SIR KEIR STARMER PRIME MINISTER LABOUR'S LANDSLIDE VICTORY BRITISH GENERAL ELECTION 4TH JULY 2024 411 SEATS CONSERVATIVE WIPEOUT UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING CRISIS NATIONAL DEBTS

THE GUARDIAN 5 JULY 2024 - CELEBRATE: WE HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS ROUTING OF THE TORIES. AND UNBEARABLE RARE MOMENT OF PURE POLITICAL JOY

Hallelujah and hosanna! (If not now, when?) At the stroke of 10, the country knew it had liberated itself from the most contemptible government in living memory. The wreckers, destroyers, bullies, incompetents, cronies and crass self-servers are gone. The Tory reign of error is over; they have no God-given right to rule after all. Torn down by the people’s revenge, they were felled by their own hubris. Since the days of tumbrils and defenestrations are over, the loss of seats and ministerial car are small punishment for the suffering they deliberately inflicted on millions. The rise in infant mortality is only the most measurable indicator of the large numbers who have died needlessly during their great austerity.

They will skip away to City and company boardrooms unpunished; some prime architects of the worst cruelties had already escaped today’s final humiliation. George Osborne, chief villain, lives high on investment banking and podcasting – the axeman of the arts is now chair of trustees at the British Museum. Before the 2010 election he called accusations that he would cut public spending “a pack of lies”, then made an abattoir of health and education, bankrupted cities, denuded councils, stripped the courts, skinned defence and ripped benefits until food banks became the nation’s social security safety net. For the next 14 years the only growth was in public service decrepitude. That can be repaired in time, but Brexit caused irreparable harm, David Cameron putting the country at risk with a referendum to appease his party’s Europhobes.

Today, revel in this almost unbearably rare moment of pure political joy, all you progressives who have spent most of a lifetime losing, losing and losing again. No longer. Against all predictions after Labour’s 2019 catastrophe, this is the first time any party has leapt from landslide defeat to victory in one term. But it never felt like “leaping”: step by ruthless step Keir Starmer reshaped the party, inching towards the great crossover point of December 2021 when Labour pulled ahead, never to look back. Remember the growling and grumbling over his lack of charisma and vision? After Cameron’s louche self-satisfaction, Boris Johnson’s self-obsessed roguery and the ideological trauma of Liz Truss, Starmer’s solid decency and relentless determination counted for far more. No party wins without securing trust in its leader and chancellor, to run the economy, defence, the NHS, tackle the climate crisis and everything else. Let no one think trustworthiness was easily earned.

Rejoicing among most voters today may be muted. Many were glad to punish a deplorable crew, but voted with a grim lack of belief that politicians could make their lives better. Out with the scoundrels, yes, but faith in politicians and government has been at an all-time low, with only 58% almost never trusting politicians to tell the truth. (How much truth the public can bear is a question to put to them another day.) Starmer well understands this corrosive crisis in trust, and pledges that Labour will restore confidence in government. Brave, since among his hundreds of Labour MPs, some will do unscrupulous things: “Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made,” wrote Immanuel Kant. What matters is that when such cases arise, the malefactors are rapidly and publicly punished and repudiated; something the Tories failed to do, because they never really thought any wrongdoing was that bad. Straight-as-a-die chief prosecutor Starmer will allow no such equivocation.

There must have been that moment in the high command last night, amid the noise, to gasp in incredulity at what they had done: an echo of Shakespeare’s Henry V after Agincourt being handed the list of the dead, 29 English but 10,000 French and all their notables, as the roll call of Tory fallers emerged: Truss, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt, Michael Fabricant.

This is a moment to savour the worst of Tory sour breath being sucked out of politics, the malevolent stink of Go Home trucks and bedroom tax, of “safe” Rwanda and people pulling their own teeth, the crony contracts, deep cuts for the poorest, scapegoating foreigners and proroguing parliament. Unforgiven, will be No 10 partying while the country obeyed the government’s own rules, and relatives died alone. What will those massed ranks of culture warriors in the gigantic Tory media realms do now, brutally exposed as irrelevant to modern times?

In comes this sea-changed social democratic air, elected on values in tune with a country the Tories badly misunderstood. Rishi Sunak’s campaign appealed to the basest instincts; he became more desperate by the day, throwing tax-cut bribes like meat to the wolves. But the public knew that money came straight from their hospitals, schools and children’s futures. Neither bribes nor threats of £2,000 tax rises under Labour shifted the dials. People are nicer and better than Tories know, time and again backing not cuts, but more tax and spend. Twice as many want spending on public services increased “even if it means tax rises for households like theirs”, finds abrdn’s Financial Fairness Trust. The people may be ahead of Labour’s cautious manifesto. Today marks the final stake through the heart of Thatcherism, killed off by the consequences of rail, mail, water and energy privatisations. Here ends austerity ideology, after the bankers’ crash, Covid and the cost of living crisis left people needing more, not less, from the state. No Conservatives will be electable again until they understand a country whose instincts have turned social democratic.

Time enough tomorrow and ever after to contemplate the dire legacy of this shameful government, its scorched earth and landmines visible in unpaid debts and bursting prisons. Time later to worry what remedies will be adequate. National pessimism over a broken country, fearful that little can be done, is the grimmest mood pollsters have known. But at least Labour inherits the lowest of expectations and the lowest of bars to rise above. The threatening rise of Reform can only be challenged by bold government that improves people’s lives.

Early first steps will be establishing rights for workers, ending no-fault evictions, hiring teachers, dentists and doctors, reforming planning and housing policies, social care fair pay and nationalised energy. New ministers have been waiting, yes, “like greyhounds in the slips” to do what they have planned for years. Success is the best rebuttal of nativist populism. But on this first day, marvel at what they have done: Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and a frontbench of heart, brain and optimism. The only way is up.

We aver that the only way to force corrupt councils to the trough, is to make it a legal requirement to build low cost housing as fulfilling the basic human right to affordable accommodation - that has seen so many families rack up debt like there is no tomorrow. This might also include a cap of council taxes (rates). Every human in the United Kingdom should be provided with shelter. No more sleeping rough on the streets. No more Liability Orders!

Sir Keir Starmer

Lord Richard Hermer KC

Okay, so the when the revelry evaporates, it comes down to brass tacks. How is the Starmer Cabinet going to turn the UK around?

Might we suggest a return to basics. Sir Kier has already looked at taking back control of, or recreating a new National Grid, to stem the blood flow of dividends to overseas investors.

This could be a new renewable energy highway, based on renewables, electricity and hydrogen mix. Investing in a clean future that is sustainable. The UK might easily become a net exporter of energy. Even after heating homes, powering factories and giving the nations zero emission mobility. It's not rocket science.

Then, there is the matter of affordable housing where the Conservatives have been all about executive housing that only landlords can afford. Leading to councils going bankrupt as they try to cope with mounting bills for temporary accommodations in guest houses and hotels.

We need to grow more trees for wood. As a carbon lock and to build sustainable housing. We also need to grow more vegetables. With incentives as per those in World War Two, when allotments were the order of the day.

Unfortunately, we no longer have an automotive industry. Where once we exported such brands as the Austin Mini, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce. Those are now in foreign ownership or the trademarks sold off. Now, we face stiff competition from Chinese auto makers, as they export cheap electrics.

What we do have in abundance is creative talent in film, TV series, and music exports. Anyone remember The Beatles, Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) and Rod Stewart. At one point in time Abba was one of Sweden's biggest exports. We need to nurture and support our film studios. James Bond is a great British movie franchise, presently in the doldrums. Even Hollywood movie scripts are now funded by Chinese investors.

There is nothing to prevent a resurgence of British engineering and manufacturing. Perhaps a new electric mini, but with a brand name to reflect low cost, zero carbon motoring. With solar assistance as a first, as standard. Obviously, such vehicles should be capable of running on green methanol or lithium batteries as a stop gap. Hence, a means of swapping from one technology to the other should be built into new designs. Especially in HGV trucks and vans that may then deliver goods taking advantage of the new (proposed) Hydrogen Grid with Smart service stations, providing electricity and renewable energy in the form of hydrogen gas and methanol.

The opportunities are endless, provided there is support for SMEs to grow their ideas into exports. We are at war with China as to cheap imports. We need to be able to balance the books with UK Intellectual Property, or get back to making products in the UK to stem imports from aggressive overseas expansion. Stop the brain drain.

You can only raid the population's piggy-bank so much before they rebel again. There must be incentives for entrepreneurs to give it a go, and not feel cheated.

And then there are wasteful councils leaching yet more taxes from hard working families, and not providing services like infrastructure or even repair of potholes, as they stash the cash for golden pensions, instead of providing public services at good value. Here we might cut the red ink by pulling planning back to central government, to prevent all the back-handers, discrimination and other corruption. Such a procurement fraud.

Thousands of council jobs might go using AI administration to shore un the Pension Black Hole. There are councillors pulling down expenses when almost all planning decisions are delegated to officers. In many cases councillors are bullied and brainwashed into silence. When they should be asking questions.

And that goes for civil service jobs and duplication of effort. The UK might operate more efficiently without the armies of civil servants, non productive workers in plum jobs who produce nothing and simply gum up the works with more red tape, obfuscation and negativity - seeking to justify (build) their part.

Criminal charges should be brought against Southern Water, Northumbrian Water, South West Water, United Utilities, Thames Water, Wessex Water Anglian Water, Severn Trent and Yorkshire Water for persistent discharge of sewage into our rivers and seas. The penalty for long term non-compliance could be loss of their franchise, as part of new statute.

Solar panels should be compulsory on all new homes and reverse the de-facto ban on onshore wind.

Labour need to call an emergency dentistry summit, to force private dentists to take some of the NHS loads, with financial penalties attaching. Consider monitoring NHS treatments for every practice. Where at the moment they say no NHS clients, and lay off NHS clients to outside practices, forcing payments to private dentists - on no treatment: Blackmail.

End no fault evictions and strengthen renters rights, alongside the requirement to build affordable and sustainable homes, also including new powers to local authorities to control rents - where Rent Tribunals appear not to understand the concept of affordability and/or human rights. And give new powers to the State to ensure that Councils actually force developers to build affordable homes (low cost installations of energy and water autonomous flatpacks, etc.), before they are allowed to build executive housing for rent and property speculators. Suggest a target percentage that needs to be fulfilled, or block other development.

FOSSIL FOOLS - Geriatric politicians with 'climate-senile' policies will find in difficult to break away from their corrupt ways, as part time politicians with two jobs. Their main job being to find paid consultancy work, rather than craft policies and create statute that works to protect our voters from lung cancer, energy shortages and a lack of affordable (sustainable) housing.

The 'zerophobics' are the undertakers of the political world, sending millions of ordinary people to an early grave, while loading us with NHS, hospital and staff costs that would not be needed if we had clean air in our cities.

Basically, the longer you are in politics, the more likely you are to be exposed to bribes, from climate deniers, mostly fossil fuel and energy companies, looking to keep on pumping toxic fumes into the atmosphere, so they can keep making money. The political undertakers are working with them to keep hospitals stocked with cancer victims, adding to the £Trillions we owe as part of the national debt. Under Boris and Rishi Sunack, pensioner's saving have halved in real terms. They are blood sucking vampires, draining what little you had saved for your retirement.

Rishi Sunack

Prime Minister 2023

Boris Johnson

Former Prime Minister

Theresa May

Former Prime Minister

David Cameron

Former Prime Minister

John Major

Former Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Former Prime Minister

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