Rowan Smith

Countdown to the least exciting general election in living memory, followed by another decade of power grabs, lies, rights/freedoms being eroded. They say nothing now because they'd do the same in power. #publicorderact #7bins #rumble #onlinesafetybill #countlessothers

@Heccles94 I don't remember Starmer ever promising PR tbh.

Wanting Andy Burnham to be left wing and to offer us PR and wealth tax, doesn’t make it true. Lots of political naivety on display here. Wishful thinking wont help us. Starmer promised both those things when he stood for Labour Leader and PM too.

BREAKING: Man optimistic he can replace hated prime minister and win over the public by doing the exact same policies, but in a Mancunian accent ♥️

@JonathanPieNews PR might be a good thing to discuss too, but even parties that were pushing for it originally (Reform/Greens) have stfu. Strange.

Why is renationalising water not even being discussed by the present government? Even though nobody's sure who the government is. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

BREAKING 🚨🚨🚨 Britains least charismatic man launches coup against Britains 2nd least charismatic man.

@timboxall Agreed. Those Mandelson photos are going to follow him around like a bad smell, think it might be a bit of a turn off. Here's hoping.

So it seems Wes Streeting is resigning, likely manoeuvring for a leadership challenge. God help we #disabled. It's no secret he's right-wing, and vigorously supportive of harsh benefit reforms negatively affecting us. If he gets in, it'll ramp up the daily fear we have that's inherent to our daily life. People are saying he's subtly tacked left in the last few weeks likely to appeal to a broader section of #Labour members. I call that disingenuous. Were he to get in, he'll pivot so fast rightward that he'll get friction burns. I'm afraid. Really afraid. I'm praying he's as unpopular with members as rumour goes.

@JonathanPieNews Seems to be predictably cyclical. Lost count of how many times the headlines go (over a few days). > "Labour Controversy" > "MPs rebel" > "How can Starmer survive?" > "Storm over, for now but questions remain" Rinse and repeat.

He's going to lock himself in the cellar and barricade the door, isn't he?

Starmer standing in front a lectern that reads "Stronger Fairer Britain" and talking about "working class people like me" while his Govt makes poverty-ballooning 50% cuts for sick and disabled people is why he doesn't get it, and why he's going to lose catastrophically.

@AngelaRayner And Labour cannot talk about dignity while treating disabled people as a Treasury saving line. The problem is not that PIP is too high. It is that disability is expensive, housing is unaffordable, care is threadbare, and benefits do not come close to real-life costs.

"Working people", a phrase repeated ad infinitum in Keir Starmers speech. Disappointingly, it simply reinforces the idea that one is simply defined by their fiscal contribution to society. People are merely tokens, their worth not measured in anything other than money. Society is broken when those who cannot work, such as we #disabled, are completely sidelined because we don't fit that ideology. We need a caring, compassionate society, and a government that recognises financial value is not a measure of one's worth. It's worth nothing that the "purple pound" - monetary contributions by those in receipt of benefits - is actually remarkably high. We have to use benefits to pay for private care, which eases the burden on the NHS, and frees up unpaid carers (such as family) to then take paid work and contribute taxes. We pay for consumables - Incontinence products, specialist medications, mobility equipment, etc. All that money goes straight into the system. Disabled people actually contribute to the system more than they receive in benefits, both directly and indirectly. So for Starmer to talk endlessly about #Labour being the "party for working people" leads us to frustrated and ignored. With that comes fear and anxiety. And that's a hard way for us to live.

@lembitopik The Hollies - Here I go Again "And then I knew that here I go again I cannot help it Here I go again Making the same mistakes Heading for more heartaches"

What song best describes Keir Starmer?

@thisisyourparty I honestly don't remember them mentioning change - I watched in the twilight days of the conservative party as Labour supported basically everything they did and it was blindingly obvious they were no different.

Labour were elected on a mandate of change - but delivered none. That's why the people who needed transformation most rejected Labour the loudest. Starmer is reaping what he sowed.

I supported Labour for nearly 30 years, but have finally cancelled my membership and joined the Greens. Being disabled and reliant on PIP and LCWRA Universal Credit, I have ended up feeling just as terrified of Labour as I did for 14 years under the Tories. When will my lifeline be ripped away? When will the bias and scapegoating end? When will I have to stop dreading the snap of the letterbox?

There is no denying that these election results are going to be very bad for Labour. Yes, Keir Starmer is very unpopular. But it is the policies that drive that unpopularity. Simply changing the leader without changing the policies will not avert disaster in 2029.

In Havering, Reform won 71% of the seats on 36% vote share. In Ealing, Labour won 66% of the seats on 30% of votes. In Westminster, the Tories won 59% of the seats on 35% of the vote. In Sutton, 44% of the vote gave the Lib Dems 93% of the seats. In Birmingham's Tyseley and Hay Mills, a Green councillor won on 20.5% of the vote. Under First Past the Post, whoever wins, the voters lose.

@GregClinker @Keir_Starmer @UKLabour Yeah, ignoring voters, pretty on brand for this lot. :/

I hope the young woman in this clip is watching the results come in. @Keir_Starmer @UKLabour

@Keir_Starmer Home educating family, with disabled members. You've done NOTHING since getting power to show that you are on our side. In fact, you've only shown you're utterly against us.

Tomorrow vote for a party that’s on your side. Vote Labour.

@NewStatesman Lots of respect for him, but this is spoken by someone who doesn't understand what the disability cuts and rhetoric surrounding them has been like for disabled people. Don't get me started on their Home Education clamp down. He's on the other side of grass where it's greener.

Mark Gatiss: "I don't understand the antipathy towards Keir Starmer" The actor – currently starring in a play lampooning fascism – argues that the PM is doing a good job, but from the press he gets "you'd think he was Vlad the Impaler". Listen on the New Society podcast.

@TadhgHickey Reminds me of that News reader in V For Vendetta.

The face of impartial British media

@PhilipProudfoot They shouldn't put such easy challenges on the tub!! "Eat within 2 days of opening"...takes me like 4 minutes.

What my fridge sees when my partner has eaten all the hummus.

@Kitty_On_Wheels @SophieP25397 Absolutely, though I'm not sure I'd call labour 'lite'! They've done a bang up job of doubling down on the Tories work. Honestly to us it feels like Tories are labour-lite at this point; I expected nothing less pre-election. Must say they did surprise me JUST how shit they are 🥴

@Triquatra_Music @SophieP25397 For disabled people + carers who don't have enough money + resources to support themselves Tories bad Reform worse Labour stood with in opposition have become tory lite in govt Lib dems claim to care But repeat antibenefits be Green yet to be seen

My Uncle was 52 yesterday. He has no hope of working ever again. Who will touch him. If you cut benefits from people like that, you reduce the amount of money in the economy, which will in turn put people out of work, reducing further money and less money for services.