Gather round for Keir’s fairy tale
SIR KeIR STARMeR has taken to writing fairy tales. his first, entitled Manifesto, includes fantasies such as crime-free streets; an NhS that’s fit for purpose; the illegal immigration issue solved by persuasion; wind farms to provide all our energy needs; and windfall taxes to pay for cost-of-living increases. Planned future works will be Pie In The Sky and Pigs Might Fly.
PETER RICKABY, Selby, N. Yorks.
KeIR STARMeR’S five-point plan: 1) highest growth in the G7. has he checked with his union paymasters? 2) Become a clean-energy superpower. Will we be undercut by India and China, making UK goods expensive? 3) Improving the NhS. Again, will he get union permission?
4) Justice system reform. Will victims be treated as more important than criminals, not the reverse, as now? 5) Raising educational standards. Literacy, numeracy and vocational training need improving, not teaching children the UK is responsible for all the world’s problems. Soundbites are quick and easy. Does anybody think he has the answers?
J. GUTTERIDGE, Reading, Berks.
SO The Labour leader has become a missionary. No doubt faithful Blairites will welcome his vague preaching of the joys to come in his promised land. Alas, in the real world we need to hear concrete proposals, not a wish-list.
ROGER FOWNES, Bromsgrove, Worcs.
heRe is my interpretation of parts of Keir Starmer’s ‘five missions’ speech. ‘New delivery-focused, cross-cutting mission boards’ = flip charts on wheels. ‘how [do] we incentivise preventative approaches’ = free red and green stop/ go signs for all government employees. ‘Seeking out creativity and diffusing and scaling up best practice’ = find and share ideas via the wheelie flip charts. ‘Real missions rather than vague aspirations or simple slogans’ = this speech shows how not to do it. ‘embedding rigorous evaluation into everything’ = all government IT devices to have spellcheck and Grammarly.
JENNY KENNY, Plymouth.
UNLIKe Andrew Neil (Mail), I found Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘five national missions’ speech exciting — so much so that I have requested a translation. ‘Delivery-focused cross-cutting mission boards’ and more ‘empowering’ and ‘catalytic’ government really hit the spot.
R. WIDDOWSON, Marske-by-the-Sea, Cleveland.
I See one of Sir Keir’s missions is to ‘build an NhS fit for the future’. Will he use the Welsh NhS — already Labourrun — as a template for any changes? BRIAN HORSEMAN, Teignmouth, Devon. I ThOUGhT Kwasi Kwarteng would win every award for worst-ever political presentation until I saw Keir Starmer last Thursday.
A. RUSSELL, Spalding, Lincs.