Starmer's Betrayal of the Pensioners

"Starmer had many choices he could make. He's opted to punish the old and reward the criminals."

As I pointed out some weeks ago, getting elected was easy for Sir Kier Rodney Starmer and the Labour Party.

He didn't give much away during the election campaign. Now, we know why. The public is left in a state of shock and disbelief to learn that his unstated priority is to kill off some pensioners.

It makes political sense. After all, the old dears probably don't vote Labour, so removing a few from the electorate is a win that culls Tory voters and saves him £1.5 billion by removing their winter fuel allowance. By Labour's estimates from a 2017 report, some 4,000 pensioners may die. Either way, Starmer isn't too bothered as he feels this move affirms his status as a hard man who "can take the tough decisions."

Next up, he's decided to create a new pool of supporters amongst the drug traffickers, gang members and sex offenders. As the first batch of 1,800 criminals exited the over-crowded prisons last week under Starmer's early release initiative, the public's concern and fear grew. The villains applauded Starmer’s decision, promising their vote.

Never mind that one sex offender re-offended on the day of his release or that vulnerable women and girls will see that those who beat them walk free. Never mind that many convicted criminals had nowhere to go and, therefore, ended up in tax-payer-funded hotels. There, they can mix with the well-looked-after illegal immigrants that Britain welcomes while watching pensioners freeze.

This situation would be comical if it weren't true. Moreover, Starmer didn't win majority support for these policies because he hid them. He’s merely a vehicle to remove the appalling Tories from office. Again, as I've pointed out, he only secured 20 per cent of the eligible vote, which must call into question his legitimacy.

Anyway, his premiership is now defined by the attack on pensioners and the favour he's done the criminal fraternity. The optics are terrible and about to get worse. Expect higher taxes, further cuts in public services, and "reform" of the NHS; "reform" is a euphemism for additional cuts.

Of course, Labour's catch-all excuse is to blame the Tories for Britain's financial mess. Sure, there is a £22 billion hole in the public finances, a fact that Starmer repeats as much as his infamous "My father was a toolmaker" claim.

A quick check reveals that £9 billion of that deficit is due to Starmer's political choices, including a pay increase for public sector workers. Hence, pretending that the Tories are to blame is misleading. After all, Starmer had other options.

• Stop taking asylum claims from those arriving from France. These people are not at risk in France; therefore, the U.K. has the right to refuse them. In the 1980s, when swamped by refugees from Vietnam, the Hong Kong British colonial regime had no hesitation in implementing a closed camp policy and forced repatriation. This approach sent a clear message, saving many as the Vietnamese were dissuaded from attempting the dangerous sea journey here. The amount of aid spent on hosting refugees and asylum seekers in the U.K. rose last year to £4.3 billion—up from £3.7 billion in 2022. Cut that cost in half, and you can keep the pensioners warm and alive.
  
  
• Similarly, why should taxpayers maintain nearly 1.7 million unemployed migrant workers — a uniquely British oxymoron — at an annual cost of £8 billion?
  
  
• How about getting rid of the two aircraft carriers that spend their time between the repair dock and Portsmouth Harbour? Britain can't afford to crew the vessels; they don't have enough planes. Each carrier costs £99 million to upkeep without factoring in an air wing. Without enough escorts, these vessels make no strategic sense. So stop pretending Britain still "rules the waves" because it can't even stop the small boats in the channel. On Saturday 14th September, 801 people crossed the Channel. 
  
  
• How about reducing the guaranteed £3 billion a year to Ukraine for as long as the conflict lasts? The war is a stalemate, and British funds delay the inevitable settlement.
  
  
• Step away from the zero-carbon nonsense. The U.K. effort in this area is tokenism at best. It's already killed the British steel industry and made the country reliant on imported steel. Not only does this hit the individual steelworks closed, but it also reduces the nation's expertise in this area, degrading innovation.
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Starmer had many choices he could make. He's opted to punish the old and reward the criminals.

​Henceforth, everything Starmer does will be measured against how he deals with illegal migrant issues and the funds involved. All his actions will be weighed against the cost to pensioners. But instead of an open discussion around illegal migration, Starmer is intent on shutting down the discussion; he's closing the Overton window by labelling anyone with legitimate concerns as “far-right."

So, Starmer's low-standing support in the polls is slipping further. Sure, he inherited a toxic mess of issues from the Tory clowns, but as his first move, he opted to punish the most vulnerable group. That shocking policy affirms the view that Labour is no longer the party of the working class, nor is it particularly interested in protecting the vulnerable.

Instead, Labour is interested in power and power alone at any cost.