Tactical empty rhetoric then. Must be seen…but we have to agree it because there is a 99p deal on at McDonalds.
That isn’t the politics though is it. The politics is whether Starmer could have played this better and the answer is he certainly could have.
1 Like
From our side it will look like this
2 Likes
I hope the balloons are made in the UK, or the whole system might grind to a halt.
8 Likes
We’re not short of hot air.
1 Like
I don’t know what he could do with a fractured party. Getting Brexit into the past seems the only way forward in pulling the Labour party together. Unless you’re aware of something else?
I think we’re at the stage where politicians are waking up to the reality that it was always going to be shit.
2 Likes
Hope yet for Farage’s post European Parliament employment
5 Likes
It all depends; whether the end game is so obvious, and here it is. What you think it would have done his reputation some benefit to feign a position to only later agree the deal. Effectively taking the electorate for a walk - after 4 years of stress - nah, this is why you are not in politics mate. This one is too sensitive to play, and sometimes the right answer screams amidst the twittering noise.
He could have pushed some buttons to put more emphasis on Tory divisions, instead he allieviated that pressure.
There were many ways of playing this and still getting the same result, Starmer imo cut them all off except one. imo that’s politically naive.
UK border control
EU border
What was politically worse for them was to have no particular stance on the matter at the last election. “We’ll stop BREXIT” might have put them in power. “Erm, hmmm, maybe this maybe that” fucked them utterly.
3 Likes
Its a good point, and to now come up with dissension at a Tory brokered deal…looks duplicitous.
1 Like
But the Lib Dems ran a campaign to stop brexit and did even worse than Labour, so I’m not entirely convinced that would have made any difference
Because the Lib dems got less vote than screaming lord sutch. They’re commonly considered to be a joke party these days.
Labour was heavily split over Brexit. It was probably doomed which ever way it went. It’s real failure was in not challenging the government properly in the years following the referendum. By not doing so it could never find a genuine middle point to rally support around. By the time of the election, the Brexit question just added to the distrust people had of Corbyn and the 2nd referendum seemed to many a muddled cop out, than a practical solution.
2 Likes
Lib Dems did badly for a several reasons. They had lost a lot of credibility following their coalition with the Tories in the early part of the decade, and their leader at the last election didnt come across well.
Secondly, labour’s offer of a second referendum did enough to hold many of the remain voting elements of the party.
A lot of the pro remain areas are probably in heavy labour seats, than lib-dem or conservative held ones, so you were not going to see them punch through if labour could hold onto that group.
1 Like
1 Like
Hostage to fortune to some degree. They were last for a reason.
Absolutely true but the horse had bolted by then; the real damage to me lay in the run in to the Referendum and the arrogance of Labour that it was inconceivable the electorate would vote to leave. That coupled with the black magic of Farage and Cambridge Analytica, and here we are.
I still think it will be for the best in the long term because of the ability to close our borders; I just have this arousal of suspicion that trouble is coming for mainland Europe, principally in terms of security.
I notice your diplomatic skills are almost as good as mine.
1 Like