Westminster Politics 2024-2029

That’s a different question. Your politics I.e what you believe in and whether you are a good: bad politician are different.

She’s a unionised socialist. That’s everything I disagree with.

That’s different to whether she a capable politician. Which she is, as a back bencher or perhaps opposition. But she should be nowhere near a brief.

So for example, I fundamentally disagree with almost everything that Nicola Sturgeon stands for, but she was for the most part a good politician.
OK, makes sense. So what is it about her as a politician that you disagree with?
 
I think the Greens will stand aside and Labour will get a massive turnout for Burnham. Him beating Reform personally and then getting elected leader is a very good start. The momentum shift needed.
 
That’s a different question. Your politics I.e what you believe in and whether you are a good: bad politician are different.

She’s a unionised socialist. That’s everything I disagree with.

That’s different to whether she a capable politician
. Which she is, as a back bencher or perhaps opposition. But she should be nowhere near a brief.

So for example, I fundamentally disagree with almost everything that Nicola Sturgeon stands for, but she was for the most part a good politician.



We disagree about Rayner. That’s fine, and we can leave it there.

I said reasonable about Starmer, and at face value that’s about right, not good, not great and yes not a laughing stock. What a standard.

This part i get and understand. Thats the kind of clarity i was curious about. I disagree (i think its a good thing) but thats another conversation I'm not too pushed having so happy to leave it there.
 
Not sure where you’re based, but he’s undeniably very popular in Manc and is generally seen as being as someone who stood up against Westminster. I suspect he’ll do well.
I understand he's got personal popularity, but this is also a constituency that would be a fairly easy flip at the next election, so he's relying a *lot* on his brand to win here, when he'd have ideally picked an easier seat that he can parachute into.
 
Now I absolutely detest Reform with a passion and do not want them to win the seat as I want this country to succeed, but there would be about 1% of me that would find it funny to see all those plotters panic and all completely rule themselves by proving they have no idea what the feck they're doing
 
I understand he's got personal popularity, but this is also a constituency that would be a fairly easy flip at the next election, so he's relying a *lot* on his brand to win here, when he'd have ideally picked an easier seat that he can parachute into.
Well he’d have certainly preferred Jeff Smith’s seat. But equally, if he wins, then the “I can beat Reform” narrative will be pretty useful for him in a leadership contest. So maybe it’s worth the gamble.
 


How can you be a party leader and not bother to vote? Not even be bothered to register to vote?
 
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Other than Streeting himself. Is there anyone who thinks, 'yes, that's the man we need to turn this around'.

He's a Starmer-lite prefect who will repulse every corner of the electorate.
No, and it's precisely why he hasn't announced his campaign. He's realised these past two days he hasn't got the numbers to win, but he's had to resign regardless because it was an open secret what he was upto, making his position untenable. And with that, he's allowing Burnham to sneak in with enough time, meaning he's got absolutely no chance.

In short, they jumped the gun (in fairness, that's in hindsight, think he and his team thought he'd have more support) and fecked it.
 
I think the Greens will stand aside and Labour will get a massive turnout for Burnham. Him beating Reform personally and then getting elected leader is a very good start. The momentum shift needed.
Let's hope that happens but think the Greens will want a shot at Burnham and you can never trust the electorate not to vote for their Reform fascist overlords.
 
That he was too scared to register to vote, whilst happy to give the impression that he would indeed be voting?
Whether people want to believe it is one thing but that's the reason given. I can somewhat understand it and I don't know when the campaign video was recorded as it doesn't say on the tweet, just that it was released on 3rd May.
 
Who keeps breifing Streeting is an incredible communicator? He's monotonous, scripted, creepy and jarring.

Milliband had a go and failed, plus a good portion of the electorate hates him RE: Net Zero.

The electorate are idiots when it comes to net zero, it was put into law by the Tories, not Milliband.
 
It'll be because she comes across like a reight slow thicko

Because in this country your accent determines your perceived intelligence
To be fair, I have that accent, love in her constituency and had voted for her prior to 2024, and I still think she comes across as a thicko.
 
The best thing for Labour would be if that insufferable cnut and fake shadow Home Secretary stood for Reform. Despite him being a facist sympathiser, the Reform lot won’t vote for him. He threatened to stand against Burnham last time and hope he does again. He needs bringing down several pegs.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwy21gpr1kzt

Andy Burnham confirms he'll try to run for Parliament after Labour MP Josh Simons says he'll resign to make way for him

Excellent news in my opinion. We need someone to provide clear leadership to the party and the country as well as taking the fight to Farage.
He's the only person with the potential to turn things around for Labour.

Politically he has rebranded a few times left, right, left! But he's popular and has a good track record.
 
Whether people want to believe it is one thing but that's the reason given. I can somewhat understand it and I don't know when the campaign video was recorded as it doesn't say on the tweet, just that it was released on 3rd May.

Oh, im happy to believe the reason given. Not sure it screams Prime Minister material.
 
I understand he's got personal popularity, but this is also a constituency that would be a fairly easy flip at the next election, so he's relying a *lot* on his brand to win here, when he'd have ideally picked an easier seat that he can parachute into.
This. I have said this elsewhere but Burnham getting elected via a by-election is fraught with danger, as it is essentially a proxy vote for PM.

Unlike a lot of people, I do not subscribe to the idea that the higher the turnout the higher probability the left win. In fact, I fully suspect the higher the turnout the higher the likelihood that the vote goes Right - just see Brexit as an example, this goes double in an area such as Makerfield.

For me, Burnham is at best going to scrape through this by-election and probably going to actually lose it after Reform carpetbomb it with propaganda and the media play along. It is absolute madness if the majority of Labour supporters believe this is going to be successful.
 
This. I have said this elsewhere but Burnham getting elected via a by-election is fraught with danger, as it is essentially a proxy vote for PM.

Unlike a lot of people, I do not subscribe to the idea that the higher the turnout the higher probability the left win. In fact, I fully suspect the higher the turnout the higher the likelihood that the vote goes Right - just see Brexit as an example, this goes double in an area such as Makerfield.

For me, Burnham is at best going to scrape through this by-election and probably going to actually lose it after Reform carpetbomb it with propaganda and the media play along. It is absolute madness if the majority of Labour supporters believe this is going to be successful.

Madness? How is a calculated risk to try and get their only popular politician into Parliament madness? Madness was stopping him standing in Gorton in the first place. Or incredible selfishness and hubris from Starmer and co I suppose.
 
Fair play to Burnham, risking everything on a seat in an area that just went Reform on local elections is a ballsy move. Having worked with GMCA, I am well aware of Burnham's shortcomings and know more than most about what he's actually achieved versus the perception of what he's actually achieved. I'm no longer a Labour member, but I want Labour to succeed and I think he's the only man for the job.

Help us Obi Wan Andy Burnham, you're our only hope.
 
When was the last time a politician stood in a by-election (and one intentionall called for them) solely so they could be installed as PM, or party leader? It sounds like something they’d do back in the days of rotten boroughs but I can’t think of any modern examples.
There's been one in my lifetime and I'm not as old as @Buster15 or @Maticmaker :)

1963 - Alec Douglas-Home became PM whilst not a sitting MP
 
Some parties don’t have 5 million to spend on security.
A semi-competent person could've sorted out the anonymous registration. Surely there are Green MPs or other officials he could've asked for help to get it done in time. The whole thing seems amateurish.
 
Why does it seem that there are posters on here who are better at answering questions than any Labor leader?
 
what a disaster Labour is in. I think the Burnham election move is utterly fraught with unknowns. He's by far the best option in terms of overall appeal, but in a party of hopefuls now trying to create their own supporter groups, he's on the back foot and will have an instant section of the party MPs and members against him.

Furthermore, creating a by-election in a "safe" seat in a situation where the country hates your party, in today's political climate, is basically asking for an embarrassing result. People may vote against him for no other reason than to express venom at Starmer and may even like Burnham . The vitriol in UK politics is high. I think brexit, and many other factors opened the door, or perhaps the better word would be "validated" a form of "hurt yourself to feel a temporary high" style of politics in the UK. Some of the polling out of the council elections screams at this. Heavy reform support in brexit areas meaning people were voting on national politics in a setting where you should be considering tax rates, bin collection etc.

Could I see Burnham winning, getting the leadership and doing a good job? Absolutely. Could Burnham, Labour continue on the same path of shit government and the public now be so open to spite politics that it all goes tits up and gets even worse? Absolutely.

Personally I think labour left reform alone, or just copied them, for so long that they have now normalised and rationalised Reform to the national level so embarrassment of voting in that direction has evaporated. Labour needs to "reform..heh" the entire policy direction of government into something distinct, appealing and viable.
 
I think the Greens will stand aside and Labour will get a massive turnout for Burnham. Him beating Reform personally and then getting elected leader is a very good start. The momentum shift needed.

The by-election will have a bigger turn out than a local election as well. I don’t think he will lose it
 
Found myself in a Reform/Restore echo chamber hell hole algorithm on X.

One minute I’m being quoted articles about him privatising the NHS, the next minute he’s being called a commie.

I cant believe how tribal it all is. Complete robots programmed to immediately and aggressively oppose without even giving it a second thought. Pedo apologist/grooming gang cover up seems to be the line they’re going for because they know parts of the base are incapable of understanding much more than that.
 
I think the Greens will stand aside and Labour will get a massive turnout for Burnham. Him beating Reform personally and then getting elected leader is a very good start. The momentum shift needed.

The Green’s hardly index at all in Makerfield, both at a general and local election levels meaning if they were to step aside Burnham just doesn’t have an easier ride by proxy.

Looking at the local numbers, even if you combined Labour and the Greens, they still would have lost to Reform.
 
Found myself in a Reform/Restore echo chamber hell hole algorithm on X.

One minute I’m being quoted articles about him privatising the NHS, the next minute he’s being called a commie.

I cant believe how tribal it all is. Complete robots programmed to immediately and aggressively oppose without even giving it a second thought. Pedo apologist/grooming gang cover up seems to be the line they’re going for because they know parts of the base are incapable of understanding much more than that.

It’s obvious, but spending less time on X is a significant step forward to a happier life.
 
It’s obvious, but spending less time on X is a significant step forward to a happier life.
I binned it at the advice of Pogue ages ago.

Zero regrets, people post interesting tweets here anyway so not losing anything.
 
Oh, im happy to believe the reason given. Not sure it screams Prime Minister material.
Doesn't really bother me. I find it funny that there are constant attempts to smear him and they're all pretty small time pathetic things while people like Farage are going around doing extremely dodgy shit and he gets a free pass.
 
Found myself in a Reform/Restore echo chamber hell hole algorithm on X.

One minute I’m being quoted articles about him privatising the NHS, the next minute he’s being called a commie.

I cant believe how tribal it all is. Complete robots programmed to immediately and aggressively oppose without even giving it a second thought. Pedo apologist/grooming gang cover up seems to be the line they’re going for because they know parts of the base are incapable of understanding much more than that.

Bots pump out the content, the people consume, share and create communities around the same opinions. Vulnerability (children) is one of the primers to get emotions flowing and then next minute and a few AI videos later you're talking about the merits of destroying the NHS to stop a sudanese mother taking her child to a health clinic.

Prejudices of people, groups etc may sit within these people, but there are barriers to keep it locked away. Social media, AI videos, insular communities break the barriers down. Embarrassment lessens and eventually that shifts into outright and open vitriol.