Can Sir Keir Starmer revive the Labour Party?

[bitchstewie]

Yeah not sure I remember that one when every day had a new poll showing just how well Johnson was doing.

Not sure why he stopped posting them?

Oh well

[andy_s]

The polling, it seems to me, has a 'base level' that never alters and a floating %age that get swayed depending on the headlines of the day. Not sure that's a 'good look' for the quality of collective conscience.

[bitchstewie]

I think that's always been the way hasn't it Andy?

Blair realised that if you appeal to the people in the middle who don't just vote off blind tribal loyalty you win.

[andy_s]

bhstewie said:

I think that's always been the way hasn't it Andy?

Blair realised that if you appeal to the people in the middle who don't just vote off blind tribal loyalty you win.

Oh it's nothing new, but striking lately due to the to-and-fro [wiffwaff] at pace, but who votes Labour when they see cake and conservative when they see beer all in the space of a week. It's odd to me, but 'humans' I guess.

[bitchstewie]

andy_s said:

Oh it's nothing new, but striking lately due to the to-and-fro [wiffwaff] at pace, but who votes Labour when they see cake and conservative when they see beer all in the space of a week. It's odd to me, but 'humans' I guess.

You may be giving people too much credit when it comes to knowledge of or interest in politics.

Show most people the Cabinet (let alone the Shadow Cabinet) and I bet most people could only name a few let alone tell you what they do.

We're the freaks.

[andy43]

It just shows how much sway the media has for that group of floaters (and I mean that in the nicest possible way).
One headline in the papers, repeated on the news, online, on facebook a few times and you've been officially biased.

[saaby93]

andy43 said:

It just shows how much sway the media has for that group of floaters (and I mean that in the nicest possible way).
One headline in the papers, repeated on the news, online, on facebook a few times and you've been officially biased.

Happens in other parts of the world too

[anonymous-user]

andy43 said:

It just shows how much sway the media has for that group of floaters (and I mean that in the nicest possible way).
One headline in the papers, repeated on the news, online, on facebook a few times and you've been officially biased.

Remember it’s just polls far from an election at the end of the day, hopefully it’s bigger issues and policy that matters more in an actual GE.

For labour to look like they could possibly win a GE they’d likely have to be much much further ahead than this at this point in the cycle.

Labour narrowly ahead is possibly the worst case for everyone, it allows everyone to say it’s evidence of their own bias plus it makes it less likely Boris or Starmer will get replaced as neither is much ahead of the other and both parties think they’re in with a shout with their current leaders.

So really, as things are with the polls we’re likely to blunder on with the same 2 jokers in charge of the country and the opposition for the foreseeable future and nothing much will change.

Which I think most people on here now agree isn’t the best for the country.

[Murph7355]

El stovey said:

Remember it’s just polls far from an election at the end of the day, hopefully it’s bigger issues and policy that matters more in an actual GE.

For labour to look like they could possibly win a GE they’d likely have to be much much further ahead than this at this point in the cycle.

.....

I seem to recall reading an article recently (may even have been a link on here) that suggested at this point in the cycle a lead of 30-40pts would be needed to give strong indications.

With all the st the Tories have caused themselves, a competent leader of the opposition should be out of sight.

[bitchstewie]

Competency in getting your message across matters too though.

Blair sweeping into office is a little before my time in terms of paying too much attention but I expect he was all over the media building up Labours profile and getting their message across?

I just don't see that with Starmer and I don't know what the message is.

[anonymous-user]

Starmer was doing his best when he stayed completely away from the media for a few weeks/months . He was dragged back into the limelight over the party thing and he’s down in the polls again.

I can kind of understand the conservatives not getting rid of Boris for a bit yet but there’s no obvious reason for keeping starmer unless labour genuinely think he’s the most electable guy they’ve got.

Starmer has so obviously failed to hold Boris and the government to account in opposition or to strike a chord with voters. Why on earth would labour still want him in charge?

[saaby93]

bhstewie said:

Competency in getting your message across matters too though.

Blair sweeping into office is a little before my time in terms of paying too much attention but I expect he was all over the media building up Labours profile and getting their message across?

I just don't see that with Starmer and I don't know what the message is.

All Starmer has to do is look a better bet than Johnson to the middle ground floating voters.
No point looking like from the far left same as there is no point Johnson looking like he's far right

[anonymous-user]

saaby93 said:

bhstewie said:

Competency in getting your message across matters too though.

Blair sweeping into office is a little before my time in terms of paying too much attention but I expect he was all over the media building up Labours profile and getting their message across?

I just don't see that with Starmer and I don't know what the message is.

All Starmer has to do is look a better bet than Johnson to the middle ground floating voters.
No point looking like from the far left same as there is no point Johnson looking like he's far right

Blair was all about optimistic change from the “sleaze” of Major era conservatives.
He had an upbeat message of patriotism and prosperity and things getting better.

Starmer is totally devoid of any optimism or any message of anything whatsoever.

[CoolHands]

Starmer’s a boring uninspiring dick with no personality and no wit. Maybe his sole plus point was he was supposedly honest and now we have seen that’s bks with his weasel words. So he’s never going to push labour very far up the polls.

And labour have a problem in that no one else stands out as being fantastic plus they have the problems of the wrong leader will allow all the extremists in the party to push it one way or the other. Which the public still won’t vote for.

They need someone like Blair who was interesting and had some charisma and was able to make the whole party electable. Who do they have that could do similar?

[bitchstewie]

I'd give Wes Streeting and Lisa Nandy a go.

I don't remember the starting list of candidates when Starmer replaced Corbyn but it was basically the lunatic side of the party v the sensible side.

It comes down to looking like some weird internal power struggle between being a protest movement v actually getting your st together enough to make people want to vote for you to be in Government.

Half of them are tweeting about the Al Jazeera journalist who got murdered.

I'd rather hear what their actual ideas are for policies that will help people.

[pquinn]

bhstewie said:

I'd give Wes Streeting and Lisa Nandy a go.

I wouldn't. They don't seem to offer anything. Beige personified.

Plus I have an objection in principle to people who've spent their whole education and lives doing nothing but politics.

[bitchstewie]

Who then? It doesn't seem an exceptionally deep pool of talent.

I keep hearing the name Dan Jarvis but I don't think I could even tell you who he is.

[Vasco]

bhstewie said:

Who then? It doesn't seem an exceptionally deep pool of talent.

I keep hearing the name Dan Jarvis but I don't think I could even tell you who he is.

Starmer is probably the best they've got, there's no other obvious candidates. What a situation to be in.

Blair was like a rash in his early years and seemed a bit useful until he got too smarmy and above himself.

Major was ok but too sombre and lacking in drive..

Whether we like it or not, we've had a run of fairly poor political leaders and only Maggie shone any real quality.

[Murph7355]

bhstewie said:

Competency in getting your message across matters too though.

Blair sweeping into office is a little before my time in terms of paying too much attention but I expect he was all over the media building up Labours profile and getting their message across?

I just don't see that with Starmer and I don't know what the message is.

It does cover that, and many other things. Starmer is doing nothing.

His only strategy seems to be hoping that the Tories keep shooting themselves in the foot all the way up to the vote itself and that the electorate just want anything else instead. And at the moment, even though he does little, he's managing to disarm the st bombs he might have been able to use against Johnson in a campaign.

I don't see that winning anything.

[BigMon]

There is next to zero chance of Labour winning the next GE with Starmer in charge so those of you with your blue tints on can rest easy.

Although the clown and his cabal of incompetents are doing their level best to throw it, Starmer is about as inspiring as a wet flannel and it's not like there's anyone behind him who could 'do a Blair' and pull it round.

I personally don't think that's a good thing as it leads to us getting a PM like the clown, and laughable cretins like Rees-Mogg in positions of power but it's where we are.

Labour need root and branch reform but the pea-brains in Islington are about as clued up about the thought processes of the silent majority in Middle England (here's a clue, it's not hard left policies) as they are about interplanetary space travel.

Edited by BigMon on Saturday 14th May 14:34