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?

But I think people were expecting at least some small improvements, but things seem to have got even worse with every decision and u-turn he's made.

If Labour had got in and done nothing at all we would be in a better position than we are now. Every decision they have made has made it more expensive to do business and less worthwhile to work. Pubs and businesses are closing daily - because of what Labour has done and also because of what they want to do - to tax everyone that aspires to have anything at all - a job, a house, a car, a pension, an inheritance more. People are giving up. Ir's not worth aspiring to anything now - you'll get double and triple taxed and no help because you have something. Don't bother.

I don’t dislike him but I think he lacks backbone. It feels like he U-turns on every decision. He should have the courage of his convictions. I’m not saying politicians can’t or shouldn’t ever rethink or U-turn but it feels like it’s on everything

Yes net zero needs to stop asap. It won't if Ed M takes over as leader.

Immigration is substantially down compared to what it was under Sunak.
Cost of living under Sunak was 11%CPI and 29% Food Inflation, he also saw energy bills triple.... this is why we've a cost of living crisis... not because inflation is 3%.

As Labour are not allowed "External Factors", neither are the Cons & immigration is falling under Labour.. so thats down to their policies too.....

As the DT article points to and supported by BoE inflation should be 2% or below in a few months.

Lol! we both know that you're more likely to be their next leader than Ed...

I think you've perhaps had a heavy Sunday Roast...

Labours ‘net zero’ is such a con. Ed Milliband is a disastrous sham. Many people are making lots of money - lots of money - from the whole thing.

The uk could disappear into the ocean tomorrow and it would not be noticeable in terms of global warming. The uk is a flea on a flea on an elephant (and much smaller than that) in terms of climate change impact.

So ed Milliband and Labour doing al of this expensive tax payers money spending on a pointless endeavour is nothing but fraud.

When the USA, China, India and Russia etc start controlling their emissions - it’ll make an impact. Until then give us a break, do us a favour and start spending billions of uk tax payers money on things that actually mean something to us all now and for the next 50years.

Perhaps Starmer should’ve been discussing Chinas emissions with China, this week.

A solid post.

Honestly, I just don’t understand your logic. The last decade and the resulting decline of every public service, the ridiculous increase in house prices, the lack of action on tax dodging. You want that back? Was that your vision of success?

How do you know how Greens would perform as they’ve never had control.

I hate politics because I feel 98% of people make poor decisions. Yourself and probably myself included. Our options are crap anyway and people are so shortsighted now that decent policy is never given the chance to work anyway.

Either make (unrealistic) change in 6 months or sack off the leader/party. Well, any decent and sustainable change takes time, the riding out of rough and smooth. The constant threat of changing leaders is tiresome, ineffective and damaging to the party and politics as a whole. Its why we now have the threat of bloody Reform on the horizon, who I have no doubt will be just as shit as the others, but with a dose of danger to those most vulnerable thrown in.

My only solution is to turn inwards and start living a smaller life, caring less about what’s going on around me and to just try to live the best life I can under whatever conditions exist. It shouldn’t be like that but that’s the way I see it until there’s major political reform (and no, not “Reform”).

They’re closing because of high interest rates (thanks Liz), not labour. Increasing minimum wage isn’t a bad policy. But combined with an already crippling estates position, it’s the cherry on top. We need to see housing costs reduce before we see any significant market growth. It was a problem way before Labour.

@SunnySideDeepDown ‘How do you know how Greens would perform as they’ve never had control.’

Not true.

They had control in Brighton and Hove. They were Disasterous. They left the city in a Much worse state than when they started.

https://spectator.com/article/brighton-rock-bottom-how-the-greens-nearly-destroyed-the-city-i-love/

Don't be so rude. I'm not that greedy!

Heavy Sunday roast indeed.

@SunnySideDeepDown ‘My only solution is to turn inwards and start living a smaller life, caring less about what’s going on around me and to just try to live the best life I can under whatever conditions exist.’

That’s probably the best idea I’ve heard for ages. Care about yourself and others around you, and live your life the best you can.

Sorry, what?

Are you quite certain you want to maintain your IR comment.

What is the ‘crippling estates position’ please?

What ‘market growth’ are you talking about?

I believe it is a new calculation of business rates that's the latest blow to pubs. Labour are backpeddling/floundering I believe but too late for those who have shut up shop.

Labour also increased employer NI and minimum wage hitting these businesses as well as doing nothing to help with crippling energy costs.

Yes @SunnySideDeepDownit’s this. Have a look it’s all reported on.

Business rates will still hit other hospitality and the other costs too.

Well, that may or may not be true but what then explains the 7000 plus pubs that closed down between 2010 and 2024?

Most of which happened long before Covid... the reality is, just like with the High Street, our habits have changed.

Yep "All reported on" by the right wing press who said SFA when pubs were closing at 5 to 600 per year.

If people want to keep the current support for failing businesses, how do they propose to pay for it?

Sadly, I think pubs will die out eventually, but not because of Labour. When I was young going to the pub was a major way of socialising. But alcohol is increasingly unfashionable and young people socialise online much more.

to tax everyone that aspires to have anything at all - a job, a house, a car, a pension, an inheritance more.

Personal employment taxes, stamp duty, vehicle taxes and inheritance tax (farmers excepted) are an exactly the same as they were in June 2024. You still don’t pay tax on your pension contributions and you can still withdraw 25% of your pension pot tax free. What are these extra taxes you seem to be paying but no one else is?

That’s the issue with Labour and why they’re not doing well with ratings and polls. It’s this deflection and lack of accountability.

Obviously they still have some strong supporters on here but it’s not replicated off mn. The upcoming elections will be a decider. Starmer might stay but if he does go it’ll be his own party reacting to bad results.

Why quote a post about reasons for pub closures and then follow it with a completely unrelated post? The pubs that are doing well - and have for at least a decade - are those that serve food. It’s quite right to say that younger people drink less now than they used to and home drinking has increased exponentially in the last decade or so.

For now but it's the direction of travel. It's not only tax increases that make it less worthwhile to work- it's benefit increases (2 child cap) that mean working people wonder why they bother. No other way of life gives you an income uplift for having more kids only benefits. All the time I read posts from people on benefits where people comment "your take home is the same as someone earning 70k" Yes they have high housing and childcare costs - so do the people on 70k!

Loads of speculation about what is to come and the Government say nothing to put our minds at rest. Someone will have to pay for the increasing benefits bill. Under UK plc goes bust.

Just yesterday I was reading that because they aren't selling enough electric vehicles (I imagine because they are too expensive) the government are going to tax new petrol cars more heavily to even up the playing field - making them unaffordable too. Brilliant.

My DC works in renewables so I might disagree with others about fully scrapping net zero, but they believe the government are going about it a wrong way in the power sector.

The majority of pubs serve food, of varying quality, so that’s an odd comment.

And presumably, Labour see the same data relating to the age demographic related to drinking. Why seek to increase business rates on the sector therefore, before performing a screeching partial u-turn?

Logically, Labour had no regard for pubs (until a particularly vocal part of the trade/electorate made their voices heard) - via the Tories, incidentally.

So you’re not concerned about existing taxes but some that might, perhaps, maybe be introduced in the future and you wanted an excuse for a bit of benefit bashing. Incidentally that £70k myth was debunked some time ago. And 25% of new car sales are electric and rising month on month as the fuelling infrastructure improves.