Best Of

There’s a Tory Party I’d vote for somewhere in the people that are left, especially if Labour get rid of Starmer and go to the left with Burnham “who cares about the bond markets anyway”.

Taking Braverman was a big strategic error in my view for Reform.

She's obviously a flake given her record of sackings and resignations, with a very high opinion of her own abilities not sured by anyone else.
Zahawi, Jenrick and Braverman. Jeez, what a shower. These were always the sort of people who made you slightly embarrassed to be a Tory.

Luckily, there are only 5 of you Tory voters left in the entire UK. So the sum total of human embarrassment is modest

Mebbes.
But the polling analysis from the new Tory ginger group ProsperUK (Andy Street, Ruth Davidson et al) shows a LOT of potential for a centre-right party. There are a few of us around, even now.
And, let's face it, have you ever seen a more unprepossessing bunch of bampots than the Tory defectors (Danny Kruger possibly excepted). A bunch of entitled narcissists who would be at each others throats 5 minutes into govt.

Jenrick is good. Talented. Ambitious. Clever. Like it or not - presumably not in your case - he understands social media and he knows how to use it and he is literally the only Tory to have made the political weather at any point (Badenoch excepted, but she’s the leader) since the election

And they’ve lost him. The Tory party is not in any position to lose raw political talent. About the only other one they possess is Katie Lam. And now she’s going too?

I do think this could be terminal

Katie Lam is probably too posh for Reform.

She dresses posh and codes posh and has Lottie as a middle name, but is she actually posh?

She went to a comprehensive.

She went to Guildford County School, where she was head girl. She studied Latin and Greek independently. Then went to Trinity College Cambridge to read Classics.

She was hardly Grange Hill.

There’s a Tory Party I’d vote for somewhere in the people that are left, especially if Labour get rid of Starmer and go to the left with Burnham “who cares about the bond markets anyway”.

Taking Braverman was a big strategic error in my view for Reform.

She's obviously a flake given her record of sackings and resignations, with a very high opinion of her own abilities not sured by anyone else.
Zahawi, Jenrick and Braverman. Jeez, what a shower. These were always the sort of people who made you slightly embarrassed to be a Tory.

Luckily, there are only 5 of you Tory voters left in the entire UK. So the sum total of human embarrassment is modest

Mebbes.
But the polling analysis from the new Tory ginger group ProsperUK (Andy Street, Ruth Davidson et al) shows a LOT of potential for a centre-right party. There are a few of us around, even now.
And, let's face it, have you ever seen a more unprepossessing bunch of bampots than the Tory defectors (Danny Kruger possibly excepted). A bunch of entitled narcissists who would be at each others throats 5 minutes into govt.

Jenrick is good. Talented. Ambitious. Clever. Like it or not - presumably not in your case - he understands social media and he knows how to use it and he is literally the only Tory to have made the political weather at any point (Badenoch excepted, but she’s the leader) since the election

And they’ve lost him. The Tory party is not in any position to lose raw political talent. About the only other one they possess is Katie Lam. And now she’s going too?

I do think this could be terminal

Katie Lam is probably too posh for Reform.

She dresses posh and codes posh and has Lottie as a middle name, but is she actually posh?

She went to a comprehensive.

She went to Guildford County School, where she was head girl. She studied Latin and Greek independently. Then went to Trinity College Cambridge to read Classics.

She was hardly Grange Hill.

Indeed, it was a grammar school originally

Interesting poll

https://x.com/i/status/2015780557599146049

And for those who don't like FON, a poll from a extreme, ultra-right wing news source

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/01/andy-burnham-could-win-andrew-gwynnes-seat

Retain Gorton, lose the whole of Greater Manchester.

That's like exchanging your queen for a pawn in a game of chess.

The way to beat Reform is for the government to run the country brilliantly well, and communicate well with the UK population. Might they give that a try instead of worrying about individuals and the micro politics of a seat or a city?

"Brilliantly well" isn't really necessary after the past 30 years - I'd settle for tolerable competence.

I agree actually. Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. (Or for today's politics, never let the desultory be the enemy of the merely direly awful.)

I'm sure this has already been dsaid but just two thoughts.

1 Her timing is extraordinary. Just as Labour were ready to eviscerate Starmer for his unforgivable pettiness with regard to Burnham she upstages him and his story disappears

2. Anyone listening to Kemi B on Desert Island Discs will be less surprised by the mass exodus from her Party than they would have been before listening. In fact I'm surprised she hasn't joined Farage.

I didn't listen but I was this one of her choices?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlNhD0oS5pk

Badenoch's choices in full:

• Disc one: The Story of Tonight – Original Broadway cast of Hamilton
  
• Disc two: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
  
• Disc three: Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
  
• Disc four: Be Still in the Presence of the Lord – Aled Jones and the English Session Orchestra
  
• Disc five: Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen – Baz Luhrman
  
• Disc six: Love is All Around – Wet Wet Wet
  
• Disc seven: Carry You Home – Alex Warren
  
• Disc eight: Dear Theodosia - Original Broadway cast of Hamilton
  
• Book choice: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
  
• Luxury item: The 22 movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga
  
• Castaway's favourite: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkrrknxe08o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qgm2

I'm sure this has already been dsaid but just two thoughts.

1 Her timing is extraordinary. Just as Labour were ready to eviscerate Starmer for his unforgivable pettiness with regard to Burnham she upstages him and his story disappears

2. Anyone listening to Kemi B on Desert Island Discs will be less surprised by the mass exodus from her Party than they would have been before listening. In fact I'm surprised she hasn't joined Farage.

What did she pick on DID?

You can listen to Kemi on Desert Island Discs (or scroll to the bottom of the blurb)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002qgm2

She confirmed what I have always thought. People join other parties for vaguely ideological reasons, but people join the Conservatives to network.

There’s a Tory Party I’d vote for somewhere in the people that are left, especially if Labour get rid of Starmer and go to the left with Burnham “who cares about the bond markets anyway”.

Taking Braverman was a big strategic error in my view for Reform.

She's obviously a flake given her record of sackings and resignations, with a very high opinion of her own abilities not sured by anyone else.
Zahawi, Jenrick and Braverman. Jeez, what a shower. These were always the sort of people who made you slightly embarrassed to be a Tory.

Luckily, there are only 5 of you Tory voters left in the entire UK. So the sum total of human embarrassment is modest

Mebbes.
But the polling analysis from the new Tory ginger group ProsperUK (Andy Street, Ruth Davidson et al) shows a LOT of potential for a centre-right party. There are a few of us around, even now.
And, let's face it, have you ever seen a more unprepossessing bunch of bampots than the Tory defectors (Danny Kruger possibly excepted). A bunch of entitled narcissists who would be at each others throats 5 minutes into govt.

Jenrick is good. Talented. Ambitious. Clever. Like it or not - presumably not in your case - he understands social media and he knows how to use it and he is literally the only Tory to have made the political weather at any point (Badenoch excepted, but she’s the leader) since the election

And they’ve lost him. The Tory party is not in any position to lose raw political talent. About the only other one they possess is Katie Lam. And now she’s going too?

I do think this could be terminal

Katie Lam is probably too posh for Reform.

She dresses posh and codes posh and has Lottie as a middle name, but is she actually posh?

She went to a comprehensive.

I had a very smart and earnest American today tell me they thought Trump was going to use the military to crush voting in democrat leaning districts in the mid terms. They didn’t mean it in a “that mad trump, it wouldn’t surprise me” way. They really sincerely believe that it is going to happen and that we are living through the death of American democracy.

Meanwhile, in the UK we have the Tories and Labour colluding to cancel our own midterms and they don’t even have to brandish a baton, yet alone an assault rifle.

Anyway back to that fascist autocrat in waiting Nigel Farage… if Katie Lam defects, it will no doubt be quickly characterised here as good riddance to a careerist wrongun that will say and do anything to retain her seat. Maybe. But it would also be pretty hard to convince that the Tory’s remain a credible national party.

You do know [ maybe you don't] that the Lib Dems AND Conservatives have joined together in the HOL to get the decision reversed ?

The following Tory run councils all formally requested that the national govt allow them to cancel of elections in their area: East Sussex, Harlow, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Sussex.

Unless you can inform me otherwise, none of those councillors have had the Tory whip removed for this affront to democracy. Odd given the gusto that Badenoch showed for removing the whip from her main opponent, apparently on the grounds of “dishonesty, disloyalty and for undermining trust in politics”.

I can only conclude the applications made by those councils were made with the acquiescence of CCHQ.

I'm sure this has already been dsaid but just two thoughts.

1 Her timing is extraordinary. Just as Labour were ready to eviscerate Starmer for his unforgivable pettiness with regard to Burnham she upstages him and his story disappears

2. Anyone listening to Kemi B on Desert Island Discs will be less surprised by the mass exodus from her Party than they would have been before listening. In fact I'm surprised she hasn't joined Farage.

I didn't listen but I was this one of her choices?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlNhD0oS5pk

Badenoch's choices in full:

• Disc one: The Story of Tonight – Original Broadway cast of Hamilton
  
• Disc two: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
  
• Disc three: Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
  
• Disc four: Be Still in the Presence of the Lord – Aled Jones and the English Session Orchestra
  
• Disc five: Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen – Baz Luhrman
  
• Disc six: Love is All Around – Wet Wet Wet
  
• Disc seven: Carry You Home – Alex Warren
  
• Disc eight: Dear Theodosia - Original Broadway cast of Hamilton
  
• Book choice: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
  
• Luxury item: The 22 movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga
  
• Castaway's favourite: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkrrknxe08o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qgm2