Tony Porter Ponders: The first twelve months of Starmer and his cronies

Happy anniversary week? This weekend saw the first anniversary of this Labour government and what a year. Just after the election I wrote this. “People, who are new to this column, will think I am a Labour politics basher, I am, though I have voted Labour in the past, but feel they no longer represent the working class. That said the Conservatives have had some criticism while in Government too. But now we have Labour both locally & nationally, I feel I will have to criticize them more, so be warned. I can never understand people who vote for the same party for decades without a thought. Labour in the eighties and before, was a party of the people, Blair changed it to New Labour and now we have Sir Kier Starmer as our current PM, I give him eighteen months, then the lefties will vote him out and install their favoured leader, if they do, they will have played a blinder to hoodwink the whole country, well nine million. But we wait to see, they might be the best government ever, though I worry about rises in fuel duty, road and alcohol tax, tobacco tax, etc, though none of these have been even suggested by them, yet.”

Even I could not predict the cluster mess this lot have inflicted on the most needy, vulnerable and the rest of us. Scrapped the Rwanda plan, ‘going to smash the gang instead’ that went well. Stealing the winter fuel allowance from the neediest, all to stop Elton John, Lord Sugar and the like getting it, now partially u turned. Farmers, with the ridiculous taxes on land that, in many cases, have been farmed by the same family for hundreds of years. Welfare cuts, to weed out people who are not entitled to them, but punishing all who claim, semi U turn. Waspi women, supported by many now in the cabinet while in opposition, abandoned now.

No workers national insurance rises but put up the employer’s contribution. Rape gangs, refused to hold a national inquiry, until forced to by Baroness Casey after her report was published. Gave our fishing rights to Europe for 12 years, as it was about to end in less than twelve months. Not just giving back the Chagos Islands but agreeing to pay millions to rent it back for 99 years, money going to a country that had no hold on the islands in history.

Then last week the Rachel from accounts debacle, obviously upset and tearful during PMQs, ignored by the PM, but bright eyed and bushy tailed the following day. It was a personal matter apparently, we all have had upsetting stuff happen, that’s life, but why not let her just have a day off, family time, but then to be all smiles the day after. Seems a bit fishy, though it would be EU fish as we have no rights to fish our own waters. The only thing I can see he will be happy about is being unpopular, that has been nailed, he even said he would be just after the election.

Meanwhile the BBC and ITV seem to think that most people want to watch minority sports on their flagship channels. Both Wimbledon and the Women’s Euros should be on the less viewed channels.