That Starmer fella...

Managed three minutes of this drivel before stopping. Changing the system is literally not undemocratic. Both the electoral college and one person one vote are both democratic systems and both are perfectly reasonable to use.

As a leader you need a ruthless streak otherwise you will lose. This should be seen as a good thing.

As a leader you need a ruthless streak otherwise you will lose

If only he was ruthless against the Conservatives and not his own party.

How would you like him to be ruthless against the conservatives that isn't already happening?

As Corbyn saw and now Starmer is seeing it's pretty difficult to bring the fight to anyone else if your party isn't fully behind you. So he's trying to sort that.

https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1440657608910663687

Thread on the unlikelihood of an early general election, with the final point that Starmer is sorting things out internally now while a GE is a way off.

How would you like him to be ruthless against the conservatives that isn't already happening?

Well, for a start I’d like to see him come up with a policy framework, so that when he’s asked “well, what would you instead?/what do you propose?/how would you do it?” he’s actually able to give an answer instead of waffling away and showing himself to be empty. Maybe he could put them out as ten pledges or something, so that people know what Labour would do when they make a case for something not being good enough. He can then ruthlessly drill that into his MPs to get a consistent message happening, instead of the general air of “???” that’s currently going on.

I hear there’s another reset coming, with a 14,000 word essay - maybe there’ll be something in that

Maybe he could put them out as ten pledges or something

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for a start I’d like to see him come up with a policy framework

Since Starmer took over in 2019, he's announced over two hundred non-Covid related policies (source: https://labourlist.org/2021/09/labour-should-announce-fewer-policies-report-recommends/)

The problem is not the lack of policy. Anyone who thinks it is has simply not been paying attention.

The problem is the lack of cut through. That's nothing to do with policy; that's to do with ability to communicate values, principles, positions. That's much broader and higher level than policy.

Looks like Starmer has been listening and has published his "vision"
https://fabians.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-Road-Ahead-FINAL_WEB-fri.pdf

By purging the left.

"What's the most boring, useless and outdated way I can deliver my message?"

"Probably an 11,000 word essay."

He can't win though can he? If he doesn't state his philosophy, his critics say he lacks substance and a vision. If he does, they whinge that it's too long.

It's more the presentation. Comes across like another stunt like the boxing gloves picture and when he said he was going to 'sweat blood' etc.

Maybe just me, but I'm keen to read his paper! And I don't think publishing it excludes other ways of delivering his message. I think it's a pretty great starting point, and foundational move. In theory. I have two questions though: 1) does it say anything of substance (I guess I'll find out when I find time to read it later), and if yes, 2) will he go out and get that substance heard.

is there a reason this isn't published on https://labour.org.uk/ ?

pdf's aren't exactly the most accessible format.

I'll be honest, I don't find this vision very inspiring or interesting. However it's not me it's aimed at. He's taking a gamble that this vision will win us millions of voters at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Labour members/activists.

And there's nothing wrong with that - if that's a bet which is likely to pay off, then Christ man, it's a bet we should take every day of the week.

But personally this does feel a little too close to the managerial style of the latter Blair years, which were as toxic in their own way as the id-centric tantrums of the latter Corbyn years. Imo politics needs the shock of the new to be truly effective and build a momentum. Politics is run by cartoon characters at the moment; I'm aware that a grey John Major type can clean up in that environment but are we really at a point where people are crying out for calm sober rational management? I think they want stories.

Time will tell, I guess. But at least we won't hear any more nonsense about how he doesn't have a vision. He does have one. You might not like it and you might think it's uninspiring but it exists and he's open about it.

here's the cliff notes

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I really hope that's not all of it. I really really hope.

If he does, they whinge that it's too long.

And lacks substance.

So basically he outsourced a focus group to write his big policy announcement.

It all looks pretty reasonable. There's nothing revolutionary or particularly exciting in there but, to be honest, I'm not sure that's what's required at the moment.

What other stuff would people like to see?

Why wouldn't you want it to target the people they need to win over?

Platitudes are not philosophy nor policy. In a document like that you want substance.

Full disclosure, still not read it so there may be something substantive to support the radical position of "we support hard working families." But as it is, those points are so neutral they could just as easily be "positions" put forward by the Tories.

.

Obviously the far left hate the family though, so.

Only British families.