"People can look out their front window and see a sense of decline..."
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What are the initial reactions to Keir Starmer's resignation?
087 484 888 is the WhatsApp number and lots of messages of support for Mandy and you can be sure we have that date she mentioned in August in the diary as well to keep in touch with her and those legal proceedings to get her children back. The other big news today of course is what is happening much closer to home in the UK and The resignation of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and what looks like the coronation of Andy Burnham as the new Prime Minister after Wes Streeting, the Labour Party MP, former minister, is not going to run. He has confirmed that. Willie Howard is on the line. Willie, you're from Cork originally, but how long are you in the UK?
It's coming up to nearly 20 years ago when I first came over. I went back to Ireland briefly for a couple of years, but 17 years in total since about 2007.
And during that time, because I know you're a trade unionist, were you a member of the Labour Party for any of that?
I was a member of the Labour Party.
How has Keir Starmer's leadership impacted the Labour Party?
I actually joined under the leadership of Ed Miliband and I left shortly in 2019, shortly after the election of Keir Starmer, really, as Labour Party leader, because I just think the party was changed in a way that it no longer kind of reflected my values, you know? In what way? Well, I suppose, look, I'm not saying the period that under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership there wasn't mistakes or issues with that, because there were, but I think it's important to realise that in the late 2017, for instance, Jeremy Corbyn received, I think it was the second highest ever Labour vote, second only to 1997, where Tony Blair won a landslide victory. I think Corbyn achieved something like 42% of the vote, something quite massive, and actually considerably more than Keir Starmer got when he got elected.
But I mean, look, the carbonate period is finished. It's over now, and we're kind of in a new period. hopefully Andy Burnham will mark a departure from what's been going on.
Willie, listen, you stay with us because I want to talk a little bit about that journey in and out of the party and where you think it might go in the future.
What changes might Andy Burnham bring as the new Prime Minister?
But Matthew O'Toole is on the line as well. STLP, MLA, of course, and either of the opposition as well in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Matthew, am I right in thinking that you were there back 10 years ago when David Cameron announced his resignation?
I was, Ciarán, yeah. I was a civil servant at that point. I came to point that out. I wasn't politically appointed. I was a civil servant. But yeah, I was there. Not really was the beginning of what turns out to have been a decade of chaos in the UK following Brexit.
What are the historical perspectives on Labour's recent leadership?
Had you any sense, I mean, it would be easy to claim you did, but anyway, I'll ask you, had you any sense that, you know, it'd be kind of seven prime ministers in 10 years or maybe more damning, I think, is it six in the last seven years?
Well, I did think that Brexit was going to fundamentally destabilised the UK, and I felt it was going to have huge consequences on the island of Ireland. Both of those things have turned out to be true. I'm not claiming that I had unique wisdom on that. I wasn't the only person, but the sense that was why I ended up leaving a civil service career, moving back to this island and becoming a politician in Belfast was that journey for me, and I saw that this was going to be, and lots of other people did too, that this was going to fundamentally destabilise the UK, and that's what's happened. A lot of the instability has been caused by For example, yes, the speeding up and destabilization of politics, social media, including social media exploited by actors who have ill intent, but also the economic weakening of the UK.
I mean, real fiscal challenges are created by the fact that the UK has basically lost tens, hundreds, in fact, or billions of pounds of economic activity and tax revenue. So a lot of this does stem from that original sin of Brexit.
How did Brexit influence the political landscape in the UK?
There were problems before then, but that was really a key starting point.
I just, Matthew, while you were speaking there, we just got confirmation and I just want to share it with people that the former DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been found guilty of rape.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the initial reactions to Keir Starmer's resignation?
0:00–1:08
2
How has Keir Starmer's leadership impacted the Labour Party?
1:08–2:25
3
What changes might Andy Burnham bring as the new Prime Minister?
2:25–2:57
4
What are the historical perspectives on Labour's recent leadership?
2:57–4:08
5
How did Brexit influence the political landscape in the UK?
4:08–4:53
6
What are the implications of Jeffrey Donaldson's legal issues?
4:53–5:48
7
What criticisms are being made about Keir Starmer's decisions?
5:48–6:24
8
How can Andy Burnham address the challenges facing the Labour Party?
6:24–20:06