General British politics discussion thread

Worthy? The Labour Party is a political party, not some quasi-religious group or morality police.

You should look up the meaning of the word worthy.

Honest question, but why do you think that is? Why are voters leaving left-wing parties and moving to the right and populist right?

I don't deny that some people have solid foundations for immigration concerns. I've never argued that there should be unlimited immigration.

But the reason it has become such a hot topic in the UK (and also the US) is because a narrative on the topic is pushed from populist individuals and a significant portion of the media who are intent in pushing their own narrative for their own reasons. And quite simply, most of the people in the country don't understand the root causes of why it is they are suffering in their lives (and they are suffering). Any one of these reasons (cost of living/education/employment/housing) could each have their own thread to discuss in detail, but while immigrants do influence them, they are in no way the reason the issue exists in the way that they have been represented as being.

Large political parties like Labour exist to be in power. 

You seem to be of the opinion that I am speaking on behalf of or for Labour as to their motivations and policies. I am doing neither. I am commenting on these things obviously, but I as an individual have the right to judge them as I wish and vote accordingly (ignoring the fact I don't vote in the UK aside).

Yeah I just went with the dates from the previous poster without stopping to check them.

That just scuppered Streetings plans.

What are they going to do now, wait until Burnham is elected, if he is elected, before having a contest for the leadership.

Simmons won with an 18% margin in 2024 and in the borough in which Makerfield is located, Labour lost 26% in last weeks local elections from the previous one.

Reform/Farage/GB News/Daily Mail are going to be all over the area until the byelection is held. Very tenuous for Labour/Burnham. If Burnham were to lose an election there, could it be enough to collapse the government?

Me either, but have seen some potential banana skins for him associated with loans of public money to a building firm in Manchester. I think the loans in question were granted before he became Mayor but there's suggestions he has delayed a report in to how effective they were versus what they were proposed to be.

Rayner would be well served if she had a strong Labour leader she would work under for 5-10 years. She is still very young from a PM age perspective.

Should Burnham become an MP and then PM, he will have to find a strong policy position and then stick to it like a limpet to wash away the image of Uturns that had become popular under Starmer.

I would hope that Burnham would be a much better communicator against Reform than Starmer has been, but time will tell.

There's a lot to happen before any of this is even likely to play out. Right now it isn't even confirmed that he will win a by-election. Labour will be hoping that the Parliamentary investigation in to payments to Farage will still be in the public space until the election is held I feel.

Dont think he'd be gone, but he'd definitely be packing his bags.

Some news going around Simon's being a hater of Jeremy Corbyn. Apparently Corbyn has requested any information relating to him in emails/texts etc. Simon's was involved with Labour Together so probalt would have been expected to be a Starmer ally you'd imagine.

Interesting to know why he's giving Burnham a route in. Wonder if they're going to try to have him lose the by-election?

Better than Coronation Street this…

One of the things I think the UK has massively failed on, and as a consequence it has significantly negatively impacted the perception and pysche of the country in a real way, is what has happened it's town centre's and high streets.

I mentioned the Netherlands yesterday as a country that has had mich better success in transitioning through the last 50 years than the UK has had and it's town centres compared to the UK's are a perfect example of that.

Im not saying there aren't run down or underprivileged areas, Im sure there are, but on the whole, what I've seen when I was there, is that they are much more vibrant, well maintained and esthetically pleasing.

One of the differences between the countries is the absolute scurge that is the highstreet gambling shop present in every UK town or city. Gaudy obstrusive signage, and an air of despair around the doorways. They are a financial and positivity black hole and to have them in central town areas as they are in much of the UK just sets the wrong vibe.

I dont know how they did it, it's a cultural thing that has come to pass and existed over decades im sure but the Dutch town centre's seem to make you want to live or spend time there in an appealing and inviting way. And they online shop as much as anyone.

There's a lot of similarities between the countries, region of the planet, climate, historical "achievements", recent changes in industry etc, and I would love to see the UK appeal to citizens and visitors in the same way in understand the Netherlands does. I dont know why it couldn't, but it seems locked in to practices and a mindset that prevents it from making real positive change.