Sir, – The short premiership of Keir Starmer can be seen as a dramatic fall from power following a landslide victory. Such a depiction, however, is as much a reflection of the odd political arithmetic of the United Kingdom. That he was elected with less than 34 per cent of the popular vote shows how tepid his endorsement really was.
Given such a starting point, he was probably never going to be the one to answer the deep question our near neighbours face. The matter of whether post-Brexit Britain is governable remains unanswered. Only a truly charismatic, capable and wily political operator can fully resolve that imponderable.
Good luck to Andy Burnham in trying to find a path that has eluded the last five prime ministers, one of reconciling the will of the people with economic credibility. It’s vital to all our interests that he succeeds. – Yours etc,
Brian O’Brien,
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Kinsale,
Cork
