OV9

dinny_g wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 10:48 am Labour's policies may be different but they're no different than the Tory's in their Political Behaviour

At least the electorate can no longer deny this, so perhaps politics can go back to policy, rather than lazy point scoring

Of course it won't...

I get your point, and the irony being that Starmers departure is the result of point scoring

You lot have been seeing a different PM from me .

I’d say good riddance but him going isn’t going to change the direction they’re taking us in.

ZedLeg wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2026 3:40 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2026 11:19 am

ZedLeg wrote: Sat Jun 20, 2026 6:54 am Aye, cause the other party leaders all seem like cool guys.

Davey is a wet blanket that gives off no vibes of a serious politician
Starmer is a grey suit with a set of pre-programmed soundbites
Badenoch is a try hard that doesn't seem to have grasped yet that the Tories are gone without fundamental reform (no, not Reform)
Farge is a grifting twat - what more do I need to say on that

Polanski is a massive bell.

Is that better?

I think he's as bad as Farage tbh.

Why?

Genuinely interested. Farage is a self interested cunt that will burn this country to the ground if he gets something out of it.

I see Polanski as someone who’s at least trying to present a better future.

I see Polanski as a self-interest c**t as well. He's made enough gaffes to prove he's a but of a balloon, and his tactics to secure popularity are straight out of Farage's playbook. He is the Farage of the left imo.

And the greens are no longer much to do with green issues - they've become the harder socialist left outlet from the previously disenfranchised Labour left. Will be interesting to see what happens to them if Burnham swings Labour further to the left.

This is sadly the result of the now not-fit-for-purpose FPTP 2-party system. It forced the two main parties to the centre, with the fringe parties picking up the more extreme ends of left or right that felt left behind. And as people have finally become sick of the main 2 presenting "more of the same" we've seen the further left and right parties pick up popularity. As there was no "left" party so to speak of the Greens have been hijacked.

Shame really.

Someone (may have been Jobbo) summarised the improvements we’ve seen under this Labour Government.

It may not seem like things are improving but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t

How long before the knives come out for Burnham, do we think? 12mo time?

From my lefty pov the greens are the best of a bad lot. I’m not a die hard Polanski fan but I think some of the press attacks have been pretty pathetic.

Folk like Hannah Spencer are the future of the party though, got a lot of time for her. Also, Holly Bruce my local councillor seems like a good sort.

I mentioned the “the greens are sacking off the environment to be hard left” thing the other day. It’s bollocks.

duncs500 wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 9:56 am I think it's a shame personally. Everyone cries out for some integrity and decency from our leaders and we get someone in post who has that and we essentially make his position untenable.

Despite not voting for him, I would have liked to have seen what he achieved by the next general election and then made my judgement. Changing a country even a bit needs at least a full term. Shame on the Labour party really, the MPs shafted the guy that got them there.

This whole idea that our leaders should be charismatic is bollocks as far as I'm concerned.

And so the never ending merry-go-round continues. Tories, Labour, none of them seem to be able to simply give us a stable term where they all work together to deliver polocies that make a change for the country.

Exactly my thoughts. I never voted for them but I expected some stability for a few years of boring politics. He should've re-arranged his cabinet and kicked the fucking back-benchers into touch.

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:52 am How long before the knives come out for Burnham, do we think? 12mo time?

I already started the thread.

Simon wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 12:02 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:52 am How long before the knives come out for Burnham, do we think? 12mo time?

I already started the thread.

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:52 am How long before the knives come out for Burnham, do we think? 12mo time?

5 minutes? https://bsky.app/profile/paulbrand.bsky ... ukllh7vs2n

Jobbo wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 12:02 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:52 am How long before the knives come out for Burnham, do we think? 12mo time?

5 minutes? https://bsky.app/profile/paulbrand.bsky ... ukllh7vs2n

Start with the butter knife, and work your way up

Who gives a fuck what a twat like Tice thinks?

I didn't know (he says, lying) that "maybe we shouldn't gas chamber the queers" was considered 'hard socialism' to him.

Jobbo wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:11 am

duncs500 wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 9:56 am I think it's a shame personally. Everyone cries out for some integrity and decency from our leaders and we get someone in post who has that and we essentially make his position untenable.

Despite not voting for him, I would have liked to have seen what he achieved by the next general election and then made my judgement. Changing a country even a bit needs at least a full term. Shame on the Labour party really, the MPs shafted the guy that got them there.

This whole idea that our leaders should be charismatic is bollocks as far as I'm concerned.

And so the never ending merry-go-round continues. Tories, Labour, none of them seem to be able to simply give us a stable term where they all work together to deliver polocies that make a change for the country.

If Burnham does get in, it'll demonstrate that a bit of popularity can make you PM even if you aren't an MP. What if Clarkson fancied a go? I'm sure he'd find a way (maybe under a Tory incumbent government at least). In a generation's time it could be someone who did alright on Love Island who gets the chance to be PM.

Maybe we need a more presidential system. Trump is awful, far worse approval ratings than Starmer, yet he gets to serve his full term.

Indeed, all you need is a few soundbites and a bit of social media momentum I reckon. Clarkson would do it easily, if Farage ever stepped down he'd be guaranteed to take the vote of flag waving Reform lot saying "Clarkson is down to earth, he's one of us, man of the people, he drinks pints of beer etc".

The thing is, Trump's movement is hard for insiders to challenge because I think any kind of criticism within and you get squashed/ostracised. They're probably a lot more ruthless than whatever structure Starmer set up, and that's probably his mistake / idealism. He probably thought winning an election and giving his party a strong mandate was enough to get loyalty for a term.

ZedLeg wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2026 11:49 am You lot have been seeing a different PM from me .

I’d say good riddance but him going isn’t going to change the direction they’re taking us in.

I know you don't really believe in "less worse" in terms of political candidates.

For many of us, we just want to get over the admittedly low bar of basic integrity before aspiring to have truly good leadership.

I don’t even see integrity tbh.

I see a man who’s overseen a government that have dragged us into the doldrums on basic rights for various groups of minorities to try and appeal to a bunch of cunts who would never vote for him anyway.

Think it's a shame that Streeting isn't looking to join a leadership contest. I think some proper debate about vision and ideology is exactly what the Labour party needs right now.