By Mark E. Saunders of “The Scottish Minuteman” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197
Standing on the steps of Downing Street after becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham presented himself as the leader of a fresh start and a different kind of politics.
But how many times have we heard those same promises made on the same steps of Number 10, only to see them quietly abandoned almost as soon as the new Prime Minister walks through that shiny black door?
I’m old enough to remember Margaret Thatcher declaring: “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth” — words borrowed from the Prayer of St Francis. Variations of those familiar words have echoed through more than half a century of prime ministers.
As with every prime minister from 1979 to 2026, the rhetoric soon collides with the political reality of governing for the British establishment. And it hasn’t taken long for Andy Burnham to appear no different than all the rest.
Within twenty-four hours of promising to renew politics and deepen devolution, he has demonstrated that his vision seems to geographically end somewhere between the Solway Firth and the River Tweed.
He rejected John Swinney’s appeal for a new relationship between Westminster and Holyrood by refusing to recognise Scotland’s democratic mandate to pursue independence, despite recent polls indicating majority support for independence.
But then came what many will see as an added insult: the proposed appointment of Anas Sarwar.
Rather than allowing the Scottish Labour leader to answer for his party’s worst election defeat in the history of Devolution, Burnham is set to elevate him to the House of Lords before appointing him as a government minister.
This move is difficult to ignore.
A politician rejected by the Scottish electorate is rewarded with a peerage and a Cabinet post through an unelected chamber.
It is also politically awkward.
Sarwar’s public call for Keir Starmer to resign helped trigger the chain of events that ultimately brought Burnham to Downing Street.
So the appointment risks appearing less merit-based and more an exercise in political cronyism.
For a Prime Minister who promised to renew politics and devolve more power, this is a disappointing opening act.
There are few clearer examples of the old Westminster tradition: appointing political allies to the House of Lords rather than allowing voters to decide their fate.
If this is Andy Burnham’s definition of a new politics, it looks remarkably similar to the old one.
Meet the new boss.
Same as the old boss.
We won’t get fooled again.
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My first reaction when I heard this was Whit???? What on earth is Burnham doing?
On reflection though, you’ll always catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar. Sarwar has been effectively removed from Scotland having been given what he always craved.
Burnham is not daft.
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So what happened to my country Scotland Sarwar he just another hypocrite when the ermine calls hopefully he will be the last and the people of Scotland wakes up sees what Westminster always do.
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Why should we be shocked at this appointment ?
Sarwar was clearly rejected by the electorate but is undemocratically given a ”nice little earner” by his new Party leader .
Burnham has not been elected by the electorate to his present lofty position – he has simply been installed by a bunch of cowardly Labour MPs worried about their own position .
Nor has Burnham the confidence in the electorate to offer himself as PM in a General Election to democratically confirm his position . He is too feart !
But he unashamedly rejects the democratically tested mandate of the Scottish Government for the Scottish people to decide their own fate in a referendum .
Just another English Westminster chancer who sees ”the country” as Engerland !
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“the proposed appointment of Anas Sarwar”
“set to elevate him to the House of Lords before appointing him as a government minister”
That’s news to me.
Oh well , good luck to him (Sarwar).
At least he’s getting what he wants , unlike us who are still in limbo as far as us getting Scottish independence .
So really without any movement on that then what is the friggin point of us repeating the same old same old grievances.
To what purpose ?
(That is, if the SNP do not do something other than just keep on asking for another Indy Ref , while knowing full well what the answer will likely be i.e. NO).
I mean really what is the effing point ? (rhetorical Q so really no response required).
Liz S
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So Braindead Bloody (Iraq War) Burnham forgets that his full voting history not only for the Iraq war, but also against inquiries into the war, extends over seven years (2002 re WMD until 2009) and then he u-turns in 2024 with “If I had my time again, I wouldn’t have voted for it”. What about the full seven years, Andy? https://votes.theyworkforyou.com/person/10766/policies/commons/labour/all_time/975 Now Burnham has ‘elevated’ Anas Sarwar to the House of Lords. Even dad Chaudhry Sarwar didn’t achieve that. I wonder why: https://archive.is/TGUJ9. Then dad showed his love of the UK (just can’t bring myself to say ‘Scotland’) by renouncing his British citizenship to become Governor of the Punjab, subsequently popping back to Glasgow to demand that every country in the world must institute an anti-blasphemy law to protect Islam – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-6RRlpO99OA. Lord Sarwar, not to be outdone by dad, told us that “the change is coming” https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1_dWayOohbk&dp_isNewTab=1&dp_referrer=other&dp_allowFirstVideo=1 and there were allegations of racism when the speech was criticised or quoted. Please watch and judge for yourself.
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Hi Anon
Work this up into a full article for posting again?
talkingupreminders@gmail.com
John
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Lord Sarwar. Lord Jack. Lard Ffoulksakia, Lord Offord, Baron McConnell and all the rest of ‘em.
A William Golding book about Scotland, it would be……….
LORDS OF THE FLY MEN.
gavinochiltree
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Plus Lord Watson who deliberately set fire to a hotels curtains while pished. Put him down for a lead role in Towering Inferno.
Chancers that lot of them.
Stephen McKenzie
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…and was given a Government post in The Lords ( post jail !).
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