Is Keir Starmer too boring to be prime minister?

[Tulipsroses]

I was reading an article in the Spectator this morning. Interesting to hear what people think.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-keir-starmer-too-boring-to-be-prime-minister/

But you can't be leader of the conservative party unless your "elected to the commons".

Yes, the Tories could change their internal rules, but they'd get absolutely crucified for it. It'd be electoral suicide (even more than their current fortunes).

The only way Cameron becomes PM before the General Election is if they parachute him in for a by-election somewhere, which he'd then have to win.

The idea that you could be too boring to be PM is why this country is in the hole it is.

Morally corrupt? how exactly. The man is a human rights lawyer.

He's not exciting, edgy and all the things Johnson might have been but come on.

The amount of people who just spout what they've heard because it makes them sound clever is ridiculous.

I don't agree with some of the politics (gender identity etc) but it's inevitable that those issues would be contentious

A clever human rights lawyer without scandal to his name. Yes please! We need more of these people in government and fewer Tory twats who seem to be out for themselves in every way

This.

Always thought it was absolutely pathetic that people claimed to vote for someone you could go down the pub with. That's how you end up with fucking Boris Johnson or Donald Trump.

FFS we need someone who doesn't want to be on the political equivalent of Britain's Got Talent. We want someone who is actually going to think about things and not put their snout in the trough - Michelle Mone, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg I'm looking at you. 🤑

Boring is ok.
But having no real policies and not being clear on his views is not.
If there was a general election I really don't know who I'd vote for. I don't want conservatives but I don't see Labour as a viable alternative.

I don't care about boring, but Keir thinks some women can have a penis. I can't get past that.

He does seem to be seriously sitting on the fence at the moment like he is letting the Tories lose it rather than Labour win it.

Hmm, he is ver6 very unappealing. He puts people off. Also not sure being a human rights lawyer is good for pm, they often go against what is best for the country. Amnesty is a disaster of a charity nowadays. And he doesn't appear to have strong morals, or understand biology. He said out loud that women have a cervix is something that shouldn't be said so he loves compelled speech and prefers to keep quiet on important issues. He was a huge hypocrite over the curry/ party thing. Within his own party he lied about his beliefs to get the leadership.

Any policy they announce the tories rob.
Anyone actually know him, if he is ‘boring’ and the spectator is full or right wing nut jobs

He needs to be able to lead the country not entertain it. I don’t care whether he’s boring or not. Sunak isn’t dripping in charisma and I didn’t even get a say about him (or several before him) running the country.

We have had such drama in the last thirteen years, all of it so bad I’ve literally switched off as I’m so disgusted. Boring and competent would be the best thing ever. I long for us to be dull and safe again.

He worked as a human rights lawyer, but he also worked as DPP, very much in charge of locking up the bad guys.

Yes if you look over his long record of cases then you'll find stuff you personally disagree with, whether from the right or left wing, but that's the price he pays for actually having done stuff.

Anyone who refuses yo back a ceasefire is morally corrupt. He said he did not believe a ceasefire “is the correct position now”. It's a political move rather than a humanitarian move. We should care about lives rather than promoting our political position and demonstrating that Labour is not anti-Semitic.

And how was he a hypocrite on the curry thing? Johnson, Sunak and the entire number 10 staff broke the law. Starmer had a go at them for it.

Certain sources then found evidence of an event Starmer was at which they said was illegal. Starmer said that it wasn't illegal and staked his career on it. The cops looked into it and no, it wasn't illegal (not really surprising, if anyone is qualified to judge it would be KS).

The boring thing is a myth. Wednesday is my non working day and I sometimes watch PMQs and both he and Angela Rayner are on fire!! He is always very well prepared and a good speaker.

I think it's easy enough to convince people he's boring because he is not involved in any scandals and he doesn't tout any bs policies (like Rwanda). And yes he's a million miles away in character from Boris and Trump. But the right wing press have done a pretty amazing job in convincing people that's a bad thing. Don't fall for it!

Absolutely agree. It’s time people stopped voting for the personalities and started looking at the policies-that’s why the country’s so fucked up!

The Art of War says "don't interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake".

I would also like to have a bit more oomph from him. The Gaza situation escalated significantly after he made his initial comments - at the time he was defending the right of a sovreign state to defend itself against outside agression which is exactly what you'd expect from a PM/PM in waiting, but I think it's a shame he wasn't more emphatic sooner as the situation evolved.

Cameron?! Do you really think the country would swallow that after he ran away last time?

He’ll have to have a view eventually

Fgs is this all the right have to offer? Being competent and having some morals is required. Being exciting or a good laugh at parties is not required. Do we say we don't want a boring consultant or solicitor or dentist or financial advisor? Do we say that we would prefer to have the slightly incompetent jokey nurse? No. Why do different standards apply to the PM?

https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1270374388488167428?t=OwjHIFro0K5xpGz8RwjKAw&s=19

Lest we forget

What a bizarre concept...

What a prime minister needs to be is honest, competent, have integrity and be devoted to public service and the good of the country (rather than in it to make money for himself and a few of his rich dodgy mates...).

You are not electing an entertainer.

Angela Merkel was a good example of a good leader: respected, efficient and someone who did not care about soundbites and headlines and instead just got on with the job.

I assume electing clowns like Boris, Farage and Trump has made people realise by now that dodgy, lying, narcissistic people do not make good leaders...

Anyway seems like people are preparing for a May election so I am sure we will see more threads popping up on here and scraping the bottom of the barrel to try to smear Starmer.

If the worst thing you can say about someone is that they are 'boring' and used to be a barrister then you have already lost the argument...

Politically conservative publication slags off Labour leader-what a surprise!

I’d much rather have a boring PM than any of the lying, self-serving rabble currently in cabinet.

Forgot to add both Thatcher and Blair were lawyers too...