Keir Starmer.

[GhostShip]

It will be interesting to see if Starmer's judgement has improved any, given that he was the man at the CPS who rejected the Police's desire to charge Jimmy Saville for child abuse, claiming that there was 'insufficient evidence'.

214 criminal cases later, including at least 34 rapes, it wasn't exactly his finest hour.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

214 criminal cases later, including at least 34 rapes, it wasn't exactly his finest hour.

I have highlighted the relevant part above!

Did he make this decision alone and was it made before the aforementioned cases came to light LATER?

 

[MyQul]

It will be interesting to see if Starmer's judgement has improved any, given that he was the man at the CPS who rejected the Police's desire to charge Jimmy Saville for child abuse, claiming that there was 'insufficient evidence'.

214 criminal cases later, including at least 34 rapes, it wasn't exactly his finest hour.

I think the key term there is 'insufficient evidence'. Hindsight is great but unless proper procedures are followed we end up with Leon Brittan/Cliff Richard type situations.

 

[MyQul]

KS has been leader of the LP for three days and already smears have started! If he cocks it all up, fair enough he deserves the opprobrium but give the man a chance.

 

[terrym]

KS has been leader of the LP for three days and already smears have started!

It goes with the job. Whichever party you represent.

 

[MyQul]

It goes with the job. Whichever party you represent.

True but most new incumbents (of any party) can expect at least a small honeymoon period before the crap begins to fly

 

[Chippy_Tea]

KS has been leader of the LP for three days and already smears have started!

He should tap the queen up for some of this

 

[MyQul]

He should tap the queen up for some of this


View attachment 24198

Bet she's been stock piling and has got loads

 

[Nicks90]

It won't be the top 5% who pay more tax and it won't be corporations or banks/financial institutions. Both parties are **** scared of taking them on as they will just up sticks and move their HQs to the Netherlands or Ireland and we'll LOSE MONEY.
No it will be that fat easy target middle earner they'll attack again. Oh you can afford a 3 bed semi and a BMW? Well you can now pay an extra £2k a year in punitive stealth taxes. And if your BMW is a co.car, we'll Rob you of an extra £1k on BIK, and we'll increase your council tax banding for another £1k and we'll [insert other grasping tactic here] until those that worked their arses off to get a decent life are no better off that those that cruised along in the traditional blue-collar sector.
All so the great unwashed can still afford their iPhones and Xboxes and 20 smokes a day on benefits.

 

[An Ankoù]

It won't be the top 5% who pay more tax and it won't be corporations or banks/financial institutions. Both parties are s**t scared of taking them on as they will just up sticks and move their HQs to the Netherlands or Ireland and we'll LOSE MONEY.
No it will be that fat easy target middle earner they'll attack again. Oh you can afford a 3 bed semi and a BMW? Well you can now pay an extra £2k a year in punitive stealth taxes. And if your BMW is a co.car, we'll Rob you of an extra £1k on BIK, and we'll increase your council tax banding for another £1k and we'll [insert other grasping tactic here] until those that worked their arses off to get a decent life are no better off that those that cruised along in the traditional blue-collar sector.
All so the great unwashed can still afford their iPhones and Xboxes and 20 smokes a day on benefits.

We won't lose money. The profits they earn are siphoned off out of the country anyway. We might lose jobs. Well, we're no longer in the EU so we can deal with whomsoever we like. A nice fat tariff on imports might make these leeches think twice about quitting the UK. Don't get me wrong; I agree with you 100% about the grasping tactics. So, Nicks. What are we going to about it? Are we going to take up our pitchforks and cudgels or are we just going to whinge about it? The top 5%, you say. 5% against 95% doesn't sound like desperate odds to me.

 

[MyQul]

It won't be the top 5% who pay more tax and it won't be corporations or banks/financial institutions. Both parties are s**t scared of taking them on as they will just up sticks and move their HQs to the Netherlands or Ireland and we'll LOSE MONEY.
No it will be that fat easy target middle earner they'll attack again. Oh you can afford a 3 bed semi and a BMW? Well you can now pay an extra £2k a year in punitive stealth taxes. And if your BMW is a co.car, we'll Rob you of an extra £1k on BIK, and we'll increase your council tax banding for another £1k and we'll [insert other grasping tactic here] until those that worked their arses off to get a decent life are no better off that those that cruised along in the traditional blue-collar sector.
All so the great unwashed can still afford their iPhones and Xboxes and 20 smokes a day on benefits.

Whilst I agree with your assement the goverment will target the middle earners for tax (as there are plenty of people that dont even earn £12,500 pa so dont pay tax), you've obviously never been anywhere near the benefit system.Many, many people who are on benefits are on in work benefits such as tax credits. With the current crisis many people (a reported 1 million new universal credit claims recently, many in the hospitality and leisure industry) are discovering to their horror how little you actually get on UC.

 

[An Ankoù]

I think the lesson Nicks90 was trying to give us is that no matter how uncertain the future, you can never be overly pessimistic. The Wise One is a great pessimist and she reminds me constantly that on those occasions when she's been disappointed, it's because she hasn't been pessimistic enough.
"The advantage of being a pessimist is that every time you're wrong, it's a bonus!" quoth she. Regrettably she's rarely wrong.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Sir Keir Starmer has “achieved more in four days” than Jeremy Corbyn did “in four years” on tackling anti-Semitism, Jewish community leaders have said.

The new Labour leader and his deputy, Angela Rayner, held a video conference with four Jewish groups earlier.

Sir Keir vowed to set up an independent complaints process and asked for a report on all outstanding cases within the week.

The four groups said the new leadership had made a “good start”.

Sir Keir apologised to the Jewish community for anti-Semitism in Labour's ranks in his acceptance speech on Saturday, promising to “tear out this poison by its roots”.

On Tuesday, he also wrote an article in the Evening Standard, saying he wanted to “acknowledge the pain and hurt” his party had caused the Jewish community in recent years.

'Good start'

The leaders of the four groups who took part in the call issued a joint statement afterwards, saying they wanted to have a “normal relationship with Labour whereby we can discuss the full range of issues affecting our community”.

They added: "While we would have fully understood the need to focus entirely on coronavirus at this time, Keir Starmer has already achieved in four days more than his predecessor in four years in addressing anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.

"This has certainly been a good start. If the new Labour leadership continues in this way, we can work together to make the changes that will make Labour a proudly anti-racist party once again."

Separately, the chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I welcome Sir Keir's comments since assuming the role as leader of the Labour Party.

"He has recognised there is only one thing that matters and that is action.

"I hope he will indeed take swift and decisive action to eradicate the scourge of anti-Semitism from within the Labour Party. "

 

[Smileyr8]

The below is doing the rounds on Fakebook

 

[terrym]

True but most new incumbents (of any party) can expect at least a small honeymoon period before the crap begins to fly

Why? We live in different times. Social media and tinterweb have seen to that. You have only got to read some of the crap in this thread to see what people believe is acceptable to put into print for all to see. Let alone elsewhere on just about any subject you can imagine.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Seems to me a lot of posters are scared of Keir hence their response. Shame they didn't do the same with Boris. Keir scares the Tories as he is electable and the extreme left because he's electable. FFS give the man a chance.

 

[terrym]

Seems to me a lot of posters are scared of Keir hence their response. Shame they didn't do the same with Boris. Keir scares the Tories as he is electable and the extreme left because he's electable. FFS give the man a chance.

You are right, he is electable, in part due to his more statesman like appearance, compared to the previous incumbent of as Leader of the Labour Party, who on occasion looked like a reincarnation of Michael Foot. However, what you look like doesn't necessarily get you elected, it's policies that also count. And we have yet to see what happens on that. As I said in umpteen posts back it is going to be interesting to see how he gets rid of the (unwanted?) baggage of the far left which still have much power within the party, and so restore the Labour Party to a more centre position which makes them more electable.

 

[MyQul]

However, what you look like doesn't necessarily get you elected, it's policies that also count.

You'd think that, wouldn't you but the last Conservative manifesto had hardly anything in it but they still won the last election

 

[terrym]

You'd think that, wouldn't you but the last Conservative manifesto had hardly anything in it but they still won the last election

Maybe, but they didn't really need to have one, because the shot gun free sweeties for all approach, which fooled no-one except those under 25, and nationalisation of everything which could be nationalised, didn't sit well with many. So my point is if they come up with a sensible set of policies with wide appeal without pandering to the left and stuck in political dogma they will be even more electable. And thats his/their challenge. But as some one posted sometime back in this thread the electorate are a fickle lot so who knows how things will turn out. However lets not get too concerned, unless something seismic happens we have 4.75 years of a Tory government to look forward to, warts and all.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Nope. They won't. Neither will the "little man" who's put his life savings into his now-failed business or the newly unemployed with a family to feed and a mortgage to pay continue to stand by and watch the fat get even fatter. I think it's time for a Keiser Chiefs song.

ruby, ruby , ruby , ruby? - Isn't gold a safe investment anymore?