That Starmer fella...

a kind of any publicity is good publicity tactic

As a previous Labour strategy director, I guess I have to comment on that ad. Labour would have known it would cause outrage and that would have been its purpose. Political messages in ads can only cut through if people outside twitter talk about it. That’s been achieved here.
https://mobile.twitter.com/CarlSurvation/status/1644282584661098501

^

But it’s on an issue Labour can at best neutralise

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Oh do fuck off

In what sense?

It's in one of replies/tweets to the twitter thread link in the post above mine.

Or do I need to write a lengthy qualifying post repeating half the arguments from the last page on the risks of this ad campaign?

I just don't see the dogwhistle

Of course you don’t, your brain has been rotted by partisanship.

Corbyn pronounced Epstein funny and y’all were like this man is a disgusting antisemite but Labour put out an attack ad linking an Asian man to pedo loving and suddenly you’re all well actually there are subtle distinctions to be had here on the matter of the subcontinent.

The ad has been roundly condemned as being vile from all quarters. Fuck me, even David Blunkett has come out and rebuked it. If you want to wallow in filth then fine, but at least have the honesty to admit that you’re a pig.

edit: even Yvette Cooper is distancing herself from it, and you don’t get much more ‘sensible chap’s boner’ than Yvette Cooper.

Literally no difference between the right smearing Starmer as being a saville lover, and labour smearing sunak as being soft on pedos. It’s gutter politics all the way down.

It’s also fucking dangerous, as we can all see across the Atlantic to the impact that Q Anon conspiracy - rooted in baseless accusations of pedophilia - is having on the body politic.

Fuck both these houses.

And yeah, anyone being “well the Tories did it first” - my kids (6 and 3) are capable of understanding that two wrongs don’t make a right, so congrats on being dumber than a pair of juvenile morons.

What seems strange is the continuing easy ride that Starmer is getting from the press, and Tory central office. I can only presume either Starmer has been anointed for Buggins turn at the next GE, or the Tories are saving an avalanche of shit that will make that ad look tame for the next GE.

only presume either Starmer has been anointed for Buggins turn at the next GE

Starmer and Reeves have been wooing business and have won many over, like Blair did.

His first term, like New Labour's, will be pretty moderate on redistribution. There are signs that even businesses are up for differentiated pay deals offering lowest paid a higher percentage to make up the average pay rise for various striking sectors announced in the press.

The tory press, while spouting culture war stuff also want to keep businesses on side. And even on culture war issues labour are not rising to the baits thrown by the tories

Re the press - they're pussies and in large part full of hot air. They can smell the stench of failure around the Tories and are trying to hedge their bets. Getting hard behind an unpopular person who then turns out to be a looser isn't a great look.

Tory central office? Idk. They seem to have tried their best, but you can't galvanise people against Starmer like you can with Corbyn. But I'm sure more stuff will come out closer to the time. I also wonder if again the talented people can smell the failure and are taking a "bit of time out to focus on their [___]".

Mandelson is probably a reason why the press are being favourable to Starmer recently (begun a year or two ago).

I'm sure more stuff will come out closer to the time

If they want to sink Starmer in a week they will just run endless front page articles about his connection to Corbyn. It's that easy. If it doesn't happen then pretty obvious which way the election will fall. Labour will inherit a mess though and I don't forsee much change.

His first term, like New Labour's, will be pretty moderate on redistribution.

I had a little cynical lol at this

They are still busy collating all the flip flops
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1644644024010063872

If they want to sink Starmer in a week they will just run endless front page articles about his connection to Corbyn.

Is it that easy? Starmer has effectively booted Corbyn out. I'm not sure if that attack line will do much now other than remind people that Starmer has "dealt with" Corbyn.

Lol at the Labour Right running to the Mail to whinge about Yvette Cooper having a shred of decency.

But remember, it’s always the left who are to blame for factionalism and disunity in the party.

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Maybe, just think him serving in Corbyn's cabinet could reappear closer to the election when things get dirty.

Heard the man found himself in another pro conversion therapy, evangelical Christian conservative backed church this Easter, ofc a mistake I’m sure,

https://twitter.com/bencsmoke/status/1645068910415208448?s=46&t=2q-8sYxbDCQmBKv0J01qCQ

Weird he keeps going to these over say, his local c of e place, coincidence I suppose!

Of course you don’t, your brain has been rotted by partisanship.

I think if you have to accuse the other side of bad faith that's a simple admission that don't have a decent counterargument, so you can call me bad faith as much as you want. It's a compliment I'll take.

Corbyn pronounced Epstein funny

And compared Israel to Nazis on holocaust memorial day in 2018. And went on Iranian state TV to accuse, without evidence, 'the Hand of Israel' of instigating an Islamic terror attack in Egypt which killed 16 people. And shared an antisemitic mural by a conspiracy theorist. And invited Read Salah - spreader of the blood libel and the conspiracy theory that Jewish people did 9/11 - for 'tea' in the house of commons. And wrote the foreword to imperialism without mentioning that it's a key conspiracist tract which believes that the press and financial institutions are 'in the hands of Jews'. And attended a wreath laying ceremony for, among others, Salah Khalaf of the 1972 Munich massacre. And acted as an international convenor of the Just World Trust at a time when they were defending the holocaust denier Roger Garaudy. And called Hezbollah and Hamas 'friends'. And spoke alongside Leila Khaled who was involved in TWO separate terrorist attacks at a conference organised by George Galloway in 2011.

and y’all were like this man is a disgusting antisemite

Funny that, isn't it?

You can make the comparison between one campaign of attack ads from Starmer, and Corbyn's lifelong career of excusing, endorsing, and failing to spot antisemitism, but I don't think it's a comparison that helps your point in the least.

it’s always the left who are to blame for factionalism and disunity in the party

1. Starmer attacks the Tories
   
2. "The left" attacks Starmer
   
   

What am I missing

Looks like this thread should stay fun for a little longer as more ads incoming

Interesting that those front pages, given the papers, aren't condemning them. Just saying that will happen.

.

Interview with Steve Reed, man behind the ad campaign
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1645858600177356811

I saw that ad above bein discussed on Jeremy Vine today. And on the front page of The Times and Mail., all over the internet etc Whatever you think of these, good or bad. It looks like they have that Holly of Policical Hollies, cut through.

These arn't some poster launch in a half empty car park, it looks like agenda setting (again good or bad) to me. When people are talking about your ads I think you're winning.

Heard someone else make the point that this is about taking control of the narrative.