Watch all Andrew Marr's New Statesman videos here: kzitem.info/door/PLSfumUEfFlcIG6GaFtC82AQ1tmT-9JGhl Can Keir Starmer keep Labour's new pledges? kzitem.info/news/bejne/kWeVnq5sbZVyeWk
@russelldean2085
4 ай бұрын
If ‘one’ were a betting person ‘one’ might say that there was more of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle.
@peteratkin3788
2 ай бұрын
What did Starma do now after winning the GE , he worked late on Friday and got competent well proven people in key positions and hit the ground running, WTF who voted for competence, the disappointment is palatable.
@bc5295
4 ай бұрын
The death of John Smith was an incalculable disaster for the UK.
@markemarkatfb
4 ай бұрын
Nice guys don't always make successful leaders, but agree it's a shame that he never got the chance to try.
@Puffball-ll1ly
4 ай бұрын
He was murdered
@maxheadrom3088
4 ай бұрын
Who is John Smith? No worries ... I'll google him!
@maxheadrom3088
4 ай бұрын
I remembered something about him! My apologies, I'm from Brazil.
@desplatt842
4 ай бұрын
There was a programme about 20 years after his death when they asked prominent Tories and Liberals as well as Labour people how Britain would have been different if he had lived. All agreed we would have been a far better country. There isn’t a chance he would have crawled to Bush for starters and gone to war in Iraq. Stodger isn’t fit to be mentioned in the same conversation.
@peterprice6035
4 ай бұрын
Starmer already riffed off of John Smith's 'non-Midas touch' barb against Major back in 1993, just changing the term to 'reverse-Midas touch' back in November. The fact that it tied in with the Elgin Marbles debacle from Sunak made it even funnier.
@jonmould2946
4 ай бұрын
No it was Enoch Powell.
@Canti-40
4 ай бұрын
RIP John Smith ,He would have been a great Prime Minister,
@captaintorch983
4 ай бұрын
You cannot say that, because there is no hard evidence that it would have been. Sadly! Is the next term of Khan's Mayorship going to be a huge success. Citizens of London seem to think so. Perhaps he has ambitions of being PM. Ha ha.
@markemarkatfb
4 ай бұрын
@@captaintorch983 I read the original comment as an opinion, we all know that he sadly passed away, so pretty clear that the comment was speculation. I agree that Khan is quite possibly a future PM. I feel sorry for the small number of car owners hit by ULEZ, but can't blame the guy for defending the air we all breath from pollution. Also his policy on school meals for infants is spot on. Nice chap.
@stuarturquhart9363
4 ай бұрын
@@captaintorch983everyone can have a opinion 👍🏻
@ianmcsherry5254
4 ай бұрын
@@markemarkatfbULEZ, of course, a policy initially put forward by Boris Johnson, and the implementation of it a firm condition of TFL getting post pandemic support funding from Westminster. Khan is just the messenger, the policy was written by the Tories. Folk should remember that, the next time they use it as a stick to beat Khan and Labour with.
@johnstirling6597
4 ай бұрын
Hard to quantify if JS would have been a great PM, but his absence (sadly in many ways) cleared the path for a youthful Tony Blair to ascend to apparent saint hood and all the good and ill that his premiership bought.
@davidbamford1971
4 ай бұрын
I will probably vote labour, but I have never liked Keir Stramer. He has no core principles beyond getting elected. We might say the same about Tony Blair, but at least he had charisma and political skills. There is no excitement over Stramers likely election. What a pity that Andy Burnham, who is a truly inspirational figure, isn't the leader. Labour would win a massive majority with Burnham as leader.
@shyannseet
4 ай бұрын
then don't vote Labour!
@paulsparks7035
4 ай бұрын
He has one job and that's to get elected.
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
Unfortunately Starmer's in a political bind owing to our undemocratic FPTP voting system. He's forced to appeal to just a few deeply conservative ( and big C) , mostly elderly voters in a relatively few contestable seats. They're the lowest common denominator unfortunately and he needs to convince these voters , who essentially have inordinate power, to vote for him or at least not vote Tory. These are the unfortunate parameters Starmer's got to work within in order to win.
@Rotstift-nr2cw
4 ай бұрын
@@MrTimg12 That's not correct. If he were to appeal to disillusioned socialist -leaning Labour (not-anymore) voters in the north, he might not be in the hands of the big Cs. That is a decision he has consciously thrown out. His choice. So no more talk of " he has to act conservative" - if does so, this is bcause he IS a conservative.
@unconventionalideas5683
4 ай бұрын
He does have more principles than that. However, a lot of the more radical stuff people might want would take too much parliamentary time to finish in the first parliament anyway.
@peteratkin3788
4 ай бұрын
Keir Starmer must learn from this Labour leader, not sure that's true, but always good to learn from other were you can, but never be a slave to them, changing times and all that .
@alessandrocarpi9898
4 ай бұрын
We hope the next Prime Minister will act in Great Britain, and on the World stage, with the determination shown by Giants like Attlee and Blair.
@fennelleastman8816
2 ай бұрын
I'm French and even i will be voting for Reform! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@MrKidOcelot
4 ай бұрын
The Labour Party without Jeremy Corbyn is like Christianity without Jesus.... And then Adolf Hitler was asked to join....he didn't accept but Elphicke did!!! Vote for the Citizen Independents!!!
@belindamay8063
4 ай бұрын
@MrKidOcelot. Corbyn always looked to me like the new supply-teacher who could never find the Gents. Such a waif-like presence in the People’s House. How exactly was he going to deliver us ? He had never fought a battle - bore no scars. Who was he ? His eminence was a total mystery.
@MrKidOcelot
4 ай бұрын
@@belindamay8063 That'd be a strawman....your words, your thoughts, your narrative! The point is that a party that can't be the home of somebody like Corbyn is not The Labour Party anymore!!! Hope you're on script now.... Belinda can and must do better J.C. grade C-
@torseharris3346
4 ай бұрын
Starmer has no principle and to compare him to John Smith is not the same. It is an insult to the memory of John Smith. John Smith had character, Starmer none
@peteratkin3788
2 ай бұрын
A really good breakdown.
@terencewise7349
4 ай бұрын
From Terence Wise.......This is a false comparison because Smith was still a Socialist but Starmer is not!.
@michelodonnell7240
3 ай бұрын
Fascinating as usual ❤
@rosemarycuthbert4623
4 ай бұрын
John Smith will be turning in his grave watching Starmer and his acceptance of Natalie Elphicke. Marr is a Toraidh Marr
@oliverleonard7730
4 ай бұрын
I couldn't agree more.
@geertdecoster5301
4 ай бұрын
I remember that day very well. Overall sadness about John Smith's sudden death. Even on the continent that was the case. How very different Britain is now. Yes, one can get some idea of Smith's parliamentary brilliance in the humour that he used to perfection. Or rather it's perhaps the same decent humanity that one needs to attain. Who wants his or her grave to be on a far flung island anyhow? RIP John Smith
@lyndhurstcollins9189
4 ай бұрын
Re Scotland your analysis was very good and much appreciated. But I wish you could focus on the topic of Democracy. We need electoral reform.
@rolandrothwell4840
4 ай бұрын
Starmer warmly welcoming Natalie Elphick, and the ditching of the 28 billion Green New Deal will make me positively vote Liberal Democrat 😀
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
Be careful what you vote for that's all I'd say.....If you're in a safe Labour seat that's fine.
@MiPointIs
4 ай бұрын
I hope that you’re correct if Starmer matches the expectations we had of John Smith then I don’t think he can go wrong. John Smith, sadly taken from us too soon, RIP
@danielwebb8402
4 ай бұрын
"Much much lower growth than France and Germany. Feel familiar?" Nope. Not familiar to the past 5 or 10 or 15 (or 8 or 14 which is what you are trying to imply).
@johnmulvey5121
2 ай бұрын
John Smith was a committed Christian
@kevinsynott4380
4 ай бұрын
John Smith THE best pm the uk never had. How sad
@sergioserafini1387
3 ай бұрын
WHY DONT YOU BECOME PRYMINISTER YOU EXPLAIN EVERYTHING WELL
@francisravenscroft-dw6gi
4 ай бұрын
So what is the labour Party standing on now? Korbinomics, New labour ( Tony Blair made a sizable personal fortune during that period) or what ? Starmer is nt clear himself- he just wants the top gig.
@Outside85
4 ай бұрын
Starmer is en route towards No 10 with a whopping majority to back him, as the leader of the opposition, he doesn't need to change a single thing about the approach he has taken as long as the Tories have not found the electoral Holy Grail to change their fortunes. By all means, learn from history, but if the lesson is 'don't do silly premature stunts because the Tories will savage you'... the man is being attacked weekly for years by the Tories and their press mates over everything between heaven and earth and its yet to actually stick, by now, if there was something that would stick, it would have been found by now... but no, the worst has been a curry and that he loves his mum enough to buy her a donkey sanctuary. But the other lesson is ofc sound enough... but very few people have a heart attack by choice...
@keithparker1346
4 ай бұрын
Whopping majority of seats on about 40% of the vote. That's the core of the problem...not true representation
@ijm1963
4 ай бұрын
Starmer like John Smith 😂😂😂😂………😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@STEPNEYHECKLER-hv3mv
4 ай бұрын
Marr is talking out of his arse. Starmer has nothing in common with Smith. Robin Cook was the best leader of the Labour Party we never had.
@carljackson5259
4 ай бұрын
You didn’t get the London man back in power what’s giving money to abroad? He got asked in an interview. That’s the only reason I know it and he walked away. He didn’t answer so that I presume that’s true and what else is going to spread all the cost of cars he bothered about London monkeys about London too busy promoting London. What a good place is that’s why I’ll never go to London never again not what that means. I’ll never step foot in London. I don’t care. I will never ever a lot of lorry drivers already said it. We’re not going to London, refuse to go to London to lose your licenses so when you go speeding all your farm in the
@khar12d8
4 ай бұрын
I think Starmer supporters should get ready for how rough things will be for Starmer. He's not got the appeal of a Blair. There will be no long honeymoon. And the left hate him. Trouble in the middle east. Trouble with the more left wing unions. I wish him luck and hope they reform housing asap. But I expect his govt to be unpopular quickly.
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
To be fair that's pure speculation. Let's get rid of the execrable Tories and give Starmer a chance in office. Then we can truly judge him.
@khar12d8
4 ай бұрын
@@MrTimg12 He'll definitely be unpopular even if he does plenty of good things. That's just modern Britain.
@ErinStephanie-mf2qk
4 ай бұрын
Tax and spend makes a hell a lot more economic sense than the other four alternative paths: 1) Borrow and spend (the McDonnell path); 2) Borrow and cut taxes (the Truss/Kwarteng path); 3). Cut spending and cut taxes (the Thatcherite path); 4). Cut spending and don’t cut taxes (the Cameron/Osborne path). If ‘Middle England’ wants any of the other paths bar tax and spend. Fine. But it’s their bank balances and quality of life, that will ironically take the long term hit.
@DocNick68
4 ай бұрын
Ironically the polling on political attitudes suggests it is now the progressive young who are least keen on paying more tax.
@up2now
4 ай бұрын
You forgot BoJo's & Sunak's option Tax, cut spending, spend in the wrong areas (wastefully spend it on Track & Trace, wipe off loans, etc etc ) or give it to their mates. I have more hope that Starmer will at least try to spend it on NHS, Schools, Border Forces, Green Energy etc I say give him a chance. He's right Corbyn may have been very popular with the young & poor but he scared the bejesus out of those paying the taxes!
@boulevard14
4 ай бұрын
I don't think it's as simple as that. It's about where you tax and where you spend that can make a whole lot of difference. And Cameron and Osborne did lift income tax thresholds.
@fennelleastman8816
2 ай бұрын
@@boulevard14 VOTE REFORM 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@harryc8415
4 ай бұрын
Paid my respects at John Smiths resting place on Iona a number Of years ago. We really lost someone that would have taken us in much healthier direction. RIP John
@francescahamilton6856
4 ай бұрын
How different History would have been if John Smith had not passed so suddenly, so tragically. He certainly would not have taken us into Iraq. A great man, a superb Politician. Deep loss....for everyone. ❤❤
@derekbrown3165
4 ай бұрын
We will never know. I don't agree that he would have been a great leader and yes he would have taken us into Iraq because our American masters would have demanded it.
@markemarkatfb
4 ай бұрын
@@derekbrown3165 It certainly would have been very risky to split from the Americans on defence policy given how little money we have.
@FranzBieberkopf
4 ай бұрын
@@derekbrown3165 In 2003, seeing how much opposition to the Iraq war there was in the UK, Bush Jr told Blair he didn't need to provide invasion troops, the British could provide peacekeeping force after the war. (Source- Bob Woodward "Bush at War" ). It was Blair, not Bush, who sent British combat troops to Iraq. The Americans didn't demand it. FWIW, Smith was much more pro-EU than Blair. I can quite easily see him lining up with Donald Rumsfeld's "Old Europe" than being knee-jerk pro-US like Blair.
@korolev-musictodriveby6583
4 ай бұрын
@@FranzBieberkopf- Blair put it to a vote in the House . Half the cabinet abstained , ALL the Tories voted for war .
@susannamarker2582
2 ай бұрын
It makes you wonder how John Smith really did die.
@rogersharman7107
4 ай бұрын
John Smith was a people's leader and was told early on to cut down on his unhealthy lifestyle. So like many potential great leaders in the past his own health took second place. Like Hugh Gaitskill in the early sixties Labour had potential good PM's but personal health issues took them away from fulfilling their policies.
@russelldean2085
4 ай бұрын
Gaitskill, a proto-Blair would have been awful.
@NeilBrown-rz5ll
4 ай бұрын
John Smith the best Labour leader never to be the UK prime minister…after he died the Labour morals went with him…it’s sad what Labour have become!!..
@weswheel4834
4 ай бұрын
Did You Watch the video?
@dac545j
4 ай бұрын
Eh? You'll need to try harder than that.
@TootlinGeoff
4 ай бұрын
Another one who doesn't undestand the realities of government and of trying to win power under FPTP
@NeilBrown-rz5ll
4 ай бұрын
@@weswheel4834 yip watched all of it but when you have a Labour Party welcoming a right wing Tory into their domain you have to wonder what feckin planet are they on…John Smith would have chased this pro Boris the Bafoon Johnstone MP to a galaxy far far away..Labour as I’ve said lost their socialism the day he died…would I vote for Labour or the Tories I think not!…
@paulbo9033
4 ай бұрын
Corbyn was the best PM we never had. Smeared to death by the establishment. In hindsight it was naive to ever think they'd let him be PM, he was a threat to their established order. The masses are not allowed to win
@bobhutton1409
4 ай бұрын
A very concise and helpful assessment from Andrew Marr, thank you. I remember John Smith's sudden passing with deep sadness; he was, indeed, the best Prime Minister we never had. A thoroughly decent man, and the country was the poorer for his loss.
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
But it's quite clear that Starmer is not a decent man. So it's just nonsense from the weird Andrew Marr.
@TheGerkuman
4 ай бұрын
Also, John Smith may have been at the centre of his party as it was at the time, but I think he would have been left of Tony Blair. Not massively so, but in some key policy areas. There was definitely a shift in the makeup of the party between 1994 and 1997, and I think we'd have had a different selections of candidates for the 97 election if Smith had remained as leader of Labour.
@swarming1092
4 ай бұрын
I've visited John Smith's grave. It really is a profoundly beautiful location.
@fennelleastman8816
2 ай бұрын
VOTE REFORM 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@markoconnell2458
2 ай бұрын
@@fennelleastman8816 NO THANK YOU
@cardwitch91
4 ай бұрын
Dad always called John Smith the Greatest Prime Minister We Never Had. RIP
@patbyrneme007
4 ай бұрын
Andrew Marr conveniently misses out some key aspects of John Smith's leadership which make Starmer much less attractive. Smith was a far more tolerant and democratic Labour leader. For one thing he abandoned Kinnock's stalinistic factional style of leadership, reintroducing a balanced Shadow Cabinet which included both left and right wings of the Party. Smith was also a decent politician who believed in principles and honesty. Starmer, on the other hand is unprincipled and dishonest, lying as if it is a second nature, as we have seen by his abandonment of all of his leadership campaign promises. Last but not least, John Smith was his own man unlike Starmer who has sold his soul to Washington and does everything to appease the United States. All of these differences will be rapidly exposed in the coming Labour government. To paraphrase Engels' old saying, John Smith's untimely passing was a tragedy, while Keir Starmer's elevation will prove to be a farce.
@lavienestpasunlongfleuvetr2559
2 ай бұрын
Exactly - Marr completely ignores Starmer's constant lying. It seems to come so naturally to Starmer that I don't think he even realises he's doing it. In his very first speech as Prime Minister, he promoted critical race theory (by noting Sunak's ethnicity and suggesting that it put him at a disadvantage), before claiming that his tenure as PM would be 'unburdened by doctrine', lol. In the same speech, he claimed to have been given a 'clear mandate' by the people of Britain, when, of the 60% who bothered to vote, only 34% of them voted for Labour. One-third of less than two-thirds in support cannot be reasonably interpreted as a 'clear mandate'. Starmer seems to suffer from the same dellusion as men who call themselves women - the erroneus belief that the truth is whatever they say it is.
@princeofchetarria5375
4 ай бұрын
‘Like Keir Starmer he was a great support of the trade unions’ ….. is that the same Keir Starmer who dismissed shadow cabinet ministers for standing on picket lines with RMT union workers?? Hmmmm
@weswheel4834
4 ай бұрын
Both could be true. When Labour are in government, ministers standing on picket lines would be arguing against the government's own position, so wouldn't make sense. Starmer and his party can still support trade unions.
@alexrobertssings
4 ай бұрын
That's such a reactionary take. Tarry was sacked for making up policy on the spot and going rouge on the messaging.
@tonysim01
4 ай бұрын
No, The same Keir Starmer who was providing bro bono legal services to striking miners in the 1980s.
@andrewtucker94
4 ай бұрын
@@alexrobertssings Don't bring facts to the Novarasphere
@josgibbons6777
4 ай бұрын
The next election won't be like 1992, or even 1997; it will be like 1906.
@cnd1882
4 ай бұрын
Liberal landslide.
@katrinabryce
4 ай бұрын
I think it will be like 1922 (except substituting the Liberal Party with the Tories).
@markemarkatfb
4 ай бұрын
@@katrinabryce It's all swings and roundabouts. Labour will get hit by factional infighting after gaining power and the public will slowly realise that all political parties are fragile coalitions with their fair share of corruption and incompetence. Plus ca change.
@khar12d8
4 ай бұрын
That would be bad for Labour considering 1906 was the last Liberal triumph before long term decline.
@johnsbox
4 ай бұрын
Thanks for a wonderful show comparing the two leaders. Would be good if you made a programme about the recent party defections. Just an idea.
@alessandrocarpi9898
4 ай бұрын
Sir Starmer must learn the lesson of Clement Attlee,innovation,revolution,a Great Rearment and assertiveness on the World stage
@Purple_flower09
4 ай бұрын
The world does not want or need an assertive UK on its stage. We need to put that grandiose exceptionalist hogwash behind us.
@beatonthedonis
4 ай бұрын
If you could defame the dead, this would be it.
@Gizo02
4 ай бұрын
Under Smith. Labour clearly wouldn't have won a 'super landslide' majority (of around 180) like Blair (with his charisma and appeal to Middle England and the Murdoch Media). But they clearly would still have won a very comfortable working majority, probably still bigger than the one that the Tories won under Johnson in 2019. The 1997 election was already won for Labour after Black Wednesday and then after the Tories broke a key 1992 election promise by putting VAT on fuel. They were dead and buried from then on. Blair inherited the best set of circumstances out of any incoming opposition leader that I can remember. The Tories had been in power for 15 years (so longer than they will have been in office by the time of the next general election), were deeply unpopular and were falling aparty with crisis after crisis and scandal after scandal on a weekly or even daily basis. The personal popularity that Major enjoyed at the time of 1992 election (which the Tories still lost 40 seats in as their majority was cut from around 100 to 20) had been destroyed. And Labour already had 270 odd seats in the Commons, had built up and enjoyed consistent strong polling leads (including around 20 points) under Smith, and Kinnock (and to a lesser extent Smith) had already taken some big steps to move the party in the direction he wanted.
@willdon.1279
4 ай бұрын
I adored John Smith, of course we can never know if he would have been a successful dream leader, we imagined then, but an incalculable loss. I do hope, and believe, Kier will make a fine PM - but he will have a hell of a difficult situation. No leader can overcome the legendary "Events, dear boy" that blew McMillan out of the water. We thought we had problems then - HA! They are dwarfed by what is going on now - and that's without the benefits of social media, and AI. Liberal, democratic ideals are under sustained attack, not just Putin's cyberwarfare. Climate change, (however caused) triggering mass immigration, the rise of the yearning for strong men offering simple but "hard" fixes for these complex, insoluble problems may conspire to drag us all to the abyss...
@FreeBrunoPowroznik
4 ай бұрын
Was John Smith pro genocide too?
@jomurphy1654
4 ай бұрын
Comparing Starmer to John Smith is fatuous indeed. Ditch Starmer and Sunak before it's too late. Follow the example of the truly citizen-centered Dutch coalition or this country's freedoms will be completely lost.
@stephenroche5107
4 ай бұрын
Tories never had economical competence ever
@evonne_o
Ай бұрын
Thatcher before 87? (Not a fan of her or the Tories....)
@albertbrammer9263
4 ай бұрын
Except Starmer is listening to evil Mandelson and considering watering down what has been said on Workers Rights.
@rolandrothwell4840
4 ай бұрын
I think Mandelson is thoroughly malevolent, and Starmer is so weak to believe in watering down workers rights
@albertbrammer9263
4 ай бұрын
@@rolandrothwell4840 👍
@martineyles
4 ай бұрын
Can you clarify the big state, high tax, high spend, labour right wing tradition. I thought that big state was a left wing phenomena, but I suppose Labour right wing should still be to the left if Tory right wing.
@brucehauser6826
4 ай бұрын
Starmer can't hold a candle to Smith, the fact he is almost "PM elect" is truly scary, I dread to think where this knee taking chancer is going to take our country.
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
We need to get rid of the Tories. Unfortunately FPTP system doesn't give us much choice. Let's give Starmer some credit for actually making Labour electable - yup, sadly it's a massive surge to the right. Under FPTP the central ground is where elections are won.
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
@@MrTimg12 this silly tribal attitude of we must get rid of the Tories at all costs only gives you a Labour government that is to the right of the Tories and totally lacking in integrity and people like you refusing to admit their mistake and defending the lie to the end.
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
What's your solution then if not to vote in the only party that likely to defenestrate the Tories? As I've mentioned in this thread owing to FPTP we don't have much choice. We don't know what Starmer will do once in office so we should at least give him a chance. Otherwise take the high ground and keep in the Tories.
@brucehauser6826
4 ай бұрын
@@MrTimg12 My solution? Something or someone offering a vision, a real choice to change our country, not someone who's basic selling point is "we are not them" but basically telling us very little of what they really want to do... We basically have a choice of the status quo from BOTH main parties whether you like it or not. Thatcher offered a vision and a real choice as did Blair and got electorally rewarded for it big time. Yes, the tories have been crap, I just find it laughable that were about to vote in with most likely an unassailable landslide a party that hasn't got anywhere near offering us a vision, a future let alone a real Leader. Leadership requires principles, a strong will, a vision and to be trusted on what he or she says. Starmer is nothing but a fair weather chancer who's through none of his own positive aspects has found himself on the cusp of power most likely without any significant opposition. That's not healthy for any democracy least of all ours. As I say, be careful of what you wish for, you may well not like it!
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
@@brucehauser6826 The last Labour leader to offer change, and not even particularly radical really, was Jeremy Corbyn. The rwm immolated him . The plutocrats , their media , their PR , so called 'think tanks and their bought and paid for Tory party went into fifth gear in a campaign that not only impugned Corbyn and his party with anti-Semitism , but rubbished his socio-economic policies that they regarded as ceding too much power, wealth and influence to ordinary working people. Starmer can't take that chance. Corbyn proved that there are many people in the country, particularly young people, who are prepared to vote for more fundamental changes to capitalism. Unfortunately there are myriad reasons why voters, particularly older ones, who don't understand that a more radical reshaping of capitalism is required and they're taken in by the rwm . This, combined with FPTP , has meant the only way to become electable Labour has had to park its tanks on the centre ground. Unfortunately radical policies that are required to dismantle 45 years of neoliberalism will not be tolerated by the plutocrats et al. Hence we get Starmer - indeed, I agree with you, sadly someone who's acceptable to the owners of capital. They realise that their Tory party has dismantled far too much of the state and it's becoming too obvious that they're walking off with most of the economic pie and the ordinary working person has woken up to the fact that they've been played by the Tories - perhaps. The plutocrats have given their tacit blessing to Starmer because they realise that for now temporarily the game is up , but he won't come after them just the same as Blair & Brown before him. Their iron grip on power is still there and this is just a temporary pause before they resume complete control in 5 to 10 years' time. I'm sure Starmer doesn't like it and nor do we. But this is our so called 'democracy' . Even now I suspect that most people still don't fully understand the extent to which there has been wholesale transfer of public capital to private capital since Thatcher and its attendant socio-economic issues that are driving the gross inequality that we see today here ( & in the US). Yup, unfortunately Starmer is Hobson's choice.
@1943colin
4 ай бұрын
Please don't arrogantly assume that you know what people think.
@davidcooks2379
4 ай бұрын
ERM was not a huge failure, it was sheer luck. Otherwise we'd be in the Eurozone. And then forget Bank of England independence, it would be subjugated by German interests
@SarahTheNearlyInSP
4 ай бұрын
The greatest PM we never had.... R.I.P. John Smith x
@fennelleastman8816
2 ай бұрын
VOTE REFORM 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@williamkennedy5492
4 ай бұрын
There are no similarities between John Smith and starmer, your in La La land if you think that ! Smith would have been a wonderful PM, and we got blair, and now in starmer we have another blair clone.
@RPKGameVids
4 ай бұрын
Bring back Neil Kinnock that's what i say, I don't like Thatcher shutting down all the mines. I wish I could still smoke me pipe while I'm sat in the pub.
@mick947
4 ай бұрын
Starmers name shouldn’t be mentioned when talking about John Smith, poles apart.
@timwoodger7896
4 ай бұрын
We need Tax and invest not so much tax and spend. Investment is what’s needed.
@TootlinGeoff
4 ай бұрын
The problem is, the likes of the mail don't understand the difference between spending for investment and other forms of spending.
@andrewhyde4708
2 ай бұрын
RIP John Smith, the best PM we never had. I enjoy Andrew’s insights.
@TC8787-yq7og
4 ай бұрын
Keith is a 🤡
@merseydave1
4 ай бұрын
As a Socialist, I recognize "The Electorate" would not except my aims and objectives of tax and spend with massive State/local government Intervention. So my observation is this ... The Labour Party has lost its Core Values of what I espoused ... So they should re-name themselves as The Social Democratic Party!.
@stephenbarden6121
4 ай бұрын
Yes, John Smith's death was a tragedy for both the Labour Party and the U.K. He was where most voters actually are; slightly to the Left in economic issues, and slightly to the Right in social issues. Blair was a peculiar combination of neo-liberal in domestic issues and neo-Con in foreign policy; together with Margaret Thatcher-a huge admirer of Blair, let's not forget- many of the problems now besetting the U.K. date from the actions of these two clowns.
@ChrisWalker-fq7kf
4 ай бұрын
Blair became a neo-con fellow traveller after 9/11. Hard to forgive or even to understand, but it happened. But to call him neoliberal is absurd. He introduced the minimum wage, allowed his chancellor to massively boost spending on health and education and introduce a raft of in-work benefits to tackle poverty. He didn't hike taxes up like John Smith had promised to do but then he didn't have to - the economy was doing very well throughout his time as Prime Minister.
@stephenbarden6121
4 ай бұрын
@@ChrisWalker-fq7kf You make some interesting points, Chris, but Blair's disastrous legacy does extend to domestic policies as well. He does deserve credit for introducing the minimum wage; although, from accounts published in the intervening years, it seems as if Blair had to be dragged kicking and screaming into supporting it, with an alliance of senior ministers, such as Gordon Brown, insisting upon its implementation. However, with 3 massive majorities, his government did little or nothing to reform the bad practices of British capitalism; the "Light Touch" regulation of banks didn't exactly turn out too well, did it? Also, whatever one's opinion of the levels of immigration set in motion by Blair in 2004, there is no doubt that the UK has not coped with the required huge increase in infrastructure needed by that initial decision. Mrs Thatcher sold off vast swathes of public housing, whilst Anthony Blair encouraged a considerable increase in the UK's population. As a result, house prices and rents have gone through the roof. Well, who would have thought that would happen?
@julieleah9913
4 ай бұрын
We have no idea what Starmer stands for or any policies no mandate he just replies with he his gonna manifest what he wants has prime minister would love to know how he can run a country on this he needs to realise he lives in England not fantasy land
@paultaylor9477
4 ай бұрын
I still remember Marr gleefully announcing the Iraq war Never has a surname been more apt The Natalie Elphick of the New Statesman
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
One of the great horrors of political journalism. A thoroughly weird bloke.
@fatfrreddy1414
4 ай бұрын
your headline is an insult to the memory oof the late great John Smith...shame on you ...
@timelwell7002
4 ай бұрын
TWO POINTS: 1) ECONOMIC GROWTH..? So far as this is concerned, when John Smith was Labour leader, the UK was in the EU, including of course the Single Market and the Customs' Union. Regardless of whatever recessions happened, there was an inate economic strength and stability from being in the EU. Sadly, by contrast, Starmer and Reeves are PRETENDING that we'll have economic growth, whereas in reality unless and until the UK is once more in the EU, there is ZERO possibility of meaningful economic growth. But the Labour leadership dare not admit this in public for fear of losing the forthcoming General Election. 2) TAXATION..? By far the best and most efficient way for a government to gain revenue from taxation is to tax LARGE and MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES - FAR, FAR more than is done in the UK at the present time, but more like the way in which Nordic countries do now. Sadly, however, Reeves has completely RULED OUT increasing tax on large and multinational companies, which is the ONLY way in which to fund the NHS, State Education, to build the hundreds of thousands of more Council Houses which are so desperately needed, etc. I cannot see Labour being able to make any meaningful improvement in our dire situation UNLESS large and multinational companies ARE properly taxed. Unfortunately, the focus always seems to be on individual taxpayers - but this is the LEAST fair and LEAST efficient way for a government to collect tax, and can NEVER hope to pay for all that is needed in order to rebuild a broken economy and nation after 14 years of Tory austerity, cuts, neglect of infrastructure, corruption and gross mismanagement of our economy.
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
Wealth needs to be taxed as well. For a start capital gains tax can be equalised with income tax.
@Farli-Gaming
2 ай бұрын
John Smith was one of the Greatest Prime Minister we did not get
@starfan1437
4 ай бұрын
Great journalism! Thanks for brightening my day with your insight.
@judithcressey1682
4 ай бұрын
Totally irrelevant commentary from Marr.
@Netflix999
4 ай бұрын
John Smith had integrity , Starmer does not !
@DonQuickZote
4 ай бұрын
He does have integrity.
@betperrins7528
4 ай бұрын
What a ridiculous comment. Sir Keir has spent his previous career sending criminals to jail.
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
@@DonQuickZote he clearly doesn't
@DonQuickZote
4 ай бұрын
@@clivet3252 Does too.
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
@@DonQuickZote nothing he has done has shown an ounce of integrity. You can say the sky is green if you like, it doesn't make it true.
@NA-dg3jx
4 ай бұрын
Sorry that statement is an insult to John Smith’s memory!
@lanagibson4334
4 ай бұрын
John Smith had more integrity than Starmer will ever have
@neilmurray6815
4 ай бұрын
100%correct
@desplatt842
4 ай бұрын
And humour too. Absolutely no resemblance.
@clivet3252
4 ай бұрын
Andrew Marr is one of the great horrors of political journalism. Him, Peston, Jeremy Vine - all total weirdos. I don't know where the BBC got them from. Oh and there's that silly German on Channel 4 as well.
@michaelfoy
4 ай бұрын
@@clivet3252 Surely the MOST Horrific and Useless interviewer /presenter is Laura Kuenssberg.......
@boulevard14
4 ай бұрын
How doesn't Starmer have integrity? People just say stuff because they want a more radical leader
@stevenrobertson8329
4 ай бұрын
I haven't voted Labour since John Smith died, the party went with him, I have even visited his birthplace and his grave on the Island of Iona.
@a13xdunlop
4 ай бұрын
Lol, more like Thatcher on steroids
@janetmoore6036
4 ай бұрын
John Smith was one of the best prime ministers we never had.
@davidcooks2379
4 ай бұрын
Give me starmer any day of the week, but none of their woke warriors and anti-Semites please.
@joescott54
3 ай бұрын
🤔😂😆🤣
@michaelwilliams8781
4 ай бұрын
Yes, the Economy is fundamental, however wins power. And where do we think that is going? … Off to the USA, I suspect. Bye bye FTSE 100. Where will that leave us?!
@jameshart3879
4 ай бұрын
Erudite and intelligent as ever
@lavienestpasunlongfleuvetr2559
2 ай бұрын
Marr completely ignores Starmer's constant lying. It seems to come so naturally to Starmer that I don't think he even realises he's doing it. In his very first speech as Prime Minister, he promoted critical race theory (by noting Sunak's ethnicity and suggesting that it put him at a disadvantage), before claiming that his tenure as PM would be 'unburdened by doctrine', lol. In the same speech, he claimed to have been given a 'clear mandate' by the people of Britain, when, of the 60% who bothered to vote, only 34% of them voted for Labour. One-third of less than two-thirds in support cannot be reasonably interpreted as a 'clear mandate'. Starmer seems to suffer from the same dellusion as men who call themselves women - the erroneus belief that the truth is whatever they say it is.
@PaulHooton-w8w
2 ай бұрын
❤ d John Smith RIP John 😢
@thebandthatisDAVE
4 ай бұрын
How insulting ! NEVER voted labour in my life ! John Smith was the only candidate in my lifetime that I ever considered voting for! Tragic! Starmer is a muppet! Wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him!
@SFRZRD
4 ай бұрын
I’m sorry but I’ve expelled bodily materials more charismatic and trustworthy than Keir Starmer
@weswheel4834
4 ай бұрын
Well done you.
@kingpig8732
4 ай бұрын
Charisma and trustworthiness can be complete opposites, Boris johnson for example
@MrTimg12
4 ай бұрын
I'm looking for competence in a political leader - especially after the last five of so called leaders we've been dumped with. This is not a charisma contest.
@robmarshall9026
4 ай бұрын
he's probably more charismatic than you or me seeing as he managed to become leader of a major political party.
@alanpartridge6024
4 ай бұрын
John Smith, Nye Bevan, politicians of vision and drive, I don’t see that in modern Labour sadly.
@belindamay8063
4 ай бұрын
@alanpartridge. You have to remember that those men were dealing with a very different electorate. Today’s voters have been pretty much infantilised - by one means or another.
@MrKidOcelot
4 ай бұрын
Andrew Feinstein Independent to dispatch Stammer in his own constituency!!! Vote for the Citizen Independents or The Workers Party of Britain!!! End the reign of the Uniparty Crime Collective!!!
@davidcoard1978
4 ай бұрын
Are you implying John Smith had no moral principles?
@markwalker4142
4 ай бұрын
If Starmer is like smith that’s high praise indeed . A marvellous man and so sad he died so young .
@spitfire1962
2 ай бұрын
I don’t think you misunderstood John Smith in 1992, but the great British public who couldn’t see beyond their pay packet and believed the Tories.
@rolandrothwell4840
4 ай бұрын
John Smith actually believed in making a genuine transformational policy opposite to the Conservatives!
@fang_xianfu
4 ай бұрын
"High tax, high spending Labour right-winger" - the terms "left wing" and "right wing" have never been more useless. I feel like our politics has moved on since then, because the left/right divide focuses much more on spending than anything else now. There has always been an authoritarian bent to both major parties, but that has little to do with left and right the way we use those words today.
@Buckley22uk
4 ай бұрын
If you argue that John Smith mistepped by looking to his economic traditions to current problems that did not fit, the same applies to Reeves. She's falling back on the economic orthodoxies of growth through careful management and market driven investment. She's an inflexible economist 15 years behind the current landscape where wealth and inequality are the key drivers of economic woes.
@SlowhandGreg
4 ай бұрын
Her latest speech moves us away from globalism to a more sustainable model. The issue isn't GDP it's GDP per capita which has shrunk from 50k in 2010 to 45k now, reasons lack of government investment in social and physical infrastructure.
@patwaine8946
4 ай бұрын
Do you mean dead
@jiminycrint
4 ай бұрын
Oh please. Starmer hasn’t got an ounce of integrity. Comparing him to John Smith is laughable. John Smith didn’t lie his way to the leadership of the Labour party and then break all his pledges.
@seebarry4068
4 ай бұрын
John Smith is the most Labour name you could possibly have.
@GarrettReynolds-nt4df
4 ай бұрын
Kier Starmer,Labour😂
@JamesLochridge-u1h
4 ай бұрын
That's BS he's nothing like John Smith who was a socialist and that's not something you can say about Starmer by any stretch of your vivid imaginings
@shah957
4 ай бұрын
Really? People see him as different to Fishy Sunak? It no longer makes a difference whether you vote labour or tory
@Dublinireland5
4 ай бұрын
, the Labour leader has not spoken what he's going to do about the homeless people across England nor has he met or spoke with any homeless person,,, is he going to be a labour leader for the rich and forget about the poor or is he going to be a labour leader for everyone??
@junehill4636
4 ай бұрын
John Smith was a true gentleman ..with integrity and a true statesman....the two things pontificating insufferable Starmer isnt .....
@TheLRider
2 ай бұрын
What a great comparison, I agreex100%.. He could not have a better role model..
@freescotlandnow
4 ай бұрын
John Smith wasn't a soulless careerist like Smarmer. The comparison is insulting.
@BongoAboutBedfords
2 ай бұрын
That Thumping noise we can hear is ‘John Smith’ ,Spinning violently in his Grave !.
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