AIBU to think Andy Burnham might call a general election soon?

[Mywishistoclimbthe3peaks]

To think Andy Burnham will call a general election before Christmas? Yes it would be a massive roll of the dice but,

Reform - don't have the numbers for a GE and there's all frog faces suspicious money bringing him a lot of heat.

Torys - kemi doesn't have a lot of depth, I feel and she hasn't changed much in the polls. She's good at the dispatch box but let's face it anyone could stand up and insult the other side.

By calling a GE Andy would have his own mandate and break the deadlock of the back benchers.

Not being unreasonable = he needs to call a GE

Your being unreasonable = Robotic Kier and Ratchet Reeves have gone and Andy just needs to get on with it now.

Larry going to hate having to move between London and Manchester every few days.

Can't imagine anyone who wasn't ambitious making a good PM. Is being ambitious now a bad thing?

As for egotistical - what does this even mean in political terms? How can someone say 'vote for me' without making it about themselves to some extent?

I don't understand what people want - someone who stays silent and never asks people to vote for them?

I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you, we have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be,” Mr Burnham told the nation.

Sorry, Andy, but it’s not within your power. You are constrained by your back benches and their welfare constituents, the unions and most importantly, the bond markets.

Which tells me the winners are already identified. If only he had it in his power to make everyone happy.

He won't call a GE, it can only lead to reducing Labour's majority from their current one.

The Tories and Reform are always referred to as egotistical or similar such phrases.

Right.

He might be a good bloke, he might not - it’s academic to me. His ability to enact policy which addresses the UK’s structural issues are what interest me, and no, that’s not via ‘who can we tax to pay benefits to others’.

If he turns out to be another weak, uninspiring, duplicitious, back bench/union sop, then he may as well jog on now.

Oh, and enough with the bullshit fringe issues - very few of us truly care.

It really is.

Labour did not set the scene for what is happening now, whether you mean criticism of changing PM without a GE, increased use of social media or any other strangulated definition you might come up with because you didn't phrase yourself very well.

Labour are indeed feeling the brunt of social media, which is a different point and does not affect the fact that your claim was wrong.

It’s about pure self interest above public service. In that respect Burnham is the same as Farage.

Crikey , you're going to get them clutching at their pearls.

If you want to 'consign socialism to the bin'(!), what do you suggest we put in its place, given the destruction the Tories have wrought?

Not necessarily. Sorry to break it to you, but poor people have the vote too. (Imagine that!) If he is able to bring about some improvements for those at the bottom of the heap, he will be backed.

I don't understand what people want - someone who stays silent and never asks people to vote for them?
Someone who doesn't go on manoeuvres every time there's a sniff of a possibility of a job in Westminster.
And who doesn't abandon an electorate who voted for them for the chance of getting said job.
Would be nice.

Its lazy to dismiss all politicians as the same.

Burnham's policies and Farage's policies are not the same, and I'd bet their total hours clocked in the office differ too.

You seem to think politicians should be apathetic and quiet, but how would that work?

Hardly. Those of us who have been here a while are used to seeing bollocks posted.

It’s not wrong. No one from Labour posted maybe this criticism is a bit strong for last gov, they were happy to go strong on it. They object now because it’s against their party.

They (and you) will just have to put up with it. It was something they were happy to benefit from.

Sorry to be a killjoy but, with respect to Burnham’s plan to give people some ‘breathing space’ from the cost of living - the idea that this government can tax the shit out of people, then give you a modest amount back in order to afford the necessities you can no longer afford because of Labour’s high taxes, has got to be one of the most obvious deceptions going.

I’m amazed how many on MN are taken in by this.

Brilliant.

He's promising fairer for everyone so who's going to pay for those at the bottom? What's going to be sacrificed, in other areas to get there? We have already done defence. Don't worry, his bank benchers will make sure money finds its way to those they see fit. It's just the hard earning squeezed tax payer that's not going to see the fairness.

What are 'manoeuveres' - you mean politicians acting politically?

Why should a politician not take an opportunity?

Politics is politics - would you rather not have a democratic system?

(As an aside - Manchester haven't been abandoned, they can vote for a new candidate to continue the work. Either Burnham is a man of mystical powers who can never be replaced or he's a politician who can be followed by another mayor.)

Burnham will put Labour into opposition for another decade at least. No one has won an election from the true left for more than fifty years. He has no time, no money and a party famed for factionalism where the infighting is already starting. He has stood for leader twice and the party membership was clear we didn’t want him. Now he has weaseled his way in by dodging any sort of contest. In addition, he is patently not up to the task. From university to successive political appointments he has leveraged his supposedly poor working class background to succeed where in ordinary circumstances he simply would not be there. He talks a lot about imposter syndrome and I think deep down he knows he is an imposter.

No he wont he isn't stupid he has the job he has wanted for sometime and will be looking at how to win the next election with a good and safe majority again

Labour have a large comfortable majority now, Reform are still doing well in the polls, the Greens have picked up the left nut jobs who might have voted Labour and the Tories are gaining support again

No way will he call a GE, why would he enter a race where he is likely to lose.
Like many Z list celebs, he wants his moment in the spotlight.

Many people have made the point that party leaders can and do change mid parliament. But I don't think there has been a situation before where someone shuttled from not even being an MP, to being a PM in a few short weeks. He doesn't even have recent experience of proving himself in a cabinet position, and suddenly he is PM! That's like someone going from medical student to consultant without all the required learning in the middle - unsafe, illogical and risky

I agree with you - and there is nobody behind him.

When a convicted fraudster and a tax cheat are rumoured to be part of his top team, we know that we are in serious trouble.

I think you are assuming they are British ...

Why do you assume they are not?