Mark Steel's Blog, page 5

Labour doesn't need a 'likeable' leader – it needs a competent one

There should also be a discussion about how to counter the relentless hostility that will be fired at whoever becomes leader, from the Conservative press

Labour can't figure out who's responsible for its failure, so it's barking like a dog at its own reflection

Instead of careful consideration, many in the party are determined to either to insist the left did everything wrong, or the left did nothing wrong and should try the same as before but with a northern accent

Labour's working class voters are now Hove baristas, while Blyth puts its trust in common blokes like Boris

The people of Blyth decided to confirm their distaste for the establishment by putting their trust in common folk who understand what it's like to live in an former shipyard town – people like Jacob 'always drilling a rivet' Rees-Mogg

Don't vote Tory because you don't like Jeremy Corbyn – nobody is asking you to go on holiday with him

In this general election there are many constituencies where people who want to stop the PM are in a strong majority, but rather than unite behind one candidate that will beat him they still prefer to fight each other

Boris Johnson's avoiding the climate debate and personally I find it very competent and reassuring

It's the same as if every scientist agreed all the country's planes, cars, buses, boats and seaside donkeys were on fire. You wouldn't expect the transport secretary to interrupt his busy schedule to worry about that

It's a surprise Priti Patel is backing the Tory manifesto – she thinks government has nothing to do with your finances

For most of the past nine years government policy has been to proudly follow 'austerity'. How ridiculous to suggest that might lead to anything becoming austere

Johnson's sputtering tour of Britain makes Theresa May look like an expert campaigner – the Tories are in trouble

The prime minister's performance over the past few days should put to rest any questions about why he's kept away from the public

Maybe the Tories' godawful, offensive election launch is really just a work of 'light-hearted satire'

James Cleverly says his party doctored a video of Keir Starmer in the name of mockery, not fakery. Could Jacob Rees-Mogg, Andrew Bridgen and the rest have been tripping themselves up on purpose, for our amusement?

After nine years running us into the ground, the Tories declare that 'Britain deserves better' than them

The Conservative campaign seems to be based on the idea that only they can be trusted to fix the problems they've caused. Okay then

Is Britain really so angry and bored that we'll let a sociopath PM do whatever the hell he wants?

This is Boris Johnson's selling point. He gets on with it. He's not like those other stodgy politicians, bound by elitist codes, like the one that suggests if you print something as a fact in huge letters it ought to be true