Labour government

[DoNotBlameTheMessenger]

With Starmer now, apparently being the most unpopular PM we've ever had - and all the things he's done since they got into power, are you still pleased you voted for them?

Sure. Well done for finding a couple of headlines though.

@EasternStandard the first picture is from a review of the daily mails articles which were overwhelmingly supportive.

Keep pretending that the papers treat each party in the same way.

The press like to make money. I know you want Labour to be having a worse time from them but their policies are impacting the economy and many feel they are not doing well.

It’s probably it’s a comfort to say it’s the media to blame but they are making their own mistakes.

@crackofdoom

"I don't like the massive sum of money being ploughed into carbon capture and storage, at the seeming expense of easier and cheaper ways to cut carbon emissions"

There is an easier, tried and tested and cheaper technology for capturing carbon which is called "trees".

Or if you want to go less well known but more effective technology then you could use "sea grass" or a similar but deeper water alternative called "kelp".😀

@Araminta1003

"Next issue has cropped up - gas shortages, given the cold weather and lack of gas storage.
Guess who has tons of cheap gas? The US…"

And the reason why is that they have been busily getting on with gas fracking.

The issue in the UK is everyone wants cheaper gas bills but no one wants to increase supply through fracking.

And guess who sold of most of our gas storage. Clue, it wasn't Keir Starmer.

I agree 100%.
Yes I'm pleased I voted for him.
Yes I'm happy with most of what they're doing. They are trying to govern a country absolutely wrecked by the tories.
They are actually trying to sort this out against a barrage of propaganda funded by billionaires.
I don't think they'll manage before the next general election and then we will throw ourselves to the right wing wolves again and find out out that Labour really weren't that bad after all.
Worst PM will always be Truss. Then Johnson. Then Cameron for his stupidly designed referendum.

The news just keeps coming:

www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jan/10/uk-debt-market-sell-off-threatens-to-push-up-mortgage-costs

“And guess who sold of most of our gas storage. Clue, it wasn't Keir Starmer.”

Reeves will have to do austerity 2 -aka welfare cuts - or sell off assets too somehow. Government borrowing costs are too high. They got it wrong too. Taxation is a further disincentive on growth so they can’t do much more of that.

I mean one can try and spin it as evil capitalist interference, foreign malign influencers and capitalist spread betters - but not sure who exactly is going to believe that? At the end of the day, those in charge need to understand the global financial markets and not make rash decisions. The market is not the electorate - you can’t spin stuff, it’s always priced in.

But Liz Truss was learning on the job too and I don't remember such largesse extended to her.
In fact, most ministers, of both parties, were all learning on the job at some point.

Liz Truss didn’t win an election, she came in after Boris Johnson had to resign. Remember? Less of a mandate, arguably, less patience from the electorate. Starmer has a big majority- it’s different in terms of optics. He can of course reshuffle his Cabinet, if he wants to.

I can’t see how any political party solving the issues we have.

Over 2 trillion in debt? Public services have already been massively cut so how can austerity realistically be imposed? There’s nothing to cut back .

How can any party fix the issues we have ?

@Paul2023

"How can any party fix the issues we have ?"

The solutions are clear enough (see Argentina) but no party is ever going to get elected by promising to tax more and spend less.

Yes, I voted for him and would again, but I’m not a populist and wouldn’t really put any merit on things like popularity polls or TikTok followers for something as serious of governing the country.

It's clear from the fact 10 of Reform'm councillors intend to resign because Farage doesn't support Tommy Robinson where the UKIP / BNP / EDL support went.

Imagine wanting to be part of a party whose councillors and members are Tommy Robinson fans.

“It's clear from the fact 10 of Reform'm councillors intend to resign because Farage doesn't support Tommy Robinson where the UKIP / BNP / EDL support went.
Imagine wanting to be part of a party whose councillors and members are Tommy Robinson fans.”

Is that not a good thing for Reform? They want that lot out anyway and establish themselves as a main stream party. It is exactly what is happening?

That only 10 are prepared to resign doesn't mean there aren't more in the party.

“I can’t see how any political party solving the issues we have.
Over 2 trillion in debt? Public services have already been massively cut so how can austerity realistically be imposed? There’s nothing to cut back .
How can any party fix the issues we have ?”

I am not sure long term, but I think the Western model of welfare state is collapsing all around us now and it is becoming more like Asia/US etc, where you eat what you earn, with less fall back on the state. Because it is such a global world now the countries attracting the young and economically efficient will win out either way. So the weak will have to be supported by those in their own families and communities, rather than the state. Because the more support the state attempts to give, the less they end up having because of attrition of capital and people. So the big state is becoming smaller. And it ties in with politics as well - the right is also trying to restrict movement of people and their capital, at the same time as contracting the state. Really all Western Governments should get together and come up with a joint plan. The power of the trilionaires like Musk is really quite worrying for all of us, regardless of where we sit on the political spectrum.

I also really do not think demonising the Right whether here or in Germany helps at all. They just have a difference of opinion as to how to protect the country as opposed to the left way of thinking. I am not sure there is any right or wrong, it is just a different approach to things. As a liberal centrist, I find both approaches quite frightening. I do acknowledge though that climate change will inevitably lead to a huge movement of people across the globe and scarcity of resources so either way, there has to be a long term plan for that. The question for me is how do we maintain democracy whilst at the same time having Governments who actually do think long term.

Tommy Robinson - for example - isn't right, he's far right and people like him and the party in Germany DO deserve to be derided. There are plenty of examples (particularly in Germany) demonstrating what can happen when you just accept some of their dangerous rhetoric. Even if people try and claim it's just free speech.

I do find it interesting how many suggest we shouldn't be demonising the Right but are happy to do that when they are talking about the left... just an observation and not saying that you do that by the way.

Same

@Araminta1003

"At the end of the day, those in charge need to understand the global financial markets and not make rash decisions. The market is not the electorate - you can’t spin stuff, it’s always priced in."

You especially can't ignore the markets when the UK debt is £2.8 trillion or roughly 100% of GDP.

Somehow I don't think the voters fully understand this.