Suggested by a commentator this morning, the question of the day flows straight from yesterday's Labour Party fiasco in the Commons last night:
Is Keir Starmer sabotaging his own chance of winning a general election?
- Who knows? I am sure he does not (31%, 213 Votes)
- Yes (29%, 199 Votes)
- Perhaps he's a Tory really (24%, 170 Votes)
- No (17%, 116 Votes)
Total Voters: 698
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Keir, and those around him is terrified of this issue. He knows that the RW press can spin any lack of unconditional support for the far-right Likud regime into an accusation of antisemitism.
He had a front row seat for the public slurring and shaming of one of the least racist members of the house, for whom peace and justice has been a life work, into a caricature.
There are political trip-wires for him all over this issue and he sees his only job for the next twelve months as carrying the precious vase over the line. And while the ethnic cleansing, genocidal atrocities and war crimes continue, which he well knows and understands, he cannot say a word.
Some will say this is weakness. “How can anyone tolerate the slaughter of children etc”. But perhaps it takes great strength to hold his tongue while such appalling injustice continues until after election night.
I hope I am right. I met Kier when as a human rights lawyer in the1990’s he came to do a speech to the law undergrads at my Uni. I still believe the man would make a good PM, and I believe he is haunted by the ghosts of what the RW press did to Kinnock when he was a teenager and to Milliband and Corbyn more recently. I think he believes the risk of the tories sneaking back in outweighs the moral imperative to say the right thing now when he has no power to implement change.
Holding your tongue for perosnal gain is not a characcteristic I look for in a leader
This article suggests that some very dirty washing will get aired between now & whenever the next election is called.
https://novaramedia.com/2023/11/14/the-corruption-behind-starmers-rise-has-finally-been-exposed/
Sabotaging his chances? Article suggests that this has been happening (but brushed under the carpet) for some time.
It is staggering that this is not getting wider publicity
Ha!
So, PSR seems to be right?
As long as we allow such opaqueness to exist in political funding, Starmer and others will always be the result.
I always used to think that I was not good enough to get into politics and that those that did were more capable. Or that I lacked something or other – all the bullshit about personality and charm and all the books written mastrubating over what you needed to lead etc., which these days owe more to PR and presentation than anything called morality or character.
And then it all comes down to this – money.
And a secret cadre of rich backers. And a willingness – purely Thatcherite of course – to be bought for a fee – like Tony.
It makes his change of mind to join the Corbyn government more sinister now – don’t you think?
How depressing – if true.
A ruthless and successful lying campaign to get Starmer installed as leader, the most worrying aspect being the ‘dark money’ and maybe illegal non – declaration of donations to Labour Together (Reeves, Streeting. et al)
How is it there is ruthless efficient clear thinking about organising a putsch like this – but utter self defeating stupidity and refusal to think through how the economy, the NHS and poverty could be dealt with? Their doleful ‘private sector growth will do it’ model is doomed from the start.
Soon to appear: the Advent Calendar of Parliamentary Labour Party Purges.
Would you be kind enough to tell me where I can buy one?
The Labour Party Labour Central, Kings Manor Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6PA
Doubtful.
Putting aside that Starmer’s poll lead is nothing to do with any competence or good policy ideas on his part and entirely owing to the Conservative Party imploding twice in succession and a near-complete refusal by the press to print anything even slightly critical of him, this is a foreign policy thing and not really an election winner or loser.
I could believe it’s an attempt at justifying a further purge of the party’s centre-left, though, and I could see him considering losing the next election, no matter how unlikely, as acceptable collateral.
If I was going to sabotage my own party’s chances at the next election, I would do everything that Starmer has done. The question then is why? Blackmail? The Fourth Estate? A Tory plant?
I just can’t get over the pig-headed stupidity. Turning a bad day for the Conservatives into a disaster for Labour. All the idiot had to do was to allow a free vote. ((Our MP voted for a cease fire, thank goodness)
That was literally all he had to do – make it a conscience issue
But he hates the sNP too much for that
Party; the epitome of the corruption of values. There is no way round that essential truth. It haunts our history.
Corroboration of Richard’s theory. Our son and family live in Edinburgh. In Edinburgh Council SNP are the largest party but the council is being run by a Labour-Conservative-LibDem alliance. Alternatively, the SNP may be too left-wing for new improved Labour.
In Scotland the divide is between Unionism and Independence
Tories, Labour and LibDems in Scotland are ALL Unionist first and foremost which is why they make informal coalitions against the SNP & Greens. Their only policies are anti ScotGov
During his campaign to win the leadership of the Party, Starmer declared that he was a Zionist ‘without qualification’. That’s why he couldn’t allow his MPs a free vote on the ceasefire motion. It would be interesting to see the conditions he signed up to when he accepted these funders’ money.
I feel for those who were in Labour and have a life’s contribution to the Party wrecked by the machinations of Starmer/Evans – smeared, suspended, discarded, insulted.
If that is a sign of his integrity………
Amongst other groupings which will be horrified by Labour’s refusal to support a ceasefire, this will certainly have a big impact on the millions of British Muslim votes whch Labour has taken for granted for many years now – https://muslimcensus.co.uk/labour-losing-muslim-vote/ –
Well. I’ll probably not vote for him now.
No, he isn’t, because (I think) voters are so turned off by the utter failure and permanent shambles represented by the Tories at present, that the kind of disagreements existing currently within Labour pale into insignificance in comparison. I suspect that for the majority of voters, both Starmer’s position and that of the ‘rebels’ are understandable – it’s a reasonable disagreement over an agonising issue. What is on display from the Tories, however, is incompetence, lunacy, and lack of credible direction on an epic scale.
We will have to disagree
Every day, Oliver Eagleton’s book “The Starmer Project” is borne out.
We now have an incoming Sunday Times expose of the hidden £730m bung from somewhere that created and funded the shadowy ‘Labour Together’ wrecking operation, to put Starmer in charge. If 50% of this is true, he is a liar of considerable scale, but little prowess.
I think it was £730k
As someone who could never vote Tory but have occasionally voted tactically against the Tories, I will never vote Labour as long as Starmer and his ilk are in command.
I will probably vote Green, albeit with reluctance because they are pro-Nato, and could well head along the same path as the incredibly stupid German Greens.
Either way, until FPTP is abolished in favour of a more democratic system, the tweedledum and tweedledee capitalist twin parties will continue to ruin the country.
I will vote LibDem which is the only vaguely constructive use of my vote that I can think of in my constituency – because it might just get rid of Lucy Fraser MP
The Lib Dems backed the SNP amendment.
Way back in the early 1970s, when I was too young to be cynical, but had the instinct to avoid Conservative or Labour, I made the fatal mistake of joining the old Liberal Party. I wrote a paper on the prospects for the oil industry to transform the economy; for the Scottish Liberals. They were quite keen about it, and circulated it to candidates. The upshot was, I attended the Scottish Liberal conference. I was deeply unimpressed by what I saw and experienced, but cutting hastily to the chase; on came the leader for the Big Speech. I had never seen him ‘close up’ before rather than on TV (we underestimate the artificial ‘distancing’ created by a TV screen). My jaw hit the floor. I could not believe such an obviously unctuous, rebarbative charlatan could conceivably have risen to the top of the Party. My flesh crept. Of course, he received the usual standing ovation. I looked round. I was the only person I could see, who remained seated.
The leader? It was Jeremy Thorpe.
I never met him
But I met many of his cohort
I was unimpressed
I bloody hope he is!
I seem him as “a clear and present danger ” to decency and democracy, and all progressive forces must do all they can to prevent him from entering No.10.
An obvious sufferer from what I call moronavirus, the virus that turns brains and consciences to moronic mush!
Deliberately? I doubt it. But he’s not making it hard for the Tories, just himself. We need MPs with principles and there aren’t enough of them. Certainly none of the leaders of the three main English parties have any.
I keep wondering what would happen if the SNP fielded candidates in Northern England. They won’t, but what if they did?
Have a look at what’s happening in Sheffield council (which has had the top-down, dirigiste Starmerkultur imposed). I don’t think it’s unique, although there are local specifics. They even agreed to some message from London to put up an Israeli flag over the town hall, a day or two after 7th October, in a city with substantial S Asian origin and other Muslim minorities. Labour seems to be shooting itself in the foot at all levels. Regular Labour voters are disillusioned, activists demotivated. LibDem and Greens gain. I agree with the comment that Greens could/should get on the road and present a robust alternative; but unfortunately they lack resources.