AIBU to wonder why Burnham attracts so much negativity?

[Conicallychronic]

Why is there so much negativity towards politicians and Burnham in particular? Burnham hasn’t really done anything yet but so many on here appear to hate him.

I agree that politics has been a shambles recently but what’s the alternative?

Personally I feel a degree of optimism that we may have a PM that actually turns things around for us.

I don't "hate" or "dislike" anyone I haven't met. However, I am wary of the new PM because 1) of the way he was fast-tracked back into Parliament and then to Number 10 and 2) because he has an agenda that is not what the nation voted for, is significantly more Socialist and risks causing huge damage to the economy, and thus to the country's citizens. We shall see....
I wasn't particularly a fan of Keir Starmer, but I think his party were unreasonable to ditch him, and it should have been left to the electorate to decide at the next General Election. In fact, I would apply this to all parties - no ditching your leader between elections, except for criminal activity or serious health issues.

Hyperbole. Keir Starmer stood down because it was clear that if there was a leadership challenge he wouldn't win against Burnham. Nobody else stood a chance either, so Burnham has been elected unopposed by the Labour Party to be their leader. The Labour Party has an enormous majority in Parliament and their leader is automatically Prime Minister. That's how our system works. It worked that way when Wilson was replaced by Callaghan, Thatcher by Major May was replaced by Johnson, Johnson by Truss and Truss by Sunak.

He is back already @GasPanic: )

I’m already weary of the Burnham carpet-bombed media coverage. I get this is usually a flat calm time of year for political journos and they are frothy with excitement to have news to report. He’s just another show pony PM in a growing succession of show pony PMs who each last 5 mins before their ambitious colleagues jostle to be next show pony. I’d like some continuity and traction in dealing with this country’s challenges, not another breathless “first 100 days” with the clock counting down on yet another leadership challenge. If that makes me negative, so be it.

No the electorate should say in who they want to govern them and this is what Burnham used to say before he became leader.

A large part of the electorate now expects Amazon Prime delivery speeds for solving complex, long-term problems, which makes governing incredibly difficult. That's why populist movements like Reform, with their simple but often unworkable slogans, can seem so appealing.

Anyone on the Tory/Reform/Restore side of politics is likely to dislike him regardless of what he does

Labour don't get a monopoly on being "good" or less self serving

Labour rely on slogans as much as any party.

Burnham has no right to be in No10, he is an imposter. He has pushed and forced himself into the job without any recent or relevant experience - with such utter disregard for the people of this country. He is smug and unbearable. I would respect him if he did the right thing and called a GE. Then he would have a mandate to lead the country ( like May and Sunak)

Yes he made a huge huge mistake with the referendum, but I think it’s an early sign of the massive current nightmare that people tune into memes on SM telling (usually telling them immigrants are the problem) than watching any serious news and discussion about the huge problems any PM needs to face.

It’s a facet of democracy that all PMs will sometimes put party first otherwise they lose power!

That's true, every party uses slogans. My point wasn't about slogans, it was about selling easy answers to difficult problems. Those are two different things.

Which of his policies particularly don’t you like?

I like that he is going to tackle rough sleeping - I do think it’s bad for our town centres as well as depressing to see every day. Some of the people can’t be helped but at least give them a bed!

I also like that he’s going to remove VAT on electricity bills. It’s been a missed opportunity by previous governments to make electricity cheaper than gas, so that people have incentive to move to electric heating which can use more renewables

And he’s going to build more social housing (reeves and Starmer made great steps in this to support the social housing providers but it was barely reported)

so what don’t you like?

Im astounded anyone could like or support a man who turned a blind eye to grooming gangs for as long as he could possibly get away with. He's disgusting.

Social media and bots have made it normal to be either left or right wing (like in the US) rather than politically centre right/left like in the more stable past.

It’s not AB per se. Any new PM would be bashed by the press unless they pledge fewer taxes on the rich (newspaper owners) and nobody is going to do that.

The way that AB became PM reminds me of BJ and the 1922 committee. They purposefully destabilised May, negotiated a weaker Brexit agreement and tried to make BJ the next Trump via the “goofy” personality. It’s not AB’s fault that there was no leadership election but it feels wrong to have him as PM. A leadership election would have given him the opportunity to inform the electorate what he stood for because outside of Manchester, people aren’t going to know.

I mean they’re about the same level as the other parties. A slogan to fix something the public say ok. Whether Burnham can do as proposed will be assessed in the interim in three years for the GE.

Maybe he’ll do some of it and get to carry on or there could be a gap between promises and money available. We’ll see.

This sums it up for me. I'm keeping an open mind because I want the country to prosper and hope he succeeds but I don't like the man.

He comes across as smug.
He hadn't finished his duties as mayor.
He staged a coup d'etat ultimately.
Hamartia - ambition.
And he ruined New Order for me.
No politician should dance. Ever.
I'll make an exception for Ed Balls teabagging Katya on but even then, he started believing his own hype towards the end.
Now if he was actually residing in Manchester right now in a two up two down, breathing the same fucking wildfire smoky air as I am right now, then we'd be talking.

What I don’t like is we, the general public, have NO IDEA who he is, or what his policies might be!!! I doubt he even knows given he is so out of touch!

This isn’t going to work. The homeless chestnut will not wash whilst he scrabbles around for time and inspiration.

It is a total shit show

I was probably being overly dramatic about “all”. But I don’t agree with unfunded tax cuts (which bring very limited financial benefit to people), scrapping of digital ID, the oil field licences which will have very limited financial benefit to the country but a large environmental cost and his machinery of government changes are utterly ludicrous.

This.

Also, his favourite person is Andy Burnham. And he's a future faker.

No. 10 North (more extra spending)

It proposes transferring teams from Whitehall departments, including the Treasury, Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – all of which are now being led by secretaries of state from the North of England.
Whitehall officials willing to move to Manchester have been told they will be offered relocation packages, the BBC understands.

I also am not happy with how this coup took place. With the conservatives, the ones taking over each time were already sitting MPs, the new PM wasn’t even an MP up to a few weeks ago. It feels wrong and hearing him speaking today he sounded nervous. Sometimes in life you do have to be careful for what you wish for! Maybe he’ll find it a lot more tricky than he thought it would be. Being a mayor and being a PM are not the same job at all.

Yes I agree with you on unfunded tax cuts, and the oil field licences are populist nonsense, not sure about digital ID I don’t know enough about it.

we’re never going to agree with everything a PM does - I’m sure even PMs don’t agree with everything they have to do - they’re just incredibly complex decisions and not black and white!

I do feel his heart is in the right place ( as much as you can judge someone you have never met) but the way he went about what he did shows a different side.
I know politics is brutal and it’s how it is.

Are you serious?

Relocation packages? When we are £3 trillion in debt! WTAF is going on