I enjoy disagreeing with Steve Groves but I like agreeing with him more.

That’s a very simplistic analysis by your standard.

1. Corbyn lost by 3m votes, Starmer won by 3m.
2. Partly as there were fewer parties in the 2019 election
3. Corbyn polarised voters, that led to a significant vote for his opponent. Starmer didn’t. pic.twitter.com/DhxpSZW9mq

— Steve Groves (@Sjg3G) July 7, 2024

Here I agree with Steve. The nation is behind Starmer in a way it didn’t get behind Corbyn.

How many of us, had there been a single transferable vote would have put Labour as our second choice? I suspect that most of us – and I voted Liberal – were pleased to see Starmer returned as our new Prime Minister. I am pleased to see new faces managing the Ministerial Posts

Compare this list with Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinets, there is little crossover – John McDonnell, Tom Watson, Barry Gardiner and Dianne Abbott have no places in the new ministerial team.

Rachel Reeves never served in a Corbyn ministerial team, nor did Wes Streeting.

I am sad to see no place on the list for Emily Thornberry and Angela Eagle – this is no cabinet for older women.

Jim McMahon and Matthew Pennycook, firm supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are included in this initial list of Ministers. Keir Starmer was a more reluctant Corbyn Minister. But the stand-out figure that has crossed the divide between old and new is Angela Rayner, a woman whose simple no-nonsense approach reminds me of Hilary Salt who sadly did not get elected but should have been a Labour candidate (and bloody good pensions person in parliament). Wythenshawe and Sale East remained Labour but lost votes to Reform.  Greater Manchester was a clean sweep for Labour and reminded me of a Yorkshire woman’s famous saying

we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us

Jo Cox will not be taking her place in parliament. Jo Cox was murdered by a racist bigot.

Some people are saying that the British public voted “anything but Tory”. Lord Howard likened our vote this week to France’s vote (both protest votes). But this is a slap in the face to the British electorate. We may not all have voted Labour but few, other than our most right-wing faction are polarised against Labour. Most of us would agree with Jo Cox.

We do not want ideology to define our politics, we want efficient and effective Government that gets things done. This is what “change” means to most people and while I am not standing by the Labour party (as I had to do with the Conservatives in 2010) , I see a coalition of interests between decent people all over the UK , regardless of their origins, religions their income and wealth.

We should do more than watch videos of Jo Cox, we should get behind what she said.

In memory of Charles Kennedy

I am pleased to see that Angus MacDonald was declared the new MP  of Inverness, Skye and West Ross Shire with a majority of 2,160. This is a really meaningful victory for the Liberal Democrats.

There has been a deeply-held resentment about how the SNP treated former Liberal  leader Charles Kennedy and the tactics used to unseat him before his death.

To win back this seat, albeit with new boundaries, is a poignant moment for them.