Best Of
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
He got to put “former PM” on his CVHad Boris remained Conservative leader, Reform would not have got 14% at the last GE and Reform would not now be leading the polls.Boris was on a bizarre journey of self-destruction, he would never had lasted to 2024.Yes and forcing Boris out led to a landslide Labour victory and loss of the all the Conservative redwall seats, Biden I suspect would still have done better in the rustbelt than Harris did as he did in 2020With the support of his cabinet and the Dem establishment.Biden hanging on till the last moment didn't helpHarris lost the popular vote by a mere 1.5%. She got a higher share of the popular vote than Trump did in 2016, than Dubya did in 2000, or than Bill Clinton did in 1992.If they’d actually had primaries and nominated a candidate who wasn’t terrible, they might even have beaten Trump.
Compare how the cabinet and MPs forced Boris out here to the lickspittle loyalty Buttigieg and the others showed to Biden.
What you Conservatives need to ask yourselves is why you never made any attempt to control Boris's behaviour as PM.
Indeed Sunak might now be leading the polls as the new LOTO, Rishi made a stupid political move resigning to remove Boris
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
On that we disagreeThe fact still remains it was the Conservatives who oversaw a massive spike in immigration by far the biggest increase ever.Why miss out 2024 which was 345,000https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
The reduction is the result of the conservative tightening rules and little to do with Starmer
Also, there were several on here in 2023/24 who claimed a Labour government would introduce an open doors immigration policy. Many of the same group who told us the IMF would be running the country by now.
Labour have been disappointing but still a huge improvement on the previous government.
Reeves has done more long term damage to business and especially youth employment than anything even Truss conjured up
I have no idea why Johnson ballooned immigration other than Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan refugees but certainly Sunak took the measures that account for the substantial drop in the numbers
I doubt Labour would be at 10% in Wales if they were seen as the answer
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
..
If you’d preceded it with ‘Pa has much in common with Churchill’ you might have got away with it.The first question at my Admiralty Board interview in 1988 was "What does your father do?" An inquiry obviously freighted with the subliminal prejudices and expectations of the British class system. I languidly replied, "Mainly annoy my mother but he also seems to have some role as a minor functionary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office." They fucking loved this response. If I'd said "E's a fuckin brickie, like." I'd have been out on my arse.I once watched a documentary on candidates applying for officer training at Sandhurst. Interviews conducted by 'chaps' - mostly well off background, usually private school, played rugby not football but may have called it football etc. Tended to think that applicants from that kind of background did best at interview...We have an "Access to Medicine" course for such applicants as a 6th year of Med School. They have to meet the same academic standards when on the course.We offer lower grade entry to kids from poor backgrounds (essentially based on the postcode being in a deprived area).Our University sector is very strong but in a serious financial situation having over expanded and having become too reliant on overseas students. Right now we are seeing waves of redundancies and possible closures. Is Erasmus really the best use for £570m? How many people in the UK will be denied a University education from that choice?Interesting, that latter point.
My daughter did a year in the Netherlands with Erasmus. She enjoyed it immensely but the longer term benefits are a lot less clear. It was also interesting to see her cohort. I think she was definitely one of the poorer participants and the weighting to privileged private school kids was very high.
The Scottish universities' admissions policies is weighted to favour applicants from less successful schools in Scotland. So you can get in with lower grades.
Sounds like it might help kids from poorer or less supportive backgrounds?
In fact, in the town I know well, it works in favour of the kids who have parents who pay for private tuition. Pretty well all the kids who have been offered places at the "ancients" (St Andrews, Edinburgh etc) have been tutored to pass the exams they need for medicine, law, etc.
The law of unintended consequences.
And, of course, the free tuition fees, which are supposed to help disadvantaged kinds is, actually, overwhelmingly trousered by well-to-do middle-class families.
I am mid-interview cycle for our applicants and recently I have been thinking on Bourdieu's concept of Social Reproduction in terms of our Medical School entry, and I think it remains presemt despite our efforts. I am not quite sure where we should go next.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_reproduction#:~:text=All four of Pierre Bourdieu,the system of social stratification.
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
And net migration is a poor measure because it's down in part because more ambitious young British citizens are leaving for Dubai and America, being replaced by illegal immigrants on boats. I don't think that's really in the national interest.And: there's immigration and immigration. No-one's going to be thanked for less overall immigration if at the same time you're getting more small boats.I know you think thats an achievement; almost all done by Rishi. But the scale is still massive. You're comparing with a ridiculously high number. Since 2010 the public have been voting and expressing their desire for reducing immigration to the tens of thousands. Too many people have put their fingers in their ears from both Tories and Labourhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
MaxPB
2
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
I know some of you think the idea of a lanyard class is pretty funny/stupid. But I wonder if you think the same of the term 'mondeo man' or 'urban progressives'? Clearly not every mondeo man drove a mondeo, nor was every mondeo driver a mondeo owner, but the point was to identify some characteristic.Ooh lanyards again! This is the edgy content we come here for.One of Starmer's biggest problems is that he seems entirely humourless. It is basically impossible to warm to him unless you're also a paid up member of the Fabian Human Rights Lawyer Lanyard ClassAccidental racism from Starmer.I see the intention... but it doesn't really work as a joke.
https://x.com/lewis_goodall/status/2001262534545092623
Keir Starmer: "I have a Christmas message for Reform. If mysterious men from the east come bearing gifts...this time, report it to the police."
Not everyone who wears a lanyard is of the lanyard class. But take NHS Fife - you can bet your bottom dollar that those who wrongly suspended Sandie Peggie, and dragged out her investigation etc were all 'lanyard class'.
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
Why miss out 2024 which was 345,000https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
The reduction is the result of the conservative tightening rules and little to do with Starmer
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
I know you think thats an achievement; almost all done by Rishi. But the scale is still massive. You're comparing with a ridiculously high number. Since 2010 the public have been voting and expressing their desire for reducing immigration to the tens of thousands. Too many people have put their fingers in their ears from both Tories and Labourhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
Mortimer
1
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
And: there's immigration and immigration. No-one's going to be thanked for less overall immigration if at the same time you're getting more small boats.I know you think thats an achievement; almost all done by Rishi. But the scale is still massive. You're comparing with a ridiculously high number. Since 2010 the public have been voting and expressing their desire for reducing immigration to the tens of thousands. Too many people have put their fingers in their ears from both Tories and Labourhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
Cookie
2
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2025Lol. Put that on a bus and see how it goes down.....He has reduced immigration.What comes over at this PMQs is Starmer's utter obsession with Farage and ReformDinner Party politics.
He ought to be obsessed with tackling the issues that are leading to Reform's rise. Reduce immigration, grow the economy so that living standards rise for all.
Net immigration year ending March 2023 = 944,000
Net immigration year ending June 2025 = 204,000
That's a 78% drop. If you want reduced immigration, Starmer has absolutely delivered reduced immigration. And the figures are still trending downwards.
Re: A little bit of history repeating? – politicalbetting.com
That the Tories have come out publicly against this small improvement in opportunity for our young people (cf. Cleverley on today’s WATO) does them no credit, and simply reminds us that so far they have learned very little from all of their past mistakes.Erasmus is a euro-federalist creation machine so money well spent.For the first time in my life I am contemplating voting Labour.Taking money from the working class and giving it to the children of the middle classes.The £570m is the membership fee.£570mn a year for Erasmus?! I see the Chagos negotiators have already found a new job in government.I have no problem re-joining Eramus but it seems strange that our granddaughter spent her penultimate Leeds degree course in 2024 in Turin University so what is the difference that will cost £570million pa ?
Slowly but surely Starmer is unravelling Brexit.
I enjoyed it a lot. I got to spend a year in Marseilles instead of Durham. I learned shitloads about French literature and culture while taking massive amounts of PEDs and racing as semi-pro cyclist.
IanB2
1