Well. Interesting times...

[LeftishBrit]

At least I'm glad Reform got TROUNCED in Makerfield.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. 2 years average term for a PM

10 years since Brexit; 5 have come and gone since then.

I hadn't looked at general election polls for a bit; worryingly, Reform's decline since Oct 2025 has reversed, with a (net) loss from the Greens:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#Graphical_summary

I expect there will be a Burnham bounce, but it may not last. I'm putting my hopes on intelligent tactical voting by the left-leaning, and squabbling among the right.

[T_i_B]

2. Whilst I'm no fan of Kier Starmer

I don't think removing him from Downing Street addresses things.

There are bigger issues at play than Kier Starmer's inability to present himself in a likeable manner.

Kier Starmer's biggest problem was that he came to office with no vision or plan for government, no ideas on how to stop Britain's economic decline.

Replacing Kier Starmer with Andy Burnham (even more of a weathervane than Starmer IMHO) is not going to solve this. The same people who obsessively despise Kier Starmer are not going to be persuaded not to have the same obsessive hatred for Andy Burnham.

[LeftishBrit]

3. I tend to think that one of our biggest problems is....

that ten years ago we became the first country to impose major economic sanctions on ITSELF, aka Brexit. (Though not the last; see Trump and his tariffs).

Without dealing with this, no Prime Minister can really begin to sort out our problems. And no Prime Minister will dare to deal with this. So here we are.

But all best hopes to Burnham if he can make SOME progress.

[T_i_B]

4. And I would tend to agree to a point

Ruining our trading relations is a major part of the problem, and it's closely related to an abysmal political and media culture.

There are other major problems, and many of these ngle predate the 2016 referendum. But there isn't a single problem this country faces that hasn't been greatly exacerbated by the disastrous project to leave the EU.