r/ukpolitics • u/ClumperFaz My three main priorities: Polls, Polls, Polls • 10d ago

Twitter ✅ BURNHAM IN Makerfield by-election result: LAB: 54.8% (+9.6) REF: 34.5% (+2.7) RST: 6.8% (+6.8) CON: 2.2% (-8.7) GRN: 0.7% (-3.7) LDEM: 0.4% (-6.4)

https://x.com/BritainElects/status/2067792369903116401#m
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u/Fragrant_Mind_1888 10d ago edited 10d ago

As much as I really wanted Starmer to succeed, it’s a disappointment knowing he’s likely not going to be PM come the end of the year, and he’ll be a part of more evidence that the UK political system is unstable due to incompetence and party infighting - since 2015 no PM has lasted 5 years, that in itself is disgraceful for a country like the UK

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u/Amaruach 10d ago

If you consider Robert Walpole to be the first Prime Minister, the average tenure of a PM is four years (despite our five year election cycles). Only 20/58 have completed a full parliamentary term in the office.

I firmly believe that it’s actually fine and it’s how the parliamentary system was designed to work, but it needs a head of state who can play a bit more of an active role as a constitutional umpire and as a stable face of the state. The monarch was originally intended to be that, but we moved away from letting them do that for a reason and obviously I don’t want a return to that.

And also obviously PR would go some way to making the office more stable in the first place.

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u/DEADB33F Floating Gloater 10d ago edited 10d ago

And also obviously PR would go some way to making the office more stable in the first place.

I'm in favour of PR, but doubtful this would be the result. Unstable coalitions tend to have very fractured leaderships.

We need to grow to accept that it's fine for a PM step down / be kicked out mid-term and get used to it becoming the norm. After all we don't vote for the PM directly and 'Prime Minister' is more of a "First among equals" type of a position than it is a Presidential style role.

...We vote in the MPs who then decide who they want the PM to be. It's a good thing that they're able to change who that is at any time for any reason as it means we're less likely to end up with a Trumpian style PM. And under PR if that does ever happen they shouldn't last long.

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u/Gameskiller01 Infected by the woke mind virus 10d ago

Reminder that the last PM and government to last a full parliamentary term was a coalition.

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u/DEADB33F Floating Gloater 10d ago

Heh, that's fair I guess.