Starmer is the police commissioner in his Gotham City vision of British decline – but we want Batman (2024)

Batman is the hero of Gotham City. He’s the one locals turn to when they need saving. He’s the name on everyone’s lips. But the reality is that Gotham City crime is also kept under control by the police commissioner – a character who uses the law to bring justice.

Every time Batman swoops off into the night after delivering a criminal to the police, it’s the police commissioner who steps in to do the paperwork that will actually land the crook in jail. He is a family man, locked into his job, trying to be morally firm. But ask anyone who they prefer and the answer is obvious. Everyone will say Batman.

I don’t need to tell you which character Keir Starmer is in this analogy. But there is a danger that he is treading so carefully in the shoes of the police commissioner that he is losing the public’s heart. He is right to recognise that functional day-to-day politics is a police commissioner’s life. But to sell a political narrative to the public, you need a sprinkle of Batman.

Starmer promised in a speech in the garden of Downing Street that he is fixing the foundations. “I promised that we would get a grip on the problems that we face,” he said. “And that we would be judged by our actions, not by our words.”

There have been some actions. The government has created a national wealth fund to create economic growth and Great British Energy to reduce energy bills. The response to the recent riots was swift and decisive. We can expect more actions as parliament starts work again.

But Labour is judged by words, too. This creates a problem for Starmer, the government, and the public. Starmer is painting a picture of Britain as Gotham City – a “deeply unhealthy society”.

Starmer is the police commissioner in his Gotham City vision of British decline – but we want Batman (1)

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A political leader needs a good narrative. To win votes, tell voters where we were, what was wrong, what you’ll do to fix it, and the better future we’ll reach. People will light up: we want that. We agree something is wrong. We’ll give you a chance. We’ll punish you if you don’t fix it, but we’ll give you some time first.

Democracy involves a government winning a mandate from the public, and the public holding them account some years later. The government needs a narrative if it is to see that cycle all the way through to re-election.

Starmer has a minimal narrative. There is the £22 billion black hole he says he has found in the public finances. There is also, he writes, a “societal black hole” evident from rioters thinking they’d avoid prosecution. There is pollution, “the transport system is broken”, and where to begin with the NHS? He is fixing the foundations. And that is all he can tell us.

When builders fix the foundations nobody watches. They do not perform to an audience. The owner of the building will check now and again how its going, and properly when its finished. Politics works very differently.

To create economic growth Starmer’s government must motivate workers, investors, entrepreneurs. A narrative creates a period in which a group feel the will and commitment that is needed for them to help make change happen. Narrative gives the feeling of being on a journey, with a direction, not drift. People’s behaviour changes.

Instead, the UK public is left wondering how it feels about being told it’s in not just one black hole, but two. If the public finances and society itself are rotten, does this motivate people to join the job of fixing it? Rather, the effect is uncertainty: they do not know if Labour will get them out of this. What if it doesn’t? Will their living standards get even worse?

Starmer is the police commissioner in his Gotham City vision of British decline – but we want Batman (2)

Labour was elected in July on a very low turnout, much of it more anti-Tory than pro-Labour. Labour said very little on what they would do in office, so voters weren’t electing out of their hopes in Labour’s promises. The risk is understandable. Labour knew any pre-election promises would be savaged by the media.

But there’s a reason political scientist Joseph Nye wrote about “whose story wins”. Those who stitch past, present and future together will shape the world. A narrator can possess skill and credibility but it all depends on whether the public are convinced. Anyone who follows politics knows that many times they aren’t.

Holding an unexpected press conference in the middle of an August day added to the uncertainty. Journalists do not expect such timing, nor for the leader to talk for half an hour, in a style the public were not expecting. Starmer claimed he was not being performative – but it was a performance, and it felt odd and bad.

The calculus is this. Starmer’s government has promised to make and enact policies to fix the nation’s problems. This comes with an unintended consequence. It puts the public in a position of uncertainty. There is an absolute unwillingness to offer the public a motivating narrative. Instead, only a message: trust the police commissioner.

Starmer is the police commissioner in his Gotham City vision of British decline – but we want Batman (2024)

FAQs

Who is the police commissioner of Gotham City? ›

Jim Gordon was reinstated as Commissioner, with Harvey Bullock back on the force.

What did the Riddler do to the commissioner in the Batman? ›

Kidnapping Savage

Following the death of Don Mitchell, Jr., the Riddler continued his extreme campaign and kidnapped Pete Savage while he was on his way to his nightly workout and injected him with rat poison.

Who is the police chief in Batman Gotham? ›

GCPD Commissioner James Gordon is the Dark Knight's greatest ally, and one of his closest friends. Batman may be the sworn guardian of Gotham City, but the man who makes it possible for the Dark Knight to safeguard its streets is James Gordon.

Did Gordon become commissioner in the Batman? ›

Biography. As the police commissioner of Gotham City, Gordon shares Batman's deep commitment to stop the city of crime. The character is typically portrayed as having full trust in Batman and is even somewhat dependent on him.

Is the Riddler in love with Batman? ›

The riddles are essentially love letters. In The Riddler's mind, Batman is is partner. They want and need the same things. They think the same way, and they're both too smart for this mundane world.

Why is the Riddler obsessed with Batman? ›

He has an inspired obsession for Batman, seeing the cape crusader as an aggressive ruthless influence on his motives to clean Gotham as he sees fit. His view on Batman's mask is how he sees himself wearing the Riddler mask; a means to feel free of any boundaries to be the real him.

Who killed the Riddler? ›

After realizing that John had set him up, Riddler was shot by a poisoned dart from a drone operated by Lucius' daughter Tiffany, who was investigating her father's murder. As he died, he mentioned how they had "broken the Pact".

Who is the head of the police in Gotham City? ›

In most versions of the Batman mythos, Jim Gordon is at one point or another depicted as commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.

Who is the cop in Gotham? ›

Jim Gordon

Who runs Gotham City? ›

The city was secretly run by a mysterious organization known as The Court who controlled everything in Gotham including Wayne Enterprises and the underground Indian Hill facility.

Who is the commissioner in Arkham City? ›

James Gordon (Batman: Arkham series)

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