[Arrowhead]

The poor-looking performance among Remainers with Labour reflects Labour voters supporting the Greens now. I'm reasonably relaxed about that.

That’ll almost certainly be angsty Corbynites and the Glastonbury coolkids switching from Labour to the Greens. Predictable, but likely to be a big problem for Labour by the next GE. At least when Labour leak voters to the Lib Dems it helps tip the Winchesters, South Cambridgeshires and Cheltenhams of the world away from the Tories. A swing to the Greens will probably just mean some of the university seats becoming problematic for Labour, which won’t bother the Tories one iota.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It could certainly be a problem if it stays that way, but I don't think all that many people will waste their votes like that when Sir Keir's green investment promises have had more time to get noticed.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Slightly odd letter here. Bloke says Starmer is New Labour. Agrees that New Labour did some good stuff, then lists some bad stuff which aren't the policy of any party now. Conclusion, apparently, is that Starmer Labour doesn't offer anything. As ever no mention of green investment.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... fer-voters

[Malcolm Armsteen]

When I was looking for my Winsor and Newtons I found a bottle of green Quink.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm getting rather irritated with the ignoring of the green investment. We were told this stuff was the most important issue, the only issue. When Starmer announces it, suddenly it's not as important as giving Jez the whip back.

[The Weeping Angel]

Not good.

https://labourlist.org/2021/10/focus-gr ... shi-sunak/

“I dislike Keir Starmer. I think he uses his law background to try and bamboozle Boris. And anything that has gone wrong he’s very, very quick to say ‘I would have done this’ or ‘I would have done that'”
“Whether it’s fake news or not, Keir Starmer is actually remembered for the one that let Jimmy Savile get away. He was in charge of the CPS at the time. And I still don’t know who he is. He’s not made that impression.”
“I feel the Labour Party were so behind after Jeremy Corbyn, we needed this big strong character, and there wasn’t one. People aren’t interested in what he could have done different, they need to know what he wants to do from now.”
“He’s an absolute tool. I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth.”
“He’s not a likeable character. And I don’t like the fact that he just kind of… well, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and anyone could be in a good job if they knew every– they could predict the future, then obviously everyone could get the right answers.”
“I would struggle to recognise a picture of him.”
“Completely wrong man for the job.”
“He looks a bit of a weirdo.”

[Youngian]

He looks a bit of a weirdo.

At least that’s an independent minded opinion. ‘Keir’s Captain Hindsight and we’re not interested in what he’d done differently,’ are views of politically disengaged floating voters, really?

On Sunak. Wasn’t knowledgeable enough to know going to restaurants spreads viruses.

“He comes across very informed and very knowledgeable and that to me is reassuring”
“Seems well-educated and knowledgeable”

[The Weeping Angel]

Of course the Corbynites are reacting with unrestrained glee.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hang on, I thought Starmer was having a very easy time from the media, per Jez fans. He's being smeared, this one seems to suggest. Which is it?

Hands up who thought "make Keir leader, the media won't smear him". No, me neither. I was just happy he didn't have Corbyn baggage.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He looks a bit of a weirdo.

At least that’s an independent minded opinion. ‘Keir’s Captain Hindsight and we’re not interested in what he’d done differently,’ are views of politically disengaged floating voters, really?

On Sunak. Wasn’t knowledgeable enough to know going to restaurants spreads viruses.

“He comes across very informed and very knowledgeable and that to me is reassuring”
“Seems well-educated and knowledgeable”

Yeah, sounds like a bunch of dustbin voters. Or as we used to call them in the noughties, Lib Dems.

Best one was "clever lawyer confuses good old Boris".

[Youngian]

Best one was "clever lawyer confuses good old Boris".

The same person who said this? Bet all coppers are bastards as they’ve nicked him a few times.

I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth.

[Arrowhead]

Not good.

https://labourlist.org/2021/10/focus-gr ... shi-sunak/

“I would struggle to recognise a picture of him.”

It's an unflattering comparison for Starmer, but I'm old enough to remember Nick Clegg being roundly mocked for his anonymity when he became Lib Dem leader back in the late noughties. A couple of years later we had the Cleggasm nonsense and he found himself as kingmaker in 2010.

[Youngian]

Jammy Jezza was not that well known on the doorstep in GE2017 which was a stroke a luck. As well as the media and Tories going easy on him.
I doubt Keir will win over people who believe Jimmy Savile conspiracies on Facebook or even waste time chasing them.

[Arrowhead]

The Savile stuff is already becoming a meme on Facebook, unfortunately. My gentle-natured aunt over in the East Midlands, who I would describe as a Labour Leaver who voted Tory for the first time in 2019, recently shared a crudely photoshopped image of Starmer and some kids taking the knee in front of Savile above a caption that read something like “He thought Jimmy deserved a second chance”, or some such bollocks.

[Boiler]

I have the feeling this Savile business will be his undoing, sadly.

Pointing out Saint Maggie used to have Savile to dinner won't cut it either.

[Watchman]

And gave him a knighthood

[zuriblue]

The Savile stuff is already becoming a meme on Facebook, unfortunately. My gentle-natured aunt over in the East Midlands, who I would describe as a Labour Leaver who voted Tory for the first time in 2019, recently shared a crudely photoshopped image of Starmer and some kids taking the knee in front of Savile above a caption that read something like “He thought Jimmy deserved a second chance”, or some such bollocks.

I've responded to a couple of those with a picture of Savile and Thatcher - didn't he actually spend a couple of Wintervals at Chequers with the Thatcher family?

[Arrowhead]

I have the feeling this Savile business will be his undoing, sadly.

Same here.

I can see the next GE being a tale of two Tory campaigns running concurrent to one another, one overground and the other underground. The first being the respectable, broad daylight campaign which at least pretends to maintain some sense of civility (“I respectfully disagree with the Rt Hon gentleman……..”), with the other being played out amid the swamps and cesspools of Facebook and Twitter (“Starmer stands up for kiddie-fiddlers”, “Labour wanna break up the UK with the SNP”, “Mid Staffs wuz Burnham’s fault”). The thing is, it’ll be the exact same group of Tory strategists directing both campaigns.

[Boiler]

The Savile stuff is already becoming a meme on Facebook, unfortunately. My gentle-natured aunt over in the East Midlands, who I would describe as a Labour Leaver who voted Tory for the first time in 2019, recently shared a crudely photoshopped image of Starmer and some kids taking the knee in front of Savile above a caption that read something like “He thought Jimmy deserved a second chance”, or some such bollocks.

I've responded to a couple of those with a picture of Savile and Thatcher - didn't he actually spend a couple of Wintervals at Chequers with the Thatcher family?

A regular at the New Year's Eve parties the Thatchers used to hold, apparently.

[Youngian]

I have the feeling this Savile business will be his undoing, sadly.

Same here.

I can see the next GE being a tale of two Tory campaigns running concurrent to one another, one overground and the other underground. The first being the respectable, broad daylight campaign which at least pretends to maintain some sense of civility (“I respectfully disagree with the Rt Hon gentleman……..”), with the other being played out amid the swamps and cesspools of Facebook and Twitter (“Starmer stands up for kiddie-fiddlers”, “Labour wanna break up the UK with the SNP”, “Mid Staffs wuz Burnham’s fault”). The thing is, it’ll be the exact same group of Tory strategists directing both campaigns.

Can’t Labour do that? Doubt it can win campaigning on the real ishoos.

I see the Hungarian opposition parties have enjoyed high participation in primaries to select a single candidate against Orban. He’s a liberal centre-right guy whose sits somewhere around Blair or Rory Stewart on the spectrum. But that’s not who we’d get if those primaries were repeated here. The turnout would be woeful amongst sane people so Laura Pidcock or Burgon would win.