Exciting new broom to fight a Tory government that has had it too easy with the opposition, or dismal and uninspiring, and about to lose the movement that was bringing back Labour’s true values?
Keir Starmer
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Definitely the only candidate the Tories will fear. So a good choice.
I don’t think ‘exciting’ is quite the word, but he is highly competent and can use his forensic analytical skills to really hold the government to account/expose their many inadequacies. I’m relieved it isn’t RLB; though I support the principle of a female leader, she would have been a disastrous choice for any prospect of Labour regaining power. Nandy has been impressive in many ways, but is not ready for the leadership we need now.
Couldn’t have put it better. But he needs to hit the ground running and give this shower of incompetents the proper scrutiny the country needs.
Well said @black-type
Broom?
He needs more than a sodding broom. I want to see him vigorously exercising one of these:
LOL. Couldn’t agree more. Hercules and the Augean Stables had it easy by comparison to the job he has to do, but if he has any sense, and we assume he has plenty, he will build a good team of sensible people and get the party functioning again.
Predictably the hard left fb pages are righteously aghast, fearful that the party, unwittingly, have stumbled into someone electable. I have unfollowed said pages.
They can always form their own party and see how much support they get.
They’ve had a bad day today. The Corbyn cult loses its leader, and one of his most prominent attack dogs has to publicly admit to his Islamaphobia and pay his victim’s legal fees.
Repairing five years of criminally negligent absence of opposition starts here. Great day in the morning, people, great day in the morning.
The hard left have lost their touch – they can’t even rig an election now. Starmer played a deft hand, not upsetting too many on the left whilst appealing to the centre and righter elements. RLB lost it when she declared she’d give Corbyn ‘10/10’, which showed piss poor judgement even if she really believed it. I’ve seen a few people say they are leaving the party because we’ve become the Tory party…FFS….
This is good news isn’t it? They are the mad idiots Labour needs shut of.
That was where RLB lost my vote. Stupid gauche answer to a question that was such an obvious trap she should never have gone anywhere near it. She’s potentially talented but nowhere near ready for high office. Personally I voted for Nandy, not least because it’s an embarrassment that Labour is the only major party not to have had a female leader, but not upset to see Starmer in.
Ditto.
And me. Pleased to see Nandy get a senior shadow cabinet post. Like Starmer and Rayner she seems bright and also a decent human being; Labour has the potential to have a front bench that could wipe the floor with the Conservatives (not saying much I admit).
Nothing for RLB so far..? That will annoy the headbangers. Agree about the front bench suddenly looking good…I used to cringe when Diane Abbott stood up.
I actually think Long-Bailey is OK and would be happy to see her as part of a broad church shadow cabinet.
She will get a portfolio – the Starm promised as much….
You could understand him not wanting to hear her voice more than he has to…but she gave Corbyn 10/10, and I think she meant it. Hardly a great start. She’s complete lightweight compared to many on the back benches.
He’ll be a massive improvement both in capability and intellect, but on the dull side. I just hope the nation is in the mood to have a grown up in charge again when he gets a chance.
Dull could be a good thing, after our present comedy act.
They haven’t had any grown-ups to choose from since before 2010, and many seem to have forgotten entirely that the option of electing an effective, pragmatic leader can even exist. The Tory media have seen to it along the way that that’s been the continuously nudged perception for a decade. Not only would the unwashed need to be in the mood, they’d need to have fucking woken up first. I’m not holding my breath.
He could probably join in some of the conversations here,
http://camdennewjournal.com/article/keir-starmer-selects-eu-anthem-at-desert-island-picks-event?fbclid=IwAR3hHRkLOeYGnK9xkd6TnZt_8B-Akdf_Qt1rt_yNfBOTYoW__7wVGfYDbfA
Good news. I might even rejoin the membership.
Well he appears to have shown more leadership and clarity this morning than Corbyn managed throughout his time in charge.
I hope Nandy gets a top position in the shadow cabinet. She comes across as someone with lots to offer.
A mountain to climb but at least there’s some hope now.
I think he has a mountain to climb just to get the bottom of the next mountain he has to climb but at last it appears Labour might have a leader who can rebuild the party in the eyes of an electorate rather than just its own members. Ideology without the ability to exercise power is not what we need to have a balanced system in the UK and (Iraq aside) 12 years of a Labour Government showed that a lot COULD be achieved – IF you’re in power.
Of course the right-wing press have already started – “Millionaire Keir Starmer ” already a reference point in the Sun.
Shadow Foreign Secretary for Nandy.
Thornberry, Abbott and the dreadful Barry Gardiner out of the shadow cabinet.
Rachel Reeves back in, although as I’ve not got the foggiest idea what the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s brief is, lord knows what their shadow does.
Emily Thornberry to International Trade.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is basically a fancy title for a minister without portfolio. The current holder is Oiky Gove, and basically operates as a senior adviser to the PM.
Strange to see the support for him on here. Everyone I know is against him but the Scottish factor (or is the English factor) comes into play.
He knows nothing about Scotland and I doubt his party will recover in Scotland until after the UK breaks up. But I can see him playing better in Tory England than Corbyn did.
People say that he won’t appeal to the Northen heartlands. Well they took to Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson pretty well.
This is great. A couple of years old, but was repeated at lunchtime today.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p060m3mz
Nothing for Jess yet? I rejoined just to vote for her – I want my £25 back
He has to have her in a post – a real talent.
Agree. Something like communities she’d be great.
Also a fan and agree. Unfortunately for every one of us who thinks she’s great there’s someone who thinks she’s a mouthy pain in the arse. Maybe KS is trying to avoid divisive figures.
I suppose Angela Rayner has that covered.
At the daily briefing on Friday, one journalist asked “Is it alright to go for a picnic for an hour?” Matt Hancock replied diplomatically, repeating his message.
What we really need is a politician like Jess to be blunt & say “Don’t be a prat! Stay in!”
I’m tempted to get a really vicious dog that I can keep to set on dear Jess if she should ever come a-knocking at my door ( which she probably will, seeing as she can knock on 4 doors a minute or something according to her hustings claims).
She has one talent. Self promotion. That’s it.
When she had the opportunity to speak like an adult & make her case for being taken seriously as a leadership candidate, she made such an arse of herself it was embarrassing, even for people who can’t stand her.
Perfect for a sound bite on the One Show or as a HIGNFY guest no doubt, but what is needed are people of substance, not hollow gobshites just now.
OOAA of course.
What a nasty thing to say. You’d like to set a vicious dog on Jess Phillips. Gentler kinder politics reigns then.
As I was saying…
On second thoughts, probably not such a good plan.
I wouldn’t want the dog to catch anything…
I’d like to say you is “ignorant” JJ but I’m terrified of nasty bitey dogs. And anyways, Keith has decided not to offer Jess anything. I definitely want my £25 back
Alright a bite.
Bostin!
Talking out your arse @Junglejim – she is scary because she says it how it is. I have never seen a politician less self obsessed.
Oh do me a favour.
This is the woman who claimed she told Diane Abbott to ‘fuck off’ when she did no such thing. She made sure she told all & sundry that he had, before later apologising.
Talking loud should never be confused with talking sense.
Exactly @SteveT. I went to one of her book readings and she was brilliant. Funny, passionate and thoughtful. And modest to a fault.
An entirely new name to me so that’s refreshing but for how long? I still have not soured on David Miliband. Is he like him?
P.S. Great name.
I’m happy with the result. My first choice was actually Nandy, on the grounds that I wasn’t sure that he had the stomach for the vigorous ice-picking now required. Early indications are that I was unduly pessimistic.
It’s worth noting that the hard left also lost control of the NEC and their candidate lost the Scottish deputy leadership election. All good. hopefully the 57 varieties will take the hint and fuck off back to selling each other newspapers.
I’m more optimistic than I’ve been for a long time. An electable leader just as the wheels come off the Nat bandwagon is the icing on the cake.
Anyone been reading the excerpts from Gabriel Pogrund’s and Patrick McGuire’s Left Out in this week’s Times or planning on buying the book when it comes out next week?
FWIW, it’s a pretty damning indictment of Corbyn’s disastrous leadership of Labour in the run up to last year’s debacle at the polls
From the three excerpts I’ve read so far, it comes across as being the most readable UK political book since Tim Shipman’s Brexit campaign magnum opus, All Out War.
His DID choices:
Falling and Laughing, Dobie Gray, Edwin Hawkins – fair enuff
Three Lions – Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear
Stormzy?…- turns out this man does have rather a wicked sense of humour.
In fairness, he took the approach I would, which isn’t your favorite 8 tracks, but 8 tracks that have strong memories for you.
I’d pick a song for my Dad, one for my son, one for Sharon, and then other significant life events for me. That’s more or less what he did.