British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Solihull

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks on as he speaks to the media outside the Arden Academy in Solihull, West Midlands. | Joe Giddens

Anna NicholasPalma12/08/2024 14:05
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The honeymoon period is firmly over for Sir Keir Starmer, just when he was attempting to have a family holiday. It’s a bummer for politicians, but do we care? Of course not. As Starmer’s own Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, admitted last week, trust in politicians is ‘rock bottom’. Too damned right.
The horrific riots in the UK over the last week have led to endless polemic on the UK’s MSM (mainstream media) which few now trust following the pandemic, and on social media networks which are by contrast, viewed by millions. Even billionaire, Elon Musk, Tesla boss and owner of X, weighed in, goading poor old Starmer on the explosive situation with - dare I say – a volley of increasingly wickedly-witty tweets. I think most people who follow Musk (actually there are 193 million on X compared to Billy-no-mates-Starmer with 1.8m) know that he’s not an opponent with whom you want to pick a fight. He loves wading into a war of words and he inevitably wins while driving his opponents into a frenzy. His hashtag of #TwoTierStarmer is a case in point. Starmer must have been livid, but he should never have risen to the bait in the first place. Like a skilled chess player, Musk will enjoy escalating the rhetoric, so the PM’s advisors should haul Starmer out of the ring now before he’s humiliated further. Lesson learnt for the future, one hopes.

Of course the biggest mistake Starmer made was labelling everyone who took part in the riots as ‘extreme right wing’ when many Britons – if put on the line - would admit to being concerned about mass immigration. Of course, the sane ones wouldn’t have condoned the senseless and violent riots that took place, but countless of the silent majority appear to be fretful about the way the country is heading. In his speech to the nation, Starmer mentioned how important it was to protect Muslims and their mosques without maybe also wisely adding that as Prime Minister he also cared about all UK citizens and the places of worship of all the other faiths in the country. This was a point picked up on by Musk. As a result, this inevitably led to fury from some UK citizens who felt that they were being marginalised in their own country. A popular UK newspaper did a survey and found that 90 per cent agreed with Elon Musk which sort of goes to prove the point.

Is there a way back from the brink? Can the mob be quelled? Who knows but there needs to be a balanced and honest conversation between all politicians in the UK about why and how this dreadful situation has occurred. There needs to be an elephant-in-the room discussion about why elements of the electorate are so angry and out of control.

Imprisoning people for harmful and aggressive tweets isn’t a long-term solution either, especially when the prisons, we’re told, are all full. And what does it say about the state of free speech now and in the future? Harmful groups and dangerous keyboard warriors will just take their words underground. Keir and his chums can blame social media and blame everyone else for what’s happening in the UK, but it isn’t going to wash with the wary British public anymore. The only people they should be blaming are themselves.

Spoiled Apples

If things are rotten in the state of England, Harry and Meghan should be worried about living in the US, if Donald Trump makes it to the White House. His son, Eric, has just announced that if his dad becomes president, he’ll likely have Harry deported from the country. He opined that his father loved the institution of the Royal Family and felt the pair had betrayed the Queen. Maybe Harry should start looking for a home soon, though he’d be advised to avoid the rioting trouble spots.

The last dance?

Is popular UK TV show, Strictly, on its last legs? Much as a new series starring no one you’ve ever heard of, save 66-year-old former pop star Toyah Wilcox, has been heralded, it seems that the harm has already been done. Following hysterical and tearful allegations about the goings-on behind the scenes by celebs such as Amanda Abbington, many stars won’t now touch the show with a barge pole.
It’s a shame, given how popular it was in the UK and a way for people to switch off from the relentlessly depressing daily news. Let’s hope Strictly puts its best foot forward in the new series and doesn’t end with a fast foxtrot to oblivion.

Mending fences

There are various agony aunts and uncles in the UK press doling out pearls of perceived wisdom to distraught readers, but summertime seems to reach the high point. One of the issues constantly raised in these journalistic confessionals is fencing. What do I mean, exactly? Well many of these kindly would-be aunts and uncles currently seem to be dishing out advice about neighbourly squabbles over garden boundaries. Some of these rows erupt into real rage and reportedly even turn to violence. There’s a lot of harm one can do with a broom, hedge cutter, spade or saw, I’m sure. Perhaps its midsummer madness brought on by the sun. in fact, one wonders if the famed crime series of a similar name, Midsomer Murders, with that wonderfully haunting signature tune, was inspired by the summer heat when tensions topple over into murder. Now, wouldn’t that be intriguing?