You could argue the only thing they have done wrong so far is not get a decent PR firm involved. The rhetoric from Labour ahead of the budget is the only thing to have majorly let them down.
I think we can all agree that after not fixing every one of the UK's problems in 4 months, the obvious solution is to bin off Labour and put the people who caused the current issues back into power. That'll sort everything out inside 24 hours.
Yep, they’ve been in power for 4 months and no indication yet of when my unicorn will arrive. I mean, compared to the 8 years that the last lot had to do absolutely nothing, then this is just not acceptable. Where can I find that petition?
I’’m not so sure. His drop in popularity in such a short period after being elected is unprecedented. His “2 tier” approach to justice (real or imagined) is massively damaging I think. Hitting employers national insurance was a poor cowardly move. I thought Starmer would be a safe pair of hands but I’ve been underwhelmed. I don’t think it will be the hapless Tories that benefit. It will be Reform. That said he’s got 4 years for these early setbacks to be long forgotten, but if we go into recession, with still poor A&E/GP performance in the medium term I think they are vulnerable, especially if the impression (again real or imagined) is that all the extra tax just gets swallowed by public sector pay increases. I agree the online petition is meaningless toy throwing!
Popularity for politicians in 2024 is a fickle thing though, isn't it? There's zero love for almost all of them and so really popularity is just a measure of who we have least contempt for. Starmer was crystal clear in the campaign he and Labour weren't intending to come in and throw around sweeties and be all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. There was loads of stuff said about taking the tough decisions, "fixing the foundations" etc. I suppose I can see how that could mean different things to different people but surely no one with more than half a brain is shocked by the steps taken? I think the most legitimate criticism is they spoke about a "fully costed plan" while the IFS were quite clear tax rises would be needed whoever won. The 'imagined' stuff concerns me as lot of it is plain old misinformation. And there's a lot of disingenuous stuff circulating too. I saw a list of 'Labour lies' this morning being promoted by right wing sock accounts on X and it almost all relies on the fact low-information people don't have the time or inclination to look further than what they're told. eg. "Labour put up council tax". I mean, it was always going up. Councils are largely bankrupt. All Labour has done is rubberstamp the Tory economic policy which enables CT to rise by up to 4.99% a year. It's not like Labour can come up with a whole new way of financing local government inside 4 months! I read somewhere last night - and sorry, can't find it now - that Labour party sources are saying that their focus groups are broadly showing most people are grumpy in general but the issues the media are highlighting aren't bothering the key swing voters. No one's crying for rioters or internet trolls getting locked up and the public stance on the farmers and IHT is far more split than the media presentation of it would have us all believe. I don't think Reform can build a winning campaign around that stuff either but agree they're a threat. Though I still think a further Reform surge hurts the Tories just as much, so Kemi's going to have to come out swinging at Farage and co at some point too. For now she's wisely keeping quiet but can't forever. The bit I definitely agree on is Labour need to produce tangible green shoots on several fronts inside 3 years to have any change of re-election.
From a different political starting point, I am also underwhelmed. But that is an entiely different kettle of fish from childish demands that a PM should step down after 4 months.
My favourite one currently is that if the petition gets to 9.8m it'll be same number of votes Labour got and so that would absolutely force Labour MPs to get rid of Starmer, because their support would be gone. Or something. It's hilarious.
Listening to just about every Government minister, junior minister etc that I have heard on the radio or TV since the election, has been an excruciatingly painful and irritating experience. Each one appears to have been massively over media trained (who the f**k tells these people to start every sentence with "Look"), is incapable of answering the questions they're being asked (like politicians of every stripe, of course) and clearly knows bugger all about the subject that they are responsible for, yet they babble away in the condescending and aggressively virtuous tone that is a hallmark of so many lefties - desperately trying (and failing) to inject sense of urgency or gravitas into what they're saying. I'm sure these people are as much to blame for 2TK's drop in popularity as Sir Keir's own obvious shortcomings
Look. The problem you have is you're actually listening to them. Try not doing that. It makes the whole experience a lot more pleasant.
Something about Sov. Cits. lunacy cropped up on one of my feeds. You now how they start spouting babble about maritime/admiralty law, it's because their 'rights' are all about "...membership..." of society & membership has the word 'ship" in it so...
Think that's the entire political class these days, rather than a trait unique to the left - the rise of the career politician rather than it being a second career that you turn to after you've built experience elsewhere has hollowed out the Commons. However, if you're looking for someone really trying to inject gravitas by speaking more slowly and deliberately, look no further than Kemi Badenoch! (And even then she often trips over her words...)
Unfortunately, the entire political class has been focus-grouped further and further away from authenticity. The phrases, the delivery, that weird pointy thing so many of them do with their thumb to emphasise a point, has all been created and adopted as the way to do things. You and I may hate it, but it happens because it is effective for the people who pay scant attention to anything they do or say anyway. The style of communication is designed and tailored to reach people who aren't really interested. Instead of talking up, the entire political class talks down, in the condescending belief that we're all too stupid to understand anything difficult. Even the political media gets in on the act, talking about whether an issue has 'cut through'. We're all grouped into blocks – Mondeo Man, Waitrose Woman – etc, and treated like fools. I don't even think it's intentional but that is the effect. There's also something about politicians getting into the position of power and gleefully adopting the language of their predecessors. It's as if they are falling over themselves to use the phrase: "Look, we have been perfectly clear..." because they've heard it done before and it's The Language Of Government. And it certainly isn't a left-right thing. Do you remember the 'Power Stance' thing the Tories did at party conference; standing with their feet wide apart like absolute idiots because some adviser had told them it made them look strong and stable? Unfortunately, they don't talk like real people because when they do they get ripped apart for that too. Jess Phillips is a good example – every 'real' phrase she says is pulled apart. Our media is largely to blame. It's led to everyone boiling all complex issues down to a simple, repeatable catchphrase.
I think the electorate have to take some responsibility too. The simple fact is that a party will not get in to power if it is totally honest before an election. It was a obvious that the state of public finances and services meant tax increases and spending cuts were unavoidable. No one was willing to put policies forward saying that because they knew the public wouldn't vote for it. In addition there is an unwillingness for the public to recognise that income tax is the fairest form of taxation. Each party has to promise not to increase it and then they have to find the shortfall through some complex method of taxation which often proves to be just as unpopular anyway. We get the government we deserve imho.
Did he do it as well? I remember Ed Miliband starting every other sentence with it. The other half started with “I say to you”.
We also need to not only be honest about income tax but realise everyone must pay something extra if we really want to improve the NHS. Put upper bands up to scandi levels if you like but we should also reduce the personal allowance from 15k down to 5k. Instead they just freeze bands for years on end to take tax by stealth. It’s childish policies for a childish electorate. The employers NI rise is a classic case. Hooray the big bad company will have to pay the tax. Oh hold on, where is my pay rise and why am I doing more work because they changed plans to hire more headcount?
There was one, but I think it only got 200k votes. The petition is a great way of people having a voice and showing if they disapprove of what the government is doing. It won't go anywhere, nor should it. We have a voting system in this country & have to stick to the democracy that was set out. Its the same as the EU referendum, like the result or not, there should never have been a second referendum despite the petitions. Although SKS saying back in 2019 that he would back a 2nd referendum doesn't carry well, but his learning quickly that everything he promised or said in opposition can come back to bite you on the bum. People will get a chance to vote Labour out, if they want to, in 4 or 5 years time. Until then petitions are simply a chance for people to use their freedom of expression and express their voice as they wish.
Absolutely. And it's good to hear several people from North Korea, the British Antarctic Territory and even the uninhabited South Georgia Island have signed on to this noble cause. Their voices should be heard too! Presumably Reeves tucked away a new tax on penguins in the budget?
The main gripe some people have with the whole concept of this petition is just how childish it is. 4 months in and a new government has not fixed all the problems facing us. And, glory be, it’s going to COST MONEY. Might as well have a petition to agitate for the discovery of a Magic Money Tree. @UEA_Hornet has summarised how petty it is, including the fact that some of the (ahem) massive number of signatories seem to be spurious. Too many people seem to live by the tenets of a particular Queen song and get upset when the impossible doesn’t occur.
This was pointed out this morning on X and how the same thing happened with the 6m signatures on the 2nd EU referendum petition. Then there where over 150 countries or territories had signatories. Most of course who have no connection with the EU. If they really wanted to stop that happening, I'm sure some technical bod in Whitehall has the ways to do it.
It's a nonsense system anyway. Petitions in general are a distraction for people with a bit too much time on their hands. Occasionally useful for very localised issues but otherwise it's just shouting into the void.