Keir Starmer

Morning Star Editorial: Unison’s Andrea Egan speaks truth to power

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/unisons-andrea-egan-speaks-truth-power

 Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech during the Labour Party Conference at the ACC Liverpool, September 30, 2025

NEW Unison general secretary Andrea Egan has done a service to the entire labour movement. Barely a week in office, she has spelt out exactly what is wrong with the Starmer government, and what needs to change.

We make no apology for quoting her words, written for Tribune, extensively. First the crisis: “The first far-right government in our history is a very real prospect. Nigel Farage in power would be the biggest triumph for the enemies of the working class since his idol Margaret Thatcher took office… 

“It would be a global victory for a billionaire-backed ethnonationalist project represented by the administration of Donald Trump…for every worker, active trade unionist or anyone who wants to live in an open and democratic society, the political stakes of the coming months and years are potentially existential. We are staring down the barrel of a historically devastating offensive against our class.”

Then, the blame: “From witnessing the recent behaviour of Labour’s ruling faction, you wouldn’t know it. Spearheaded from Downing Street, this narrow Westminster grouping often gives the impression it would rather hand the country over to Farage and put the labour movement’s survival on the line than consider any change in policy direction or lose the slightest control over the party machine.”

Egan slams the “stitch-up” which blocked Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, with the reasons offered “an insult to the intelligence.”

Then the warning: “Trade unions will not tolerate this self-destructive approach any longer. The costs are simply too high, and it is our members — our whole movement — who will pay the price. 

“Labour’s rotten internal culture is a significant cause of its failure to deliver for workers while in government, which in turn drives its historic unpopularity and lays the ground for the far right.

…

Original article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/unisons-andrea-egan-speaks-truth-power

Nigel Farage blames the Muzzies.
Nigel Farage blames the Muzzies.
Keir Starmer confirms that his government is cnutier than Suella Braverman on killing the right to protest.
Keir Starmer confirms that his government is cnutier than Suella Braverman on killing the right to protest.
Continue ReadingMorning Star Editorial: Unison’s Andrea Egan speaks truth to power

Manchester by-election a battle ‘for the soul of our country’

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/manchester-election-battle-soul-our-country

GB News presenter Matthew Goodwin speaking at the Reform UK annual conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, September 5, 2025

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Green leader Zack Polanski, whose party is in a race with Reform to win the Labour-held seat, said Goodwin’s candidacy was an insult to the constituency.

Mr Goodwin had “a track record of anti-Muslim bigotry,” Mr Polanski said, terming the campaign a battle “for the soul of our country.”

The advent of Mr Goodwin further enflamed the by-election, already at the centre of controversy after Keir Starmer acted to block popular Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing for the seat, which Labour held in 2024 with a 13,000 majority.

The Reform candidate, once a liberal academic before journeying to the far right, has attracted particular controversy for claiming that being born in Britain does not necessarily make someone British.

People from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds were not always British, he said: “It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody ‘British’.”

He has declined to qualify that claim, despite seeking election in a seat in which 44 per cent of voters identify as from an ethnic minority.

The battle for the soul of the Labour Party also heated up, with new Unison leader Andrea Egan and former party chair Ian Lavery MP both slamming Sir Keir’s leadership.

Ms Egan, writing in Tribune, warned that “the first far-right government in our history is a very real prospect” — a prospect she described as “existential” for trade unionists and democrats.

“But from witnessing the recent behaviour of Labour’s ruling faction, you wouldn’t know it. Spearheaded from Downing Street, this narrow Westminster grouping often gives the impression it would rather hand the country over to Farage and put the labour movement’s survival on the line than consider any change in policy direction or lose the slightest control over the party machine.”

…

Original article is at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/manchester-election-battle-soul-our-country

Nigel Farage blames the Muzzies.
Nigel Farage blames the Muzzies.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he's the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he’s the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Nigel Farage attacks the NHS
Nigel Farage attacks the NHS
Continue ReadingManchester by-election a battle ‘for the soul of our country’

The Guardian view on long waits for disability benefits: the system should not push people closer to poverty

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/13/the-guardian-view-on-long-waits-for-disability-benefits-the-system-should-not-push-people-closer-to-poverty

A protest at the Houses of Parliament in July 2025. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty Image

Long delays in processing personal independence payment (Pip) claims have become one of the most damaging and least defensible failures in the UK’s welfare system. Pip is designed to support disabled people with the additional costs of daily living and mobility, yet for many claimants it has instead become a source of prolonged uncertainty, financial hardship and distress. Waiting months – and in some cases more than a year – for a decision can push people into debt, rent arrears and poverty, especially as Pip unlocks other support such as carer’s allowance.

Parliament has been sounding the alarm over the scale of the problem – but it appears the Department for Work and Pensions has its fingers in its ears. The stock response is that a new “health transformation programme” will lead to efficiency gains made by replacing paper Pip applications with an online claims system. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the chair of the public accounts committee, last week pointed out that MPs had been told “three years ago that improvements would have manifested by now; we are now told that they are a further three years off”.

…

Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/13/the-guardian-view-on-long-waits-for-disability-benefits-the-system-should-not-push-people-closer-to-poverty

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves - the very poorest and most vulnerable.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves – the very poorest and most vulnerable.

Back on track ;)

Continue ReadingThe Guardian view on long waits for disability benefits: the system should not push people closer to poverty

George Monbiot: The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security

Lake Titicaca in South America. Its water levels are receding, partly due to shifts in rainfall caused by Amazon deforestation. Photograph: Benjamin Swift/The Guardian

It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication

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When the report at last appeared, thanks to an FoI request lodged by the Green Alliance, The Times reported that it had been significantly “abridged”, I expect by the same goons. Some of its starkest conclusions had been omitted. Even so, the assessment – believed to have been compiled by the joint intelligence committee (on which the heads of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ sit) – is not exactly reassuring.

It echoes warnings some of us have made for years, only to be dismissed as nutters, doomsayers and extremists. It tells us that “ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions. Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse (irreversible loss of function beyond repair).” This presents a threat to “UK national security and prosperity”. It says “the world is already experiencing impacts including crop failures, intensified natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. Threats will increase with degradation and intensify with collapse.” The results will include geopolitical and economic instability, increased conflict and competition for resources. “It is unlikely the UK would be able to maintain food security if ecosystem collapse drives geopolitical competition for food.” It also warns that “conflict and military escalation will become more likely, both within and between states, as groups compete for arable land and food and water resources”.

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But what was cut from the report is, according to The Times, even graver, including a warning that the shrinkage of glaciers in the Himalayas, causing declining river flow, would “almost certainly escalate tensions” between China, India and Pakistan, leading to the possibility of nuclear war. Again, some of us have been trying to persuade governments to focus on this threat with little success.

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The report, notably shorter than most of its kind, gives every appearance of having been hastily and crudely truncated.

…

I know this government exists only to disappoint us. But its environmental failures are even more striking than its failures on other issues. When the ruling party compares unfavourably with the one that brought us Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, it’s worse than a betrayal. It’s a threat to our survival.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security

dizzy: It was difficult to select extracts from this article, suggest that you read the original.

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Continue ReadingGeorge Monbiot: The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised

Muslim Voter Group To Endorse Greens In Gorton And Denton By-Election

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https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/muslim-voter-group-to-endorse-greens-in-gorton-and-denton-by-election

[PoliticsHome] Exclusive: A pressure group focused on who Muslims should support in elections will endorse the Green Party in Gorton and Denton.

The Muslim Vote, set up in late 2023, endorsed the four independent candidates who were elected at the 2024 general election on campaigns centred on the war in Gaza. They were Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohammed.

The group has told PoliticsHome that it will support the Green candidate in the upcoming contest to replace Andrew Gwynne, who has resigned as a Labour MP for health reasons.

The party is yet to select its candidate, but the New Statesman reported over the weekend that it will not be leader Zack Polanski. The Greater Manchester seat has a significant Muslim population.

This will remain the case even if George Galloway’s Workers’ Party decides to contest the seat, the group said. The party came fourth in Gorton and Denton in 2024, and Galloway has historically enjoyed high levels of support among Muslim voters.

PoliticsHome understands that the Muslim Vote was open to supporting the candidacy of Andy Burnham in the event of the Greater Manchester Mayor being the Labour candidate.

However, on Sunday, Burnham’s desire to stand was rejected by members of Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

…

Article continues at https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/muslim-voter-group-to-endorse-greens-in-gorton-and-denton-by-election

Keir Starmer justifies why he has to travel abroad so much
Keir Starmer justifies why he has to travel abroad so much
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingMuslim Voter Group To Endorse Greens In Gorton And Denton By-Election