The Starmer Years - Can The New Broom Sweep Clean?

[rallyboy]

He's got his future in a British steal.

[AlexLaw76]

The sacrificial lamb being made ready

 

[hypochondriac]

20 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

The sacrificial lamb being made ready

 

Weirdly I'm in the odd position where I feel a tiny bit sorry for Reeves. Clearly out of her depth but she's tried to do the right thing here and the rest of the labour party has prevented her from doing it. This is clearly going to lead to reasonable tax rises and she will probably get booted out. A depressing state of affairs tbh. 

[iansums]

20 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

The sacrificial lamb being made ready

 

I get no pleasure from watching that, you have to feel for her. Sadly she, like most of the government are out of their depth. Even with a massive majority it's all unravelling pretty damn quickly.

[tdmickey3]

TBH honest, this country is virtually ungovernable.

I feel sorry for anyone who takes it on but its their choice and the payoffs are good I suppose.

It would be interesting if all parties said they were going to exactly what is needed irrespective of what that looked like and stuck to it but that is impossible as the opposition parties cannot bear to agree with another, not because they believe its wrong but because they cannot bee seen to agree with their opposites.... all a bit sad really

 

[whelk]

26 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Weirdly I'm in the odd position where I feel a tiny bit sorry for Reeves. Clearly out of her depth but she's tried to do the right thing here and the rest of the labour party has prevented her from doing it. This is clearly going to lead to reasonable tax rises and she will probably get booted out. A depressing state of affairs tbh. 

Personally I don’t think she is out of her depth - she is actually quite right wing in her thinking regarding finances and seems to love the ‘fiscal rules’ - her voice doesn’t help her credibility. She shouldn’t expect any loyalty from Starmer though who has shown himself to be a chameleon.

Problem now is every member of the public thinks they know everything or listen to people constantly offering opinions on social media and 24/7 news. Politics just seems horrible and thankless these days with derision for everyone.

 

[Turkish]

34 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Weirdly I'm in the odd position where I feel a tiny bit sorry for Reeves. Clearly out of her depth but she's tried to do the right thing here and the rest of the labour party has prevented her from doing it. This is clearly going to lead to reasonable tax rises and she will probably get booted out. A depressing state of affairs tbh. 

My too, she looks dreadful, big bags under her eyes, pale, crying. Clearly stress is too much, she should quit for her own sanity. Horrible seeing someone like that. 

[hypochondriac]

20 minutes ago, tdmickey3 said:

TBH honest, this country is virtually ungovernable.

I feel sorry for anyone who takes it on but its their choice and the payoffs are good I suppose.

It would be interesting if all parties said they were going to exactly what is needed irrespective of what that looked like and stuck to it but that is impossible as the opposition parties cannot bear to agree with another, not because they believe its wrong but because they cannot bee seen to agree with their opposites.... all a bit sad really

 

Add in the civil servants who seem to just ignore their duty to carry our policy if it's something they don't like, the OBR who seem to dictate what can and can't be done more than the actual government and backbenchers who can just derail government agenda and you're not too wrong. A lame duck government totally incapable of doing anything meaningfully transformative and essentially rearranging the deckchairs on the titanic. 

[whelk]

Don’t be silly calling it a lame duck govt with majority it has. Also part of the trouble these days is hyperbole and need to dramatise for all those with v short attention spans.

Obviously they are not all on message and some things been handled dreadfully and Starmer needs to sort it. But one fucking year in and look at all the excitable predictions - are we meant to take them seriously?

 

[whelk]

11 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Add in the civil servants who seem to just ignore their duty to carry our policy if it's something they don't like

Evidence? I’d just something you are happy to believe? Do you know anyone senior in the Civil Service? I do

[hypochondriac]

7 minutes ago, whelk said:

Evidence? I’d just something you are happy to believe? Do you know anyone senior in the Civil Service? I do

Fair amount of anecdotal evidence from past MPs that this goes on. I used to know a civil servant (I had to be interviewed as part of his security clearance to get the job.) He said it wasn't really a thing in his department but there were a couple of activists types in more recent times as things got more heated. 

[hypochondriac]

10 minutes ago, whelk said:

Don’t be silly calling it a lame duck govt with majority it has. Also part of the trouble these days is hyperbole and need to dramatise for all those with v short attention spans.

Obviously they are not all on message and some things been handled dreadfully and Starmer needs to sort it. But one fucking year in and look at all the excitable predictions - are we meant to take them seriously?

 

And yet Starmer trumpets a big welfare reform and can't even get it passed in any meaningful form. Hardly a projection of strength or demonstration of his majority. 

[whelk]

6 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

And yet Starmer trumpets a big welfare reform and can't even get it passed in any meaningful form. Hardly a projection of strength or demonstration of his majority. 

Don’t tell me…..got to be the worst government in the history of the Uk?

[hypochondriac]

Just now, whelk said:

Don’t tell me…..got to be the worst government in the history of the Uk?

You see whelk, part of the trouble these days is hyperbole and need to dramatise for all those with v short attention spans. 

[tdmickey3]

33 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Add in the civil servants who seem to just ignore their duty to carry our policy if it's something they don't like, the OBR who seem to dictate what can and can't be done more than the actual government and backbenchers who can just derail government agenda and you're not too wrong. A lame duck government totally incapable of doing anything meaningfully transformative and essentially rearranging the deckchairs on the titanic. 

Civil servants are employees and have to do as instructed, as a civil servant but not in Whitehall i would know.

Labour have made some decent changes which are out there for all to see so don`t ask me to list them, just like to Tories who did some good things too.

They are certainly not lame duck.

TBH its good to see MP`S voting to their beliefs and for there constituents for a change and not be ordered by the whip

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

the OBR who seem to dictate what can and can't be done more than the actual government. 

Hoisted with her own petard, springs to mind. It was her who  designed a fiscal lock' law to ensure any government budget decisions can no longer bypass scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility. She constantly criticised Tories who made the very point you’re making. She’s so far out of her depth it’s embarrassing, and to think we’ve got 4 more years of this clown show, god knows where we’ll be by then.
 

Weak, weak, weak. Starmer and her need to be moved on…

[Gloucester Saint]

3 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Hoisted with her own petard, springs to mind. It was her who  designed a fiscal lock' law to ensure any government budget decisions can no longer bypass scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility. She constantly criticised Tories who made the very point you’re making. She’s so far out of her depth it’s embarrassing, and to think we’ve got 4 more years of this clown show, god knows where we’ll be by then.
 

Weak, weak, weak. Starmer and her need to be moved on…

Markets don’t agree, once Starmer backed her the price of borrowing dropped sharply again. Strange situation this afternoon, all is clearly not well. The boss stabbed her in the back arguably but she’s not helped herself. As with Truss, not pleasant to watch someone unravel.

Poor form from Badenoch though, the other parties behaving with some decorum and basic decency, but Kemi has no social skills. She’ll be gone before anybody else at least as leader of the opposition.

Edited Wednesday at 17:45 by Gloucester Saint

[egg]

5 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Weirdly I'm in the odd position where I feel a tiny bit sorry for Reeves. Clearly out of her depth but she's tried to do the right thing here and the rest of the labour party has prevented her from doing it. This is clearly going to lead to reasonable tax rises and she will probably get booted out. A depressing state of affairs tbh. 

I agree that she's out of her depth, but don't agree she's done the right thing. What she tried to do was to make a saving, then tweak the policy after the event to mould to that number, without any thought to the MP's reaction. Completely naive politics.

Welfare needs reform. On that we agree. Figure out the reform, get the party on board, then cost it. 

She went about it arse about face, got it wrong, has lost the party the tiniest bit of authority they had left, got pulled up by the speaker for waffling, no doubt has been told that she's on thin ice (at best), then failed to hold it together in parliament knocking 1% off the £/@$, and pushing up gilt yields.

She's on her way. Thankfully. 

[badgerx16]

My wife had an operation on her shoulder on Monday, carried out on behalf of the NHS at the local private hospital. She was told to contact our local medical centre to have the wounds checked after 4 days, therefore tomorrow, July 4th. She rang the medical centre on Tuesday to make an appointmnt for Friday the 4th, and was told the earliest available slot was on the 16th.

Edited Thursday at 17:45 by badgerx16

[Tamesaint]

12 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

My wife had an operation on her shoulder on Monday, carried out on behalf of the NHS at the local private hospital. She was told to contact our local medical centre to have the wounds checked after 4 days, therefore tomorrow, July 4th. She rang the medical centre on Tuesday to make an appointmnt for Friday the 4th, and was told the earliest available slot was on the 16th.

Everybody has their own story to tell about the NHS. Some good some bad. 

My father was persuaded by my sister to attend his GP concerning a problem. His appointment was at 1130 am. The GP suspected a mini stroke and wanted him to go to hospital.

I picked him up just before 4 pm after he had been taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital  10 miles away, tests had been performed, diagnosis made and treatment prescribed and given. Not a bad service IMO. 

 

 

 

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, Tamesaint said:

Everybody has their own story to tell about the NHS. Some good some bad. 

My father was persuaded by my sister to attend his GP concerning a problem. His appointment was at 1130 am. The GP suspected a mini stroke and wanted him to go to hospital.

I picked him up just before 4 pm after he had been taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital  10 miles away, tests had been performed, diagnosis made and treatment prescribed and given. Not a bad service IMO. 

 

 

 

My wife's op was scheduled and handled brilliantly, it's the stark contrast between that and the service from the medical centre that is frustrating.

Anyway, she is now going round to Fleetwood drop-in centre this lunch time to get things checked out.

Edited Friday at 07:38 by badgerx16

[Weston Super Saint]

3 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

My wife's op was scheduled and handled brilliantly, it's the stark contrast between that and the service from the medical centre that is frustrating.

Anyway, she is now going round to Fleetwood drop-in centre this lunch time to get things checked out.

I had a similar response when I called to have my wound review after my op, four week waiting time!  Once I pointed them in the direction of the letter the surgeon sent them instructing them to check the wound and remove dressings at the two week point they booked an appointment for the correct time and date - one must have magically appeared!

[Whitey Grandad]

The NHS is good at emergencies but rubbish at routine. 

[hypochondriac]

More bad news for Starmer as Sultana brain and Corbyn look to setup the long predicted Islam Party. 

[whelk]

4 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

More bad news for Starmer as Sultana brain and Corbyn look to setup the long predicted Islam Party. 

Probably good news - somewhere for the wild lefties to go and not weigh down Labour 

[AlexLaw76]

Just a shite government 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/04/palestine-action-ban-considered-months-before-raf-break-in/

[Gloucester Saint]

19 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Just a shite government 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/04/palestine-action-ban-considered-months-before-raf-break-in/

Reform going great guns by contrast https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78n1dxl8wwo

What 6 MPs, now 4, two quit/walked out, another one with a racist question in the Commons caused the party chair to resign and declare working for a Reform government was a total waste of his time.

Litter of resignations across the councils just two months in, leaving acne-d teenagers in charge.

We will never get the Lib Dem government I’d like with Brexit and Tories are brown bread. So better hope Labour picks up hadn’t we?

Edited 8 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[whelk]

7 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Reform going great guns by contrast https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78n1dxl8wwo

What 6 MPs, now 4, two quit/walked out, another one with a racist question in the Commons caused the party chair to resign and declare working for a Reform government was a total waste of his time.

Litter of resignations across the councils just two months in, leaving acne-d teenagers in charge.

We will never get the Lib Dem government I’d like with Brexit and Tories are brown bread. So better hope Labour picks up hadn’t we?

Then there is this

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-council-meetings-cancelled-kent-nottinghamshire-b2763667.html

Batman’s heroes.
 

Surprised he hasn’t posted about being annoyed by Liverpool players openly showing grief for the cameras today

[whelk]

27 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Just a shite government 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/04/palestine-action-ban-considered-months-before-raf-break-in/

Mate, you must be quite excited the Asians from Manchester airport fight with police are getting prosecuted- defying Starmer direct orders to release them without charge

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, whelk said:

Mate, you must be quite excited the Asians from Manchester airport fight with police are getting prosecuted- defying Starmer direct orders to release them without charge

Edge of my seat

[AlexLaw76]

15 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Reform going great guns by contrast https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78n1dxl8wwo

What 6 MPs, now 4, two quit/walked out, another one with a racist question in the Commons caused the party chair to resign and declare working for a Reform government was a total waste of his time.

Litter of resignations across the councils just two months in, leaving acne-d teenagers in charge.

We will never get the Lib Dem government I’d like with Brexit and Tories are brown bread. So better hope Labour picks up hadn’t we?

Who cares about reform, they have 4 MPs and a few councils 

Labour are the building, and have been fucking terrible. 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, whelk said:

Then there is this

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-council-meetings-cancelled-kent-nottinghamshire-b2763667.html

Batman’s heroes.
 

Surprised he hasn’t posted about being annoyed by Liverpool players openly showing grief for the cameras today

Imagine their behaviour at Lib Dem, let alone former Tory scale or current Labour.

If they won say circa 70 seats at the next GE (God forbid) like the Lib Dem’s have now, proportionally 30 would be suspended or under investigation for fraud, sex offences, electoral misconduct etc.

All led by a graduate of Dulwich College. Party of the working class!

[whelk]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Who cares about reform, they have 4 MPs and a few councils 

Labour are the building, and have been fucking terrible. 

Genuine question, why do you think they  have been so bad?

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, whelk said:

Genuine question, why do you think they  have been so bad?

I think it has generally been covered across the spectrum of the news channels on multiple platforms 

[whelk]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

All led by a graduate of Dulwich College. Party of the working class

What you mean this guy’s not got the working man’s back?

[whelk]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I think it has generally been covered across the spectrum of the news channels on multiple platforms 

No real idea then. Thanks

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, whelk said:

No real idea then. Thanks

No problem 

[Gloucester Saint]

9 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Who cares about reform, they have 4 MPs and a few councils 

Labour are the building, and have been fucking terrible. 

I do. My grandfathers didn’t fight in WW2 for people like that to win power and Brexit has fucked our economy.

Reeves hasn’t done an especially good job but the markets trust her.

People forgotten the sheer carnage of Boris and Truss - I’m quite disappointed with Labour in many aspects and they need to do a lot better but a pro-European party I vote for won’t win power, although we might hold the keys to it next GE.

Edited 8 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

I do. My grandfathers didn’t fight in WW2 for people like that to win power and Brexit has fucked our economy.

Reeves hasn’t done an especially good job but the markets trust her.

People forgotten the sheer carnage of Boris and Truss - I’m quite disappointed with Labour in many aspects and they need to a lot better but a pro-European party I vote for won’t win power, although we might hold the keys to it next GE.

We are talking about the current government. As soon as someone pipes up with another example of their own race to the bottom, you (and others) start talking about Reform.

soggy playbook 101

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

We are talking about the current government. As soon as someone pipes up with another example of their own race to the bottom, you (and others) start talking about Reform.

soggy playbook 101

And I’m talking about a corrupt party with shady funding getting no scrutiny whatsoever from the media so the majority of the public who want them nowhere near politics have to the fill the gap. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

And I’m talking about a corrupt party with shady funding getting no scrutiny whatsoever from the media so the majority of the public who want them nowhere near politics have to the fill the gap. 

Why don’t you champion the current government, as opposed to just compare them to a party with 4 MPs

or, tell us all how bad reform are in the reform thread 

[egg]

10 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I think it has generally been covered across the spectrum of the news channels on multiple platforms 

What a crap swerve. 

Any chance of an actual answer? 

[whelk]

3 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

I do. My grandfathers didn’t fight in WW2 for people like that to win power and Brexit has fucked our economy.

Reeves hasn’t done an especially good job but the markets trust her.

People forgotten the sheer carnage of Boris and Truss - I’m quite disappointed with Labour in many aspects and they need to a lot better but a pro-European party I vote for won’t win power, although we might hold the keys to it next GE.

It’s funny though that when you dig into what most frustrates people with first year of Labour their isn’t much more than the NI rise. Like when thickos talk about EU regulations stifling us and when asked which ones they don’t have a clue. Oh yeah and they hate the way they Labour wanted to stop giving taxpayers money to wealthy pensioners.

Imagine if they didnt support Israel, or increasing defence or hadn’t got any trade deals done?

[whelk]

6 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

We are talking about the current government. As soon as someone pipes up with another example of their own race to the bottom, you (and others) start talking about Reform.

soggy playbook 101

They are cited as the alternative and ahead in polls. You too stupid to link it?

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, whelk said:

You too stupid to link it?

Try harder

[Gloucester Saint]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Why don’t you champion the current government, as opposed to just compare them to a party with 4 MPs

or, tell us all how bad reform are in the reform thread 

Didn’t vote Labour, voted Lib Dem, and we don’t get any press, Reform do and uniformally positive despite their staggering level of sleaze compared to our 72 MPs and their 4.

No need to champion the current lot and plenty to criticise but they’ve been good on foreign policy and are making some headway on health. Fuck ups on NI rise hitting SMEs under 10 people, charities, education etc, and the welfare issues although personally I thought their MPs were wrong and it should’ve been cut further. Fuel allowance was a bit daft politically as could’ve made the exemptions for those on £25k or less to start with. 

Tories hardly get mentioned now compared to Reform. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes the red tops to clock that 85% of Tory support is heading to Reform and whether they finally grow a pair around Farage or whether they’re willing to hammer the final nails in their party’s coffin.

Also, and very importantly, the May, Sunak and Starmer governments have been economically very stymied by the hard Brexit which Sunak and Starmer have tried to alleviate slightly - not fucking far enough in my book. I would say Boris but it was and Farage’s fault in the first place.

6% of our economy - Vote Leave didn’t advertise that.

Edited 6 hours ago by Gloucester Saint