To not get the visceral levels of hatred people have for Keir Starmer

[LastChristmasigaveyousomesocks]

I’m not suggesting he’s the greatest prime minister ever. I’m not even suggesting he’s good at all. But some people really, really passionately hate him.

He is a bit insipid and doesn’t have much charisma but overall he seems like a decent enough bloke who perhaps lacks the political skill and acumen he needs. He’s out of his depth basically.

But that’s not a reason to actually despise someone is it?

When did we get to a point where we can’t just disagree without painting the other person as the devil incarnate?

“The prime minister did not say whether he would be campaigning in the seat. Labour is vying with the Green party to attract progressive votes to beat Reform.”

Please, Starmer - do campaign. You’ve really demonstrated you possess the Midas touch, after all….

Guardian Q to Dave, I mean Zack, sorry.

Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
I’m going to confess I haven’t finished The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg.

Don’t worry Dave, I mean Zack, nobody has. In fact, many of us have never even heard of it.

It’s more the Dave to Zack. It’s certainly him anyway..

😂😂

Sorry, last one.

What does love feel like?
A dog bounding through the grass on a summer’s day chasing a squirrel.

Not for the bloody squirrel, it doesn’t….

What did you dream about last night?
The idea for our next party political broadcast, which is coming soon.

Yeah, I’m calling BS on that one…

I must admit that as a former LibDem voter I am so so disappointed with Ed Davey and the LibDems.

I mean they have 72 MPs, only slightly less than the Tories at 112 (and decreasing). But what are their actual policies other than Trump, Musk and Farage are not nice people (no shit!).

If Kamala Harris campaigner $1 billion showed anything then it was that you don't win elections on simply not being the other guy.

If Kamala Harris campaigner $1 billion showed anything then it was that you don't win elections on simply not being the other guy.

Starmer did (win, on simply not being the other guy).

UK shipbuilding was already in decline post WW2, owing in part to construction methods and unionisation, as well as changing markets (ie not UK buyers), and a lack of investment owing to distributions as opposed to reinvestment.

Then investment should have increased. God knows the money was available.

Steel is even easier - take China, it imports tremendous amounts of iron ore from Brazil and Australia (and elsewhere). The UK, and other European nations will never be able to compete (and this started in approximately 2003 - I remember, because I was trading iron ore at the time), after China joined the WTO in 2001. The UK steel industry would have failed with or without Thatcher.

We’ll never know, will we? Thatcher killed it off in the 80s, she was long gone by 2003.

As to North Sea hydrocarbons, do you know what the marginal rate of tax is on UK oil and gas production? It’s 78%. Then there are decline rates, and the shift to renewables etc. I am not sure how you can place the blame on Thatcher, but if you want to look at what Harbour Energy and Ithaca Energy have to say about Labour, please do.

I can place the blame on Thatcher because the UK was awash with North Sea oil revenue during her tenure. That money could have been invested in the areas she deindustrialised and created new jobs. Instead it was frittered away in electoral bribes tax cuts. That word salad has zero relevance to my point.

You have your reasons for despising Thatcher, but blaming the UK’s industrial decline on her policies is absurd. Presumably, future generations will look back at Starmer’s tenure with bitterness, and regret.

My memory of the 80’s was meanwhile of hope and energy, of a pioneering and entrepreneurial ‘can do’ spirit, particularly following the ‘big bang’ deregulation of financial markets. What I would give for a Thatcher 2.0….

Labour has killed the UK oil and gas industry without a doubt. Aberdeen has gone from a boom town to a shadow of its former self.

https://www.ft.com/content/f61a91dd-1c92-4547-9948-3f020b6bdf2c

As for steel manufacturing, the remaining plants are closing because of the UK has the highest electricity prices in Europe if not the world:
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15380761/Taxpayers-losing-1m-day-British-Steel.html

Even when Sunak was the better choice.

My memory of the 80’s was meanwhile of hope and energy, of a pioneering and entrepreneurial ‘can do’ spirit, particularly following the ‘big bang’ deregulation of financial markets. What I would give for a Thatcher 2.0….

That’s because you weren’t affected by her wholesale destruction of the industries on which working class communities depended. Go and visit the north east and tell them Thatcher isn’t to blame for the unemployment and deprivation that dates back 40 years. The loadsa money culture in the City was a world away.

Labour were clamouring for Sunak to implement this tax because of "windfall profits" and lo and behold it reduces investment.

100%

He called out Starmer, numerous times.

A decline which was a direct consequence of globalisation. Please, try to look at things through a broader prism than a hatred of Margaret Thatcher.

It's been 40+ years go make your own success in these days.

The NE hate Labour now. And Thatcher is never mentioned.

You mean deny facts. No thank you.

She was mentioned frequently when I was there in November.

Had to be done. Sadly. She did the right thing. But it was very hard of course on the people affected.

It will be the same for Starmer and places like Aberdeen affected by the shut down of oil. Or Grangemouth. Although thats happening due to net zero zealotry so globalisation isnt the cause this time.

Well you dont live there. And she isnt.

What do you think this is? Pantomime?

Facts, Blossom. Which you always claim to be interested in. You dont know what you're talking about.

There's a difference between shutting down a naturally dieing industry and artificially banning one and taxing it to death.

Exactly.