Strange days indeed

THE EDITOR, Madam:

There have been numerous power grabs and upheavals at London’s Palace of Westminster, home of the British parliament since 1295. If only the walls could talk. From Guy Fawkes’ attempt to blow up the building with King James I present for the State Opening in 1605, to MP Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector from 1649 during a five-year stint as a republic following the execution of King Charles I.

The current upheaval in the ‘Mother of All Parliaments’ is noteworthy for being so swift, bloodless and peaceful. Only two years ago, the British Labour Party won after defeats in every election under various leaders since 2010. This astonishing landslide was led by Sir Keir Starmer, who was soon seen as a solid choice as Labour Party leader in 2020, and duly elected prime minister (PM) in 2024, after 14 years of Conservative Party rule during which five PMs conducted a disorganised chaos, leaving the country in serious decline and severe financial difficulties.

The best-laid plans of mice and men did not go smoothly for PM Starmer, a far better lawyer than he was a politician. He was indecisive, waffling and flawed when making key appointments, and the electorate proved they had been more anti-Conservative than pro-Labour in 2024, and viciously turned against his party in disastrous municipal election results earlier this year. Faster than you could say, “We all want to be re-elected”, his huge caucus decided to ditch him, and quickly shifted allegiance to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

A by-election was swiftly arranged for him to become an MP, and the moving trucks were booked for work at 10 Downing Street once again. Andy Burnham was previously an MP in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, with brief appointments in the Treasury, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Health. Twice unsuccessful in running for party leadership when Labour was in opposition, he quit Westminster in 2017 to take the long and winding road to Manchester.

He’s recognised in the UK as a capable communicator on TikTok and other social media, for his sartorial choice of a black T-shirt rather than a shirt and tie, and for frequently being photographed in proximity to a pint of Guinness stout. Sir Keir Starmer left his hard-earned position without as much as a whimper, and chances are he has a song by Mr Burnham’s fellow Liverpudlian playing over and over in his confused mind. That would be John Lennon singing, “Nobody told me there’d be days like these; strange days indeed”.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada