
'Swing' media aren't going to swing behind Labour unless they sense that an absolutely unprecedented victory is around the corner.
And that is a significant factor in the lack of cut-through for Starmer.
It's tough - but that's the hand that's been dealt.
And, yes, it is a tragedy.
The 80-seat victory has definitely made this government worse. It's meant they're less worried about the next election and it's meant there's precious little in the way of checks and balances for what they do. And it's made the Conservative Party quite wary of toppling Johnson. And Johnson is a key element in why this government is so shockingly awful.
The 80-seat majority is a key factor in the issues Starmer is dealing with - and it's not helpful to pretend it doesn't exist. 🤷♀️
But, you know, there are many of us who know things could be better. We know that corruption on the level we're seeing is unacceptable. We know it's unusual to think it is acceptable to turn the pandemic into a money-making opportunity for mates.
Indeed, I'm pretty sure a lot of Conservatives feel that way.
So, yes, I'll be putting my shoulder to the wheel, and pushing on. I won't be spending my energy on delusion and undermining Labour.
People deserve better than that. And I know that Labour can deliver better.
I have no doubt Starmer would be a better PM than Johnson. I have no doubt that the U.K. would be a happier place, people more at ease with themselves, less fractured and oppositional, more cohesive and hopeful, with a Labour government.
For most of us, this government produces anxiety, worry about the future, worry about making ends meet, uncertainty about old age I'll-health. It's brought people turning against each other and a lot of barely-suppressed anger.
I'm afraid I really do want a government that seriously builds towards a future and a vision of that future that is fit for the C21. A future where the U.K. builds on its strengths as a technologically advanced, innovative and creative place. Where we are at the forefront of developing green technologies. And where we celebrate industries like our creative sector and world-class education.
I am tired of being fed a promise of us going into the C21 as a threadbare, moth-infested place of squalor for the many and grubby money-laundering and squalid tax-evasion for a tiny few. I'm tired of the greasy draining of moral standards in public life.
I always say this (because it's true): I really like the U.K. I'm proud of living here. And that is precisely why I can't bear what Johnson and co are doing.
There is absolutely no way on Earth Starmer wouldn't make a better PM.
And all the pinging on about 'lack of policies', 'not charismatic', etc is there to do one thing and one thing only: to distract people from the absolutely obvious point that Starmer would be a better PM and Labour would serve the U.K. better.