No - not men in general - just two men. And they are Sir Keir Starmer and my son Ian. As Keir was resigning as Britain's prime minister this morning, Ian was flying back to London from The Netherlands after participating in the Ironman event in Hoorn.
I liked and respected Keir Starmer. As this country's political leader he was intelligent, hard-working, caring and clean as a whistle. He gathered good Labour people around him and was making a real mark on the international stage. Keir managed to bring Labour back from the edge of oblivion. Under Jeremy Corbyn, we seemed to be heading for extinction but Keir turned the party around.
During debates before the Brexit referendum in 2016, Keir was vehemently against leaving The European Union so I think it is tragically ironic that the repercussions of that dumb choice have been like thorns in his side throughout his premiership. We have gained nothing of note from Brexit.
Also from day one, Britain's right wing media campaigned against him, carping and haranguing - never giving credit where credit was due. It was like a concerted campaign to "Get Labour!" and "Get Keir!" and it was so vitriolic that it even caused many of of those who had voted Labour into office to question themselves as well as Keir's worthiness. That besmirching campaign was as unpatriotic as it was contrived but in the end, sad to say, it worked.
Keir left office with his head held high, in a thoughtful, dignified and honest manner. His emotions threatened to get the better of him when he referred to the support that his wife and children had given him but he managed to hold himself together. Perhaps this great country did not deserve a decent man like him at the helm. Here he was this very morning in Downing Street - I hope you will be able to see this BBC clip in foreign lands...
And the other man - my son Ian. Born in August 1984, he has only recently taken up marathon running but to test himself further, he signed up for a big Ironman event in The Netherlands. This involved swimming 1.2 miles in open water, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13 mile run. Ian completed this feat in just under seven hours and I am, of course, immensely proud of him. It's just a shame that Shirley and I could not be there to cheer him on. Oh - and what a great ambassador he is for veganism...
Sir "two tier" Starmer, who was so proud of his country that he openly claimed that he would far rather be a WEF pawn than actually serve his country of birth. Who gained the nickname of "freebie" for his shameless acceptance of any and all gifts of suits, glasses, hospitality etc that he could lay his hands on. Who had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into finally agreeing to a watered down and toothless inquiry into the Pakistani mass rape scandals of the past two decades, including turning a blind eye when he was DPP. A man with such an inflated opinion of his own importance that he had a special act of parliament passed to ensure that his obscene pension would be protected from the taxes levied on other mere mortals' incomes......
ReplyDeleteWho gave him the nickname "Freebie"? Again those right wing media folk who were determined to bring him down. It is never a name that I have ever applied to him because it was unjustified. In my opinion, your bitter interpretation of Sir Keir's premiership and indeed his decent character is grossly unfair Will. Was it scripted by "The Daily Mail" or GB News?
DeleteI have never watched GB News, and treat the Daily Fail with the contempt that it usually deserves. I am actually capable of forming my own opinions from observation (which is why I am so dismissive of the whole Net Zero cult and it's destructive actions)
DeleteShame about Keir Starmer. Looking from afar I thought he and Rishi Sunak were the best of your PM's over the last few decades.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same in Australia, with the right wing controlling the media and doing everything they can to discredit our PM Albo and the Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen. They are promoting the far right imbecilic Pauline Hanson and so many stupid people are buying into that.
YP, I'm more with you than with "Will".
ReplyDeleteStarmer shouldn't have taken those gifts at the start (though funnily enough when I was watching his speech I did find myself admiring his rather swish glasses without recalling in that moment the backstory) but the rest of it is confected rage.
I don't even think the Mandelston stuff was that bad (because kind of "set a thief" territory) though not so sure about Starmer throwing others under the bus for it.
My sympathy for Starmer is tempered by my memory of his ruthlessness towards the Labour left, which he must always have intended and was less than honest about before he was elected leader. The antisemitism stuff that he was happy to use against Corbyn was no less confected than the stuff which has been used against him.
I saw on our TV news last night that he had resigned and felt sorry for all of you. I hope whoever steps into his places does not undo all the good he did.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Ian.
Well as someone who doesn't read around people's characters too much, my initial response to Starmer stepping down was sad he had to go. You just don't get decent government by changing the leader every time.* Litanies of how he could have behaved are not important, he did some good things after initially taking a wrong turning.
ReplyDeleteMeasure the b***** Tories against him and he was a knight in shining armour! The boat of government is in full rocking mode atm, we will just have to sit tight and hope Burnham will bring something solid to the table. Ian did good of course ;)
* Tut, I forgot the US of A.
Firstly congratulations to Ian. That is quite an achievement.
ReplyDeleteTurning to Starmer. I am finding it very interesting reading differing views on him. We have Cro (the self proclaimed even handed blogger) who didn’t watch PMQs last week because Starmer was off on another freebie…haven’t heard the G7 described that way before.
Then we have Rachel who has a long post today on the evil Labour Party. They are pretty much all liars and have destroyed the country. A lot of the blame lies with Blair, apparently. I am confused weren’t the Conservatives in power for 14 years before Labour was elected two years ago?
As for WEF pawns, that is, to use a good word, poppycock. The Great Reset is just a step away from that great thinker David Icke!
Everyone who finishes a triathlon is winner - it feels so wonderful to cross that line (I last did when Ian was just starting school.)
ReplyDeleteAn Ironman is quite a feat of athleticism and endurance. All that in just under seven hours...wow! Congratulations to Ian and to you and Shirley for this very proud parent moment.
ReplyDeleteSad about the PM. It's hard to stave off a constant barrage of attacks form the other side.
ReplyDeleteGood about Ian; a better man than I!
I've just finished a post about Sir Starmer. I am not sure when it will be published but your thoughts about him are good to read. Well done Ian. What a high achiever in life.
ReplyDeleteI am not proud to admit I know nothing about British politics except that if I were British, there is no doubt I would vote Labour.
ReplyDeleteNow- as to Ian- you have certainly got an overachiever in that boy! Not content with his terrific work teaching and showing people how to be eat in a more planet and body-conscious way, he is now pushing his own limits and shattering preconceived limitations. You must be so very proud of him.
Well done, Ian! That's a fantastic achievement.
ReplyDeleteI have visited Hoorn. It's delightful!
Bravo to Ian! I agree with you about Starmer, mostly. The right wing has hounded him from the beginning, and I agree he's better than Corbyn. I think he made some bad decisions but he was left with a very difficult situation both post-Brexit and post-Tories. Seems like a lot of people are re-thinking Brexit now. Is it too much to hope that we might reconsider that referendum?
ReplyDeleteYour right wingers in England sound just as unhinged as their counterparts over here. They even have a lot of the same talking points. All they ever do is lie and bitch and moan and demonize minorities--even when they're in power! I mean, the magas over here have control of the presidency, the Senate, and the House and they STILL do nothing except spout venom about what a shit country the USA has become! That's their words, not mine. What a bunch of miserable people.
ReplyDeleteYour son, however, is a great man and your pride in him is entirely justified!
Congrats to Ian. That's an amazing accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteMen don't cry upon their resignation.
ReplyDeleteMinette Marin said she did not recognise her country at the funeral of Diana.
The public outpouring of grief was manufactured. Grown men blubbing in public.
What happened to the spirit of Dunkirk ? The WW II generation were genuine.
I watched the speech that Starmer gave when he resigned. I couldn't help but think about Joe Biden dropping his bid for the presidency. I know the two of them are quite different, with different circumstances, but nevertheless I was reminded of Joe Biden, a man who I don't think got enough credit for what he did do. Congratulations on your son Ian. What an amazing accomplishment! I know that you and Shirley are very proud of him.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of Brexit we still get quite a lot of news from Britain here in Sweden, so I've noted Keir Starmer's resignation, and also heard his speech (or the last part of it) on our news. I can't stay I know him or his politics well enough to really have a well-founded personal opinion about him - but I'm sighing over the fact that he resigns when I've finally learned his name (I had difficulties remembering it in the beginning...) - and now I can't recall the name of the new man to replace him, even though I know I've heard it... ;)
ReplyDeleteWell done, Ian!!
ReplyDeleteAnd well done, Shirley and Neil. You two raised your son to become a decent man, and your daughter a decent woman.
Of course the happenings in the UK were on our main news last night. Also, it was said that according to a current opinion poll, only 35 % of people want things to stay as they are in terms of Brexit, while more than half would like the UK to return to the EU.
Ian looks pleased as punch and deservedly so! He is a great achiever and you are justified in being proud of him
ReplyDelete