I think I’ve heard on the radio, and on shows like Newsnight, commentators saying that Starmer might not be very politically astute. So maybe he does genuinely think that digital ID is a reasonable solution to reduce illegal immigration, and maybe he just doesn’t realise how much the public opposes digital ID.
To put it another way, I don’t think Starmer is stupid. Maybe his political intuition isn’t the best though. I get the impression that he genuinely wants to improve Labour’s fortunes and he’s trying to pick some sort of middle path between the vocal left and the vocal right. I’m not sure digital ID will be a vote-winning path though.
It isn’t only a question of political astuteness though. It’s obvious that it won’t work. Only an idiot would think that someone who is prepared to risk their life crossing the channel in a small boat is going to be put off by a digital ID.
I don’t think I want to even consider that he might be dismantling our freedom to appease the far right in the hope that they won’t notice that it hasn’t done anything. I don’t think you call that a lack of political astuteness. That would be rank stupidity.
Maybe Starmer is just a bit out of touch. For a long time he has tried to be a sensible centrist politician right? So I think he sees digital ID as a centrist way to reduce rates of illegal migrants working in the UK, while not bringing in draconian anti-immigration measures which might upset his MPs.
The Labour conference might be interesting. Maybe we will see some Labour figures calling for big changes to how Number 10 is behaving. I guess they want to see a government that doesn’t try to navigate a centrist path, but instead is more boldly leftist and progressive.
I think I’ve heard on the radio, and on shows like Newsnight, commentators saying that Starmer might not be very politically astute. So maybe he does genuinely think that digital ID is a reasonable solution to reduce illegal immigration, and maybe he just doesn’t realise how much the public opposes digital ID.
To put it another way, I don’t think Starmer is stupid. Maybe his political intuition isn’t the best though. I get the impression that he genuinely wants to improve Labour’s fortunes and he’s trying to pick some sort of middle path between the vocal left and the vocal right. I’m not sure digital ID will be a vote-winning path though.
It isn’t only a question of political astuteness though. It’s obvious that it won’t work. Only an idiot would think that someone who is prepared to risk their life crossing the channel in a small boat is going to be put off by a digital ID.
I don’t think I want to even consider that he might be dismantling our freedom to appease the far right in the hope that they won’t notice that it hasn’t done anything. I don’t think you call that a lack of political astuteness. That would be rank stupidity.
Maybe Starmer is just a bit out of touch. For a long time he has tried to be a sensible centrist politician right? So I think he sees digital ID as a centrist way to reduce rates of illegal migrants working in the UK, while not bringing in draconian anti-immigration measures which might upset his MPs.
The Labour conference might be interesting. Maybe we will see some Labour figures calling for big changes to how Number 10 is behaving. I guess they want to see a government that doesn’t try to navigate a centrist path, but instead is more boldly leftist and progressive.