[kreuzberger]

That is simply beyond cool.

[Boiler]

That is simply beyond cool.

Not bad for the worst Prime Minister ever*, isn't it?

*only in the minds of twats.

[davidjay]

Closer ties with Europe...EU by the back door....ignoring the will of the people...

[Boiler]

Of course, the Guardian has pointed out that it has also been given to Putin and Assad in the past...

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Well that's a message to 322 Labour weasels...

[Bones McCoy]

Keir Starmer has been awarded the Légion d'honneur.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nce-macron

Cheeky football watcher wonders whether Kylian Mbappe's name had been hastily scratched out.

( Mbappe is a French footballing superstar.
The French team - world cup favourites for many - were eliminated after an uncharacteristically weak showing last night.
Worst Bastille Day ever. )

[mattomac]

It does go to show we will miss him on the world stage.

Already noticed he polled as third best PM on a poll yesterday since 2000 behind Blair and Brown.

[Oboogie]

It does go to show we will miss him on the world stage.

Already noticed he polled as third best PM on a poll yesterday since 2000 behind Blair and Brown.

I rate Starmer higher than either of them based solely on what they each achieved with the hand they were dealt.

[Bones McCoy]

It does go to show we will miss him on the world stage.

Already noticed he polled as third best PM on a poll yesterday since 2000 behind Blair and Brown.

I'm guessing that's not a Mail / Express / Scum poll.

[Abernathy]

Watching Keir’s ultra-dignified and good humoured final PMQs session, today, I found it emotional. I ‘ve been deeply uneasy about the Burnham coup ever since he tried to stand in Gorton & Denton, and I still think Starmer was a good Prime minister, who could still have gone on in the remaining 3 years of this government and beyond to be a great one.
But he paid the price of being unpopular and making mistakes. I dare say that what he was lacking was the political skill set needed to govern well and take the voters with him. The skill set that Blair had, I guess. The question I’m still asking is why was it necessary ? Was it really necessary ?

I’m still not happy with the way that he was essentially forced out, but ever-dignified, Keir is giving his whole-hearted support to his successor, and that’s good enough for me.

I wish Keir all the very best for whatever he does next. He leaves with my profound gratitude as a Labour member for in effect, saving the party from oblivion and making it a party of government again.

[Oboogie]

The point was made on PM that most former Prime Ministers recall their first two years as their worst - it's a steep learning curve shifting from opposition to government - the problem now is that, in the age of social media, they don't get more than two years.

[Abernathy]

Yes, it will be interesting to see where Burnham is in two years’ time.

[Abernathy]

No idea who Brendan May is, but I’m finding it hard to disagree.

[Boiler]

Brendan May:

https://www.robertsbridgegroup.com/brendan_may

[davidjay]

Let's hope history treats him kindly. The present certainly hasn't.

[Bones McCoy]

My Take:

* A good responsible man who made Labour electable again when every party was suffering 57 varieties of batshit.
* A stable leader who got a lot more done then anybody expected.
* Unwise in some of his press pack appointments.


And how this shapes the future of politics.

* People say "We need leaders with experience outside politics" - people are lying.
* To not expect (and counter) a press pack pile-on from day zero is an error of judgement.
* The electorate (bastards!) demand a showman as leader.
* This augurs poorly for the quality of politician we'll see in future - gobby populist chumps over thoughtful experts.


And Labour's priorities:

* The nation faces a new array of digitally driven threats: extremely partizan media, foreign crypto-bros, a unified digital far-right brotherhood, disruptive criminal street fighters.
* None of these enjoy majority support, but combating each one demands significant resources.
* #1 priority is to make people feel better, wealthier and safer.
* My (extremely poor) instinct would be to take down a couple of high profile agitators.
* This leans on intelligence services, police and ofcom.
* Law and Order isn't an exclusively right wing ticket.

[Boiler]

If I could 'like' that post more than once Bones, I would.

Agitators are rather like brambles: unless you get on top of them promptly, your green and pleasant land gets overrun by them and then they are virtually impossible to remove.