Just an afterthought to the above. It's interesting and revealing (to me anyway) to compare Starmer with Trump. Starmer is the total opposite. Whereas Trump inhabits his own world, ignoring or dismissing anything which disagrees with his own constructed vision (hence he dubs such offensive data as "fake news"), Starmer is painfully aware of the outside world and agonisingly aware of his own inadequacy. He knows he is crap at being prime minister, but hey! -- that's what he fought for and achieved, `and now he's stuck with it -- for the time being that is.

Starmer must wake up every morning and survey with dread the mountains of problems facing him -- to which he has no solutions. Lacking any ethical principles and with no moral centre, he has nothing to guide him or point him in the right direction. All he can rely on is the opinion of the outside world, principally his own backbenchers, other politicians, the corporate media and the public at large. Even when he tries to correct wrong decisions he and the government have made, due to outside pressure, he still loses because he is accused of flip-flopping, of being weak, of making endless U-turns (13 so far in this parliament). So he's in a triple bind. If he sticks to unpopular decisions (cutting the winter fuel payment for pensioners, stopping 2-child benefit payments) he gets a roasting from his own side and threatened with rebellion, but then when he relents he gets little thanks from them plus an almighty battering from the right-wing media.

I meant, what is a chap to do? Trump of course is totally different. Inhabiting his own world, he can even make a joke or two and snigger about his own weak humour. He's actually enjoying himself. Starmer daren't do that. He hasn't the nerve. If he permitted even a tiny fraction or sliver of emotion or human feeling to emerge, the plaster facade of his face would crack and disintegrate before our eyes. That's why he's so useless in interviews and public gatherings. He is a hollow, terrified man, frightened of his own shadow. As someone said, he has all the personality and charisma of a speak-your-weight machine. The poor chap is drowning in his own mediocrity and can't see a way out. One has to feel sorry for him.

As for pitiful dementedTrump, the final word has to be that the only thing that will rescue his legacy is a major medical (not mental) emergency -- a stroke or heart failure. When this happens ( when not if) sometime in this presidency, he will be relieved of office and placed somewhere safe and warm to dribble away his remaining days. It will be a sort of semi-dignified exit, sparing us the sight of him standing before a microphone babbling incoherently. But it's touch and go -- he's not far from that now.