Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Leader of Hr Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

Is he really doing as badly as the Corbynites claim?

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 11:10 am Leader of Hr Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

Is he really doing as badly as the Corbynites claim?

This reminds me. We need a "Questions to which the answer is no" thread.

I dunno, if I'm honest. He's no firebrand, but I would expect to hear more noise about the Tory corruption that is just getting worse and worse with seemingly, no opposition. Okay, we know the Corbynites will never be satisfied until Jewemy and his acolytes are returned to power but has Starmer made an impression in those Northern seats? What I read tends to say 'no' - he's damned by his position on Brexit in the past and again, he's not seen as "working class" enough despite being of 'umbler origins than Saint bloody Jeremy was.

A part of me thinks he's just a placeman until someone better comes along - but as yet, who'd be that better?

The worst thing for this jaded old fool is that I can see Brexit dominating the political landscape for decades. "What did YOU do in the Brexit War, Daddy?", as the old poster didn't say.

As I've said to several friends of mine, Starmer's biggest flaw in my book is a resemblance to Colonel Blimp.

He's a lawyer, and I understand that he wants to play by the rules and act like a gentleman. But it only works when the other side cares about playing by the rules, as well.

He needs to take the gloves off whilst we've still got a country worth saving.

Hoyle has the same problem.

Samanfur wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 12:14 pm He's a lawyer, and I understand that he wants to play by the rules and act like a gentleman. But it only works when the other side cares about playing by the rules, as well.

Quote from a Greek front-of-house manager during the Olympics:

"You in England have rules to obey; we have rules to break." Nowadays, that is us: always looking for the exploitable loophole for personal gain.

Take this; https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/polit ... rs-265160/

WHY would Tories vote this down? Quote from a Tory supporter elsewhere:

The question I have, on reflex, is whether this will actually do any good. I support the need to do something, and recognise that symbolism matters, but don’t what see this measure, as reported in that link, will achieve to make change.

Similarly, the Bill that has been the subject of the "Kill The Bill" protests recently (and let me tell you, that phrase - Kill The Bill - has drawn a lot of indignation from comfortably-retired Brexiter Tories who have taken it to mean "Kill the police") - why isn't more noise being made about that?

There is a MASSIVE onslaught on our civil liberties right now, and I am NOT hearing enough noise from the Party opposite about it.

Maybe they're too frightened of Murdoch and Rothermere going through their bins.

Sorry to repeat James O'Brien again, but he really is the one shining light in the all-enveloping darkness. Starmer is good at getting the judge onside but not so good with the jury.

One of the problems is that it's hard to tell the difference between genuine and bad faith criticism from the Corbynites and Northern Independence types. Take the Public order bill Labour voted against it but still people attacked Starmer based on rumours Labour would abstain.

Compare and contrast:

Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning

davidjay wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:29 am Sorry to repeat James O'Brien again, but he really is the one shining light in the all-enveloping darkness. Starmer is good at getting the judge onside but not so good with the jury.

Quite, the general public aren't going to be keeping record or bothered to trawl through all the documentation of all the pork haystack's mendacity. They deem the winner at PMQs to be whoever gets in the "spiciest zinger", which unfortunately Starmer seems to above to try making. Cameron excelled at getting them in against a dull and stuffy Stalin McBroon, or the gawky and geeky Red Ed Millipede.

Neil Postman foresaw this coming many decades ago.

Samanfur wrote: ↑Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:35 pm Compare and contrast:

Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning

Pub landlord is a Covied denier plus he manhandled a female member of staff and the owner of the Pub has apologised to Starmer.

Samanfur wrote: ↑Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:35 pm Compare and contrast:

Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning

When I lived in Bath, The Raven had local fame for the quality of its pies and home-brewed ales. I am sad I will now have hesitance about going back next time I'm in the area.

Then again, the west country is littered with these old school boozers that pretty much speak Essex Man opinions through a wurzerlizer, but hold extra pretentious pride at not being a brewery shill for commercial lager so I'm not entirely surprised that the landlord here is a COVID denier.

Plenty of similar pubs in Dorset/Bournemouth. Full of Essex/estuary boys because it's not as far as Cornwall.

Good to be back!

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/04/19/rod-humphris/

Seems he wasn't happy that Starmer has been limp opposition so far, I'm fairly sure Starmer has raised the question about why the pandemic preparations were dismantled at PMQs and Johnson predictably fobbed him off with a non-answer?

Repeatedly.

The man is a genuine swivel-eyed loon - look at the brief video. My reading of what he was saying to Starmer was that he had ordered a lockdown, as though he was in government - a frequent mental lapse for Corbynfluffers.

That and a clash of the 24-hour news cycle needing something to fill it, and this ridiculous insistence on 'balance', which means that no matter what the subject is, we always have to hear from a swivel-eyed loon, just to avoid accusations that you weren't listening to both sides of an argument. Even if the other side insisted that the sky was purple, and the Queen is fifty rabbits in a panto costume.

Personally, I like John Oliver's take on it - if you have to have a token ranter to represent the one per cent who don't believe the experts or the general consensus, then bring in 99 experts to represent the people who do.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:29 pm

State of that bloke.

Has Tim Wetherspoon been cloned?

I dont really get the idea that 'Starmer hasnt done enough to oppose'.

He's facing an 80 seat Tory majority (delivered by his predecessor), so the government can pretty much do what they want.

Add to that the effects of the pandemic, and its pretty hard to see what SKS could have done. Maybe rant a bit more about Palestine, I suppose.