That Starmer fella...

The opening two paragraphs of this column sum up the problems a leader of the opposition faces superbly well:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/27/keir-starmer-labour-liz-truss-politics

Great piece. You get the impression Raphael Behr is having fun writing about politics for the first time in years too.

Thought he did pretty well on Today programme this morning. "People think you're not very exciting?" and other such stunning questions.

"Maybe if I hung off a zip wire, but look where that gets us" or words to that effect was one response

Enjoying his language on twitter too: "when I'm prime minister"

We're surely overdue a Labour leadership contest though? Obviously now is when the backstabbing will start in earnest

We're surely overdue a Labour leadership contest though? Obviously now is when the backstabbing will start in earnest

You're not wrong to worry about this but from what I heard from the conference there has been a really marked shift in unity. For example, the standing ovation for the anti-semitism comments yesterday was only ignored by about 20 people and most of them were heckled for it. Maybe I've been puffing at the hopium pipe a bit too much but perhaps, finally, some of the left of the party have finally realised that the best way out of this shit show is to hold their noses and get behind starmer. Or at least not undermine him. I think the time for leadership contests is after he has won or lost a GE.

I’m holding my nose and praying for a Labour government as quickly as possible.

hold their noses and get behind starmer.

It's a lot easier to get behind a winner.

(whether people admit it to themselves or not)

It’s also a lot easier when the alternative is driving us off a cliff.

Yup. He's not left wing enough doesn't hold much water when millions more are about to be plunged into poverty.

Yeah because Johnson wasn't 👍

I’ve voted Labour in every election.

He's much more left wing than New Labour/Tony Blair. Even if he is channelling Blair
He's proposed things Blair wouldn't have. The publicly owned green energy company, Corporation tax increases for example

"Maybe if I hung off a zip wire, but look where that gets us" or words to that effect was one response

Ha yeah, I think that tetchiness actually works for him as a bit of personality too. 'Maybe if I did a bungee jump people'd realise that I'd be a good prime minister' was excellent grump bants

That was it!

So can we put "20 points ahead" to rest?

Yeah I meant to post the 33% lead but I've spent the last 24 hours wanking myself into a desiccated husk.

I've been enjoying politics for the first time since 2016. Astounding. I thought Starmer's strategy would work but christ alive I had no idea it'd work this well.

I'm so happy I'm not even going to trawl the thread for 'I give keith six months' type comments to trollishly quote. That's how happy I am.

I don’t doubt that there will be people who say any competent leader would be 50 points ahead and sign off by calling him Keith

Gotta admit I'm enjoying the moment. 2 more years though.

2 more years though

I don't think Starma will need 2 wait years.

Truss is totally out of her depth. The tories are imploding .

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O shit - 50% Lab exlcuding "don't know" on this one. It also has a lovely word cloud of people's thoughts on Truss' economic policies

https://peoplepolling.org/tables/202209_GBN_W39_full.pdf#subsection*.12

Yeah I meant to post the 33% lead but I've spent the last 24 hours wanking myself into a desiccated husk

#rep

Rachel Reeves thinks the Tories are soft on immigration. Blairite Labour do like to beat the authoritarian drum.

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1577314725389602828

We have a government who has basically spent the last 10 years saying they will reduce immigration all round to win popular support but have done the opposite.

If you compare what the Tories said their policy position was and what they actually did, I think its fair to say they have been soft, if you judge them against their own stated intentions.

Also, wasn't Rachel Reeves speaking specifically about how the government have basically stopped deporting people who don't have the legal right to remain?

Is there another interview where she says that, because it certainly isn't the linked one?

Isn't that exactly what she said?

Process the claims that are there and if they fail deport them.
Do that before introducing new legislation.