Best Of

Ed Davey boycotts the state dinner and Trump dies of shock.

LibDems winning here!!!

I've never understood how people could tolerate the State banquets of the 19th century, with seven or eight courses, each with their own wine, followed by port and brandy, and the room cloudy with cigar smoke, and everyone wearing uncomfortable evening clothes.

In fact, Felix Faure, French President, didn't. He collapses and died, after having sex with his mistress, straight after presiding over a banquet.

This is why you must never, ever, have strenuous sex with your mistress immediately after eight courses, wine, port, brandy, and a Cuban cigar.

It's a rule I have lived by, and it has served me well.

A couple of difficulties with a Corbyn candidacy from the Devolution Bill (assuming it passes, which is a pretty safe bet with a large Labour majority):

1. The Mayor of London will no longer be able to be a sitting MP. That's fine for Corbyn standing, but he'd need to resign his seat to take the job if elected. Corbyn loves being an MP - it's all he's ever known and it's his world. It also makes it hard for him to "lead" his party - he cannot be his party's PM designate or whatever as Mayor of London (and for the same reason, Farage wouldn't stand).

2. The electoral system is returning to supplementary vote (which the original tweet seems to miss with reference to "a four-way split"). Extreme candidates are less well-placed on second preferences.

I think there are other problems with a Corbyn run. He's never shown any real interest in or views on municipal government - get him onto workers rights for Bolivian tin miners or whatever, and he won't shut up... electriification of the SL4 route and the pros and cons of floating bus stops, not so much. Contrast Ken Livingstone back in the day - similarly left wing but authentically interested in London. It's also quite a constrained role that requires compromise and deals with government - it just doesn't come with an ability to implement radical left ideas.

Whilst it could be a trading bet - if Corbyn's party does reasonably well in local elections in May, presumably his odds will come in. But I really don't see him running or winning if he does.

Some hyper local news. Depressingly I’m pretty sure we’ll see copy cat events in the near future.

https://x.com/thecourieruk/status/1961452543868797030?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

I can't read the article, but here's another agnle:

"THE man who filmed a viral incident in Dundee in which a schoolgirl allegedly brandished a knife and axe has spoken out amid a rush of far-right misinformation."

""A 12-year-old girl has been charged with being in possession of offensive weapons. She will be referred to the relevant authorities and our enquiries are ongoing."

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25424288.dundee-migrant-centre-far-right-misinformation-row-speaks/

It's a good job we don't have a far-right poster who tells us all to seek out the true story, but who is too frit to tell us the story himself....

I am old enough to remember when right wingers would clutch their pearls at teenagers carrying bladed weapons.