There’s only one word to describe the Burnham critics (but they won’t like it)

As a Dundee United and Scotland football supporter I am well used to seeing my hopes raised and continuously dashed. Despite myself, however, there always lurks a niggly feeling it will all be different this time and things can only get better. So I’m trying very hard not to be cynical, to have a bit of patience, and give shiny new Prime Minister Andy Burnham a fighting chance, and I think we all should do the same. Unlike Keir Starmer, who never looked comfortable in the role of PM, at least Burnham talks like a real person and not an adenoidal robot, clearly has a hunger to get on with the job, and, crucially, displays an upbeat attitude. And oh how we need a bit of optimism to cling to after being bludgeoned by Brexit, Boris, Covid, the insanity of Liz Truss and the blandness of Rishi Sunak. So I welcome Andy Burnham bouncing into Downing Street like Tigger, bubbling over with brio and with a plan to improve our lives, especially those struggling the most. It is not surprising that there’s already a long queue of people desperate to throw rocks at Burnham and no matter what he does they want to see him fail. But I’m sick to death of the revolving door of prime ministers – it’s incredibly damaging and while we’ve come to expect it in football, it shouldn’t happen in politics. Sadly and tiresomely, a lot of Burnham’s critics are members of his own Labour Party who have the irritating ability to shoot themselves in the foot and wonder why they are limping. Can we at least acknowledge our new PM is trying to make things a bit better by scrapping VAT on electricity bills and bringing in a £2 cap on bus fares? It might seem a paltry sum to most, but not when you are on the bones of your arse and every penny counts. And we desperately need stability and HOPE if we are going to haul ourselves out of the mire. It’s all too easy to carp from the sidelines, make smartypants comments and dismiss everything “the new guy” is bringing to the table. I know there are already bets being placed on how long Burnham will last in office, and his intelligent and talented wife Marie-France van Heel has even been the subject of bitchy comments about her fashion sense. It’s pathetic. I’ve been watching re-runs of the original Star Trek to keep calm (Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Burnham’s well-nigh impossible task of bringing unity to our divided country got me thinking about my own source of optimism and happiness. It might sound a bit random, but do bear with me because I reckon we could all learn a lot from a sci-fi TV show celebrating its 60th birthday this year, first broadcast in 1966 before we even landed on the Moon. I’ve recently taken to watching reruns of original Star Trek, my constant source of happiness since I was seven years old. I guess I am looking for comfort, solace and reassurance in these troubles times. This was a world where six decades ago women could be on the bridge of a starship doing proper jobs, even if their skirts were short and hairstyles ridiculously impractical. The inclusion of talented black actress Nichelle Nichols as communications officer Lieutenant Uhuru was light years ahead of its time. And, in the icy midst of the Cold War, there was Russian ensign Chekov working alongside Scotty the engineer, showing us a future where peace had broken out on Earth. It was impossibly idealistic, but to a post-war generation living under threat of a nuclear attack, and little kids doing civil defence drills in classrooms, it gave us something positive to cling onto – an abundance of hope in the future and a belief that human beings are fundamentally decent. And we need some of that now. Unless we get behind Burnham, and give him our support, we are staring down the barrel of a far-right takeover where the rich get richer and the poor are left behind, and fairness and equality are looked upon as weakness. So let’s instead channel the Star Trek philosophy of “the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few” and give Andy Burnham a fair chance, and hope that against all the odds he can deliver on his promises and give us a reason to feel optimistic about the future again. This week I have… mostly been celebrating the fact classy Spain rose above the thuggery of Argentina to win (and rescue) the World Cup. It would have been an utter travesty if Messi’s men had triumphed after their entitled, bad tempered road to the final, followed by a truly appalling display of petulance and arrogance during the game itself and in the aftermath of their defeat. I’m also still chortling at Wayne Rooney’s pithy verdict on the ludicrous half time show as “crap”. With the notable exception of the mighty Animal from the Muppets, it truly was desperate stuff and Rooney, who has been a breath of fresh air as a BBC pundit, spoke for us all.