It does my head in that the right are able to dominate UK discourse with 'Britain used to be great part from the NHS, council housing, architecture, British Rail, BT, the BBC..oh I love my country' when the truth is a country so much more interesting, made bland and flat in the interests of capital.

What are the skills needed for a PM, though? Polanski is a good communicator who people like and despite comments I've heard to the contrary, he can speak at length and in some depth about his policy positions. Sir Starmer was universally political pundit-approved, yet can do none of those things.

There's loads of commentary, but agreement on what 'skills' the PM needs to have conveniently changes to suit whatever point the pundits want to make. Seems like Polanski can lead, think on his feet, gets on with people and comes across as genuine and sincere and somehow he's the lightweight.

In the last decade, the BBC has legitimised climate change denialism, paved the way for Brexit, defended the coup that was prorogation, over-platformed Farage's Far Right projects, and is neutral on our abandonment of human rights norms.

What is this 'good' it supposedly does?

For me, the division is both unsurprising - public institutions are conservative; they lean towards power and the status quo - and revealing. Those who sit under the protective umbrella that institutions throw up are surprisingly incurious about what life is like for those who live outside it.

Loads of pundits also love to pretend that we have a single all-powerful president rather than a PM, a cabinet and a party, when it suits them.

Yeah, the 'more obviously qualified' Starmer is playing a blinder, of course.There's no evidence whatsoever for Labour's superior competence in 'running the country' but I'm seeing a lot of vague implications they they somehow have more of a right than others because they're one of the 'big two'.

cfmm.org.uk/bbc-on-gaza-...

It's just sensible pragmatism, the Greens don't want to be saddled with political deadweights. Labour have nothing to offer and no vision, same as Reform and the Tories.

It offers the potential of mass layoffs and the end of worker rights/copyright/all legal barriers to business, endless guaranteed profit once it is integrated into every aspect of government and our lives and hence forever monetisation of the daily lives of every person on the planet.

He did say that during his leadership campaign, if I recall. But now we know that was all bullshit to win over Corbyn's supporters. Totally cynical lying and just moving to the right from then on.
I don't think one can analyse any of Starmer/McSweeney's tactics or beliefs without that context.