Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

AIBU to think bodyguards were slow to protect Kier Starmer just now?!!

64 replies

starmerllama · 10/10/2023 14:30

I'm a bit of a politics nerd and watching Kier Starmer's conference speech today.

Just after he walked on stage a protester ran over and threw glitter all over him. It was very sudden but seemed to take ages for anyone to remove the protester and he was standing right next to Starmer shouting for what felt like ages before anyone came on stage - he looked unhinged.

Regardless of your politics AIBU to think it's terrible that Starmer didn't have better security and bodyguards? The guy could have been armed or attacked him.

Afterwards they eventually dragged the man away but no-one seemed to help Kier Starmer who stood looking bewildered. He seems pretty shaken but good for him he carried on. It must have been quite scary though for such a big moment.

He's now coated in glitter and not one of his team came out with a towel or even tried to help him brush it off! I thought it would have been fine for them to check he was ok, give him a glass of water etc, the poor bloke!

OP posts:

sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 10/10/2023 22:31

https://twitter.com/TheNewsAgents/status/1711761086389604415 Slightly different angle to what's being shown on the news. I thought Starmer handled it really well, and his quips afterwards showed he can actually think on his feet, despite being covered in glitter! His raised eyebrows at the end of that clip are actually quite funny too. A bit like when the Lib Dem conference got interrupted by a streaker years ago, and Charles Kennedy laughed it off and said 'look, we are supposed to be a liberal party...'

The security were woefully slow though. When you think what could have happened it's genuinely scary.

https://twitter.com/TheNewsAgents/status/1711761086389604415

Candlelight34 · 10/10/2023 22:45

The men were useless. Thank god the 2 women were there, although still slow.

The men did diddley squat.

BeetleDeuce · 10/10/2023 22:52

He looks rather fetching without his jacket <misses point>

HandbagMarinara · 10/10/2023 22:58

MiniGinny · 10/10/2023 21:09

Yes there was a piece on the radio just the other day about the seemingly inadequate security training courses that people can do.
The main criticism was just that - security staff might be okay with the basics but are not sufficiently equipped to handle incidents or emergencies.

Show quote history

See also: First Aiders.

TheaBrandt · 10/10/2023 23:00

My heart was in my mouth thought he was going to get stabbed. He handled it very well but agree his “protection” was abysmal. Impressed that it didn’t put him off his stride.

peppapigworrrld · 10/10/2023 23:01

BeetleDeuce · 10/10/2023 22:52

He looks rather fetching without his jacket <misses point>

I agree and rather liked the sleeves rolled up let's get on with it look!

(Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones is based on him and I saw why!)

verdantverdure · 11/10/2023 05:06

If it felt like a long time for us imagine what it must've felt like for Mark Darcy Keir Starmer.

Oblomov23 · 11/10/2023 05:33

Not good. Any person would be badly shaken.

CurlewKate · 11/10/2023 06:40

@ssd "Dh said the exact same thing op"
Was he wearing a frock coat and standing with his back to the fireplace as he pronounced?🤣

Notcookie · 11/10/2023 06:51

The thing is, you can hurt someone badly even without a weapon. Not that hard to use a pen or similar to stab someone. Hopefully they will learn from this and tighten security.

user1497207191 · 11/10/2023 10:16

Gnomegnomegnome · 10/10/2023 16:12

I noticed that it was the two female guards that appeared to more in control (although still slow to react) and drag him off. The blokes didn’t do much at all.

I don’t like him much but he did handle it well.

The two blokes seemed to be sat down in front of the cameras right in front of Starmer but didn't even stand up until the two females ran on from the side. In the replays that's how it looks. Then they stood by and let the females carry him off. Waste of space!

user1497207191 · 11/10/2023 10:23

@MiniGinny

Yes there was a piece on the radio just the other day about the seemingly inadequate security training courses that people can do. The main criticism was just that - security staff might be okay with the basics but are not sufficiently equipped to handle incidents or emergencies.

It's all smoke and mirrors. People who regularly go to football matches know that. Sometimes, they randomly do a "pat down" but they're not actually doing it, they're just pretending to do it - those who've been "patted down" at a footie match will know that - they don't even touch you. Some with "random" bag searches, they just have a quick look inside, don't actually take anything out to check what's under everything else in there. But then, at a big game like Wembley, they go way over the top enforcing stupid rules like the size of your bag, but still don't check "bulging" coat pockets etc.

It's also the same at other events such as pop concerts, etc. Just look at the Manchester Arena bombing, look at that the London deaths caused by a crowd crush. When they're actually needed, these plastic security staff don't have a clue.

verdantverdure · 11/10/2023 18:12

It was a good speech though.

Even Andrew Marr said it gave him "a prickle of optimism and hope" or something similar.

And that people could no longer say they didn't know what Labour stood for.

itwasdifferentinthe90s · 12/10/2023 16:52

@CurlewKate I enjoyed that comment

Flip

1 2 3