Keir Starmer praised Margaret Thatcher - was this a wise move?

Readers are confused about which group Labour leader represents.

December 4th 2023.

Keir Starmer praised Margaret Thatcher - was this a wise move?
Today, MetroTalk readers have been left questioning who exactly the Labour leader stands for… The answer seems to be a unanimous ‘no’ from our readers. Cautious he might be, but recent praise for former tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher has left many scratching their heads.

The comments reflect a strong sense of disbelief that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be trying to court the votes of Conservatives. "Sorry, but this is beyond belief”, reads one comment. “I know Sir Keir is cautious, but I always thought he was intelligent and well informed.”

The mess this country is in is largely attributed to Margaret Thatcher and the free-market ideology perpetuated by successive Tory governments. This creates questions as to whether Sir Keir can take the country in a different direction if he cannot recognise the past.

On Friday's Metro, readers had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the passing of Shane MacGowan, Henry Kissinger, and Alistair Darling on the same day. Tributes to Kissinger were met with some skepticism. "You should not speak ill of the dead but, really?" reads one comment. "The tributes that poured in for Kissinger from other politicians like David Cameron and Boris Johnson made me splutter into my home-made banana wine."

The passing of Molly Russell, who died in 2017 aged 14 after viewing suicide-related content online, was also mentioned in the comments. People reacted to the report of how tech firms are still targeting millions of young people with harmful content. The comments reflect a strong sense of disbelief and anger at the tech giants who are not facing repercussions for the dangerous content available on their platforms.
Today's MetroTalk readers have been left wondering who exactly Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, stands for. Our readers have a unanimous response: 'no'.
Sir Keir has been described as cautious, but his recent praise of former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher has left many with questions. Who exactly was he appealing to?

Readers have been quick to share their thoughts on this – and other – issues. David Reed from London says, "Maybe Rishi Sunak could put him in charge of the Rwanda process. Sorry, but this is beyond belief – 'Starmer tries to woo Tories with Thatcher praise'."

The issue has provoked strong convictions from many. Jim from South East London notes, "The mess this country is in is entirely down to Margaret Thatcher's ideas and the free-market ideology perpetuated by successive Tory governments – and I include the Blair/Brown decade under that label. If Sir Keir cannot see that, he must go!"

Neil Dance has a pop at Nigel Farage's current I'm A Celeb stint, saying, "At least Old Nige believes in something, which is more than can be said for 85 per cent of the rest of them. Flip-Flop Starmer is now praising Mrs Thatcher, for decades the bogey woman of the trade union and Labour movement."

Friday's Metro also reported the passing of Shane MacGowan, former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Tributes that poured in for Kissinger from other politicians like David Cameron and Boris Johnson made some readers splutter.

Peter from Birmingham believes, "Say what you want but at least Mr Farage has stuck by his beliefs for 30 years. If only those elected to carry out the will of the silent majority would allow us to execute a true Brexit and not this 'Brino' that is meant to lead us back into ever closer alignment."

John Spencer from London adds, "It could give quite the wrong impression to say, as you do, that Henry Kissinger 'was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize'. Controversial even at the time, it was a joint award to be shared with Le Duc Tho, the Vietnamese negotiator of the Paris agreement [to end the Vietnam War]."

Finally, Dec from Essex suggests that "It would be a fitting tribute to get Fairytale Of New York to be the Christmas No.1 this year following [Shane MacGowan's] sad passing last week."

This week also marks what would have been the 21st birthday of Molly Russell, who took her own life aged 14 in November 2017 after viewing suicide and other harmful content online. Your report of how tech firms are still targeting millions of young people with harmful content has provoked strong reactions from readers.

It is clear that there are a range of views on these issues, and readers are encouraged to share their thoughts in the comments. To do this, start a text with VIEWS followed by your comment, name and where you live to 65700. Alternatively, you can email mail@ukThe Agency Helpline for Views, Rush-Hour Crush and Good Deed Feed: 020 3615 0600. Please remember to provide your name and location with your comment for the best chance of being published.

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