I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
Hopefully, an SNP implosion back to before 2015, and a return to more usual politics in Scotland. Some Labour MPs from the cities, some Tory MPs from the lowlands, and some Lib Dem MPs from the highlands.
I would expect a lot more Labour seats in Scotland at the GE but top dog is pushing it from a base of 1. I think they could well end up with a dozen or so but that would still leave the SNP with a plurality. The Tories may be able to pick up a couple, Angus and Gordon being amongst the better bets, but they will not improve much unless Yousless carries on as he has started with chaos, division and incompetence.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
Yep, if the Tories lose 50 seats, they are gone.
A Lab majority is a tough task, but that is where we are on current polling, even with the slight uptick.
Independence as a driver of voting intention is not going away and the SNP, even if they have a bad election in 2024, are probably not heading back to sub 20%. That means a Labour party defending any majority in 2028/9 is likely to still be vulnerable in its Scottish seats to small swings.
The SNP could have more bad days in the next few years, but they are not going away.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
Yep, if the Tories lose 50 seats, they are gone.
A Lab majority is a tough task, but that is where we are on current polling, even with the slight uptick.
Only a few weeks to go now to see a real vote.
Not in Scotland though. No local government voting this year.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
This is an under appreciated political issue, separate from progress towards net zero. It's very likely indeed that global temperatures will continue to rise for the next three decades, and that will require mitigations that have not been planned for.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
That the SNP went to 35 seats in 2017 demonstrates some of the extreme volatility. I think repeating that but with more Labour than Tory gains would be an excellent result in 2024.
For now, being a pessimist, I'm sticking with mid 40s.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
2019 saw a continuing squeeze from both SNP and Tory in Gordon, however the Nats and the Tories are much weaker than they were, so, depending on the boundaries I think the Lib Dems will clearly increase their vote substantially and could even sneak it from third place, as the Tories did in 2017.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
Even if the SNP is a busted flush, that does not mean a desire for independence is dead. It is too early to say how this will play out at a general election but it might mean independence-minded Scots voting SNP at a general election and other parties at Scottish elections, while unionist-minded Scots do the opposite.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
Dup. So.last year
Given they seem to be boycotting official parliamentary politics in NI because they are not in the lead I'd go back a bit more than one year.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
2019 saw a continuing squeeze from both SNP and Tory in Gordon, however the Nats and the Tories are much weaker than they were, so, depending on the boundaries I think the Lib Dems will clearly increase their vote substantially and could even sneak it from third place, as the Tories did in 2017.
Right ...
I remember forecasts of prospects in mid-Wales from the Tallinn LibDem Focus Team proved to be completely inaccurate.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
This is an under appreciated political issue, separate from progress towards net zero. It's very likely indeed that global temperatures will continue to rise for the next three decades, and that will require mitigations that have not been planned for.
So you mean that governments have been spending all your energy on trying to eliminate something they'd have been better off trying to mitigate?
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
Even if the SNP is a busted flush, that does not mean a desire for independence is dead. It is too early to say how this will play out at a general election but it might mean independence-minded Scots voting SNP at a general election and other parties at Scottish elections, while unionist-minded Scots do the opposite.
Anything is possible.. After all Scotland beat Spain last night.....
I think the SNP activists have made a choice that they prefer to be a "progressive", i.e. left wing party, rather than a national movement of both left and right. That more or less guarantees that voters who believe in liberal economics will have no reason to vote for them and businesses no reason to fund them, and equally voters who are left wing may choose to vote for an actual, "genuine", left wing party, i.e. Labour.
Independence as an issue has fallen in popularity, and the sense of the inevitability or even desirability of separation has fallen quite sharply (somewhat ironically, this seems to be a result of the negative impact of the Brexit separation).
The SNP was a political juggernaut, but a combination of bad judgement, an air of sleaze and real questions about the viability of independence seems set to give the party a significant knock back at the next GE, though FPTP might save several SNP MPs. Come the next Scottish Parliament elections however, the lack of funds and turmoil in the party´s organization, after the departure of Murell, not to mention growing personal and political divisions, as well as the passing of a political generation, could even see the Nats knocked out of power at Holyrood.
[cue: Ayrshire´s little ray of sunshine in total fulmination mode]
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
Do have to laugh. As a market the UK simply isn't large enough to sustain its own regulations regardless of what the ERG wazzocks think. So when we go off on our own we add a bucket load of costs which manufacturers can't stomach. In this case we risk what is left of our car manufacturing industry.
Radical idea - how about we co-operate with our close neighbours whose market is much larger than ours, and ensure our products fit their regulations? That way we don't unilaterally impose a load of costs and drive ourselves out of business.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
It's not as plain as that. The Russians likely have well over 1500 relatively modern T72s they can still bring to the field this year, along with several hundred T80s, and the number of Challengers is very small; that of Leopards not much more.
The invasion is still quite some way from defeat without further resources from Ukraine's allies. Ukraine can hold the Russians, but it's still an open question as to how quickly they can push them back.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
Youseless is very fortunate that there is not an early cross-Scotland election to measure his performance by.
Are there local elections next year, ahead of the general in October?
Good morning everybody! Hard to believe we’re almost in April.
Interesting, and perhaps a sign of something or other BBC headline is the death of a comedian and drag artist.
A comedian and drag artist who was recently pushed out of Radio 2, and who was all over the telly whenever Clare Balding was too busy for a doggy programme. I wonder what was his IR35 status?
ETA but yes, it does rather look like today's news page editor was a huge fan of O'Grady.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
2019 saw a continuing squeeze from both SNP and Tory in Gordon, however the Nats and the Tories are much weaker than they were, so, depending on the boundaries I think the Lib Dems will clearly increase their vote substantially and could even sneak it from third place, as the Tories did in 2017.
Right ...
I remember forecasts of prospects in mid-Wales from the Tallinn LibDem Focus Team proved to be completely inaccurate.
Well, DYOR, but FWIW I have campaigned in and around Gordon on and and off for 40 odd years.
This is an under appreciated political issue, separate from progress towards net zero. It's very likely indeed that global temperatures will continue to rise for the next three decades, and that will require mitigations that have not been planned for.
So you mean that governments have been spending all your energy on trying to eliminate something they'd have been better off trying to mitigate?
Well, there's surely no precedent for that.
Obviously, no. Both things are needed. That you think it's either or just proves my point about the issue being under appreciated.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
The technology to make all cars fully EV is here. There is no reason at all that we can't meet the 2030 target, with one big exception - charging. It is the wild west, 40 different charging networks, each with their own way of taking payment (usually with a bespoke app), each with their own (lack of) maintenance and customer service arrangements.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Not in force anywhere in the UK! If you are a Tory MP why would you want to vote to abolish your own seat?
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
Youseless is very fortunate that there is not an early cross-Scotland election to measure his performance by.
Are there local elections next year, ahead of the general in October?
Not till 2027. Holyrood is 2026. Community councils are 2025, but those are more local than national party stuff.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
Surely then the time is ripe for the high achievers of your party of choice to sweep to power?
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
Surely then the time is ripe for the high achievers of your party of choice to sweep to power?
My boring prediction is a moderate return to form for Labour, winning maybe half a dozen or so seats. FWIW I'm starting to wonder if the SNP's wobble is going to help Labour that much in net gain terms; I'd imagine it'll shore up the Tory seats too. Good news for the LDs maybe.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
Without government action, the change likely wouldn't have happened at all. Certainly nowhere near as fast as it has.
Getting to the economies of scale which enable EVs to outcompete ICE vehicles in the market this decade required both deadlines and massive subsidies.
The other alternative might have been action a decade earlier.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
The reference to population numbers was for the old boundaries, not the new ones!
Did a gig with her/him at the Usher Hall once. Worst night of my professional career.
The unexpected upside is no gig after that was ever as bad. Not even the high school death metal band in a blizzard on the back of a fish truck at Hogmanay
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
AFAIU independence is a driver for a huge number of Scottish voters and, however poor their leadership may or may not be (I find it incredibly hard to believe the new FM is as bad as made out on here) they are the biggest game in town in that respect. But what do I know?
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
Ah, yes, checking the Act you are correct - the reports need to be laid before Parliament and, once all four have been, the government has four months to give the King an Order in Council to ratify.
Did a gig with her/him at the Usher Hall once. Worst night of my professional career.
The unexpected upside is no gig after that was ever as bad. Not even the high school death metal band in a blizzard on the back of a fish truck at Hogmanay
Forgive my ignorance, but are you a drag artist as well and suffer from comparison?
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
Surely then the time is ripe for the high achievers of your party of choice to sweep to power?
Not for three years, though ...
If the predictions of Humza’s tenure not outlasting a Trussian lettuce don’t come to pass, that’s just three more years for Ross & co to put their obvious qualities on display.
This is an under appreciated political issue, separate from progress towards net zero. It's very likely indeed that global temperatures will continue to rise for the next three decades, and that will require mitigations that have not been planned for.
The effects of climate change will manifest in further migration challenges too; better start building more of these migrant cruise liners I'm hearing about.
Governments don't tend to plan further than the next election, sadly. A kind of tragedy-of-the-Commons if you like; mitigating climate change ought to be a cross-party issue (barring dunderhead extremists and thickos).
Did a gig with her/him at the Usher Hall once. Worst night of my professional career.
The unexpected upside is no gig after that was ever as bad. Not even the high school death metal band in a blizzard on the back of a fish truck at Hogmanay
Forgive my ignorance, but are you a drag artist as well and suffer from comparison?
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I'm a bit nervous about the Challenger 2's. A few 152mm artillery shells and ATGM strikes could quickly knock most of the 14 sent out.
Meanwhile France is doubling its supply of 155mm artillery shells to 2,000. A month. The lack of artillery ammunition is a huge problem.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
Youseless is very fortunate that there is not an early cross-Scotland election to measure his performance by.
Are there local elections next year, ahead of the general in October?
Don't think so. I think the next locals are due 2026.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
Biased towards actual voters. No vote, no voice...
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
The technology to make all cars fully EV is here. There is no reason at all that we can't meet the 2030 target, with one big exception - charging. It is the wild west, 40 different charging networks, each with their own way of taking payment (usually with a bespoke app), each with their own (lack of) maintenance and customer service arrangements.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
EVs are the future. Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
Biased towards actual voters. No vote, no voice...
What was the turnout in central Liverpool seats, such as Bootle
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
Surely then the time is ripe for the high achievers of your party of choice to sweep to power?
Not for three years, though ...
If the predictions of Humza’s tenure not outlasting a Trussian lettuce don’t come to pass, that’s just three more years for Ross & co to put their obvious qualities on display.
That reminds me - is Mr Ross leaving Holyrood at the next election, or is my memory failing me? I am sure I recall some announcement, but can't confirm it. So I may be quite wrong, in which case apols.
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
Off thread - yougov have sent me an offer by which - in exchange for 500 points (worth £5 at some point in the far future, assuming I do enough surveys) I give them details of all my banking transactions. I'm not a privacy fundamentalist, but this sounds an astonishingly cheap price to sell such sensitive data for. I wonder how many takers they're getting?
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
The technology to make all cars fully EV is here. There is no reason at all that we can't meet the 2030 target, with one big exception - charging. It is the wild west, 40 different charging networks, each with their own way of taking payment (usually with a bespoke app), each with their own (lack of) maintenance and customer service arrangements.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
EVs are the future. Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
Despite me eulogising EVs on YouTube we are soon to hand back wifey's Ioniq EV. And replace it with a Panda 4x4 petrol...
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
Biased towards actual voters. No vote, no voice...
But only at a snapshotr of time. Later registrants don't count. Ergo voter suppression.
I am not sure I agree with "What is very clear is that any hopes labour have of returning to power rely on a very strong performance in Scotland".
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
I do think that a dozen or so Scottish seats could easily be the difference between largest party and overall majority as the polls tighten a bit.
As the election draws closer, if we are to see massive swingback to the Conservatives as highlighted and expected on these very pages, I don't see why that wouldn't also be the case for the incumbent SNP.
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Swingback, if it helps Yousless at all, would come in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, not the General.
You’ve all set the bar so low for him that he’s going to clear it and look like a success.
Not a chance. He will fail in ways we can't even imagine yet. Starting with the appointment of Shona Robinson, Nicola's best mate, as deputy. I searched for her achievements on Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_Robison Unfortunately, achievements was a missing word!
She made Humza look good by comparison as Health Secretary? I hope he doesn’t trust her to pilot any controversial legislation - ask a new backbencher how that turned out…..
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
I’m old enough to remember Anas’s bold strategy to oust Nicola from her constituency (it may even have been given some credence on here). No doubt lessons have been learned.
AFAIU independence is a driver for a huge number of Scottish voters and, however poor their leadership may or may not be (I find it incredibly hard to believe the new FM is as bad as made out on here) they are the biggest game in town in that respect. But what do I know?
Coupled with that, the Gender Rights Bill was supported even more strongly by SLAB and SLD, as well as SG, even 3 SCON as I recall.
So it may well be that Indy preference beats gender preference in deciding votes.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
The current boundaries are I think older than that. I thought that they had been ready for 2005, but were delayed and not used for that GE, and so are probably based on 2002 numbers of registered electors.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
Biased towards actual voters. No vote, no voice...
But only at a snapshotr of time. Later registrants don't count. Ergo voter suppression.
Well, durr. You have to have a cut off at some point. That's independent of whether you use registered voters - a known quantity at any point - or population numbers - which is only known precisely on one day every 10 years.
Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
Analog (sic) film cameras are trendy right now, and CDs are still viable.
When it comes to the forming of the next government, the one thing to have in mind is that the SNP is not going to enable a Tory government; and will, despite rhetoric, enable a Labour one however cobbled together and however messy.
Seats is one thing; government another. So the common interest is in stopping a Tory resurgence in Scotland. At the moment that looks a fairly easy ride for the other parties.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I'm a bit nervous about the Challenger 2's. A few 152mm artillery shells and ATGM strikes could quickly knock most of the 14 sent out.
Meanwhile France is doubling its supply of 155mm artillery shells to 2,000. A month. The lack of artillery ammunition is a huge problem.
The Western tanks are used very differently to the Russian tanks, which is what the Ukranians have been training in recent weeks. You don’t send a column of them down a road, you send one alongside significant infantrymen and other armoured vehicles.
Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
Analog (sic) film cameras are trendy right now, and CDs are still viable.
Cassette tapes are more niche
CDs are objectively better than streaming - if you pay for the music you own the music.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I'm a bit nervous about the Challenger 2's. A few 152mm artillery shells and ATGM strikes could quickly knock most of the 14 sent out.
Meanwhile France is doubling its supply of 155mm artillery shells to 2,000. A month. The lack of artillery ammunition is a huge problem.
The Western tanks are used very differently to the Russian tanks, which is what the Ukranians have been training in recent weeks. You don’t send a column of them down a road, you send one alongside significant infantrymen and other armoured vehicles.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
The current boundaries are I think older than that. I thought that they had been ready for 2005, but were delayed and not used for that GE, and so are probably based on 2002 numbers of registered electors.
Sadly, we shall still have Priti Patel as the Tory candidate in what is reckoned to be, even now, a safe, Tory seat.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
The technology to make all cars fully EV is here. There is no reason at all that we can't meet the 2030 target, with one big exception - charging. It is the wild west, 40 different charging networks, each with their own way of taking payment (usually with a bespoke app), each with their own (lack of) maintenance and customer service arrangements.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
EVs are the future. Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
And I would take the photo from a Nikon FE2 over that of an iPhone 6s any day of the week.
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
It’s rather amusing, that the EU powers-that-be just thought the Germans and Italians were going to roll over and accept the death of their car industries in a decade’s time.
And that despite "taking back control" our own policy is thrown into doubt by an EU change.
Technology doesn’t simply spring into existence because of legislation, no matter how many politicians wish it were so. Governments would be better off working towards upgrading the power infrastructure, and encouraging/incentivising the build-out of an electric car charging network.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
The technology to make all cars fully EV is here. There is no reason at all that we can't meet the 2030 target, with one big exception - charging. It is the wild west, 40 different charging networks, each with their own way of taking payment (usually with a bespoke app), each with their own (lack of) maintenance and customer service arrangements.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
EVs are the future. Buying ICE vehicles now is like buying analog film cameras 20 years ago. Soon the ICE for personal transport will be as obsolete as cassette tapes or CDs.
Film cameras are enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment, as are vinyl records.
Car enthusiasts are very much looking to find good examples of collectible cars, to keep running in a dystopian future of always-online electric appliances.
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
I know it’s been said numerous times, but this looks again like a turning point in the war. The enemy has thrown so much, in terms of men and materiel, at the conflict, yet has failed to gain any significant territory over the winter.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I'm a bit nervous about the Challenger 2's. A few 152mm artillery shells and ATGM strikes could quickly knock most of the 14 sent out.
Meanwhile France is doubling its supply of 155mm artillery shells to 2,000. A month. The lack of artillery ammunition is a huge problem.
A huge problem for both sides, given the apparent reduction in artillery usage by both sides. That is, unless one or both sides are keeping a lot of ammunition in reserve for a push.
Russia's problem is that given time, the west can easily outstrip Russian production, whilst just buffing our nails - given the political will. Russia's economy was relatively small *before* the war, and even going to a WW2-style footing and devoting 50% of their economy to the war effort will do little to change that. Especially with sanctions biting.
The Scottish results will be fascinating. I expect movement against both parties of government, made more entertaining that the SNP will blame the Tories and vice versa. So it should be a good election for Labour and the LibDems, but the problem comes in seats like my own where the local Tory is an arse but his only viable opponent is the SNP.
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
I hadn't realised that the new boundaries were still not in force. This is beyond ridiculous. Atm I am in Dundee West and would probably vote Labour in the vain hope they can recover the seat. If they go through I will be in the new Tayside North where the Tories will clearly be the strongest challenger.
Final recommendations are due by 1st July and will presumably be approved by Parliament in the autumn. I don't think there's a real rush because Sunak ain't calling an election before then.
IIRC the new boundaries don’t now need a vote in Parliament, with the legislation already passed. This was to stop the MPs voting them down again, after the debacle last time. The old boundaries have been in place since 2010, based on population numbers from 2005 or 2006.
No, the new boundaries are not based on population numbers. As part of the Cameron/Osborne gerrymandering programme (that cost them the EU referendum and both their careers), seats are based on the numbers of registered voters.
So biased towards elderly house-owners and Tory voters. Which will make the existential crisis of the UK state even worse.
Biased towards actual voters. No vote, no voice...
What was the turnout in central Liverpool seats, such as Bootle
A pedant notes: Central Merseyside. Bootle is not in Liverpool.
Comments
EDIT: First, like ..... who knows?
Unless the Tories + DUP have majority after the next GE Labour will return to power imo. Clearly, success for Labour in Scotland makes that easier but it's not a prerequisite.
A Lab majority is a tough task, but that is where we are on current polling, even with the slight uptick.
Only a few weeks to go now to see a real vote.
Scottish seats to small swings.
The SNP could have more bad days in the next few years, but they are not going away.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/03/28/net-zero-ban-petrol-cars-chaos-brussels-climbdown/ (£££)
How useless is Boris that he could not get a decent Brexit agreement even though it is now confirmed that German car makers really do run Europe?
As it stands Labour are 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives nationally (and we are expecting that to mostly drift back by election day). In Scotland Labour are 10 to 15 points adrift of the SNP (why are we not expecting that to return to its usual 20 to 25 point margin?).
Labour are doomed, doomed I say!
Do you vote SNP in protest at the disastrous policies of the Tory government impacting on local farming, fishing and energy interests? Or vote Tory in protest at the disastrous policies of the SNP government impacting local energy interests and services?
Or will the Boundary Review actually go through - in which case I will be in Aberdeenshire Central which is mostly the old Gordon seat. This was held by Malcolm Bruce of my own party until 2015, though LD votes have dissipated a lot since then.
So, much to play for and the new constituencies could shake a load of things up...
The UK government has delivered on its promises in remarkably quick time. Described by the Ukrainians as a "true friend of Ukraine".
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/29/uk-strikingly-unprepared-impacts-climate-crisis
This is an under appreciated political issue, separate from progress towards net zero.
It's very likely indeed that global temperatures will continue to rise for the next three decades, and that will require mitigations that have not been planned for.
For now, being a pessimist, I'm sticking with mid 40s.
pb.com's high-performance team of experts on Scottish politics are in full flow.
The juxtaposition of numerous Western tanks arriving in Ukraine, as the Russians are pulling 60-year-old T-55 tanks out of museums for recommissioning, is very stark.
A T-55 vs a Challenger 2, is the enemy bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I remember forecasts of prospects in mid-Wales from the Tallinn LibDem Focus Team proved to be completely inaccurate.
So utterly useless. As if that's news.
Pound for pound Scotland is my most profitable area of political betting.
There will come a tipping point, after which the change will happen organically and with the support of the people, rather than the people seeing the banning of cars as something done to them without their consent.
If total posts are between 25,000 to 50,000, then the poster's social life needs serious help.
If total posts exceed 50,000, then the poster needs serious help.
Well, there's surely no precedent for that.
Independence as an issue has fallen in popularity, and the sense of the inevitability or even desirability of separation has fallen quite sharply (somewhat ironically, this seems to be a result of the negative impact of the Brexit separation).
The SNP was a political juggernaut, but a combination of bad judgement, an air of sleaze and real questions about the viability of independence seems set to give the party a significant knock back at the next GE, though FPTP might save several SNP MPs. Come the next Scottish Parliament elections however, the lack of funds and turmoil in the party´s organization, after the departure of Murell, not to mention growing personal and political divisions, as well as the passing of a political generation, could even see the Nats knocked out of power at Holyrood.
[cue: Ayrshire´s little ray of sunshine in total fulmination mode]
Mr. Cwsc, if a member has over 50,000 posts he might have offered a 250/1 winning tip.
Interesting, and perhaps a sign of something or other BBC headline is the death of a comedian and drag artist.
Radical idea - how about we co-operate with our close neighbours whose market is much larger than ours, and ensure our products fit their regulations? That way we don't unilaterally impose a load of costs and drive ourselves out of business.
The Russians likely have well over 1500 relatively modern T72s they can still bring to the field this year, along with several hundred T80s, and the number of Challengers is very small; that of Leopards not much more.
The invasion is still quite some way from
defeat without further resources from Ukraine's allies.
Ukraine can hold the Russians, but it's still an open question as to how quickly they can push them back.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is a sarcastic post from a committed Rejoiner!
Are there local elections next year, ahead of the general in October?
ETA but yes, it does rather look like today's news page editor was a huge fan of O'Grady.
Both things are needed. That you think it's either or just proves my point about the issue being under appreciated.
We will need both a fundamental change to planning regulations to get charge points installed everywhere, and regulation of the charging companies to bring about universality. This was managed with connectors where we have gone from 3 to 1, so it can be done if rules are imposed.
The other consideration is whether we are happy to import all vehicles. What is left of the industry is now under threat from us going earlier than the EEA and our own wild west approach to business planning and regulations...
Getting to the economies of scale which enable EVs to outcompete ICE vehicles in the market this decade required both deadlines and massive subsidies.
The other alternative might have been action a decade earlier.
Did a gig with her/him at the Usher Hall once. Worst night of my professional career.
The unexpected upside is no gig after that was ever as bad. Not even the high school death metal band in a blizzard on the back of a fish truck at Hogmanay
Governments don't tend to plan further than the next election, sadly. A kind of tragedy-of-the-Commons if you like; mitigating climate change ought to be a cross-party issue (barring dunderhead extremists and thickos).
Labour will target Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok seat with a message that he lives 80 miles from the constituency, in an attempt to undermine his election campaigning.
Pollok is among the areas where Labour is delivering direct mail shots to try to capture voters who have previously backed the SNP as part of a campaign to exploit the divisive leadership election.
Yousaf’s home is in Dundee and he must now spend much more time living and working in Edinburgh after becoming first minister.
Labour hope that they can pin him into his constituency during the 2026 Holyrood election, hampering his ability to tour the country to campaign as party leader.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/labour-aims-to-target-glasgow-pollok-seat-of-absent-first-minister-humza-yousaf-2mcspp60z
Meanwhile France is doubling its supply of 155mm artillery shells to 2,000. A month. The lack of artillery ammunition is a huge problem.
I'm not a privacy fundamentalist, but this sounds an astonishingly cheap price to sell such sensitive data for. I wonder how many takers they're getting?
So it may well be that Indy preference beats gender preference in deciding votes.
Cassette tapes are more niche
Seats is one thing; government another. So the common interest is in stopping a Tory resurgence in Scotland. At the moment that looks a fairly easy ride for the other parties.
The Western tanks are used very differently to the Russian tanks, which is what the Ukranians have been training in recent weeks. You don’t send a column of them down a road, you send one alongside significant infantrymen and other armoured vehicles.
Car enthusiasts are very much looking to find good examples of collectible cars, to keep running in a dystopian future of always-online electric appliances.
Russia's problem is that given time, the west can easily outstrip Russian production, whilst just buffing our nails - given the political will. Russia's economy was relatively small *before* the war, and even going to a WW2-style footing and devoting 50% of their economy to the war effort will do little to change that. Especially with sanctions biting.