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What is going on with Andy Burnham's social media?

318 replies

msagent · 20/10/2026 19:18

I swear every post I see is following a formula:

  • personal anecdote
  • link to current issue
  • why this means I understand you
  • how I'm going to change the world
  • join us in doing so

The way they are written makes me cringe. Almost poetic and overly emotive. Maybe it just doesnt work on me.

Anyone else just want some normal?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 22/10/2026 11:23

LizzieW1969 · 22/10/2026 11:15

Exactly right. They don't have anything concrete, do they? Just insinuations about the Man City owners.

And his lack of honesty and disgracefully misleading PR stunts.

(For Blossomtoes, I believe that counts as an attack on “substantive” matters.)

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:25

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:22

I thought he was being particularly patronising too. But then I remembered the electorate and reasoned well he's got to aim his speeches / internet ramblings at his target audience, and that is exactly what he is doing. And it's working.

Eta. Thoroughly depressing that he has to dumb down his speeches and use tik tok. But here we are. Politics (and politicians) has / have changed so much since the earlier days.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 11:26

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 22/10/2026 11:23

And his lack of honesty and disgracefully misleading PR stunts.

(For Blossomtoes, I believe that counts as an attack on “substantive” matters.)

What lack of honesty and disgracefully misleading PR stunts? Criticise his policies all you like - that’s substantive.

EasternStandard · 22/10/2026 11:27

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:25

Eta. Thoroughly depressing that he has to dumb down his speeches and use tik tok. But here we are. Politics (and politicians) has / have changed so much since the earlier days.

I don’t mind as don’t use TikTok anyway but I do think it could work for a while but be seen as superficial when it stops polling well.

TemperanceWest · 22/10/2026 11:29

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:25

Eta. Thoroughly depressing that he has to dumb down his speeches and use tik tok. But here we are. Politics (and politicians) has / have changed so much since the earlier days.

Yes, it is depressing. I am not quite sure when it all began to go downhill. Maybe it started with the Brexit campaigns. Slogans (lies) on buses etc.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 11:31

TemperanceWest · 22/10/2026 11:29

Yes, it is depressing. I am not quite sure when it all began to go downhill. Maybe it started with the Brexit campaigns. Slogans (lies) on buses etc.

Long before that - remember this?

What is going on with Andy Burnham's social media?
TemperanceWest · 22/10/2026 11:36

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 11:31

Long before that - remember this?

Yes!

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 22/10/2026 11:38

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:25

Eta. Thoroughly depressing that he has to dumb down his speeches and use tik tok. But here we are. Politics (and politicians) has / have changed so much since the earlier days.

I do agree with you about the dumbing down of our political discourse. I think our politics has become much, much too reliant on easy soundbites and too many politicians - from all parties - have spent too much time pretending there are quick, painless solutions for complex problems. I think Michael Gove's 'we've had enough of experts' was one of the most damaging things a British politics could have said. But I don't think Andy Burnham is the worst culprit of that, and I personally would much rather see a politican making a good humoured video with a toy bus than using social media to spread division and hatred. The percieved wisdom has always been that the best way for a politician to get high reach and engagement on social media is through weaponised outrage, and I am glad to see the Prime Minister bucking that trend.

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:45

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 22/10/2026 11:38

I do agree with you about the dumbing down of our political discourse. I think our politics has become much, much too reliant on easy soundbites and too many politicians - from all parties - have spent too much time pretending there are quick, painless solutions for complex problems. I think Michael Gove's 'we've had enough of experts' was one of the most damaging things a British politics could have said. But I don't think Andy Burnham is the worst culprit of that, and I personally would much rather see a politican making a good humoured video with a toy bus than using social media to spread division and hatred. The percieved wisdom has always been that the best way for a politician to get high reach and engagement on social media is through weaponised outrage, and I am glad to see the Prime Minister bucking that trend.

Well slogans Are engineered to short circuit thought and leave reason at the door.

Corbyn ' Education not Segregation' was a memorable one, for all the wrong reasons

Keir - 'Smash the Gangs' 😑

Dreadful.

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 22/10/2026 11:55

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 11:26

What lack of honesty and disgracefully misleading PR stunts? Criticise his policies all you like - that’s substantive.

One example is that he told the electorate in Makerfield - an area that voted Leave - when he wanted their votes that he wouldn’t “re-run Brexit arguments”. And that’s exactly what he’s done.

Another is that he very clearly said that Russia had interfered with the Brexit vote. Which was then embarrassingly slapped down and he did a clumsy reverse.

His care service statement about his gran is appallingly dishonest.

The misleading self-promotion he has gone in for with disabled bus passes, petrol pricing on Google maps and the misuse of the urgent alert system are all also very bad, but probably fit within the ‘cynical politician’ bracket that applies to many of them.

The criticism of his policies is that he doesn’t have any to speak of. He’s all about buses and parking fines.

TemperanceWest · 22/10/2026 11:57

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:45

Well slogans Are engineered to short circuit thought and leave reason at the door.

Corbyn ' Education not Segregation' was a memorable one, for all the wrong reasons

Keir - 'Smash the Gangs' 😑

Dreadful.

The enemy within
Moaning minnies
Oven ready deal

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 22/10/2026 11:58

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:45

Well slogans Are engineered to short circuit thought and leave reason at the door.

Corbyn ' Education not Segregation' was a memorable one, for all the wrong reasons

Keir - 'Smash the Gangs' 😑

Dreadful.

I fully agree. I was no fan of Corbyn and hated Keir Starmer's Smash the Gangs rhetoric. Leave means Leave is to my mind the most absurd and non sensical political slogan of modern times, but I'm sure there are plenty more examples.

Again, though, while Andy Burnham obviously still uses rhetorical soundbites now and again (he's still a politician, after all) I do think his more relaxed, warm communication style means he sounds much, much less like he's just parroting empty, pre-concieved soundbites than most other politician's do.

hedgeknight · 22/10/2026 12:00

123H · 22/10/2026 11:13

I totally agree with the OP. I particularly hate the way he uses ‘props’ e.g. bread rolls, hard hats, spanners, parking tickets … the list goes on and on. It’s patronising … does he think we’re so stupid we need ‘show and tell’ before we can understand an idea? Absolutely cringeworthy!

Don't you remember Hunt trying to explain inflation with coffee cups? Or Sunak shredding EU legislation papers?

DraigCymraeg · 22/10/2026 12:15

msagent · 20/10/2026 19:18

I swear every post I see is following a formula:

  • personal anecdote
  • link to current issue
  • why this means I understand you
  • how I'm going to change the world
  • join us in doing so

The way they are written makes me cringe. Almost poetic and overly emotive. Maybe it just doesnt work on me.

Anyone else just want some normal?

People are so busy chunnering about Burnham's stupid posts, he thinks that we will forget about the mess Labour are making.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 12:36

MerryAquaKoala · 22/10/2026 11:45

Well slogans Are engineered to short circuit thought and leave reason at the door.

Corbyn ' Education not Segregation' was a memorable one, for all the wrong reasons

Keir - 'Smash the Gangs' 😑

Dreadful.

Get Brexit Done
Stop the Boats

Fast800goingforit · 22/10/2026 12:43

DraigCymraeg · 22/10/2026 12:15

People are so busy chunnering about Burnham's stupid posts, he thinks that we will forget about the mess Labour are making.

they've got 14 years of Tory mess to try to sort out, let's not forget that.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 12:56

Fast800goingforit · 22/10/2026 12:43

they've got 14 years of Tory mess to try to sort out, let's not forget that.

All forgotten and forgiven by haters of “the left”.

Constantrunner · 22/10/2026 12:58

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 20/10/2026 19:24

A friend of mine who works in marketing once said to me, 'if something doesn't work for you, it probably wasn't meant for you' and I think that probably applies here. From what I understand, by all the objective measures, Andy Burnham's social media strategy is exceptionally successful for a politican - he's got really strong statistics for reach and engagement, especially among young people, and I imagine that's probably at least part of why he is so much ahead of all the other political leaders in the polls on personal favourability.

Thanks, that makes sense.

Fast800goingforit · 22/10/2026 13:02

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 12:56

All forgotten and forgiven by haters of “the left”.

I know. Tiresome.

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 22/10/2026 13:05

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 22/10/2026 11:55

One example is that he told the electorate in Makerfield - an area that voted Leave - when he wanted their votes that he wouldn’t “re-run Brexit arguments”. And that’s exactly what he’s done.

Another is that he very clearly said that Russia had interfered with the Brexit vote. Which was then embarrassingly slapped down and he did a clumsy reverse.

His care service statement about his gran is appallingly dishonest.

The misleading self-promotion he has gone in for with disabled bus passes, petrol pricing on Google maps and the misuse of the urgent alert system are all also very bad, but probably fit within the ‘cynical politician’ bracket that applies to many of them.

The criticism of his policies is that he doesn’t have any to speak of. He’s all about buses and parking fines.

I don’t think these critiques are quite fair, TBH.

When Andy Burnham campaigned in the Makerfield by-election, he pledged not to "re-run old Brexit arguments" or to push immediately rejoining the EU—and he has kept that promise. He isn’t arguing to rejoin right now – he’s talking about having an honest, pragmatic conversation about what relationship with the E.U is going to be best for the economy going forward. I saw a segment with Beth Rigby on Sky talking to people in Makerfield about this and lots of the people she spoke to were supportive of the Prime Minister over this.

As for the Russian interference thing, the Chief of MI5 confirmed the Prime Minister was correct and that there had been attempts by Russia to disrupt our democracy over Brexit, even if those attempts ultimately failed to change the final result. I do understand the argument against talking up Russia’s propaganda, but on the other hand so many people are in denial that it happens at all, that it feels a bit of a catch-22, and I do think we have to be clear-eyed about who is seeking to sow division in our communities and why.

As for the story about his Gran, I think it’s incredibly unfair to label him telling a deeply personal story in order to show his commitment to reforming social care as dishonest. A lot of people understand the Prime Minister’s position perfectly – and many people (myself included) feel, like he seems to, that if their loved ones had had properly funded, good quality personal care at home they would never have needed residential care – and therefore wouldn’t have had to lose their savings or their homes.

As for the idea that he has “no policies to speak of", I just don’t think that’s correct – reforming social care is a policy, ending the ban on public water ownership is a policy, creating the Great British Grid to accelerate energy infrastructure is a policy, launching a massive housebuilding programme is a policy. You may have critiques of those policies, but to say they don’t exist feels odd.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 13:07

You have the patience of a saint @Raiderofthelostbattenburg.

Constantrunner · 22/10/2026 13:09

I suspect people who criticise his bus policies are well off and so saving £10 a week means nothing to them. Consider yourself lucky.

DraigCymraeg · 22/10/2026 13:10

Fast800goingforit · 22/10/2026 12:43

they've got 14 years of Tory mess to try to sort out, let's not forget that.

They've had 14 years to come up with answers.

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 13:14

DraigCymraeg · 22/10/2026 13:10

They've had 14 years to come up with answers.

No they haven’t. The damage was cumulative and some of it was last minute salting the earth, eg the unfunded £10 billion NI cut.

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 22/10/2026 13:15

BIossomtoes · 22/10/2026 13:07

You have the patience of a saint @Raiderofthelostbattenburg.

I try not to get drawn into too many political threads, but I think I just find some of the criticisms of Andy Burnham so baffling, and so counter to my own perception that I find it hard not to question the thinking.

But constantly engaging on here is probably not the most productive use of my one wild and precious life!

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