We're going to need a new Labour thread as they take their first steps into governance, and well, they've started to avoid the old foot-shooting, so let's see if the Starmer spoonerism (and an apparent love for nautical metaphors from top Labour politicians) becomes apt or ironic.

 

First major reported thing out of the new government is scrapping the Rwanda scheme, thank f***.

Excited to chart their progress (and mistakes :lol:). :cheer:

They'll make mistakes, but trust them to get most things right. I'm looking forward to us having actual competent politicians in charge for once!

Missing a trick not calling it the Calmer Starmer thread!!!

I'm looking forward to them doing things that simply make people's lives easier and safer.

 

 

First major reported thing out of the new government is scrapping the Rwanda scheme, thank f***.

 

So glad they've done this. Also meeting with Junior Doctors next week to negotiate pay rises.

 

Hoping we'll see a lot of good things happening over the next year or two.

Some interesting appointments among the junior posts, including giving jobs (and a seat in the Lords) to experts in their field. I’m not a huge fan of the principle (particularly as they retain that seat for life), but at least these are more about getting the right person for the job than for rewarding cronies.

 

I am particularly encouraged by the appointment of James Timpson as Prisons Minister. He has been chair of the Prison Reform Trust and, until now, CEO of his family from Timpsons. That company employs prisoners, rewarding them with a job on release if they work hard enough. They offer free dry-cleaning to unemployed people with a job interview. They even pay their taxes properly.

 

Another member of the Timpson family was a Tory MP from 2008-15 and was easily one of the saner ones.

Some really good stuff coming from this Starmer press conference.

 

He's looking to work with the devolved administrations PMs as well as the metro-mayors in England 'regardless of the colour of their rosette'. We will all be thankful for that more sensible approach rather than the 14 years of diminishing devolved administrations and only working with mayors in your own party approach. Hopefully means we might actual see some benefit to these posts. I've had a metro mayor since the local elections and honestly couldn't tell you a thing they've done though - so will take some convincing that they're a real political position of any worth.

Edited July 6, 2024Jul 6 by DoBelieveTheHype

A solid start so far, with a press conference that was transparent about the issues we face and offered sensible ideas. Some of the cabinet announcements are refreshing to see as well, it's great to have someone as out and proud about their working class roots as Angela Rayner in such a high up position. Timpson struck me as an inspired choice of peer too, as I was aware of the important, compassionate expertise he brings that has already been touched upon in this thread. Goes without saying that the Rwanda disaster already being scrapped is also fantastic news.

 

Obviously I don't love everything about this party in its current form and it's early days but I do appreciate what feels like a much more competent, calm shift in government so far.

I always get the feeling a Labour leader always has to have a working class voice beside him, get the feeling Rayner is like this eras Prescott or maybe she will not just sit and support like he did!? We shall see!

 

He also said Labour got a mandate in all 4 ‘nations’ of the UK which is strange because Labour don’t stand candidates in NI 😂 also not sure I would call 6 counties in the north of Ireland a nation?

Um ... Northern Ireland has ALWSYS been referred to as a nation in the UK? The size is irrelevant.

He also said Labour got a mandate in all 4 ‘nations’ of the UK which is strange because Labour don’t stand candidates in NI 😂 also not sure I would call 6 counties in the north of Ireland a nation?

 

SDLP are Labour's sister party in Northern Ireland, in the same way that the UUP are for the Tories, Alliance are for the Lib Dems, and Reform for the TUV, so I presume that's what he meant by that.

They also have sister parties throughout Europe but that doesn’t mean they are part of the Uk Labour Party. It just highlights NI is seperate and different to the rest of the r Uk.

Um ... Northern Ireland has ALWSYS been referred to as a nation in the UK? The size is irrelevant.

 

I wasn’t talking about its size but whether you can call a place like NI a nation-state.

I wasn’t talking about its size but whether you can call a place like NI a nation-state.

 

Northern Ireland is a nation in the same way Scotland and Wales are a nation.

I wasn’t talking about its size but whether you can call a place like NI a nation-state.

 

Yup. It has always been considered a nation. Nothing new.

An absolute great start from this new Labour government. I really think Starmer has the potential to be one of the most important PMs of the 21st Century. He making all the right moves with his Cabinet appointments and policy initiatives.

Yeah, I remain somewhat optimistic. I don't expect them to be perfect, but as long as they aren't playing games with people's lives like their predecessors, it's a win in my book. I know the bar has been lowered quite a bit...

 

I know we can't see changes instantly, much as I wish we could!

An absolute great start from this new Labour government. I really think Starmer has the potential to be one of the most important PMs of the 21st Century. He making all the right moves with his Cabinet appointments and policy initiatives.

 

Try telling that to Owen Jones whose having a meltdown on Twitter 3 days in :rofl: Already lining it up for being Starmer’s fault that Reform get votes.

Speaking of meltdowns... TERFs are going nuts over Anneliese Dodds and Bridget Phillipson being named as ministers for women & equalities, so I'll take that as a win :D especially when the bar was previously on the floor with Kemi Badenoch.

 

Also, chaos with Ed Miliband has so far transpired into lifting the onshore wind ban, so he can keep it up tbh.