AIBU to find Keir Starmer a charisma-free zone?

[Asterion]

I know, I know, charisma gets us into all sorts of trouble with politicians. But honestly, is Sir Keir going to be the one to bring people back to Labour?

Whenever I hear his awful, dull voice or see his utterly boring manner andpresentation of his ideas, I want to gnaw my arm off.

Sorry but he is hot as hell. And he can talk! Plus that grammar school background (smart). He could easily be a Hollywood superstar. YABVVU

No not at all. I'm far more concerned about the damage Tory PMs have done over the last 10 years than i am about Keir's voice

It shouldn't matter- his role is leader of the opposition, not everybody's best friend- but unfortunately it does. Presentation often has far more impact on voters than policy.

No, he’s wonderfully mature, sensible, thoughtful and erudite. A nice change from politicians if both sides in recent years. Plus i have a bit of a thing for him (i have seen him in person, he is very tall and has a good presence, nice energy iyswim).

It’s a shame his voice doesn’t match up to the rest of him but he does seem convincing. And I say this as one who has never voted labour.

I am no fan of labour but am watching him with interest. I think he has more gravitas than any recent politicians.

His voice is just so, so disappointing

And obviously we should judge on policies, actions, etc etc. And charisma is overrated, etc etc. But he's just so DULL.

He’s not dull. He’s very good at holding lairs to account.

In this world that is exhilarating.

He and Rachel Reeves have very similar speech styles.

It does grate on me I'm afraid though I can't see it affecting my vote.

As long as he acts "normal" enough not to frighten the voters I think he'll get away with it.

He's a very good at wiping the floor with Bozo at PMQs and that is never disappointing

Give me dull but competent rather than charismatic and incapable of doing the job any day.

We're too obsessed with politicians appearance and their need to be likeable nowadays..and look where it's got us. Affable Boris who couldn't run a bath.

YABU and need to listen to what he is saying, not how he is saying it. He's a typical lawyer, meticulously going through the detail, on top of his brief. I'd rather have that than the current shit show.

Boris is charismatic and look where that's got us. I'd rather have boring, but capable and measured Kier running the country right now.

Boris Johnson's style of speech is excruciating. He is a total embarrassment.

He’s incredibly clever, principled and has great hair. That’s beating Boris on all counts from what I can see and he absolutely has my vote.

If that's the worst thing you can say about him, then he's doing an excellent job. To me, he speaks in a considered way, you can see he's actually putting thought into what he's saying rather than using a script.

Last night, Johnson used the phrase "a stitch in time saves nine". Many people picked up on it. What most didn't realise is that he said exactly the same thing at lunchtime in the Commons. He didn't even write what he was saying, the extent of that man's brain is playing with his hands (which is annoying and very unprofessional for a trained speaker).

@Thegooseberrysmywitness

YABU and need to listen to what he is saying, not how he is saying it. He's a typical lawyer, meticulously going through the detail, on top of his brief. I'd rather have that than the current shit show.

Agree with this. When Raab was standing in for Johnson at PMQs, he took Raab apart in minutes. Raab couldn't handle him.

Johnson's method of defence against him is just bluster, with no substance coming out of his mouth, as per usual.

Over the lockdown period, he did an organised Zoom call with all people that wanted to join from Cornwall. We went on it and he was completely different to what you see at the dispatch box.

I'm far from a Labour supporter (or any party for that matter), but I'm certainly watching what he does with a lot of interest. There is finally a leader of the opposition who appears statesmanlike.

The worst bit about Boris's speech last night was the Churchill tribute act. He started one sentence with 'Never...' and you could just tell he wanted to say '..in the field of human conflict'

He actually grinned when he said it. It's all a bloody game to him.

@beguilingeyes

The worst bit about Boris's speech last night was the Churchill tribute act. He started one sentence with 'Never...' and you could just tell he wanted to say '..in the field of human conflict'

He actually grinned when he said it. It's all a bloody game to him.

I picked up on that and thought, oh here we go, he's off on another Churchill moment.

The man is just completely out of his depth.

Boris is a salesman/showman, not someone with the kind of long-term focus needed for this job. He should have recognised this and brought in someone like Jeremy Hunt (I know, I know) who can actually ruthlessly pursue an objective (like improving testing) and doesn't care what he has to do or who he has to upset to carry it out. But JH being a remainer and all...

I thought the whole idea is that he's deliberately being bland so Johnson can't start up the culture wars to distract from the covid/brexit shitshow being entirely on him.

So far he's come across well. It's good to see a politician being calm, controlled and up to the task of thinking their way around things whilst answering/posing questions.

Most politicians seem to be like Arnie in Total Recall when he's trying to get through Mars customs. His suit's computer can only answer one or two questions, then it comes unstuck and explodes! A lot of politicians seem to have this, if a question is asked that's not on the cards prepared for them they can't offer an answer of any substance or merit and start dithering like inept fools I wish some would actually combust but that may be sadistic.

I find quite the opposite to be the case. KS's quieter, more measured demeanor is highly effective against Boris' bluster. Rather than being sucked into the escalation of shouting, hand-waving pantomime (May vs Corbyn used to be virtually unwatchable) he speaks calmly and clearly, pauses when he needs to and takes his time. He's very organised and prepared. He shows Boris up for the bloated bag of wind we all know him to be.

Charisma is for actors.
I'd take competent, empathetic and sensible leadership all day long in a PM regardless of whether they were as dull as a potato or not.

I’m a huge fan (have been ever since his MN webchats, which were excellent) but in my shallower moments I do think his voice is unfortunate.