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

[msagent]

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?

Actually the NHS idea was first put forward by a Conservative MP, Henry Willink.

In February 1944, Henry Willink, a Conservative MP and Minister of Health under Winston Churchill’s wartime coalition government, published the A National Health Service White Paper. This proposal outlined a vision for a free, comprehensive healthcare service

Labour always conveniently forget this.

It doesn’t mean much to me but having worked with PR teams I do know they ‘massage’ things a lot.

I did find it funny that Kemi has turned off comments on her sycophantic photo with Donald Trump on Insta 🤣

You sound like you follow her closely already.

What’s your source? Wiki says the idea for the NHS came from a report by Sir William Beveridge a liberal economist, in 1942. The report which lays the social policy blueprint for a universal healthcare system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beveridge_Report

No, I don’t follow her, I just had a look at her Instagram, where Donald Trump was front and centre.

Wikipedia? I see.

Happy to look at your source if you have a better one.

You scrolled back to September 2025 to find it? The date is in your screenshot.

Ultimately you have to remember it is algorithm led.

The longer and more engaging the post, the longer you spend on it, which then means it shows up on more peoples feeds.

It is good to see differing views.

Do you think I am dismissing him out of hand?

As a for a calmer public discourse...

The North v South rhetoric he used on his way to power, telling us “49 years of neoliberalism have failed the north” and casting London as the villain, or repeatedly blaming Thatcher once he picked up the baton as PM. A calmer public discourse does not pit one half of the country against the other. IMO it look for solutions not who to blame.

The damage done to this country/ nation is the result of failure by all the current parties. Labour are equally culpable.

If you’re familiar with Instagram, you’ll know that they curate a selection of photos for the profile when you search a name. Kemi’s profile curation has Donald Trump front and centre. No scrolling back required.

Perhaps you look at Trump posts a lot and your search offered you what it thought you wanted to see. Algorithm and all that. Still it’s a post from over a year ago.

Also when I search a name it just gives me a list and one click to their page, and that image you put up is way back.

It was originally a Competition and Markets Authority proposal intended to produce a small improvement in consumer market information. It was never developed as a tool for, or expected to be, a mechanism to combat increase in the cost of living.

Sunak took it up. It was a quiet, incremental policy.

Burnham, typically, has blown it out of all proportion and pretended to be the architect.

The government announcement about the operational hours of disability travel passes was another good example of Burnham’s egregious, dodgy self-promotion. It laid the policy at Burnham’s feet and talked about how he’d introduced the change in Manchester. It said nothing about how London, and probably other areas, already had the same.

No, I don’t follow KB or DT. I don’t think I search them much, I try to limit my exposure to their politics.

Here is page 1 when you search Kemi on Insta.

DT is front and centre.

I don’t think you’re dismissing him out of hand - like I say, I’ve enjoyed hearing your perspectives. And actually I think the tone on this thread has generally been pretty constructive and insightful.

But there definitely has been some dismissing out of hand of the Prime Minister in sections of the media, including some dismissals which - to my ear - seem to have a distinctly classist, anti Northern tone.

I suppose what I would also say is I actually don’t find the Prime Minister’s rhetoric divisive - although i’ve read it described as such, so, some people must think that. I personally have consistently heard him praise London and talk about good growth in “every postcode”, not just the North. I’ve also definitely heard him say, “politicians of my generation have failed” rather than laying all the blame at one parties door. And I think the fact he didn’t attack a single opposition leader in his conference speech is admirable,

But - as this thread shows - political rhetoric will always land differently for different people, so that doesn’t mean others won’t perceive it differently.

I don’t get that so it might be curated for you based on your interaction as IG generally is.

Also is that the top of the posts suggested? Or have you scrolled down, they don’t look very recent.

I scrolled down two pics. The top pic of Kemi (with her gorgeous kids) is from Dec 2024.

No idea why you’re getting those pics. I didn’t on searching. I have no idea what her dc look like. Or didn’t until your pic had one not cropped out.

IG shows based on interaction so maybe it’s that. I just got recent clips.

That’s interesting detail about the fuel map, thanks. I do agree the government’s framing was a misstep and I hope they’ve learned from it.

On the buses, that rhetoric doesn’t personally bother me - Andy Burnham did implement this in Manchester, and he was, as Prime Minister making the decision to roll it out. Maybe Sadiq Khan minded London not being mentioned, but I think it’s fairly normal for a new leader to put themselves front and centre, in order to shape a coherent narrative.

I didn't even know she had two daughters, so it can't be my one search. Maybe the ones with most interactions by her followers get to the top of her page / search results.

It’ll be IG usage based not what KB is doing. I looked up AB and got Russell Kane as top as I have looked at his stuff.

Your suggestions are based on your activity on IG.

William Beveridge, a Liberal, is widely credited as the architect of the welfare state. He published his report under Winston Churchill’s wartime coalition - Atlee was deputy PM. But it was Clement Attlee’s Labour government that actually put it into effect.

Beveridge was quite clear that the States role was to provide a safety net not do everything or one could argue level up non workers with workers. Which leads me to my favourite quote:

“In establishing a national minimum, it should leave room and encouragement for voluntary action by each individual to provide more than that minimum for himself and his family.”

William Beveridge

Labour 2026 , by contrast, is effectively taxing anyone who has more than that minimum through their own voluntary action. Which is actually the opposite of the original sentiment.

What's with the obsession with Kemi? Hate to break it to you, I am not a conservative voter. This thread is about AB's social media. If you have a screenshot which shows that KB is in someway involved in AB's social media content or engagement, now that would be relevant.

I didn’t bring up Kemi, Eastern or others did. I think we’re over it now anyway. The discussion trailed off.

And you keep replying to my posts about Kemi!

I suspect they come straight from his Notes app on his iPhone. By all accounts this is how he thinks and talks in person and people who have met him seem to say he is very sincere and genuine.