Starmer’s First Big Electoral Test Could Well Be His Last

I’m not entirely sure what I found most difficult.

Reading the words of Dr Paul Williams, the Labour candidate for the Hartlepool by-election, “do you have a favourite Tory MILF?”, or trying to explain the meaning of the word “MILF” to a dear elderly lady that wondered what all the fuss was about. 

I mean, come on guys, you’ve all got your favourite Tory MILF’s, right? You can tell me, I promise not to ridicule you, I won’t tell a soul, and I’ll do everything I can to get you the help that you so desperately need. 

But fear not, Williams issued an apology for his past misogyny. In fact he was so sorry he posed for this picture - look carefully and see what the pins are trying to spell out behind him.

The arrogance is utterly repugnant, but entirely consistent with the way this Labour Party do things these days.

You’re supposed to be able to trust your doctor, right? 

Mr Williams is always keen to promote his NHS credentials, but he was also keen to point out the murderous Saudi regime - they who chop your head off for farting in a lift - are “modern and progressive”. 

Nothing says “we are advocates for social reform” quite like wiping out the people of Yemen, with British planes, British bombs, and British military expertise. 

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud, or MBS to his mates, is as progressive as Starmer is charismatic.

But it’s all cool because Dr Paul - who was an MP half an hour down the road from Hartlepool in Stockton South until 2019 - went on a Saudi ‘fact-finding’ mission (junket) after receiving an £8,762 donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

This is what Dr Paul said about the Saudi autocrats:

“The whole Khashoggi incident is appalling. It appears the Saudi security services have done a disgraceful thing and they should be held to account. Doesn’t change the fact that I met progressive people working to improve their country when I visited though.

“I did see progressive things and meet progressive people on a trip to Saudi. That doesn’t make me a supporter of their government and it appears that atrocious things have been done by the Saudi government. I’m independent-minded enough to criticise where it’s due.”

Amnesty International has criticised the Saudi Arabian barbarians for using torture, staging public beheadings, banning protests, heavily restricting free speech, discriminating against women, and banning human rights organisations. 

But remarkably, Dr Paul has an entirely different view after his near nine grand junket to the Middle East. 

I’m sure Paul is a great Doctor, but that doesn’t make him a great politician. Paul is an ultra-remainer standing for election in a seat that voted to leave the European Union by a massive 70% - just think about that for one moment. His opponents will use his Europhilia as a beating stick, and the people of Hartlepool will reject the centrist in favour of someone that they deem to have principles - whether you agree with those principles or not. 

I could go on about Dr Williams for a while, but most of it has already been said. He is clearly not good enough, and he has been selected from a shortlist of one. It’s a fix, a stitch-up, as bent as a nine-bob note. He has been imposed on the local Labour Party, and they’ve had no say in the selection process. 

This is Labour party democracy, Starmer-style. 

Perhaps Starmer should take these words on board.

“The selection for Labour candidates needs to be more democratic and we should end NEC impositions of candidates. Local party members should select their candidates for every election.”

Those are the words of Keir Starmer. 

Perhaps he could take this sound advice? 

“No more parachutes. No more stitch ups. No more imposing candidates who are friends of the leadership. Let’s democratise our Party properly and give members real power.”

Those are the words of Shadow Foreign Secretary, Lisa ‘Nuke ‘em’ Nandy.

Very little seems to be said about the shocking judgement of Sir Keir Starmer. Williams is his candidate. A win for Williams would be a win for Starmer, and a defeat for Williams is a defeat for Starmer. 

Starmer genuinely believes the Covid-19 vaccine not only helps guard you from the killer virus but also convinces you to come out as a Tory voter. 

You could’ve walked into your local vaccination centre as a committed Marxist, but just one jab later and you suddenly believe Boris Johnson is the saviour of humankind? 

Pull the other one Keith. You’re sinking like a stone because not many people like you. You have the warmth of a frozen polar bear poop and Prince Andrew-like approval ratings. 

You, Keir Starmer, have allowed this government to rip through our population like a hot knife through soft butter. Was the lives that we lost worth a few friendly headlines from Murdoch and the Mail? Sickening opportunism, and exactly why you’re a country mile behind that horror of a Prime Minister and the worse government in living memory.

When we needed accountability of those in power, which is the job you are paid handsomely to carry out, you offered them your unequivocal support. Now they’re a mile ahead of you in the polls, not because of a “vaccine bounce” but because of a Starmer flounce. 

Starmer was behind the Etonian slob before the first jab was even delivered, and let’s not pretend he wasn’t. The dismissal of Jeremy Corbyn went down like a cup of cold vomit, and Starmer hasn’t ever recovered since.

You, Sir Keir, declared an unwinnable war against the left of the Labour Party while this rotten bastardly government made one fatal error after another. 

You are wholly complicit in ensuring we have one of the worst Covid-19 death rates in the world, and you are complicit in the economic damage that has ensued.

How does that feel, Sir? How the fuck do you actually sleep at night knowing you prioritised the factional sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey over the safety and well-being of our people? You put factional bullshit before holding power to account. You ain’t no Labour leader, bruv.

While us “cranks” were loudly demanding that you support teachers, parents, unions, children, and scientists, you were working out how you could keep your donors and policy advisers happy, and you decided attacking a decent and caring man like Jeremy Corbyn was the best way to do it. 

How inadequate are you exactly?

You are a pathetic embarrassment to all of the great Labour leaders that have stood before you. You are not a leader, you are simply a minuscule part of the establishment machine. You ooze self-entitlement, and your public speeches are so disingenuous I can feel my insides crying on your behalf. I genuinely feel uncomfortable when you speak, and that’s not a good thing.

You have no substance, no style, no guiding principles, no authority, no charisma, no passion, and the Conservative Chancellor of The Exchequer is economically to the left of you, the leader of the Labour Party. This is a huge issue. 

You have demanded the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, for breaching the Ministerial code, but you didn’t think Matt Hancock should resign for his blatant corruption and dishonesty? 

Have a word with yourseif, you are behaving like snivelling establishment spanner. 

Hang on, has he offered you a PPE contract? Is that why you think Jeremy Corbyn isn’t fit to be a Labour MP, but you evidently believe corrupted Hancock is fit to be the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care?

Boris Johnson’s government has just breached the Ministerial code. Did you miss that one, Keith? Why aren’t you calling for the immediate resignation of the Prime Minister? Why aren’t you demanding the resignation of the £340,000 bully, Priti Patel? Why aren’t you demanding the resignation of that freakish haunted pogo stick, Gavin Williamson? Does Starmer even know a massive 92% of teachers want Williamson to resign? Why aren’t you demanding the resignation of Robert Jenrick? How corrupted do they need to be before you consider this bent, nefarious government simply might not be up to the task in hand?

It seems fairly obvious to me. You’ve supported this ghoulish government every step of the way. Their culpability is your shared responsibility. It’s been like watching Theresa May hold Donald Trump’s hand all over again. 

When an inquiry finally happens I cannot wait to see the exchange of private letters between Starmer and Johnson, although there’s every chance you’ll read them in the Telegraph first, or Robert Peston’s Twitter feed. 

The Hartlepool by-election should be an easy win for an opposition party facing a government of such corruption and negligence. The same can be said for the local elections, also due to be held on the 6th May. Anything less than huge council seat gains and comfortably holding on to Hartlepool will be the beginning of the end for Starmer, and he knows it. 

But you know as well as I do, Starmer’s foundations are built on quicksand. He surrounds himself with ineptitude and he struggles to make a decision without several consultations and a bit of focus group guidance. 

Whoever told Starmer to start an unsightly war on the left is clearly in the wrong job. We’re not losing, because all of the time the British electorate only have two slightly different shades of Tory to choose from, we have absolutely nothing to lose and equally nothing to win in the first place. 

Let me just finish with this. 

Back in June 2019 we had a by-election in Peterborough, under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.  

We were defending a small majority, and all of the experts said we would lose the seat. 

The Labour PLP said it was the biggest test of his leadership, others said Jeremy would have to go if we didn’t hold on to Peterborough. They threw everything at us, from utterly dishonest claims of antisemitism to vote-rigging. 

We won Peterborough. Despite the Labour Party trying to lose the seat for Jeremy, despite the vitriolic press, and despite the establishment attack dogs coming at us from every angle, we won.

So I say Sir Keir Starmer MUST be held to the same standard. If he doesn’t win in Hartlepool, and if he doesn’t make significant Council gains, he has to go. 

Now I’m fully aware he needs to go anyway, without a shadow of a doubt, but let’s do this their way for one moment.

Judge Starmer how they judged Mr Corbyn. I don’t think that’s particularly unreasonable, or controversial, and be in no doubt, I will spend a day walking through broken glass listening to back-to-back Keith’s ‘greatest’ zzzpeeches on a Sony Walkman before I offer my support to another apologist for the Saudi dictatorship. 

And finally, credit to the person that told Dr Paul Williams his favourite “Tory Milf” was Lisa Nandy.

Take care everyone, 

Rachael x

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, if you want to chip in towards improving my ongoing campaign, and it would cause you *no hardship*, you can do so here: