I don’t think anyone in their right mind would consider Blair’s Labour Party “nominally socialist” - particularly for anyone who remembers the Clause 4 debates at conference. Blairism was the moulding of social democratic principles with conservative economics and it was electorally v popular.

Not sure the British public are ready for a full on S&M cinematic experience.

Oh I'm not defending the merits of the idea - I think that speaks for itself. It's just that at the time there was less of a political consensus against it given that the main political parties clearly espoused it, irrespective of economic ideology.

Refugee Resettlement is the transfer of refugees from an asylum country to another State which agreed to admit them and grant them permanent residence. Individuals coming in boats can't claim asylum in the UK unless they are in the UK. There is no legal requirement forcing the UK to take refugees.

It's not golf I have an issue with....it's more one club golfers!

I don't think people are trying to judge Starmer's gvt in haste. I mean most of the criticism outside the right wing media is evidence based - including Starmer's stance on the EU, the economy and taxation, donors, to name a few.

The danger here is that most people want this Labour government to succeed. It's just worrying that it's already doing it's best to imitate Sunak's lot in the name of "change".

I accept some economists hold variants of your position on PFI now...the point I'm making is at the time it was seen as ground-breaking as it enabled the public sector to increase spending on NHS with perceptibly half the risk. I also accept PFI is not a perfect solution; context is key, though.

Has someone defecated in your breakfast? Not that it matters to anyone but it’s probably worth remembering that when you openly say “not a single bit of civic society” it does in fact equal “no bit of civic society”. It’s almost as though everyone should apologise for quoting you.

I’ve always thought (regarding “Stop The Boats”) that if there’s literally no other way for people to get into the UK so as to claim asylum, why would you not just give them a safe passage? That’s how you “Stop The Boats”. I know I’ve made it sound incredibly easy…