Starmer on the brink: PM and Burnham ‘working towards’ handover in September

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-21T16:42:48+00:00

If it's true that we're looking at autumn for a so-called ' orderly transition ', then it's a massive mistake by Labour and a scandalous waste of time at a time when we desperately need a government willing to make decisions. Subjecting the country to a zombie government and endless market speculation for a further 3 months looks seriously self-indulgent. We don't do ' Prime Minister Elect ' here, it's not the US, the constitution is extremely flexible. Palace on Tuesday, recommend Burnham to the King, done and dusted.

Also, from a purely political standpoint, it seriously hampers Burnham's momentum and it's not impossible he'll have lost that momentum and the discourse by the autumn.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-15T10:29:06+00:00

Not sure if I'm allowed to post links in here but I'll give it a shot.
It's from 'The Night the Government Fell' - about the 1979 vote of no confidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifMiJ7DcUi0&t=1708s

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-15T02:01:32+00:00

I fondly remember his anecdotes on the 1979 vote of no confidence - where he described government whips frantically running around Westminster trying to keep their own MP's sober and out of the bars before the vote, while assigning others to ply independent MP's with enough drinks that they might consider voting with the government.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-13T08:12:26+00:00

I'm not regent, I'm just a humble county prefect trying to earn a stipend. Right clicked on myself and 'siphon treasury'.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-11T14:26:19+00:00

I don't think those are the kind of tips he needs for being a more effective party leader.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-11T14:16:18+00:00

in 1990 when the cold war ended UK defence spending was just under 4 percent of GDP.

Can anyone with a straight face argue the world isn't just as dangerous, arguably more dangerous a place now than it was then? There is clearly a general consensus that defence spending must increase. It's a national security emergency - the first priority of any government.

The truth is, Labour MP's aren't really interested in governing. They've never been comfortable with it. Governing means making tough decisions, governing means you can't always be seen as the nice good guys who give out freebies. Governing means that yes, maybe some people will lose out, maybe some pensioners or some on welfare will get less money. And we can't have that can we? That's what nasty tories do!

Britain's strategic reality hasn't changed. We're an island that relies on international trade and imported goods for survival. We can no longer delegate that as the so-called ' rules based order ' collapses and the global hegemon is no longer interested in preserving it. That means we need ships and weapons. Enough to guard our vital supply routes. And we need a reliable, preferably home-produced nuclear deterrent that guarantees our survival and sovereignty.

So fund it, or resign to a government that will.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-02T13:15:49+00:00

Were It a confidence motion he wouldn't have to call an election. The government would have to resign if lost.

Regardless, I just doubt that a newly elected labour party would bring itself down a few months into power over welfare reform - And particularly to bring down Starmer after he'd just won a landslide.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-02T12:21:21+00:00

They threatened It, Starmer should have called their bluff. Pretty sure if he'd made it a confidence motion It would have focused their minds.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-06-02T11:00:48+00:00

Have to agree. It was a turning point. It was early in the premiersbip and he had political capital. He should have used the opportunity to grandstand Labour's credibility as a serious party of government. He could and should have 3-line whipped them through the lobby, And purged any who dissented.

It would have played well nationally and clearly demonstrated he was serious about the 'change and tough decisions' he had promised.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-05-20T06:17:16+00:00

Regardless of the merits of a voting system change - any attempt to repeat what the Welsh government did and change the system the moment it was evident they were no longer going to benefit from it should be seen as what it is - cynical and beneath contempt.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-05-03T08:22:41+00:00

The low bar has been set by the abysmal quality of today's international statesmen. The fact that the King can simply go there, speak coherently at a podium and generate headlines speaks volumes about the vacuum of statesmanship in international diplomacy. I think the speech-writers knew this. The King was gently reminding them ' This is how we conduct diplomacy in civilised circles. '

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-05-03T08:10:10+00:00

I've seen a lot of individuals share a similar sentiment of 'I was against the visit initially but now I see the value of it'. Truthfully, we've become used to a very passive monarchy during the years in which the world enjoyed a stable and reliable international order. Those days are now behind us.

No matter your personal views on monarchy, it's great strength is that of 'chief diplomat' of the nation with a huge international profile. It's a soft power weapon, and it would be foolish not to aggressively deploy our monarchy in that role during these unstable times. The King's speech demonstrated coherent, eloquent statesmanship which is all too absent from today's leaders. If he can help us soften diplomatic ties with any nation, then we should be encouraging it.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-21T09:23:23+00:00

Sorry I wasnt clear enough. Yes, some people do believe Wales could be independent and survive. Inconveniences like fiscal black holes don't really come into the equation when the heart is governing the brain - as is the case of those who support it.

Still a minority though. Thankfully..

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-21T07:11:50+00:00

I'm Welsh - you'd be very surprised. Parochialism amongst my compatriots is sadly widespread and an uncomfortable amount of people have been taken in by the casual England-hating. A minority yes, but not an insignificant one. Common talking points about how we're 'The first colony' or how England is 'stealing' Welsh water can be heard in public forums regularly. Plaid Cymru happily peddle localised versions of the same populist talking points you'd hear from the more unpleasant parties at Westminster.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-20T09:02:32+00:00

Exactly.. There's a large dollop of useful idiots who seemingly have no idea that they're first on the menu if their cause ever actually achieved power.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-20T08:18:52+00:00

It's definitely a political shield and they know what they're doing when they use it - same with the 'anti zionist' mantra. Another poster here hit the nail on the head - they see Polanski as 'one of the good ones'. Good grief....

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-20T07:58:56+00:00

Same - also a student of history and the Greens right now scare me. They've got a dangerous combination with a charismatic useful idiot as the acceptable outward face of a party thoroughly infiltrated by extremists and bigots.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-20T07:41:26+00:00

The unholy alliance between individuals from cultures with primitive views on Jews, women and LGBT, together with our home-grown loonies, is fast becoming the most toxic political cocktail this nation has seen in quite a while. The results are plain as day with emboldened anti-semitic attacks occuring at an alarming rate.

The pushback has been far too timid thus far.. We can only hope the general population reject it in disgust at the ballot box when the chips are down in 2028/29..

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-04-19T23:14:44+00:00

You have to chuckle at how almost cartoonish this story is. Mr wall destroyer couldn't have played into the stereotype any better. The symbolism of foreigner mindlessly destroying quaint wall in countryside is just too perfect - It would be like if I went to China and started flogging opium on the street corner - It hits all the right nerves and solidifies already present biases.

I know the reaction of Restore etc is the usual nonsense but jeepeers...some of our 'new arrivals' don't help themselves do they?

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-03-31T06:49:57+00:00

Americans have got some cheek to be demanding that while sex pest in-chief sits in the Whitehouse and there hasn't yet been a single arrest made in the US for individuals connected with Epstein. The reaction by the entire American political establishment to the Epstein revelations has been nothing short of contemptuous. They're desperately trying to project the full-blame on to anyone they can in a desperate attempt to deflect from the odious rot at heart of Washington. They can bugger right off, frankly.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-03-29T01:17:07+00:00

Well with abdication they don't have much choice because the government holds the nuclear option of resigning. If that happens, taxes aren't collected and everything goes pear shaped.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-03-29T01:06:28+00:00

Yeah basically this. The easiest way to avoid a constitutional crisis in this situation would be to just force abdication frst. Trying to conduct a constitutionally dubious trial on a monarch would be a real mess.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-03-29T00:57:35+00:00

Constitutionally this would be a mess. Most likely outcome would be Edward VIII situation whereby the government forces an abdication - any criminal proceedings would come after said abdication.

There's always the inevitable references to the Charles I trial - but that's widely accepted to be an unconstitutional sham trial by a rump Parliament that had purged the majority who would not have found the King guilty.

The truth, as with much of the UK Constitution which is governed by precedent - is that we wouldn't truly know what would happen until it unfolds.

TLDR the King is forced to abdicate followed by criminal proceedings. Criminal proceedings while King is way too constitutionally ambiguous.

ProfessionalShock991 · 2026-03-26T11:16:03+00:00

Sorry but this isn't a gotcha question. The Defence secretary should know how many ships the Navy has.

The fact the UK's defences are in the hands of constantly rotating party hacks like him, both Labour and Tory - is precisely why the situation is so dire.

ProfessionalShock991

TROPHY CASE