Burnham taking Britain back to the 70s might be a fantasy for the Labour left but it’s a NIGHTMARE for the rest of us
Pulp faction ON becoming Labour leader yesterday, Andy Burnham repeatedly insisted he has a “plan” for running the country. What the Messiah without a general election mandate didn’t do was set out what that plan is. Which is alarming given the ex-Manchester Mayor is due to enter No10 and take control of the machinery of Government on Monday. His speech was, again, heavy on vibes. It was also very backward-looking — yearning for the 1970s when the State owned everything, and wealth was taxed mercilessly. Burnham’s main point was that he disagrees with Margaret Thatcher who, it’s worth reminding him, stopped being PM 36 YEARS ago. Read More on Sun Says He also vowed to rule as “unashamedly Labour” and end party “factionalism”. But beyond the meaningless platitudes of “growth in every postcode” and “hope in every heart”, what concrete offer was there for ordinary working people? How does promising to stop Labour Party infighting help families cope with the cost of living? Incredibly, given the dire state of the public finances, we STILL don’t know for certain who will be his Chancellor — or whether they will be up to the job. Most read in The Sun A big chunk of the Labour Party don’t want Ed Miliband, another faction hates the idea of Shabana Mahmood. So a damaging split over Burnham’s economic direction has already opened up before he even sets foot in No10. Beyond pandering to Gaza-obsessed backbenchers, we also don’t know what his foreign policy will be towards our enemies — Russia and China – or our closest ally, the US. Let’s pray Burnham surprises us when he stands outside No10 on Monday and sets out his agenda. Heading back to the 70s might be a fantasy for the Labour Left and the union barons. For the rest of us, it’d be a nightmare. Same old cops TAKING accountability for failure in the public sector is increasingly non-existent. West Midlands Police’s chief constable Craig Guildford was allowed to retire after his force banned Israelis from an Aston Villa match under pressure from Islamist militants in Birmingham. The cops then covered up intelligence reports showing how the extremists were planning to attack Jews. Now it emerges that, as part of his exit, Guildford was handed a £57,800 pay-off. It was one of the worst organised police fit-ups in years. Yet it didn’t stop unrepentant Guildford walking off with a wheelbarrow of our cash. Viva España IT’S England’s unhappy fate to face France today for third place in the World Cup. So once that’s out of the way, Three Lions fans can get on with the job of backing Spain on Sunday. After all, who aside from Fifa’s money-grabbing leadership wants the snarling, Falklands-claiming Argentinians to win?