Why Is Starmer So Unpopular?

[@Chrissy717]

I just love how the UK can elect a government and within minutes of a 5 year term, it becomes unpopular.

[@leonbanks5728]

@@Chrissy717 The UK in a nutshell.

[@CharlieR9997]

All have such short term memories, forgetting the 13 years of turmoil in an instant

[@dftfire]

Not surprising... our FPtP system means Labour have 63.2% of the MPs in the Commons on just 33.7% of the vote. So it's hardly-surprising people are unhappy with Labour when around two-thirds didn't vote for them anyway!

[@flickthenick]

​@@CharlieR9997more like 14 1/2 but it's kind of academic...

[@manana1444]

To be fair, the incumbent government needs only to be popular in the election year.

[@carltomacruz9138]

Like Rishi Sunak, it seems that Keir Starmer is more popular as leader of the opposition.

[@xander6522]

Rishi was selected, not elected. He flooded the country with migrants.

[@stanthemafia]

There was nothing wrong with Rishi, just his hue.

[@Masa6x]

@@stanthemafia Nothing is crazy. Most ppl didnt hate him because hes indian, they hate him because hes out of touch, has a billionaire wife and is slimy af

[@Lythgoemania]

He wasn't popular as opposition leader either

[@r4v5t4r]

​@@stanthemafia If you hate poor people then tories are great

[@HeliumFreak]

Cause they didn't want Starmer, they just didn't want the Tories

[@michaeladkins6]

The last election, Reform was a None of the above.

[@lachlanchester8142]

There was other parties on the ballot as well which makes it even more silly

[@hegantank6495]

​@@lachlanchester8142 reform wasn't quite ready for government with the mess with their candidates, that isn't the case anymore though and with the new jezbollah party hitting starmer from the left its all downhill from here

[@JustAnotherAccount8]

@@lachlanchester8142 Parliamentary systems force voters to vote strategically otherwise you're just throwing your vote away.

[@dylansmith1833]

But now they wanna vote them back in? How does that make any sense?

[@uncleandross4310]

No mention of one of the lowest voter turn-out in UK history? No? Just me then?

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

That's the thing. It's not so much that people voted Labour, they just didn't vote conservative.

[@ponyboy1664]

Because it was also one of the most unpalatable elections i can remember.

[@InciniumVGC]

That's cause there were no good parties running. Except Reform.

[@qsr1776]

It's like the election of 2004 in the US, having to choose between Bush Junior and John Kerry. All of them are WEF adherents.

[@angelogiusti5283]

I can tell you as an American u got a two party system why do you think we stoped giving a shit about out elections who wants to vote when u only have blue crap and red crap what I don’t understand is you guys have small parties ur telling me u still didn’t manage to break the two party system even if just pushing one of them over the finish line can do the job

[@jasongrundy1717]

He only got 32% of the vote. He started unpopular.

[@Dacheerio]

34

[@johnburrows3385]

@@Dacheerio 33.7

[@mike-A299]

@@jasongrundy1717 you lost, get over it.

[@rishabgaba8586]

Bla Bla Bla that’s how it works in every country with first past the poll system We are not a two party nation like usa

[@stevesmith3990]

@@Robespierre-lI you think it's successful???

[@JottoHearthStone]

Been saying this since prior to the election, I'll judge the government on its record in 3-4 years, not impulsive responses after 5-6 months.

[@dkmphotography_co_uk]

You're not the average voter... 😒

[@stephanguitar9778]

​@@dkmphotography_co_ukInfluenced by the right wing propaganda machine.

[@XeNeXX]

Common sense approach, most just get brainwashed by the media

[@chrislillie5522]

You don't need to wait that long... you can judge them on how many promises/pledges have been totally smashed already.

[@worldmilitarystats]

@@chrislillie5522 yes, 1 of them, only 1. And it was on tax, which affected rich people

[@stevesmith3990]

You failed to mention that Starmer and Labour actually got LESS votes than when they lost badly in 2019 so only a 20% minority of eligible voters wanted them in the first place. Think about it.

[@KingCaillou]

Spot on!

[@D.B-s9x]

That’s because our voting system is rigged

[@mesamies123]

True. Fewer votes. The only reason Labour is in government is because the far, far-right took votes from the Tories.

[@mike-A299]

@@stevesmith3990 you lost, get over it.

[@stevesmith3990]

@mesamies123 I assume you are on the far far left.

[@cunawarit]

There are also soft factors to consider. Both Starmer and Reeves struggle as communicators, often coming across as robotic and unnatural. Their delivery feels forced, and much of what they say lacks the authenticity that resonates with people. It's challenging for individuals to connect with leaders who appear to be reciting pre-prepared talking points rather than speaking genuinely from the heart.

[@mikester4896]

Still prefer it over Boris' mad rambling

[@conormurphy4328]

That’s because the Uk has spend over a decade being deceived by snake oil salesmen

[@ressymezzo]

Sorry but the Conservatives spent 14 years reciting wooden pre-written scripts, with their juniors following whatever scripts their bosses were following word-for-word. Moot point.

[@cunawarit]

​@@ressymezzo But the Conservatives lost the election-and they lost badly. Why would Labour choose to follow the same path? It’s undeniably a bold move to observe a party’s spectacular failure and then decide to mimic their strategy.

[@cunawarit]

@@mikester4896 That’s hardly an ambitious target. There’s no harm in aiming high-why should we settle for mediocrity just because it’s marginally better than something terrible?

[@Chris-lr2qb]

He hasn't pressed the "fix everything" button. It's as simple as that.

[@taraldomland8657]

😂

[@cgroovy]

Damn, he should really get around to pressing that button. What's he waiting for??!!

[@lukefleetwood7958]

Not fixing the previous governments issues is fine, but people hate him because he has made things worse in his own right as every Blairite Labour government always end up doing.

[@taraldomland8657]

@@lukefleetwood7958 lol

[@TheAmericanPrometheus]

He pressed the "make everything much worse" button from the looks of it lol

[@shanecox7942]

GDP means next to nothing for the average quality of life of those who live within the UK. I think it's time we did away with this idea of growth as it does nothing but measure the wealth of the largest companies and richest people. We average quality of life for those that live within the UK is falling sharply so sharply that most cannot afford to live

[@dorino9057]

People have fallen for the right wing news propaganda. He’s only been in the office for five months and undoing 14 years of damage from the conservatives is going to be difficult and take time.

[@johntowers1213]

according to the PPP index, the bloody Russians are fairing better than we are in that regard.....how sad is that?

[@mike-A299]

@@shanecox7942 the story of the west in general sadly. Spot on.

[@ImmuneGEORGE]

What planet are you on? Having low growth leads to either tax rises or spending cuts, which has a negative impact on everyone’s lives. There’s a reason the economy is the #1 priority for pretty much every government.

[@mike-A299]

@@ImmuneGEORGE you've clearly missed their point here.

[@RobCGodin]

The number 1 word choice about Starmer was "Liar" but instead of addressing this, you addressed point number 6, "Boring". Why didn't you take a deeper look at why people think he is a liar?

[@Alexander-yb1zc]

Because regardless which word you pick it just comes down to labour having a terrible comms team that's constantly behind and chasing the narrative.

[@mabeSc]

Well, because they literally risk being arrested.

[@AE-yh7hu]

TLDR love the left too much to critique them.

[@HarryNott]

@@AE-yh7hu You're commenting on the video where they discuss Starmer's critiques and the evidence/rationale for them - yet they love the "left" too much to critique them? lmao

[@lordnoodle2146]

Being a liar doesn't matter in politics. Farage has been called up on lies he had made multiple times and he is arguably the most popular British MP. The issue is when they get in power they have to be called on those lies. Riski Sunak also made tax cutting claims and he knew the state of the UK affairs. The fact is everyone in the election lied their arse off. Stamer just won so is being called on it. Lies are what makes a politician popular. No charisma makes them unpopular. Look at Johnson, he won a majority after all his lies would outed.

[@richardjames3022]

One of the first things he did was to cancel the Winter Fuel Allowance. A two year old could have told him it was a BAD move, and he has continued down a similar path

[@ajn2370]

Although as far as possible from the next election is actually the best time to make a terrible decision

[@BaronLickilicky]

It's a bad move for his PR. It's not a bad move for the public finances. Why should older people get an annual amount of free money, based only on their age, not whether they need it? There was never any requirement to use the winter fuel allowance for fuel. Lots of wealthy pensioners used it to fund holidays abroad. Why should poor, younger people have their taxes given out told older richer people as an annual hand out?

[@richardjames3022]

@@BaronLickilicky Not free money any more than a pension is free money, which by the way is one of the lowest in Europe. Retired people have paid monies in tax. All I can say is I hope you make LOADS OF MONEY, so you will never have to ask for a pension or help from the government, of any colour.

[@BaronLickilicky]

@@richardjames3022 I agree the state pension should be increased - in that sense the Winter Fuel Allowance was just a plaster over a greater problem. And no, I won't make loads of money. I live on an income significantly less than the national average. I have accepted the fact that - unlike my parents and my grandparents - I will never be able to afford my own home. And like everyone else, I will also pay money in tax over my lifetime. However, I still save into my own private pension, as well as making AVCs to my workplace pension. Ensuring I have a comfortable retirement is my responsibility.

[@weeabooman2867]

@@BaronLickilicky Damn yeah just live in abject poverty, pay taxes, and get nothing for it! Lovely!

[@BenCG]

Honestly. Nobody from Labour in their right mind will challenge Starmer's leadership with a majority that big, and we're 4 a bit years away from an election. This does not matter.

[@gavinmartin5151]

who knows anything could happen

[@archvaldor]

Most of the respondents saying "give him more time" seem to ignore the fact they are carrying on tory austerity policies. We've had a decade of that it doesn't work, I'm not going to give Labour a pass on that.

[@inbb510]

Ahh yes so spending without consequence and our debt interest spiralling out of control is so much better in the long term eh? Did you learn nothing from Greece and what is currently happening in France? Austerity is not popular. Nobody has claimed otherwise. But if you don't do it sometimes, your country will quite literally go bankrupt where you will need to cut even more spending. This is certainly the case as our population ages even more where taxes need to go up anyways to fund more pensioners after their retirement. Your short-termist way of looking at government spending is part of the problem. You don't actually want to understand the complex problem.

[@tefky7964]

@@inbb510 Doing austerity sometimes isn´t a problem, but when was the last time you didn´t have austerity measures?

[@baratoplata7050]

There was £70 billion in extra spending announced in the budget lmao. Nearly every single sane party would have enacted austeriety to reduce our deficeit given where our debt levels are, lest we get another Liz Truss moment. Even Corbyns Labour would have done it. Because Austeriety includes tax rises.

[@mjl2904]

So you want to change government every 5 minutes and have the emperor’s new clothes that is Reform in government?

[@reaperz5677]

@@inbb510 Austerity isn't always bad, but neo-liberalism is. Replacing tory neo-liberal policy (which includes austerity) with slightly less neo-liberal Labour policy (which includes austerity) isn't a good thing. Why the fuck does the U.K need even MORE austerity, if they had austerity since 2014? You know you have to do something MORE than just austerity, right? You know you have to invest?

[@shroomyesc]

I don't understand the public. You literally JUST voted out the tories, but suddenly now you like them again? After all those years of failure, after they've been gone for 5 minutes you think they'd suddenly be better again? Collective amnesia.

[@dorino9057]

People have the memory of a goldfish and have already forgotten 14 years of damage

[@johntowers1213]

where did you get that idea? they don't want the Tories back in they Don't want Labour in either they want a party that isn't separated from the other just by the colour of the tie they chose to wear on the stump.. Labour won this election because their vote share was the least fractured... not because they were well liked. if the ballot had "non of the above try again" on it and voting was Mandatory neither Labour nor the Conservatives would ever get elected..

[@markgt894]

only 20% of the electorate voted Labour. Labour have made a mess with their recent budget.

[@lewis123417]

It's not exactly been a surge for the tories, they've actually gone down 1 point. Looks like labour have had a similar collapse in support as the tories had and the only party that's been making any real gains are reform. You really need to learn how to read polls

[@markgt894]

@@lewis123417 Reform has split the Tory vote.

[@thecooletompie]

I'm not British but the the biggest problem looking in from the outside seems to be that Starmer does not want to make any difficult decisions. Compared to the conservatives he pursues the same "have your cake and eat it" policy with brexit, Starmer wants more seamless trade with Europe but has ruled out joining the customs union. When entering office he also could've relaunched HS2 immediately instead it looks like he will cancel it or downgrade it. Despite having a massive majority his government hasn't really done or tried anything big.

[@ajn2370]

To be fair with HS2, the previous government started selling off necessary land to make a u turn much harder. This is me nit picking though. I do agree with your overall point.

[@lewis123417]

Only he has absolutely no mandate to take us back into the customs union. If he wants to garuntee his career imploding, your advice is what he should follow. He didn't campaign to do that because he wouldn't have won

[@o_s_byron2319]

The last time a prime minister tried something big she lasted 40 days.

[@eddiecalderone]

@@lewis123417 Hence why it’s an outsider view

[@Grymbaldknight]

Except arresting people to saying impolite things online. He's done plenty of that.

[@thelusogerman3021]

6:30 when did boring politicians become a bad thing? They're politicans, not entertainers. If they're boring it probably means they're doing a good job

[@TippedBalance]

Why we do love being lied to in the UK? JUST GIVE US FALSE HOPE AND THAT'S IT... WHY BOTHER FIXING ANYTHING WHEN WE GOT VIBES.

[@BenchFox_]

mate give him a second its been 6 months

[@tobos8909]

​@@BenchFox_He's agreeing with you mate

[@BenchFox_]

@@tobos8909 oh right i misread that

[@TippedBalance]

@@BenchFox_ Nah, I'll him at least 14 years

[@inbb510]

@@TippedBalance, welcome to how Rishi Sunak felt during his leadership.

[@nicobruin8618]

Less people voted for him than for Corbyn last election. The only reason he won was because nobody wanted to vote for the Tories anymore. And the Tories left him a shitshow. One he's obviously making worse, but the kind of person capable enough to fix it is rather rare in the British political system.

[@MattLaw-g4n]

Can we just stop with the pretence. Everyone interested in politics knew precisely what he was, what he stood for, and they all gave him a free pass into Number 10. I can only imagine the Westminster bubble decided a change was needed, a pressure relief.

[@Semisonic56]

It’s also for the fact that we have had so much political upheaval and we’ve become used to it. But I imagine Starmer and Labour will serve a full term in this Parliament.

[@SDDT25]

Well yes they have a mega majority of seats no one would chose to give it up , more depends who will be leading the party at the next election

[@Gh44HZ]

obviously, elections only happen early if the government calls for one

[@h0ckeyd]

The majority they have, it’ll probably be more than one term.

[@onenote6619]

Unpopular compared to the Tories? That's a bar you could trip over. People are unhappy because they are in a situation caused by Tory incompetence. Now let's see how things are in 4 years.

[@jonsmith5058]

I remember in the leadup to the election all the Starmer apologists claiming ‘he’s only saying x in order to beat the Tories, he’ll be better once he is in power’. Well they are eating crow now.

[@jaggmor]

I seen so many criticisms like yours but why do you never say anything specific you don't like?

[@jonsmith5058]

@ I dont like that he pretends to be both a Tory, and claim to be Labour. I dont like how he viciously controls his party, weaponizing his power to silence anyone who disagrees with him. I don’t like how he’s purged the party of Labour members who were there for decades to stack the place with his stooges. I don’t like how involved he is with the backstabbings in his party and the literal effort factions in the party had in trying to deliberately make Corbyn lose. I dont like how he acts entitled to left wing voters yet does nothing for them, especially the youth. I dont like how he’ll kick people out of the party for watching a video from Palestine or attending a protest. I dont like how he lied about the status of Dianne Abott in an effort to force her out. Have I listed enough? If you dont hear these complaints you arent paying attention.

[@kzrr]

@@jonsmith5058 Nothing you said has absolutely anything to do with running a country, nor relevant to the entire "what he said in order to beat the tories" that you hoped he would be better at when in power. You don't like his character traits..?

[@CrystalController]

Anyone who said they would vote conservative because they dont like kier starmer is exactly whats wrong with this country... Its like people forget what happened months ago

[@anthonylulham3473]

Any one who said they'd vote for Labour because they don't like the conservatives is exactly what's wrong with the country. . . . People should vote for what they want rather than what they don't want.

[@TraeceJay]

@@anthonylulham3473what if what you want is a non tory government and the only way to achieve that is by voting for the other most popular party? Voting for what you want in our voting system doesn’t work so you have to take what you can get

[@maroonstarsface]

What happened months ago is people voted labour because they diddnt like the Tories

[@jamesn0va]

Better thar than reform

[@InciniumVGC]

Yall should have voted Reform

[@mango4ttwo635]

why is Starmer so unpopular? Let's start with he was never popular, even against the most unpopular government in recorded history (33.7% against them???). He ran on "change", and then said, "well, not change so much as 'steady as she goes',"

[@LonglongMan-pp7uq]

Higher taxes, weak on illegal migration, net zero insanity making everyone poorer. What's to like?

[@michaeladkins6]

Ask someone in Valencia Spain about Net Zero "insanity".

[@LonglongMan-pp7uq]

@michaeladkins6 go on...

[@lukeneilson9799]

And what are your thoughts on the record immigration levels under the Tories?

[@weeabooman2867]

@@lukeneilson9799 I don't like Starmer or the Tories.

[@lukeneilson9799]

@weeabooman2867 neither do I really. Hence why I am more supportive of the Lib Dems and the Green Party. However, Starmer is still better than the Tories and Reform UK (who are just Tories on Steroids).

[@NottoriousGG]

The fact that the UK public expects growth given the current conditions y'all are under, just speaks volumes about how dumb the general citizenry is across the world.

[@paulburns1333]

The UK public don't give a fck about growth, that's just media fallacy.

[@truefortune985]

It is a cultural problem not a wealth problem. The UK is extremely rich, generating a massive amount of income every year. For example, it raises 1 trillion pounds annually from a population of 68 million. To put this in perspective, China rakes in around 3 trillion dollars from 1.4 billion people, and the USA collects about 5 trillion dollars from around 370 million people. Here, we're not discussing GDP but the actual cash that flows into the country's treasury. The UK is mega-rich, but the problem isn't money, as governments often claim, citing "black holes" that need filling and budget shortages. The real issue is cultural. For instance, when you pay people to be disabled, such as through Personal Independence Payment (PIP), you end up with more claimants; 36 percent of these are for mental health issues. Most of the world deals with tough days or weeks by pushing through, which arguably strengthens mental resilience. In contrast, our society often takes a more lenient approach, potentially exacerbating the issue by enabling people not to work under the guise of care and concern. This is an unsustainable model, and the benefits bill continues to rise. The narrative extends to improving criminals and low-output immigrants. It has been proven that every immigrant costs more than they contribute, with entitlements like pension credit becoming a burden, especially for those who have not contributed sufficiently. An example is a Bulgarian man and his wife, who moved to the UK and worked as cleaners. After three years, he suffered a heart attack and subsequently required medication and multiple operations, costing the NHS over 1 million pounds. His wife developed stomach cancer and received lifelong treatment, costing another million pounds, while their tax contributions amounted to just 2000 pounds since their arrival. This situation highlights a broader cultural issue where people are reluctant to work, preferring to rely on state benefits. This mentality is coupled with a lack of respect for law and order and the integration of third-world cultures that do not assimilate or respect UK society. We face accusations of racism when we address these issues, despite the criticism being focused on unsustainable immigration rather than race. The UK is overwhelmed by cultures that do not integrate, do not speak English, and contribute to rising crime rates-challenges not exclusive to immigrants, as the indigenous population also commits crimes. However, adding to the problem through uncontrolled immigration does not help. The solution isn't to demonize the rich or businesses, as they are the primary sources of wealth, not the government. Instead, we need to restore decency and accountability, teaching people to take responsibility for their actions and not to rely on the state. If we do not address these cultural and structural issues, the consequences will only worsen.

[@brycelandon6387]

Sounds like you Brits have the same problem that we Americans have been dealing with in our own country.

[@grandbean9031]

Blaming a man and his wife for having heart attacks and getting cancer is some of the dumbest thing i have ever seen. Does that mean all non-immigrant low wage workers should stop receiving free nhs treatment as well? If that pair of bulgarians is to blame, then I do believe it does.

[@truefortune985]

@grandbean9031 nope not blaming. Again how the media and so many people who can't think otiside the box think. They have every right to come here and claim. And that's the issue. Everyone should have world class health care. But by allowing every single person to come I was highlighting the actual cost. So one day when you have your heart attack and or cancer if the care is not there for you it will because we are destroying our country with uncontrolled immigration. Think outside the box rather than be sk desperate to call someone racist. Immigration uncontrolled does not work. We have a lazy entitled population we need to fix first. Uncontrolled immigration will and is making us poorer and weaker and we will have nothing if continues. Labelling rascim is an easy easy shot.

[@svartorivigt5016]

You don't have a popular mandate when you only get 33% of voter share.

[@robmoss3501]

He took away pensioners heating allowance and has done nothing about the uncontrolled immigration problem.

[@BaronLickilicky]

He's been in government for five months, what exactly do you expect... why didn't the last government do something about the 'uncontrolled immigration' in 14 years? And yes, he took away an annual payout that was based only on age. There was no requirement to use the 'heating allowance' for heating - many wealthy pensioners used it to fund annual holidays abroad. Anyone getting Pension Credit still gets the payment. That's what benefits are for, and is how it works for everyone else. You get benefits because you need them, not just because you like getting money from the government.

[@archvaldor]

@@BaronLickilicky "He's been in government for five months, what exactly do you expect" I didn't expect the type of cruelty you get with every tory government.

[@BaronLickilicky]

@@archvaldor My point was simply five months isn't much time to pass judgement. I'm genuinely interested in what 'cruelty' you're referring to. Is it limiting the winter fuel allowance to those on pension credit (those who most need it)? What other cruel things has he done?

[@inbb510]

@@archvaldor , if you think democratically elected governments can enact long term changes in 5 months then you are outright delusional or intellectually dishonest. Either have realistic expectations with democracy or stop advocating for a political system that doesn't cater to your short-termist dictatorial view of politics.

[@inbb510]

@@BaronLickilicky he's just angry that daddy government doesn't give him free money and a free house.

[@Twilleh]

Nobody is dealing with the 25 year old mass immigration elephant in the room, people are fed up, with all the major parties.

[@mike-A299]

@@Twilleh you could just leave my country, if you're so unhappy with it.

[@Daniboi971]

@@mike-A299he’s probably in his homelands and the homelands of his entire family tree. Weird comment.

[@patrickhiggins9633]

Most people agree that immigration is too high at the moment ​@@mike-A299

[@mike-A299]

@@Daniboi971 yet he's a traitor to it. This is my country and if you don't like it, leave it.

[@CantusTropus]

@@mike-A299 Are you claiming this country, Adbul? You'd best come out and say it openly, then. If you're a native Briton instead, then why in the name of all that's holy are you OK with England no longer being English?

[@colinsmith1288]

Jailing people for years for hurty words did not help.

[@michaeladkins6]

Hurty words-getting people to set fire to immigrants lodging. Those "hurty" words?

[@lachlanchester8142]

Any examples of that? Or do you just listen to reform and not do any critical thinking

[@tomatomi8041]

@@lachlanchester8142 You're mixing us up with the lefties who only watch mainstream media

[@CantusTropus]

@@lachlanchester8142 An elderly man got arrested for shouting "who the f is Allah?".

[@weeabooman2867]

@@michaeladkins6 damn how dare people be outraged 3 young girls were murdered!

[@sakshambhadoria9998]

He lacks energy and oratory skills like Tony Blair. He isn't charismatic either. He was just voted to power because of visible anger towards tories for their 14 years of chaotic, misrule, austerity and misgovernance. He doesn't have a policy road map for economic revival that the UK desperately needs.

[@dimensional_fusion]

Quick note: At 1:57 the diagram displayed is not the 2024 election results - it is the current makeup of the house of commons. You can tell because the 9 suspended labour MPs are listed as independents instead of Labour as they were in July

[@CLaw-tb5gg]

This was always inevitable. Aside from the fact that people never really cared about Labour and only voted for them an an alternative to Labour - to be brutally honest, the electorate as a whole just don't understand things very well. People simply don't appreciate the state we're in. Britain's problems are far more profound and serious than something that can be fixed with some minor tweaks to policy - we've basically been slowly dying since WW2 - and are generational in both how long they've been developing and will take to resolve. If Reform had got into power instead they'd have also rapidly plummeted in popularity as well because they wouldn't have been able to fix anything either. Improving things will require fairly revolutionary change sustained over decades, but both politicians and the public are more concerned about what the Express is going to put on the front page tomorrow.

[@ryananthony3104]

As an outsider who doesn't really know how the UK government works, is being popular at this point in any way important? Does it actually have an effect on his ability to push forward his agenda?

[@VisualMessiah]

Being popular doesn't matter as much as places such as the US thankfully, if you look at the popularity ratings of our last PMs they have been consistently minus and bad

[@James-tv4pl]

As long as Starmer can retain the loyalty of his MPs, popularity means absolutely nothing until the next general election

[@dorino9057]

People have fallen for the right wing news propaganda. He’s only been in the office for five months and undoing 14 years of damage from the conservatives is going to be difficult and take time.

[@BalrajTakhar-u7u]

Both main parties here in the UK are crooks. Populated by morons & shysters. They don't have the welfare of the public at heart. They have their noses in the trough.

[@markgt894]

@James-tv4pl local elections are next year. Labour are going to get destroyed.

[@vincilo8835]

I'm starting to get desperate about this country. Is like we actually deserve everything happened to us, be it 14 years of Brexit or Tories. We never really want change, we only want to complain.

[@edmaximum]

Brexit has shattered any semblance of stability in the UK. The country appears to be lurching wildly from far-right policies to left-wing ideas and back again, seemingly without any clear strategy or purpose. It feels rudderless, caught in a cycle of reactionary politics and division.

[@joshuakampamba9061]

They didn't want stammer, they just wanted to teach the tories a lesson

[@ben-tendo]

People expect too much too soon nowadays because life is now now now, but change does take time.

[@rforden1976]

Because starmer don't know how to run a country

[@michaelburgess8415]

No vision, no integrity, no charisma, no loyalty...a vacuous suit...He lied to become the leader of the opposition and became PM despite offering nothing but continued complicity in genocide in Gaza...as a lefty, I despise him and everything he stands for.

[@ArgHelo]

It's remarkable that he's managed to unite those on the left and the right in their disdain for him.

[@david030491]

He’s a duplicitous Red Tory. Might be that?

[@veggie42]

Yep he's played behind that wife's back i bet and not with the Asian donors

[@TheNathanNS]

Because this country is full of idiots who assume Starmer could've fixed everything within a week of becoming PM, when in reality it'll take at least a year or two before we start to really notice any changes. For better or for worse.

[@tomo_xD]

Starmer doesn't have a clue what to do to fix the country.

[@Madkid73]

Whatever he sorts, the press will do their best to obscure it.

[@ece2178]

so backing down on his pledges (literally all of them BTW), pushing 100,000 pensioners into poverty and ******* off farmers wasn't enough.

[@tinofsardines]

Stalin's bootlicker

[@Owen-sm7ob]

So when the country is doing even worse in 2 years (like projected) then what?

[@mishapurser4439]

Neoliberialism is not the centre, it's centre-right at least.

[@landrypierce9942]

In the grand scheme of things with respect to the entire history of human thought, every modern democracy represents the far-left. Republican, Democrat, Labour, Conservative. All liberals.

[@davidfuentes9957]

@@landrypierce9942oh yeah, and private corporations are socialists and conservative Christians read Der Kapital by Karl Marx.

[@veggiesupreme3556]

2 worst things Starmer has done - Handling of the riots and the imprisonment of children over things they posted online and the subsequent release of actually dangerous offenders back into the public sometimes without the prescribed ankle trackers - Giving the Chagos Islands to Mauritius ( I voted for this guy and it didn't feel great at the time and it feels even worse now)

[@ptonpc]

The 'imprisonment' of children over things they posted online. Do you have any real, verified proof of that? If you do (unlikely since that is the usual tory / gammon claim) *what laws were broken, when were they enacted and when were these 'children imprisoned?* The release of offenders back into the public. The prisons were literally running out of space. Was it handled well? No but you can thank the tories for the problem. The Tories are the ones who started the process to hand over the Chagos Islands. Handling of the riots. It was handled like every other riot over the years. This one was fuelled by more gammon and bigotry of course. But, it's England, those things happen in England, not so much in the other parts of the UK. I do not like Starmer. He is too tory for me, there are plenty of things to criticise him and his minions for. But try not to share tory and reform mince.

[@weeabooman2867]

@@ptonpc I like how you just have an utter disdain for the natives of the UK

[@philipthody5007]

Imprisoned children ? Where are you getting your news feed from mate 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Iltazyara]

@@weeabooman2867 You appear to have an utter disdain for the facts, what with how you take factual information as an attack on being British because it doesn't line up with your bigoted propaganda feeds.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

'Why is Starmer so unpopular?' Perhaps treating the bulk of the population with utter contempt, after renaging on most of the 'promises' in his Manifesto, might have some relevance here?

[@JoeeyTheeKangaroo]

He will become more popular if he plans to kick muslims out the country.

[@marlonsegura5201]

He offered 'change', but he has realized that neoliberal elites are not that easy to deal with, and so he has opted for passivity.

[@veggie42]

He won't do change. He's stuck with mrs predictable

[@dpereira227]

He’s only unpopular because the media says so, too many bootlickers forget it took 14 years of tories to get to this point. Let the man work and at the end of his term you can pass judgement.

[@jayviolentmob8309]

Haven't we done this video twice already?

[@wellsee123]

The premise of the survey is flawed. People don't know how they're going to vote in 4-5 years time. I reckon a lot of people are willing to give them a term in Government to prove themselves.

[@Gh44HZ]

you need 5 years before you can decide whether a law was bad?

[@williamlu9998]

He's not exciting there's no feeling of rebirth or optimism. Its alot of oh we are in a bad spot and will remain in a bad spot for a long time.

[@James-tv4pl]

That's his biggest problem. His narrative is constantly pessimistic in the short term and he rarely even acknowledges that things will get better. That's something that's gonna make any politician unpopular

[@inbb510]

​@James-tv4pl, I'd say to those people to get over it. What? You would rather have a politician giving you false promises and say everything will be fine and dandy without them having to take any difficult decisions? I say get real. GET REAL.

[@James-tv4pl]

@@inbb510 You can make difficult decisions while following a narrative of hope. You can give true promises while following a narrative of hope. Literally all that it requires is to concentrate less on the 'things will get worse' and more on the 'things will get better'. If you concentrate more on the 'things will get worse' it makes it seem like you're covering your back in preparation to do a bad job

[@inbb510]

@James-tv4pl you can't have it both ways really. Either you want an honest who says how it is or don't have an honest government. If the people aren't prepared to hear honest bad news from governments then they shouldn't demand such qualities from them. You can't have your cake and eat it. Hope is form of copium and a functional government isn't there to give people hope. They are there to do what they believe the right thing is regardless of popularity.

[@abmstudio3678]

It seems that uk might end up electing a third party in 2029 and a fourth one 2034 before going right back to the torries.

[@crazyman8472]

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate (effectively). 🤦‍♀️

[@jacobmoss6830]

Why is Keir Starmer unpopular. Because he was left with the political equivalent of a 20 story burning building, with the equipment he needs to put it out sold off or damaged by the previous fire chief and everyone is upset he can’t put the fire out instantly and rebuild the building better than It was before. People it had only been a few months, they’ve barely had time to go ‘shit the tories left us an ever bigger dumpster fire than we expected’ and then start trying to fix it. Let’s come back to this towards the middle and then at the end of this government and see how they’ve got on.

[@Grymbaldknight]

Except that he's been making the problem worse. As a single example, letting a load of pedos and gangsters out of prison early, only to give harsh sentences to people during the riots for being impolite on the internet, has pissed a lot of people off. It shows where his priorities lie, and it's not with us.

[@jacobmoss6830]

@ You mean the release of people from prison? Who were going to be released from prison anyway just later? And who aren’t free are still under supervision until such a time that they are deemed fully reformed? Which freed up space in overcrowded prisons. You mean the people online inciting physical violence against people based on the colour of their skin or their religion, who then tried to retreat behind ‘it’s just a joke’ or ‘I didn’t actually mean it.’ Please tell me how these two issues are truly the sign he doesn’t care about the ordinary person? Has he raised taxes on ordinary people? Privatised the NHS? Passed conscription? Has it not even been a full year since he was elected and therefore is still in the ‘Fucking hell how much of a dumpster fire have the tories fucking left me, we’re still uncovering holes in the budget and things they covered up’ phase.

[@Grymbaldknight]

@@jacobmoss6830 Yes, the people who had not yet served their sentence. The people who were locked away in the first place because they were a danger to society. The people who, in many cases, reoffended within 24h of being released. Yeah, those people. Regarding those recently locked up, no, they weren't inciting violence. Many were locked up for "hate speech", which is anything the government disagrees with. Many - such as Peter Lynch - were arrested and put away for YEARS merely for being in the vicinity of others committing acts of disorder. The majority of these people are political prisoners, plain and simple. This coming from the man who knelt in support of the violent BLM movement back in 2020; apparently it's fine to riot in support of a dead criminal on the opposite side of the Atlantic, but if you riot because three innocent children were killed in your home country by a terror suspect whom the government is ACTIVELY RUNNING COVER FOR, then you're some sort of "far right extremist", apparently. This is just a single dimension of the problem with the Labour government; a government which has only been in power for 6 months. I could go on, but it would be a case of "same arse, different shit".

[@jiminverness]

_"Why is Starmer so unpopular?"_ *Is that a trick question?*

[@derelictconfusion9498]

Cause he was born!

[@XeNeXX]

Yes it is, answer is simple, the tories own the media in this country, hence why we ended up with 5x shit Tory PM’s in a town instead of casual corbyn lmao

[@joso7228]

yeah he's a bit dry but some excellent Immigration policies so far

[@jiminverness]

@@joso7228 _" but some excellent Immigration policies so far"_ Such as?

[@dftfire]

​@@XeNeXXI've replied to your own comment on this, but the Tories don't own all the media in this country. Daily Mail, Express and Telegraph are right-wing. Sun and Times can vary. Mirror, Guardian, Observer, The i, Independent, FT (currently) and Star (currently) are for Labour. Metro is left-leaning online, more centre in print. For TV, Sky and Channel 4 News are both left-leaning. BBC varies. ITN (ITV and C5 news) fairly neutral. GBN and talkTV right-leaning. If people on the left want a 24hr news network similar to the last two, nothing stopping anyone setting one up

[@squeakyproductions]

People are rightly angry and fed up after a long period of terrible government. The Labour party have got a lot of work to do to fix that and will take a lot of abuse in the process. I only hope they are up to the task.

[@RR-sp3ey]

The Labour vote was different from that of the SNP, Reform, and Green as it isn't a positive message of change. Public support is challenging when your election is primarily a result of voters disliking the Tories. SNP and Reform will see continued growth, increasing Scotland's case for independence and further distancing it from the UK. At the same time, England is likely to become more divided, with increasing support for Reform and voting based on religion/Gaza.

[@ericherde1]

He’s unpopular because he’s in charge and he’s spent the last few years rejecting all the ideas that could help address the problems caused by the Tories, so life still sucks in the UK for a lot of people, and he takes the blame for it.

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

And the only ones actually offering anything different are reform, though it's easy to offer what people want when you're a conman.

[@juliuskresnik198]

Tbh, it's always seemed to me that a lot of the electorate is far too comfortable with things being bad. I dont speak for everyone but a lot of people would prefer a chaotic Conservative party that keeps them comfortable than a Labour party that tries to make things better.

[@luluisze]

but they are not making things better

[@hereticalgames3695]

Both are failing at those missions. UK is getting to economically questionable space.

[@mariatheresavonhabsburg]

​@@hereticalgames3695 Regardless of whom is in charge, that'll be the case for atleast a few years.

[@ronmastrio2798]

You literally have the 12 people who voted for labour saying things have to get worse and burying their heads in the sand.

[@charlienyiti5880]

Maybe because the media is always running stories about how unpopular he is? Like, it's been 5 months, a lot of whats going on is still inertial from the Tories, we'll see how actually popular he is in 4 years

[@rm1305]

Starmer not appearing on TLDR podcast is top of my issue list.

[@EVILBUNNY28]

It’s a tale as old as politics. One party creates growth and prosperity, until it all becomes the normal. People get bored and want a change, the change comes along in the form of labour. Everyone realises how bad they fck everything up. Everyone agrees “never again” then the next generation come along having not lived through a labour government and think everything will be sunshine and roses. Then the cycle repeats itself

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

I’m glad to hear that What To Follow USA will continue!

[@Alexander-yb1zc]

It's honestly just the communication, they constantly are behind on the narrative on policy THEY PUT OUT. They need Malcom back in ASAP 😂.

[@JasonAtlas]

Only so much you can do Vs the Murdoch press.

[@carlosmiguelteixeiraott3643]

I've said so before and I'll say it again, he's just too much like the Tories, people wanted change and he's just not delivering it. People wanted Corbyn, they got Mild Sunak.

[@senanur1983]

Killing old pensioners, taxing 45% inheritance tax for farmers, highest tax burden for companies in UK history, highest legal immigration in UK history and you are asking why labour is unpopular?

[@alunreed8214]

The winter fuel allowance became means tested. Taxing the richest section of Britain by inheritance tax means those who can most afford to pay pay.

[@someperson3883]

His party only got 1/3 of the vote

[@cjkeating]

Why are we obsessing about polls when there isn't an election for 4.5 years?

[@Da1Dez]

Because come 2029 they could be annihilated at the current rate.

[@ronmastrio2798]

Elections can happen at any time depending on the circumstances. Germany and Frances governments both collapsing within a month should show you that.

[@cjkeating]

@@ronmastrio2798 Both of those are minority/coalition governments that don’t have a majority to get legalisation through.

[@jackayers4955]

I think people don't really get how serious Britain's problems are. They just know they're paying too much for everything. Labour says they want to build, but they haven't communicated why building is important.

[@vladthecon]

airstrip1*

[@anjelkanja8032]

I think that is exacly it, the public dont realise how much damage the tories did to the foundation of this country, and its hard to go against them because the public have the attention span of a butterfly. The tories cause generational damage to the uk to make it better for the people for a couple years and then when that stops working labour come in and fix the damage at the expense of living standards in the short terms and POW, the tories turn around and say the country was better under us and swoop in and destroy the improvements they made to buy popularity, rinse and repeat ad infinitum

[@angryherbalgerbil]

No where to build. Tiny island, increasingly more people. Increasingly fewer farms. Increasingly larger city hellscapes. It's a matter of where we build, what we build, and why we build it. Building more homes to account for more people is only adding to the growing systems cascade. The only thing he's told the truth on is: "Things are going to get worse before they get better" he just isn't saying to people how much worse, mainly because it's a level of grimness too much to consider for most UK citizens.

[@lewis123417]

Because we're taking in a million people every year, that's why we need to build

[@jackayers4955]

@@lewis123417 We need to build to bring the cost of rent and mortgages down. Many young people don't want to start families because housing is so expensive, hence the need to bring in immigrants.

[@ASBO_LUTELY]

Labeling working class people as far right wasn't very clever, neither was lying to our collective faces about two tier policing. He's a complete and utter nob!

[@imagecollections6665]

Starmer is unpopular because 1. He has done absolutely nothing about immigration & thinks anyone is far right if they consider a million people settling here each year as an issue. 2. He is mired in sleaze but has a good legal team who keep it secret. 3. He broke lockdown rules whilst going on about party gate but broadcast a lockdown message from Lord Ali's house. 4. Accepts tons of donations but argued about Boris's wallpaper for about a year. 5. They cannot admit that most of the UK's financial troubles are due to funding immigrants who come here & do nothing but breed. The UK has 1.6 million unemployed foreigners. 6. Reeves is hammering businesses despite the "fully costed plan for government" they claimed to have. 7. Food inflation is rising quickly again due to Labour. 8. They have talked about the "black hole" for months before an investment summit which is hardly going to encourage people.

[@haroldotrotter9148]

That is actually a really good unbiased summary.

[@lukeneilson9799]

You are forgetting that a lot of this cost and the reason why a lot of small businesses are struggling and there is high food inflation is due to Brexit (which is entirely the fault of the Tories), but you conviently miss this out. Also, a lot of the so called cost of immigration is false as well. Migrants are actually a net positive to the treasury overall.

[@imagecollections6665]

@ I agree Brexit was handled badly. We needed to leave the ECHR too. I lost a lot of trade with the EU since the UK lost the customs union. Brexit should have meant we stopped importing foreigners, instead where I live now almost everyone is a recently arrived African or Asian & we have UK MPs arguing the case for blasphemy laws & inbreeding in parliament.

[@lukeneilson9799]

@@imagecollections6665 well, if you want less trade barriers and less African/Asian immigrants, then vote for pro-EU parties like the Lib Dems and the Greens.

[@lukeneilson9799]

@@imagecollections6665 in that case. If you want better trade and less immigrants from Africa and Asia, then vote for a pro-EU party like the Lib Dems or the Greens.

[@SamuelHill-qt4zx]

Why is there so much focus on approval ratings. The UK will approve / disapprove according to their perceptions on whether the state of the country is on an incline or decline. The approval rating essentially becomes a representation of the public perception on the state of the UK but we all know the UK is in a shambles - no point in stating the obvious.

[@milesgreenaway6008]

My family has always voted labour but my family hate starmer, because of what he did to Corbin

[@shardlake]

Should have included all the things they said they would not do or the Conservatives were wrong for trying to implement, then did them - Tax Rises and Winter Fuel Payments to name a couple.

[@535-o5o]

Means tested. It’s fair. I don’t think they’ve done anything wrong and are doing their best to undo 14 years of pisstake

[@StrayCatInTheStreets]

Not British but looking in as a close neighbour I would say the British people in general have had their fill of the same archetypical political leader whether it's conservative or labour. Whatever you want to say about Jeremy Corbyn he was at least different to the others currently leading the UK parties - they are professional managerial class types you see in your office jobs. Very blasse and very one dimensional.

[@inbb510]

Saying that you will spend spend spend and spend, tax tax and tax, and borrow borrow and borrow like there is no tomorrow is not a policy position. People aren't stupid.

[@dorino9057]

People have fallen for the right wing news propaganda. He’s only been in the office for five months and undoing 14 years of damage from the conservatives is going to be difficult and take time.

[@wolfgangrenner4152]

Starmer seems to be like Macron: Most european nations like Starmer and Macron. But English and French citicen don't like their leaders Starmer and Macron. But when France eloect Le Pen, perhaps french people will regret it afterwards. It is like some Britains regret Brexit nowadays.

[@tinofsardines]

What??????? Farage and Le Pen are miles better than any of the present status quo neoliberal candidates.

[@BalrajTakhar-u7u]

You stick to Germany. Merkel & Scholz have done such a great job in ruining Germany. And keep bringing in those peaceful immigrants. They've been such a welcome addition to Germany, France & the UK.

[@jackjones9962]

a 2,600 survey is nothing for a voting suggestion

[@davidoldboy5425]

He's not unpopular, he's loathed

[@nearlythere9443]

A child loves their mum. A Child has been unwell for a long time and needs to take medicine to get better, it will take time because the illness has been going on a long time. The medicine is horrible but mum knows it will make the child better. All of a sudden the child hates mum because child does not like the medicine. Apply that to where we are as a country.

[@bxwei6454]

You mean Starmer is a mother of all British? Will he beat these children up when they are being 'disobedient' then?

[@eversor10]

Long way till the next election

[@retrofrog127]

I do try to be kind, but anyone who went from voting for Labour, back to voting for the Tories, is actually unhinged.

[@lewis123417]

I agree, they should ditch labour and the tories for reform

[@Iltazyara]

@@lewis123417 Why would anyone go for 'The Tories, but Explicitly More Evil and Cruel' as an alternative to Tories being awful? Half of the problem witht he Tories is their constant performative cruelty. Why fix a problem when you can abuse and malign people and get support that way instead? And Reform is just doubling down on the same. Only harder and with more extremism.

[@lewis123417]

@Iltazyara such as? Reform are nasty bla bla, people aren't interested in that, securing the borders and deporting criminals is not only common sense but is supported by the majorty of the country, don't care how "nasty" it is

[@InciniumVGC]

Reform would fix your country's mass illegal migration problem.

[@ronmastrio2798]

@@Iltazyara If you're in a left wing bubble, for a lot of people the problem with the Tories is that they became a Blairite party and continued his failed policies especially on immigration. The Tories are a left wing party and your trying to frame Starmer continuing all their polices as some kind of change.

[@kreuner11]

My condolences to the people of the UK who just can't elect a government that doesn't become wildly unpopular in 5 minutes

[@Dedicationgraf]

The Uk is a meme

[@riccamane8759]

Dude, you havan't talked about the Starmer governement orwellian-style crackdown on free speech! I think this is one of the many problems of this administration.

[@commercio3564]

Starmer literally said things will get worse before they get better BEFORE he assumed office. People just need to be patient. Changing an entire fucking country as complex as ours takes time. Actually enrages me how stupid our population is sometimes.

[@stevesmith3990]

Yes you are 😅

[@PostingCringeOnMain]

@@stevesmith3990says the guy who’d vote for the party of Brexit and Liz Truss again… if we just had another 5 years of the Tories they’d get it right next time, honest guv.

[@ece2178]

yes but again he did a 360 on his pledges as soon as he became prime minister

[@chrisf3379]

@@ece2178 you are ignoring the reason why he had to. That's your bias.

[@benjaminjenkins7120]

Take your own advice: blaming the voters is stupid and impatient.

[@agodelianshock9422]

I didn't hate Liz Truss but she was pushed out by her own party and now look where we are.

[@TheGalifrey]

Opinion polls mean shit but lets be honest Starmer has less appeal than a mouldy cabbage. Alarming how many people think Reform is a serious option.....

[@bloodmagiclord8253]

Alarming that people think voting for the same two parties over and over again is going to improve anything. The definition of insanity.

[@TheGalifrey]

@bloodmagiclord8253 alarming some idiots think there is only 3 parties to choose from.... Or that reform would change for the better 🤣

[@ronmastrio2798]

@@TheGalifrey People are probably tired of 15 flavours of left wing bullshit being called a "choice".

[@codders69]

People still defending Starmer make me laugh

[@calvinsmith6681]

Maybe if they actually stood for something instead of being neoliberal technocrats and campaigning on “we’re not the Tories” this wouldn’t be happening. But no god forbid a party actually stand for something other than the neoliberal status quo

[@fireironthesecond2909]

Labour: “Who wants Liz Truss but a tyrant?” The British people: “…nobody.” Labour: “Well *nobody* is going to like Starmer as PM! … wait…”

[@UNORTHODOX_]

at 4:51 are they having a meeting in an elevator?

[@arbbr9397]

Also, he is the person tasked with cleaning up the mess. It’s not an enviable position to be in. 14 years of decline cannot be undone in one term, never mind 6 months.

[@paulburns1333]

He's doing the same fckn things that caused the mess.

[@ThemoonsFullofgoons-qn9xl]

It’s clear this is a channel where all the labour voters hang out 😂

[@tentwoXII]

I get why the British commenters aren’t mentioning Southport and migration because they’re scared of judicial retribution, but that probably is a large reason why he is not liked.

[@Permanentlay]

3:22 starmer struggles on the economoy, and tldr struggles on the spelling of economy

[@luisfilipe2023]

You know it’s bad when you have to specifically tell people not to call you boring

[@ophilipp7292]

look, i'll level with you : as a continental european i never held much love fro the brits : their special role in the EU with exceptions and special treatment, their clinging to lost grandeur from ages past, their stuck up sense of 'posh' exceptionalism. i enjoyed joining in on the ribbing and all the mean-spirited jokes, the food, the weather, etc you get the gist. but seeing what this "Labour v Tories" factionalism, these 'you can only pick the lesser evil' politics, and the absolutely dreadful administrators it has saddled you with have brought about in the country broke even my little black heart. we visited relatives in edinburgh shortly after truss was out, and only god knows what mental disability made us chose rail and rental cars as our methods of travel. on our way north we came through areas that looked like they had seen about a decade of war at that point. the general sense of decay, regression, and no actual change in sight and the hopelessness that is spawned made the whole trip a genuinely depressive experience. whenever current politics came up at the kitchen table at our relatives' we made common jokes about them coming back with us as 'refugees', and i could've sworn once or twice they seemed to genuinely consider it. i think most of (western) europe is in the process of paying a rather painful price for the decades of not holding its leaders accountable for bad policies (economic and social) rn, but that sense of terrible national mismanagement seemed a bit more palpable in the UK... i'd say keep a stiff upper lip chaps, sunnier days will come, but we both know that aint happening :D instead, i'd like to leave with this : as i made clear in the intro, the UK governments dont have the best rep around these parts, but that doesnt go for the british people. their pain is shared, and at least as i can tell, they are very much still understood to be part of the european 'ecosystem'. for what its worth : if they ever were to choose to rejoin the union, everyone would be happy to have them, no harsh feelings (sry for writing a damn book xD)

[@dftfire]

Look, I'll level with you... Use paragraphs next time, ain't no-one reading all that 😵‍💫😵

[@azeria1]

France doesn't have a proper prime minister right now and the German government collapsed recently I don't think a European can try and act superior right now

[@solsunman383]

Look ... I'll level with you as well. I live in the UK. I like to consider myself fairly well travelled. I've been on holiday to a lot of places, on all continents (barring Antarctica) for my entire life, and lived in Spain until 2017. I have relatives who live in France and Ireland. The UK isn't perfect. It has depressed areas. But it is not this third world country that you are depicting. It's very popular to present the UK as this grey and miserable place, in which it always rains and the food is just grey gruel. I hate to break it to you, but that just isn't the case. At least, no more so than in France or Spain. (The UK doesn't even have exclusively the worst rainy weather in Europe. Looking at you Ireland and Italy). Yes, UK politics is turbulent. Yes, the dominance of the two main parties is annoying. Yes, British attitudes can come across as snobbish or indifferent. And public transport is embarrassingly neglected. However, none of these is unique to the UK. These are attitudes and problems common to all Western European countries, many of whom suffer from these issues to an even worse degree than the UK (have you met anyone from Paris? I guarantee you will find a lot of people "clinging to lost grandeur from ages past" in France.). Not to invalidate your experience. I'm sure you did have a depressing time (though I wonder if there was an element of confirmation bias from your prior understanding of the UK?), but I am slightly tired of this very fashionable attitude to continue to sneer at the UK in a post-Brexit world, as if all the evils of Satan have come home to roost in a land of deservingly unrepentant sinners.

[@barrywood7322]

Why is Starmer so unpopular easy liar liar pants on fire besides being clueless.