The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
Honestly, I’m too long in the tooth to get excited about party politics, but I do love the fresh air that democracy brings. Kick the buggers put, start over. It’s brilliant. We’re long overdue a change.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
Yes. Best case scenario is that a government manages to find some financial headroom somehow, and then invests that into education/science/R&D/infrastructure, which then pays off in terms of increasing the trend rate of growth, so that there's then money available for everything else.
But how do you find the financial headroom at a time when the demographic transition inevitably means that the demands for increased spending on the NHS and pensions are immense?
You tell people it's their job to work and make as much provision for their old age using their own assets and talents as possible, the universality of pensioner provision at 60+ needs to change.
Also, we are currently leaching all our nuclear fusion expertise to the Americans (where we are actually ahead of them in the science atm) for that time-honoured reason that we won't invest and won't pay.
The time-old British disease.
Do you mean that we cannot leave everything to market forces? That would be the end of Conservative Party thinking, as we know it.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
The problem is the broken voting system which creates permanently "safe seats".
If we had the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member constituencies, electors could discriminate between parties (as now) but also within each party.
This, of course, gives much more power to the electors, instead of the current stitch-up from the top of the party machine - which is why both Snak and Starmer are opposed to any kind of change.
As a fan of STV I dont think that explanation quite works when non-safe still have wrong uns.
I think it does, Mr KLE. People vote for the party - "my party right or wrong" - rather than the ethical quality of the candidate. If they had to rank candidates within the same party, it would be much easier for ordinary electors to get rid of the bad'uns.
At present, if you had a serial liar and cheat as your MP, the only way to get rid of him would be to vote Labour or Lib Dem. And you might not actually want a Labour or Lib Dem government.
We were just saying that that can definitely get in the sea.
Who is "we"?
There's a lot of egoism here, and not much duty. People who react like this tend to have a puffed up sense of their own importance and not much sense of their wider obligations to the country, which they take for granted.
You are swearing loyalty to our Head of State, and thus more broadly to the State, not a man who you have to personally and humiliating genuflect to in some sort of docile submission gesture of servitude - the monarch is, in effect, a public servant who represents our State and us on our behalf. He works for us.
It's a ritual of mutual obligations, and it's your duty,
So, get over yourself, and take the pledge.
I prefer to fulfil my obligations to community and society in less performative and more practical ways, but to each their own. Like people who sing football chants at the telly, it strikes me as pointless and odd, but intoning the pledge annoys me to precisely the same extent (I.e. not at all).
The "oath" is pure virtue signalling and very, very un-British - to the limited extent that such things matter any more.
That pledge thing is totally barmy. Are people on PB, who claim to be intelligent, serious adults genuinely going to stand up and chant in front of the telly? Luckily for me, I'm not legally allowed to watch it on telly. Unluckily for me, we can't go mountain biking that weekend, as I've got to reroute a sewer pipe and that's the only time I can get my mate's mini digger to do the job. Still better than watching Chaz and the gang.
"Orkney ferry runs aground after smoke in engine room"
Shiwing why it’s important ships remain non-smoking.
On a serious (and horrible) note - these ferry breakdowns will kill people, sooner or later. It will be a combination of a breakdown and suddenly worsening bad weather.
The Corran ferry is out of service too which is pretty disastrous for Ardnsmurchan and Morven. It's hard to overestimate the impact this is having in remote communities in the Highlands which are dependent on tourism.
The bit I don’t get is that these aren’t giant RoRo ships.
There’s lots of small ferries round the world and plenty for sale or lease.
Just to dip back into a discussion on the previous thread … hospitality and catering have been particularly hit by Brexit because when we were in the EU they offered younger Europeans a great opportunity to come to the UK for a few years, or even just for a summer season, to perfect their English and then go home to do the kind of jobs such fluency enabled. They didn’t mind the relatively low pay or the poor accommodation because it was not forever and there was a significant upside. Obviously, this does not apply to young Brits. The incentives to work in the industry just aren’t there. Especially at a time of full employment.
This may be true for some parts of the country but not for others. University cities and towns have a ready supply of workers from the student populations.
I think it’s rather sad that students fill their free time working.
But that has always been the case and it does have other benefits than just the money. Expanding their social circle for one.
That is, of course, true. I was always saddened though, when my grandchildren spoke of their extracurricular activities as being work, rather than social.
I don't have an issue swearing allegiance in the sense it's just an attempt at ritual like an anthem and as an atheist it's never stopped me sing God save the etc. Harmless if a bit naff like many rituals.
But seeking to shame people into it over apparent their lack of duty is just textbook virtue signalling wokery performing. Even HYUFD was just having fun over it with celebrating the lack of hanging drawing and quartering for recusants.
Quite. It's like trying to shame people off eating venison and pheasant. Only yesterday I had some very woke pheasant terrine in my lunchtime roll.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
We dont have enough money and cannot make enough money. If I recall my Blackadder the next option is to try to marry some money.
Could we line George up to a marriage to a Qatari royal or something?
Just to dip back into a discussion on the previous thread … hospitality and catering have been particularly hit by Brexit because when we were in the EU they offered younger Europeans a great opportunity to come to the UK for a few years, or even just for a summer season, to perfect their English and then go home to do the kind of jobs such fluency enabled. They didn’t mind the relatively low pay or the poor accommodation because it was not forever and there was a significant upside. Obviously, this does not apply to young Brits. The incentives to work in the industry just aren’t there. Especially at a time of full employment.
This may be true for some parts of the country but not for others. University cities and towns have a ready supply of workers from the student populations.
I think it’s rather sad that students fill their free time working.
But that has always been the case and it does have other benefits than just the money. Expanding their social circle for one.
That is, of course, true. I was always saddened though, when my grand children spoke of their extracurricular activities as being work, rather than social.
I do feel sorry for the modern generation in comparison to how the current lords and masters were treated at uni. I did work in the summer break, and in my year off, but was lucky enough to be able to study full time in term and for much of the spring breaks, esp. the last one. Made a critical difference to me.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
Yes. Best case scenario is that a government manages to find some financial headroom somehow, and then invests that into education/science/R&D/infrastructure, which then pays off in terms of increasing the trend rate of growth, so that there's then money available for everything else.
But how do you find the financial headroom at a time when the demographic transition inevitably means that the demands for increased spending on the NHS and pensions are immense?
You tell people it's their job to work and make as much provision for their old age using their own assets and talents as possible, the universality of pensioner provision at 60+ needs to change.
Also, we are currently leaching all our nuclear fusion expertise to the Americans (where we are actually ahead of them in the science atm) for that time-honoured reason that we won't invest and won't pay.
The time-old British disease.
How do you change the universality of pension provision though given everyone in the workforce today, or most of us, have spent their working lives paying NI, effectively paying peoples pensions today in exchange for a pension when we retire. We could not opt out of it to make our own provision. We could SERPs but that is all.
Also when many people started working there were not the investment vehicles available there are now.
I can see a case for removing the triple lock but not abolishing the state pension for all.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
Zero in Scotland, but then there aren't any local authority elections!
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
The problem is the broken voting system which creates permanently "safe seats".
If we had the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member constituencies, electors could discriminate between parties (as now) but also within each party.
This, of course, gives much more power to the electors, instead of the current stitch-up from the top of the party machine - which is why both Snak and Starmer are opposed to any kind of change.
That would make only a marginal difference. The party machines still dictate who is on the candidate lists and who is put before local parties for selection. It would require further reform for your suggestion to have the effect you describe.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
LDs will win round me but they aren’t resting on their laurels. Classic bar chart leaflet plus a bigger glossier thing on the three councillors. Plenty of orange signs on posts too.
Nowt from anyone else. However, as a member I’m being tapped up a lot by the local Greens to support a very focused effort to keep their existing seats elsewhere in the council and win a couple more.
One positive for the Tories is voters are less likely to tactically vote against them under Sunak than they would against an alternative Conservative leader
I don't have an issue swearing allegiance in the sense it's just an attempt at ritual like an anthem and as an atheist it's never stopped me sing God save the etc. Harmless if a bit naff like many rituals.
But seeking to shame people into it over apparent their lack of duty is just textbook virtue signalling wokery performing. Even HYUFD was just having fun over it with celebrating the lack of hanging drawing and quartering for recusants.
Plenty of people on here spit teeth and venom over it, in my view ridiculously so, so I'm entitled to have a bit of fun winding them up and put a different view equally forthrightly.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
LibDems very active here (Oxfordshire). Fair amount of Tory activity too.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
The problem is the broken voting system which creates permanently "safe seats".
If we had the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member constituencies, electors could discriminate between parties (as now) but also within each party.
This, of course, gives much more power to the electors, instead of the current stitch-up from the top of the party machine - which is why both Snak and Starmer are opposed to any kind of change.
As a fan of STV I dont think that explanation quite works when non-safe still have wrong uns.
STV is where humanity goes to die. Endless tedious round of mathematical precision.
Ugh.
If we have to go down that road for God's sake let's so open-list by historic county, or something.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
In our target wards there have been multiple leaflets and canvassing and more posters (the LDs always flood seats they hold or target with posters).
In wards which are safe for one of the parties the only activity will normally be the election address at most
That pledge thing is totally barmy. Are people on PB, who claim to be intelligent, serious adults genuinely going to stand up and chant in front of the telly? Luckily for me, I'm not legally allowed to watch it on telly. Unluckily for me, we can't go mountain biking that weekend, as I've got to reroute a sewer pipe and that's the only time I can get my mate's mini digger to do the job. Still better than watching Chaz and the gang.
So you will in fact be viewing a different kind of s***.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
I would agree with Mr Palmer. I think the pandemic brought a stop to political activity for quite a long time, lack of activity leads to lack of recruits (new blood) and effectively we are having to start again from scratch.
In my own ward, there is a mood of "anybody but the Tories" and Labour have almost no support round here. The Lib Dems have a lively campaign, though with limited resources, but are building up their organisation fast.
I spoke to the Tory candidate the other day. He said he was finding an enormous amount of anger and hostility on the doorstep, which he had not expected. I think traditional decent Conservatives expect honesty and competence from their leaders, which is why they feel so badly let down.
The Badenoch DeSantis story in the telegraph is interesting because it exists. Clearly some Tory folk are thinking beyond Sunak.
DeSantis had pre-booked James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch, the Foreign Secretary and President of the Board of Trade. Coincidence or not, both are Black which might help RDS in a presidential run. Likewise his visit to the Churchill War Rooms.
Boringly, I suspect it’s precisely because of their official roles that he’s visiting them and there isn’t much more to it than that.
De Santis is pretty enthusiastic about Badenoch in that article. I wonder how KB feels about that endorsement. I'm not sure it's an unalloyed benefit.
She looks very enthusiastic, DeSantis is A list and fully supports her anti Woke agenda and DeSantis' support will help her win support from the Conservative right at the next Tory leadership contest if Rishi loses the next general election
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
Yes. Best case scenario is that a government manages to find some financial headroom somehow, and then invests that into education/science/R&D/infrastructure, which then pays off in terms of increasing the trend rate of growth, so that there's then money available for everything else.
But how do you find the financial headroom at a time when the demographic transition inevitably means that the demands for increased spending on the NHS and pensions are immense?
You tell people it's their job to work and make as much provision for their old age using their own assets and talents as possible, the universality of pensioner provision at 60+ needs to change.
Also, we are currently leaching all our nuclear fusion expertise to the Americans (where we are actually ahead of them in the science atm) for that time-honoured reason that we won't invest and won't pay.
The time-old British disease.
Do you mean that we cannot leave everything to market forces? That would be the end of Conservative Party thinking, as we know it.
I’ve been trying to find an organ arrangement of God Save The Queen. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be one, but I figure I can probably gently improvise - it’s a fairly simple chord sequence.
King. God Save the King. (Actually I still trip up on Send Her/Him Victorious.)
Charles doesn't seem particularly happy or glorious. The most victorious in this setup is Camilla, I think, who has prevailed over her many enemies.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
Presumably the Ukrainian govt will reimburse us for these ?
Why would you presume that?
The Ukrainian government is broke and entirely reliant on financial support from outside to keep functioning. I guess we could saddle them with an immense debt and look forward to repayment in the 2070s, but I'm perfectly happy for us to see it as worthwhile spending for our own defence.
The Badenoch DeSantis story in the telegraph is interesting because it exists. Clearly some Tory folk are thinking beyond Sunak.
DeSantis had pre-booked James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch, the Foreign Secretary and President of the Board of Trade. Coincidence or not, both are Black which might help RDS in a presidential run. Likewise his visit to the Churchill War Rooms.
Boringly, I suspect it’s precisely because of their official roles that he’s visiting them and there isn’t much more to it than that.
De Santis is pretty enthusiastic about Badenoch in that article. I wonder how KB feels about that endorsement. I'm not sure it's an unalloyed benefit.
She looks very enthusiastic, DeSantis is A list and fully supports her anti Woke agenda and DeSantis' support will help her win support from the Conservative right at the next Tory leadership contest if Rishi loses the next general election
De Santis wastes his time whinging about a company best known for making children's cartoons and theme parks because he didn't like what they said, and is getting his arse handed to him by the world's most thin skinned and volatile man who spends most of his time dealing with personal legal issues.
Yep. Johnson & Truss trashed the brand - expect plenty of “Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives” at the GE - but there’s been too much damage and too little time left. If we were 3 years out from a GE it might be a different story, but we’re not, so it isn’t.
Politics is the same. We tell a tale about who’s up and who is down based on the random information that sticks in our brains. Rishi Sunak’s tale is “Blimey, he’s survived”. Sir Keir Starmer’s is “Meh, but it is his election to lose”. Humza Yousaf’s is “WTF”.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
In our target wards there have been multiple leaflets and canvassing and more posters (the LDs always flood seats they hold or target with posters).
In wards which are safe for one of the parties the only activity will normally be the election address at most
It's always worth a try. On 1/3 turnouts you can get surprising results sometimes with little effort - you must know some councillors who got their start as paper candidates who ended up winning.
I’ve been trying to find an organ arrangement of God Save The Queen. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be one, but I figure I can probably gently improvise - it’s a fairly simple chord sequence.
King. God Save the King. (Actually I still trip up on Send Her/Him Victorious.)
I meant the Queen. I don’t think the Sex Pistols have rerecorded and reissued it with updated lyrics, have they?
(But I know what you mean. I have to remind the priest at Evensong every time to intone “O Lord, save the King”…)
Next weekend I shall be off for a holiday in the sun.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
Zero in Scotland, but then there aren't any local authority elections!
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
The problem is the broken voting system which creates permanently "safe seats".
If we had the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member constituencies, electors could discriminate between parties (as now) but also within each party.
This, of course, gives much more power to the electors, instead of the current stitch-up from the top of the party machine - which is why both Snak and Starmer are opposed to any kind of change.
As a fan of STV I dont think that explanation quite works when non-safe still have wrong uns.
STV is where humanity goes to die. Endless tedious round of mathematical precision.
Ugh.
If we have to go down that road for God's sake let's so open-list by historic county, or something.
Something like that, sure, I think the fine details are still to be worked out.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
LibDems very active here (Oxfordshire). Fair amount of Tory activity too.
A friend in Brightwell in Oxfordshire (future near-neighbour of Boris) reports one Con leaflet, two from an Indie, and two from LDs (one of which has lots of quotes from Labour voters pointing out that Labour isn't standing in that ward so they should vote LD).
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
I would agree with Mr Palmer. I think the pandemic brought a stop to political activity for quite a long time, lack of activity leads to lack of recruits (new blood) and effectively we are having to start again from scratch.
In my own ward, there is a mood of "anybody but the Tories" and Labour have almost no support round here. The Lib Dems have a lively campaign, though with limited resources, but are building up their organisation fast.
I spoke to the Tory candidate the other day. He said he was finding an enormous amount of anger and hostility on the doorstep, which he had not expected. I think traditional decent Conservatives expect honesty and competence from their leaders, which is why they feel so badly let down.
It will be very interesting to see the result.
We know there was a lot of anger directed at the Conservatives this time last year, and their poll ratings are slightly worse now than then. Not as bad as at Peak Truss, but pretty awful.
It's a different kind of anger, I reckon - less hot rage, but still unpleasant if you are trying to find Conservative support.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
There's a certain sort of dictatorship which maintains a facade of democracy but where any opposition politician who is a potential threat is made ineligible for election by a series of manufactured criminal convictions. That's why I think we have to have the bar for preventing people from standing for election be a high one, and generally trust to the electorate to make judgements on the character of candidates.
Presumably the Ukrainian govt will reimburse us for these ?
Why should it?
It is completely wrong to shaft people financially while they are fighting for freedom - ours as well as theirs.
And this is one type of aid which is pretty unlikely to be lost in corruption, I'd guess.
The free advertising of British weapons shitting on Russian (and Russian inspired) weapons is probably worth billions in the international arms market.
I don't have an issue swearing allegiance in the sense it's just an attempt at ritual like an anthem and as an atheist it's never stopped me sing God save the etc. Harmless if a bit naff like many rituals.
But seeking to shame people into it over apparent their lack of duty is just textbook virtue signalling wokery performing. Even HYUFD was just having fun over it with celebrating the lack of hanging drawing and quartering for recusants.
Plenty of people on here spit teeth and venom over it, in my view ridiculously so, so I'm entitled to have a bit of fun winding them up and put a different view equally forthrightly.
Of course you're entitled. I think though that sometimes people aren't wound up as much by a retaliatory response as a meh one. When people are losing their shit over something and opponents cannot even be bothered to lose their shit in response? Can be infuriating.
You can see that sometimes when people try to get a good outrage going on twitter and theres just a reaction 'what's the big deal?'
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
Casino.. I think.you posted about being screwed for tax/loss of child benefit.. this might be something you could do. .
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
What makes you think this a UK problem rather than a human problem?
By all accounts, well, some accounts, MPs had been encouraged to let rip on the expenses after their salaries were held down by millionaire prime ministers. The DPP, one Keir Starmer, took a few off the streets, and David Cameron sacked a few Tories for duck houses and not being his mates.
ETA the underlying problem, still not fixed, is that it conflates expenses and allowances. A pure allowance system would be better and cheaper, and if MPs want to spaff it up the wall on moats, that's OK too.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
I was in Alresford yesterday and saw 6 LD diamonds, including one massive one on the high-street, but also 5 houses displaying Conservative rectangles.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
I don't have an issue swearing allegiance in the sense it's just an attempt at ritual like an anthem and as an atheist it's never stopped me sing God save the etc. Harmless if a bit naff like many rituals.
But seeking to shame people into it over apparent their lack of duty is just textbook virtue signalling wokery performing. Even HYUFD was just having fun over it with celebrating the lack of hanging drawing and quartering for recusants.
Plenty of people on here spit teeth and venom over it, in my view ridiculously so, so I'm entitled to have a bit of fun winding them up and put a different view equally forthrightly.
Of course you're entitled. I think though that sometimes people aren't wound up as much by a retaliatory response as a meh one. When people are losing their shit over something and opponents cannot even be bothered to lose their shit in response? Can be infuriating.
You can see that sometimes when people try to get a good outrage going on twitter and theres just a reaction 'what's the big deal?'
Vows and oaths do, I think, count for something, with a lot of people. They probably keep some people from adultery, for example.
Jesus Christ's counsel of perfection, that a simple promise should be as binding as any oath, is one that few people would follow.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
From the other end of our beloved County, I agree. Very low key indeed and particularly surprised at the LibDems lack of visibility, the more so since both Borough and Constituency are top targets.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
Casino.. I think.you posted about being screwed for tax/loss of child benefit.. this might be something you could do. .
The Badenoch DeSantis story in the telegraph is interesting because it exists. Clearly some Tory folk are thinking beyond Sunak.
DeSantis had pre-booked James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch, the Foreign Secretary and President of the Board of Trade. Coincidence or not, both are Black which might help RDS in a presidential run. Likewise his visit to the Churchill War Rooms.
Boringly, I suspect it’s precisely because of their official roles that he’s visiting them and there isn’t much more to it than that.
De Santis is pretty enthusiastic about Badenoch in that article. I wonder how KB feels about that endorsement. I'm not sure it's an unalloyed benefit.
They’re both bonkers so probably appreciate the mutual neofash rubdown.
Both KB and Truss look like they've given up on the Sunak project and are already jockying for position in the race to become Leader of the Opposition. By contrast Penny Dreadful is keeping a low profile; unsure whether that is cautious reticence or characteristic laziness.
I think Kemi is actually the establishment/Murdoch/Goveite candidate, designed to attract the party after Sunak goes. And I think it will work. But who knows, perhaps she'll break out of that after riding them to the top.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
I would agree with Mr Palmer. I think the pandemic brought a stop to political activity for quite a long time, lack of activity leads to lack of recruits (new blood) and effectively we are having to start again from scratch.
In my own ward, there is a mood of "anybody but the Tories" and Labour have almost no support round here. The Lib Dems have a lively campaign, though with limited resources, but are building up their organisation fast.
I spoke to the Tory candidate the other day. He said he was finding an enormous amount of anger and hostility on the doorstep, which he had not expected. I think traditional decent Conservatives expect honesty and competence from their leaders, which is why they feel so badly let down.
It will be very interesting to see the result.
We know there was a lot of anger directed at the Conservatives this time last year, and their poll ratings are slightly worse now than then. Not as bad as at Peak Truss, but pretty awful.
It's a different kind of anger, I reckon - less hot rage, but still unpleasant if you are trying to find Conservative support.
Last year there was still a significant 'poor old Boris, he never had a fair chance vote'. These voters aren't particularly energised by Sunak.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
Casino.. I think.you posted about being screwed for tax/loss of child benefit.. this might be something you could do. .
I’ve been trying to find an organ arrangement of God Save The Queen. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be one, but I figure I can probably gently improvise - it’s a fairly simple chord sequence.
King. God Save the King. (Actually I still trip up on Send Her/Him Victorious.)
Charles doesn't seem particularly happy or glorious. The most victorious in this setup is Camilla, I think, who has prevailed over her many enemies.
Harry & Megs still out in the wild. A couple of luscious apples on the way..
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
There are 650 MPs at any one time. If there no more or less honest than the public at large you'd expect potentially dozens to act dishonestly in their self-interest, reflecting only a low single figures percentage of the cohort.
While I think we should hold MPs to high standards, and have robust procedures for exposing wrongdoing and imposing suitable punishments, we shouldn't be too surprised at a constant parade of dishonest MPs.
Except those were just those prosecuted. Expenses abuses were widespread. As were sexual misdemeanours and bullying.
Far too many people who enter politics have issues, and there is no HR or disciplinary system worth the candle.
The only disciplinary system that matters should be the one operated by the voters.
That's difficult with single-member plurality voting, which is why Britain needs either a much broader system of recall for MPs, or a different voting system that allows voters to choose between candidates representing a party, such as STV or open list PR.
Then, if the voters do elect the Healy-Raes, Michael Collins, Neil Hamiltons or whoever of this world, then they only have themselves to blame.
I don't agree with that.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
There's a certain sort of dictatorship which maintains a facade of democracy but where any opposition politician who is a potential threat is made ineligible for election by a series of manufactured criminal convictions. That's why I think we have to have the bar for preventing people from standing for election be a high one, and generally trust to the electorate to make judgements on the character of candidates.
I think one can overthink this.
Firstly, we're not such a dictatorship - there's all sorts of law, checks & balances, right and appeals to protect employer abuse and employees against unfair/dismissal - and, secondly, I think this is a bit of a cop-out argument that some MPs use so they can continue to behave poorly, hoping the electorate don't notice or can't be bothered to do anything about it on the basis that "they're all the same".
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
I was in Alresford yesterday and saw 6 LD diamonds, including one massive one on the high-street, but also 5 houses displaying Conservative rectangles.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
When I was in Birmingham in the 80's, we used to reckon you needed a ratio of more than 30 Liberal/LibDem diamonds to each Tory poster before you were in trouble.
The reluctance is down to getting a brick through your Tory poster-wearing window. It was a real thing too.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
I would agree with Mr Palmer. I think the pandemic brought a stop to political activity for quite a long time, lack of activity leads to lack of recruits (new blood) and effectively we are having to start again from scratch.
In my own ward, there is a mood of "anybody but the Tories" and Labour have almost no support round here. The Lib Dems have a lively campaign, though with limited resources, but are building up their organisation fast.
I spoke to the Tory candidate the other day. He said he was finding an enormous amount of anger and hostility on the doorstep, which he had not expected. I think traditional decent Conservatives expect honesty and competence from their leaders, which is why they feel so badly let down.
It will be very interesting to see the result.
We know there was a lot of anger directed at the Conservatives this time last year, and their poll ratings are slightly worse now than then. Not as bad as at Peak Truss, but pretty awful.
It's a different kind of anger, I reckon - less hot rage, but still unpleasant if you are trying to find Conservative support.
Last year there was still a significant 'poor old Boris, he never had a fair chance vote'. These voters aren't particularly energised by Sunak.
He didn't have a fair chance.
I'm still waiting to see the bastard in the dock before a jury so we can give him a fair trial and find him guilty.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
I was in Alresford yesterday and saw 6 LD diamonds, including one massive one on the high-street, but also 5 houses displaying Conservative rectangles.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
When I was in Birmingham in the 80's, we used to reckon you needed a ratio of more than 30 Liberal/LibDem diamonds to each Tory poster before you were in trouble.
The reluctance is down to getting a brick through your Tory poster-wearing window. It was a real thing too.
I can believe it. Activist Lefties are violent, and the songs they sing encourage that.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
From the other end of our beloved County, I agree. Very low key indeed and particularly surprised at the LibDems lack of visibility, the more so since both Borough and Constituency are top targets.
Across the border in Sussex it’s a mixed bag with interesting forces at play.
LDs seem to be few in numbers and cash, leaning into past glories. The few stories I’ve heard seem to suggest they think it’s their moment, but aren’t working as hard as they should be.
Labour are far more active, but have a mountain to climb to overcome voter perceptions. The new estates that have sprung up are fertile ground. The complexion of place is changing.
Very little Tory activity, but no evidence of collapse either.
My hunch is the Tories will be down, but hang on this time. The tectonic plates are moving away from them.
Presumably the Ukrainian govt will reimburse us for these ?
Why should it?
It is completely wrong to shaft people financially while they are fighting for freedom - ours as well as theirs.
And this is one type of aid which is pretty unlikely to be lost in corruption, I'd guess.
The free advertising of British weapons shitting on Russian (and Russian inspired) weapons is probably worth billions in the international arms market.
There are no British TBMs. The choice would be American or the usual suspects (India, Serbia, Turkey).
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
Sunak's spectacular failure to grow the economy has already resulted in borrowing being £13 billion over plan. That will balloon if the economy continues to flatline, which seems likely with those two clowns at the helm. Growth or lack of it has a massive impact on borrowing, which is why £40 billion then seems quite a canny investment when looked at now. The hairshirt bit (unless it comes to pissing money at the French, the EU, HS2 or the BOE) will end up costing us a lot more.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
I was in Alresford yesterday and saw 6 LD diamonds, including one massive one on the high-street, but also 5 houses displaying Conservative rectangles.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
When I was in Birmingham in the 80's, we used to reckon you needed a ratio of more than 30 Liberal/LibDem diamonds to each Tory poster before you were in trouble.
The reluctance is down to getting a brick through your Tory poster-wearing window. It was a real thing too.
I can believe it. Activist Lefties are violent, and the songs they sing encourage that.
In 2017 some Labour activist graffitied the bridge on the A38 at Quedgeley. It read 'Save the NHS. Burn the Tories.'
Or at least, it was supposed to. The artist left out the 'r' in 'burn.'
Maybe it was a subtle pun on bungs to the Tories' mates to save the NHS.
But I'm afraid most people assume it was just the activist in question was stupid.
I’ve been trying to find an organ arrangement of God Save The Queen. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be one, but I figure I can probably gently improvise - it’s a fairly simple chord sequence.
King. God Save the King. (Actually I still trip up on Send Her/Him Victorious.)
I meant the Queen. I don’t think the Sex Pistols have rerecorded and reissued it with updated lyrics, have they?
(But I know what you mean. I have to remind the priest at Evensong every time to intone “O Lord, save the King”…)
Next weekend I shall be off for a holiday in the sun.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
Sunak's spectacular failure to grow the economy has already resulted in borrowing being £13 billion over plan. That will balloon if the economy continues to flatline, which seems likely with those two clowns at the helm. Growth or lack of it has a massive impact on borrowing, which is why £40 billion then seems quite a canny investment when looked at now. The hairshirt bit (unless it comes to pissing money at the French, the EU, HS2 or the BOE) will end up costing us a lot more.
Borrowing has come in under forecast.
I'll stick my neck out and say that I think growth will be respectable (about 2% pa) this year and next.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
From the other end of our beloved County, I agree. Very low key indeed and particularly surprised at the LibDems lack of visibility, the more so since both Borough and Constituency are top targets.
Ditto sunny Brighton. Nothing from the incumbent Greens, nor a dodgy bar chart from the LibDems or peep from the Conservatives. One leaflet each from the two Independents and one from Labour. Postal vote went in yesterday, so it’s too late now.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
What makes you think this a UK problem rather than a human problem?
By all accounts, well, some accounts, MPs had been encouraged to let rip on the expenses after their salaries were held down by millionaire prime ministers. The DPP, one Keir Starmer, took a few off the streets, and David Cameron sacked a few Tories for duck houses and not being his mates.
ETA the underlying problem, still not fixed, is that it conflates expenses and allowances. A pure allowance system would be better and cheaper, and if MPs want to spaff it up the wall on moats, that's OK too.
There are always people for whom what they get is never enough. I know one local authority where a chief executive earning £125,000 a year was forced to step down after fiddling a few hundred in expenses.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
What makes you think this a UK problem rather than a human problem?
By all accounts, well, some accounts, MPs had been encouraged to let rip on the expenses after their salaries were held down by millionaire prime ministers. The DPP, one Keir Starmer, took a few off the streets, and David Cameron sacked a few Tories for duck houses and not being his mates.
ETA the underlying problem, still not fixed, is that it conflates expenses and allowances. A pure allowance system would be better and cheaper, and if MPs want to spaff it up the wall on moats, that's OK too.
There are always people for whom what they get is never enough. I know one local authority where a chief executive earning £125,000 a year was forced to step down after fiddling a few hundred in expenses.
And let's not get started on Mark James of Carmarthenshire...
Just to dip back into a discussion on the previous thread … hospitality and catering have been particularly hit by Brexit because when we were in the EU they offered younger Europeans a great opportunity to come to the UK for a few years, or even just for a summer season, to perfect their English and then go home to do the kind of jobs such fluency enabled. They didn’t mind the relatively low pay or the poor accommodation because it was not forever and there was a significant upside. Obviously, this does not apply to young Brits. The incentives to work in the industry just aren’t there. Especially at a time of full employment.
This may be true for some parts of the country but not for others. University cities and towns have a ready supply of workers from the student populations.
I think it’s rather sad that students fill their free time working.
Lol.
Reminds me of the Peter Cook line in the wonderful Jeremy Thorpe parody:
"It will be a sad day for this country when a leading politician cannot spend his election expenses in any way he sees fit."
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
Sunak's spectacular failure to grow the economy has already resulted in borrowing being £13 billion over plan. That will balloon if the economy continues to flatline, which seems likely with those two clowns at the helm. Growth or lack of it has a massive impact on borrowing, which is why £40 billion then seems quite a canny investment when looked at now. The hairshirt bit (unless it comes to pissing money at the French, the EU, HS2 or the BOE) will end up costing us a lot more.
Borrowing has come in under forecast.
I'll stick my neck out and say that I think growth will be respectable (about 2% pa) this year and next.
I will try and find the source of my 13bn figure.
However, the fact that the economy is managing to bump along somewhat under the enormous strain, merely makes my point that Truss's supply side reforms could have kick-started the economy properly, which would have reduced our borrowing requirement significantly. Things could look an awful lot different.
However, that is an economic policy point - the fact is that she failed in the game of politics, as we all know.
I don't have an issue swearing allegiance in the sense it's just an attempt at ritual like an anthem and as an atheist it's never stopped me sing God save the etc. Harmless if a bit naff like many rituals.
But seeking to shame people into it over apparent their lack of duty is just textbook virtue signalling wokery performing. Even HYUFD was just having fun over it with celebrating the lack of hanging drawing and quartering for recusants.
Plenty of people on here spit teeth and venom over it, in my view ridiculously so, so I'm entitled to have a bit of fun winding them up and put a different view equally forthrightly.
I think it’s fair to say that the whole concept of the idea isn’t really aimed at the people who immediately scoff at it.
I won’t do it (for the same reason as the clapping silliness) but I’m not the intended audience.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
You could cut spending by investing in productivity. My current job is automating front-to-back flows in a bank. The idea of the future state is that 99%+ of trades will not require human touch after they are made - settlement, invoices, reconciliation, anti-fraud etc will all be automated. The trick is to design and implement the system so that the 1% that need manual attention are found, and the system has the flexibility to deal with them.
We were just saying that that can definitely get in the sea.
Who is "we"?
There's a lot of egoism here, and not much duty. People who react like this tend to have a puffed up sense of their own importance and not much sense of their wider obligations to the country, which they take for granted.
You are swearing loyalty to our Head of State, and thus more broadly to the State, not a man who you have to personally and humiliating genuflect to in some sort of docile submission gesture of servitude - the monarch is, in effect, a public servant who represents our State and us on our behalf. He works for us.
It's a ritual of mutual obligations, and it's your duty,
So, get over yourself, and take the pledge.
Absolute bollocks, I would not piss on the parasite if he was on fire. A lazy useless stuck up clown. A pox on the whole sorry gang of them.
The behaviour of far too Conservative MPs is absolutely appalling.
The Tories have two problems to overcome to regain public trust, who they are and what they’ve done.
Sunak is at least attempt at solving the first problem, but with people like Braverman still in post it’s at best a work in progress.
Meanwhile, on the later point you can’t trash the economy and expect people to vote for you as if nothing happened. That takes time.
Todays Tories are nasty and they make you poorer.
I can tell you're excited, but your side will be absolutely no better once they take office.
Let's not forget: multiple Labour MPs were prosecuted over the expenses scandal, and some jailed. And, Brown left the public finances in an absolutely dire state.
My broader question is: what is it about Westminster and our politics that makes people behave like this, as soon as they have power?
What makes you think this a UK problem rather than a human problem?
By all accounts, well, some accounts, MPs had been encouraged to let rip on the expenses after their salaries were held down by millionaire prime ministers. The DPP, one Keir Starmer, took a few off the streets, and David Cameron sacked a few Tories for duck houses and not being his mates.
ETA the underlying problem, still not fixed, is that it conflates expenses and allowances. A pure allowance system would be better and cheaper, and if MPs want to spaff it up the wall on moats, that's OK too.
There are always people for whom what they get is never enough. I know one local authority where a chief executive earning £125,000 a year was forced to step down after fiddling a few hundred in expenses.
I’ve always, deliberately, under claimed expenses by a few quid.
This was after the experience of a “political” attack on me via a expense audit - which showed the company owed me money
"Orkney ferry runs aground after smoke in engine room"
Shiwing why it’s important ships remain non-smoking.
On a serious (and horrible) note - these ferry breakdowns will kill people, sooner or later. It will be a combination of a breakdown and suddenly worsening bad weather.
The Corran ferry is out of service too which is pretty disastrous for Ardnsmurchan and Morven. It's hard to overestimate the impact this is having in remote communities in the Highlands which are dependent on tourism.
The bit I don’t get is that these aren’t giant RoRo ships.
There’s lots of small ferries round the world and plenty for sale or lease.
Why hasn’t someone done the obvious?
Too busy lining their own pockets and wasting hundreds of millions on fantasy ferries.
We were just saying that that can definitely get in the sea.
Who is "we"?
There's a lot of egoism here, and not much duty. People who react like this tend to have a puffed up sense of their own importance and not much sense of their wider obligations to the country, which they take for granted.
You are swearing loyalty to our Head of State, and thus more broadly to the State, not a man who you have to personally and humiliating genuflect to in some sort of docile submission gesture of servitude - the monarch is, in effect, a public servant who represents our State and us on our behalf. He works for us.
It's a ritual of mutual obligations, and it's your duty,
So, get over yourself, and take the pledge.
Absolute bollocks, I would not piss on the parasite if he was on fire. A lazy useless stuck up clown. A pox on the whole sorry gang of them.
But enough about Yousaf and his coterie of clowns - what's your view on King Charles?
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
I was in Alresford yesterday and saw 6 LD diamonds, including one massive one on the high-street, but also 5 houses displaying Conservative rectangles.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
What utter nonsense (talk about bias). All parties are as bad or as good as one another, some pushy some not so. Here are a few examples from your side all in the same local election in the same ward, many years ago. The back fence of a house faced the polling station (on a different road to the front of the house so it wasn't clear what house it was). A great site. It always had a Tory poster on it. On canvassing the house we found they had never asked permission and always just put it up. The person gave us permission to put up a LD poster. The Tory candidate made such a fuss that the person banned all posters. She was really upset by the candidates action, but we got impacted by it as well. Example 2: Empty shop opposite railway station. Landlord was a LD supporter so gave us permission to plaster the window with posters facing the commuters as they left the station. We got accused of flyposting from the Tories. Assumption was ok until we proved we weren't, but it just went on and on in their literature. On polling morning our posters were all gone and Vote Today Tory posters were up instead.
Oh and if you have a ratio of 30:1 in posters whoever has the 30 is winning a Winchester style victory no matter which party you are (2 or 3 to 1 maybe not but 30:1 really?)
I was thinking earlier about 01st and 02nd May 1997 and the contrast of Blair to Starmer.
Election Day started crisp and cool but under the kind of sky you want for holiday. If ever there were a day which busted the myth that good weather helps the governing party, this was it. The results that night marked a paradigm shift. The following morning, full of hope and youth and zest and smiles and hand presses TB entered Downing Street for the first time.
Whatever your politics and whatever your view of him (personally I thought he was hollow) it was so dynamic.
I just can't imagine anything even remotely comparable with Keir Starmer. If he wins it's going to be more like Harold Wilson than Tony Blair.
Maybe that's not a bad thing but it's so hard to get excited.
One thing that strikes me is the relatively low level of activity in the locals. Even the LibDems have been relatively subdued here, with just one leaflet so far and only a handful of small posters. I've seen exactly one Tory poster. Labour has been more active than last time but from a low base - last time we only canvassed one target ward (so were surprised to win two). The Green effort seems to come down to two people, though they have done a good job with a few big posters in key sites. Nobody made a special effort to target PVs.
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
There is a 'Vote Labour' poster almost as large as Cummings' ego at the end of Rugeley Road in Hednesford, cunningly positioned so the largest possible number of motorists can see it while stuck in an enormous traffic jam at the junction for Bradbury Lane (caused by roadworks that have been supported by mis phased traffic lights).
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
If Labour get as much as a solitary vote in Wombourne, hell will have indeed frozen over.
In Durham we have no elections but when visiting Sunderland, Newcastle,and north Tyneside there are precious few posters out. You wouldn’t know there are elections going on.
We were just saying that that can definitely get in the sea.
Who is "we"?
There's a lot of egoism here, and not much duty. People who react like this tend to have a puffed up sense of their own importance and not much sense of their wider obligations to the country, which they take for granted.
You are swearing loyalty to our Head of State, and thus more broadly to the State, not a man who you have to personally and humiliating genuflect to in some sort of docile submission gesture of servitude - the monarch is, in effect, a public servant who represents our State and us on our behalf. He works for us.
It's a ritual of mutual obligations, and it's your duty,
So, get over yourself, and take the pledge.
I prefer to fulfil my obligations to community and society in less performative and more practical ways, but to each their own. Like people who sing football chants at the telly, it strikes me as pointless and odd, but intoning the pledge annoys me to precisely the same extent (I.e. not at all).
The "oath" is pure virtue signalling and very, very un-British - to the limited extent that such things matter any more.
I think it's rather a good joke. Some appear to have fallen for it.
I wonder how much of our problem's are really down to money, actually.
We probably need another £150bn of tax revenue coming in a year, each year, of which £80-90bn needs to go on extra spending on the education, science, R&D, transport, energy, crime & justice, defence and the NHS and about £50bn on reducing income taxes and NI.
No party can get close to that. Unless they can get Britain to grow an insanely fast way, which would need us to develop new technologies and capabilities and retain all the workers & IP (we normally cash out to the Americans inside 18 months).
There are huge amounts of ways that the Government could rein in spending, cut taxes and regulation, and encourage better economical outcomes. They don't do it because they don't want to. This 'it's all too haaaaard' nonsense like a child waving its unfinished homework around is you deluding yourself. Governments are meant to acheive difficult things. If they can't do that, fuck off and let someone else have a try.
Cutting spending any further is so difficult that your heroine Liz Truss didn't even pretend she was going to balance the books for her tax cuts by doing so. That's why she went for the argument that Britain could easily borrow loads more, only to come rapidly unstuck when she found that actually the country couldn't - a lesson that I hope Rachel Reeves has taken to heart.
Sunak's spectacular failure to grow the economy has already resulted in borrowing being £13 billion over plan. That will balloon if the economy continues to flatline, which seems likely with those two clowns at the helm. Growth or lack of it has a massive impact on borrowing, which is why £40 billion then seems quite a canny investment when looked at now. The hairshirt bit (unless it comes to pissing money at the French, the EU, HS2 or the BOE) will end up costing us a lot more.
I don't support Sunak/Hunt's management of the economy either, but having a realistic sense of how much money the country can borrow from the market does feel like an essential starting point. Truss/Kwarteng failed that basic test.
Assuming the leaders remain Sunak, Starmer, and Davey, when was the last general election where the Lib Dem/Liberal leader had cabinet experience and the leader of the opposition didn't?
I’ve been trying to find an organ arrangement of God Save The Queen. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be one, but I figure I can probably gently improvise - it’s a fairly simple chord sequence.
There are various pieces based on the theme.
For example Charles Ives's Variations on America for organ.
Assuming the leaders remain Sunak, Starmer, and Davey, when was the last general election where the Lib Dem/Liberal leader had cabinet experience and the leader of the opposition didn't?
Comments
At present, if you had a serial liar and cheat as your MP, the only way to get rid of him would be to vote Labour or Lib Dem. And you might not actually want a Labour or Lib Dem government.
Luckily for me, I'm not legally allowed to watch it on telly. Unluckily for me, we can't go mountain biking that weekend, as I've got to reroute a sewer pipe and that's the only time I can get my mate's mini digger to do the job. Still better than watching Chaz and the gang.
There’s lots of small ferries round the world and plenty for sale or lease.
Why hasn’t someone done the obvious?
Locals are always lower-key, but this one is definitely lower than last time. What are others seeing?
Could we line George up to a marriage to a Qatari royal or something?
Also when many people started working there were not the investment vehicles available there are now.
I can see a case for removing the triple lock but not abolishing the state pension for all.
I do for matters of policy. I do not for criminal or immoral behaviour, and you don't get a free pass as an MP.
https://twitter.com/opiniumresearch/status/1652387323986735104?s=46&t=rw5lNVUgmRPVyKpxfV_pPQ
Nowt from anyone else. However, as a member I’m being tapped up a lot by the local Greens to support a very focused effort to keep their existing seats elsewhere in the council and win a couple more.
Ugh.
If we have to go down that road for God's sake let's so open-list by historic county, or something.
In wards which are safe for one of the parties the only activity will normally be the election address at most
In my own ward, there is a mood of "anybody but the Tories" and Labour have almost no support round here. The Lib Dems have a lively campaign, though with limited resources, but are building up their organisation fast.
I spoke to the Tory candidate the other day. He said he was finding an enormous amount of anger and hostility on the doorstep, which he had not expected. I think traditional decent Conservatives expect honesty and competence from their leaders, which is why they feel so badly let down.
It will be very interesting to see the result.
There's also one in south Wolverhampton next to the Wombourme turning.
Otherwise, I've seen nothing.
May well be a lot of it is written off on the basis if they can get a victory of some kind we've gotten our monies worth.
It is completely wrong to shaft people financially while they are fighting for freedom - ours as well as theirs.
And this is one type of aid which is pretty unlikely to be lost in corruption, I'd guess.
The Ukrainian government is broke and entirely reliant on financial support from outside to keep functioning. I guess we could saddle them with an immense debt and look forward to repayment in the 2070s, but I'm perfectly happy for us to see it as worthwhile spending for our own defence.
How long will he be A list?
Politics is the same. We tell a tale about who’s up and who is down based on the random information that sticks in our brains. Rishi Sunak’s tale is “Blimey, he’s survived”. Sir Keir Starmer’s is “Meh, but it is his election to lose”. Humza Yousaf’s is “WTF”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anas-sarwar-may-turn-out-to-be-the-spare-part-in-snp-melodrama-bfdv85wzw
Next weekend I shall be off for a holiday in the sun.
It's a different kind of anger, I reckon - less hot rage, but still unpleasant if you are trying to find Conservative support.
Everyone wants NLAW etc. now….
You can see that sometimes when people try to get a good outrage going on twitter and theres just a reaction 'what's the big deal?'
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fa80e212-e5ab-11ed-a169-35bcc1d1a374?shareToken=e99efe5f584cf9c343b734b82b375e7c
ETA the underlying problem, still not fixed, is that it conflates expenses and allowances. A pure allowance system would be better and cheaper, and if MPs want to spaff it up the wall on moats, that's OK too.
I'm not sure I set too much store by it. The LDs have always been tremendously pushy with their diamonds; I was more surprised to see some people still putting their Conservative colours on display.
Jesus Christ's counsel of perfection, that a simple promise should be as binding as any oath, is one that few people would follow.
It hurts like hell, but I can't afford to wait 15-20 years to draw it with two young kids and a big mortgage.
Firstly, we're not such a dictatorship - there's all sorts of law, checks & balances, right and appeals to protect employer abuse and employees against unfair/dismissal - and, secondly, I think this is a bit of a cop-out argument that some MPs use so they can continue to behave poorly, hoping the electorate don't notice or can't be bothered to do anything about it on the basis that "they're all the same".
The reluctance is down to getting a brick through your Tory poster-wearing window. It was a real thing too.
I'm still waiting to see the bastard in the dock before a jury so we can give him a fair trial and find him guilty.
LDs seem to be few in numbers and cash, leaning into past glories. The few stories I’ve heard seem to suggest they think it’s their moment, but aren’t working as hard as they should be.
Labour are far more active, but have a mountain to climb to overcome voter perceptions. The new estates that have sprung up are fertile ground. The complexion of place is changing.
Very little Tory activity, but no evidence of collapse either.
My hunch is the Tories will be down, but hang on this time. The tectonic plates are moving away from them.
Or at least, it was supposed to. The artist left out the 'r' in 'burn.'
Maybe it was a subtle pun on bungs to the Tories' mates to save the NHS.
But I'm afraid most people assume it was just the activist in question was stupid.
I'll stick my neck out and say that I think growth will be respectable (about 2% pa) this year and next.
Reminds me of the Peter Cook line in the wonderful Jeremy Thorpe parody:
"It will be a sad day for this country when a leading politician cannot spend his election expenses in any way he sees fit."
However, the fact that the economy is managing to bump along somewhat under the enormous strain, merely makes my point that Truss's supply side reforms could have kick-started the economy properly, which would have reduced our borrowing requirement significantly. Things could look an awful lot different.
However, that is an economic policy point - the fact is that she failed in the game of politics, as we all know.
I won’t do it (for the same reason as the clapping silliness) but I’m not the intended audience.
Imagine the same applied to the DVLA.
This was after the experience of a “political” attack on me via a expense audit - which showed the company owed me money
Oh and if you have a ratio of 30:1 in posters whoever has the 30 is winning a Winchester style victory no matter which party you are (2 or 3 to 1 maybe not but 30:1 really?)
Election Day started crisp and cool but under the kind of sky you want for holiday. If ever there were a day which busted the myth that good weather helps the governing party, this was it. The results that night marked a paradigm shift. The following morning, full of hope and youth and zest and smiles and hand presses TB entered Downing Street for the first time.
Whatever your politics and whatever your view of him (personally I thought he was hollow) it was so dynamic.
I just can't imagine anything even remotely comparable with Keir Starmer. If he wins it's going to be more like Harold Wilson than Tony Blair.
Maybe that's not a bad thing but it's so hard to get excited.
Sunak, Starmer, Davey ...
God it's going to be a dull election.
Some appear to have fallen for it.
Assuming the leaders remain Sunak, Starmer, and Davey, when was the last general election where the Lib Dem/Liberal leader had cabinet experience and the leader of the opposition didn't?
For example Charles Ives's Variations on America for organ.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-UZq09F9RR4
There is no acceptance out there that Starmer heralds a bright shiny new age of politics.
Because he doesn't.