Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Just heard that my mum almost got turned away from the polling station today because all her official documents are in her original family name and the electoral register is in her married name. Eventually they allowed her to vote, after a phone call from the polling station staff to some kind of "supervisor".
Just great.
So now we’re in the situation where the “supervisor” gets to tilt elections according to their own biases.
This was a terrible idea.
It could have been made to work, and might even be worth doing, but not by the arrogant centiwits currently in charge.
Perhaps when the Electoral Commission, whose recommendations are supposedly Holy Writ said "there are going to be problems making this work for May 2023", the government should have paid attention.
And remember- significant chunks of the country still have to experience this for the first time next year.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
"Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around."
Exceed expectations, like Edward VII? (Also George VI.)
Just heard that my mum almost got turned away from the polling station today because all her official documents are in her original family name and the electoral register is in her married name. Eventually they allowed her to vote, after a phone call from the polling station staff to some kind of "supervisor".
Why is supervisor in quotes? Even presiding officers are not experts and so will speak to electoral professionals when uncertain.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
That's surprising. I was expecting Starkey to take a calm, middle of the road, considered position.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
Starkey is vicious towards everyone, though, in an increasingly dismal self-parody.
Anyone who didn't expect some Commonwealth Realms to go republican has not been paying attention to the several who have openly had plans to do so for years going on decades in some cases. The only question is around how many and if any of the really big ones who were not expected go republican.
Went to vote in our ward in Bracknell Forest a few hours ago. Seemed really quiet, especially as there is one polling place for the whole ward.
My best guess is that Lab will make inroads in Bracknell Town, while Cons hold up better in the rest of the borough (with LDs best shot in Sandhurst)
What time? Traditionally, sluggish turnout in the day is bad for the Tories, low turnout first thing and after work for others (due to pensioner vote mainly).
About 5:30-6
My partner had a row with the polling officials as they wanted to know his name and address even though it was on the polling card and driving license!
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
Starkey is vicious towards everyone, though, in an increasingly dismal self-parody.
Just heard that my mum almost got turned away from the polling station today because all her official documents are in her original family name and the electoral register is in her married name. Eventually they allowed her to vote, after a phone call from the polling station staff to some kind of "supervisor".
Just great.
So now we’re in the situation where the “supervisor” gets to tilt elections according to their own biases.
This was a terrible idea.
It could have been made to work, and might even be worth doing, but not by the arrogant centiwits currently in charge.
Perhaps when the Electoral Commission, whose recommendations are supposedly Holy Writ said "there are going to be problems making this work for May 2023", the government should have paid attention.
And remember- significant chunks of the country still have to experience this for the first time next year.
The bits where it will be a problem. There will be real trouble in London when this hits, believe me.
One mystery that was never really cleared up in the Dominic Raab bullying report was what exactly those infamous "high standards" of his entailed. What on earth could have been so bad about the reports his staff submitted that caused him to blow up?
The things that would reliably boil Raab's piss:
a/ Poor formatting
2/ Split infinitives
Also
It was sport for a while in Raab's office to sneakily add extra a's into his surname on official documents.
We also have all-out elections in Northern Ireland.
And it looks like the face-eating leopards are in for a very good night.
Sinn Fein should win 28-30%, up from 24% in 2019. The DUP and TUV should win 28-32%, up from 27%.
It looks like SDLP will do terribly, down from 13% to 7-8%.
How is this all likely to affect seat counts?
The DUP will be likely back up to 130 or so, out of 460. TUV will only win about 12, due to candidate shortage, and their candidates mostly falling short of a quota. Sinn Fein will be close to 130. UUP down to about 65, SDLP well down to 40 or so. Alliance on about 70.
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
So I’ve made it to Saint-Pol-de-Lèon two days earlier than planned (well, not planned - guessed - very little to no planning went into this..) which is a very nice feeling after a rather challenging day
It started well enough. I left the apartment just after nine, went to the Tabac to get some tabac, then headed off. I decided not to buy any beer until a bit later as I’ve ended up carrying a couple of extra kilos for over two hours before drinking any, and always walked past a few other shops in that time
Today I didn’t see another shop in the first three hours out of Landerneau. I decided to take a diversion (probably a couple of extra miles) to a bigger town where I knew there definitely was a shop
On the way there it started to rain quite hard and the wind picked up, but I kept mostly dry under my little umbrella. I made it to the shop, grabbed some beers and a sandwich and went to the till. When I tried to pay I couldn’t find my bank card..
I paid with my phone and in the entrance to the shop frantically searched through all my pockets and bags at least three times to no avail. I guess I must have somehow left or dropped it in the Tabac, and I really didn’t fancy a ten mile walk back to try to find it
So I pressed on with little idea what to do about it. I thought I couldn’t cancel my card; it’s my only card and if I cancelled it my phone payments wouldn’t work and I wouldn’t be able to book any more rooms
By this time the weather had got even worse and I was walking by the side of a minor but rather busy road, with a load of big lorries squeezing down it. When they came by I had to step into the grass verge and turn my back to them to best avoid the huge spray and gust that comes behind them, all the while worrying what to do about my card
Just as I realised what to do - temporarily freeze my card using my bank app - I saw two lorries heading my way, so stepped to the side and turned my back. I had what I thought was a firm hold on my brolly handle, with the loop of cord attached to it round my wrist. As the second lorry passed it was accompanied by a huge gust of wind which caused the umbrella shaft to detach from the handle I was clinging onto, and my umbrella went flying way, way off down a hill and somewhere into the middle of a field of crops
I had to keep going. I managed to find a dry enough spot under a tree to freeze my card which relieved some anxiety. A couple of miles further on, fully soaked by rain and lorry spray, my phone instructed me to turn off that road, thankfully onto a very quiet one
Soon after that the rain stopped, the sun came out and the breeze dried me out in about half an hour. The rest of the walk was quite pleasant, except my right foot was sore. Turns out it now has two blisters, one between the ball of my foot and the second toe (index toe?!), the other on the inside of my big toe that fully fills the gap to my second toe. It looks pretty rough
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
Starkey is vicious towards everyone, though, in an increasingly dismal self-parody.
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
I am sure there is someone who posts on here occasionally whose line is that the results of the last election are no guide to the result of the next. Maybe Bootle is about to prove this correct by voting Tory, (as South Holland simultaneously all vote for the SWP.)
Have to say that if City had had the chances that either Man U or Brighton have had in this game they would have at least 3. And that is the difference between the Champions and the rest.
The best thing about election night is the way every party always claims to have done slightly better than expected, (with a few exceptions like the Tories in 1997).
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
You know, there is that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Parallels. Where Worf shifts from reality to reality. The one with Riker in command, the one where the Borg has won, the one with Troi and Worf married.
If ever there was an argument against the many worlds theory of existence, that all possible outcomes play out somewhere in the multiverse, then the existence of Bootle surely proves it wrong.
Because I cannot believe that there is a universe out there that reports.....
One mystery that was never really cleared up in the Dominic Raab bullying report was what exactly those infamous "high standards" of his entailed. What on earth could have been so bad about the reports his staff submitted that caused him to blow up?
The things that would reliably boil Raab's piss:
a/ Poor formatting
2/ Split infinitives
Also
It was sport for a while in Raab's office to sneakily add extra a's into his surname on official documents.
The correct way to deal with the name mis-spelling thing would be
“Bad news I’m afraid. I mis-spelled *your* name on the department list for honours. So your K went to a chap in the mail room. Nothing can be done - too late. Good joke though, what?”
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem, and a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. The guy is f***ing gaga.
Today’s best of specie podcast has Starkey on it. He’s vicious towards Charles.
Difficult to see what he can do to turn things around. Handing straight over to Wills & Kate is probably the institutions best bet. The longer he clings on, the more damage he’s doing to the institution.
Starkey is vicious towards everyone, though, in an increasingly dismal self-parody.
Been involved with our local Independents campaign today. Quietest campaign I can remember. Polling Station turnout is down. Little evidence at polling station of voter ID being a factor, but during knocking up it was clear that voters weren't bothering to turn up without ID and several disenfranchised as a result.
Postal vote returns in Conservative wards slightly down on previous years. In wards contested between Labour and Independents turnout slightly up.
Not sure if this has been picked up but the latest Techne poll has a 15-point Labour lead.
The numbers - Labour 44%, Conservative 29% (-1), Liberal Democrat 11% (+2), Reform 6%, Green 5%, SNP 3%..
Polls herding around a 15-18 point Labour advantage but a series with the Conservatives sub 30% and the Liberal Democrats at or above 10%.
Any good polling news for Labour Categorically offset by Labours falls in the Survation and Omnisis this last week. Labours lead fell by three in the Omnisis.
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
A very long time ago that. It's been trending Labour since the end of World War II. I'm pretty sure that the fight for the seat is always tough because its basically a job for the rest of your life.
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
"some flat refusals to vote" - eh? They turn up at the Polling Station and then refuse to vote?
Report from the Bootle constituency, Victoria ward front line:
1. Voted at 8.15pm. Only two people in the station with me. One just left as I arrived and one arrived as I left. 2. Everyone seemed to remember their voter ID. 3. No leaflets, no indications that there was an election on at all, except for all the signs about Voter Id required. Given this is a rock solid Labour ward, no surprise there. Seems no one from any party can be bothered when its going to be the usual landslide.
Prediction for the ward - Labour HOLD.
If you are wrong and Bootle turns blue, expect a General Election on the last Thursday in June.
A very long time ago that. It's been trending Labour since the end of World War II. I'm pretty sure that the fight for the seat is always tough because its basically a job for the rest of your life.
The Orange vote delivered Conservative victories in 1924, 1931, and 1935, and kept the seat competitive up till 1959.
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
"some flat refusals to vote" - eh? They turn up at the Polling Station and then refuse to vote?
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
"some flat refusals to vote" - eh? They turn up at the Polling Station and then refuse to vote?
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
"some flat refusals to vote" - eh? They turn up at the Polling Station and then refuse to vote?
I took it to be Nick Palmer “knocking up”
[insert PB King of Swing joke here]
Two at a time I've heard.
That’s the sort of knocking up you need from your activists and candidates.
Apparently the AfD in Bremen have been disqualified, for putting forward two separate lists of candidates.
Bremen votes on May 14th - the beneficiaries of the AfD disqualification look to be the BIW (Citizens in Rage) who will get into the Burgerschaft with 7-9% of the vote likely outpolling the FDP.
The latest polls show the SPD narrowly ahead of the CDU by between 3-6 points. The Greens are down but Linke are up to around 10%. In 2019, the CDU outpolled the SPD 27-25 but it looks as though the SPD will top the poll and the present SPD/Green/Linke coalition will keep a small overall majority.
Curiously low-key Waverley election - Labour (who are the third party here) were the only ones doing any knocking-up in my ward, and by 845 I was the only teller on the polling station as all the others said it was getting a bit cold. Voters a mixture -many quite enthused, but some flat refusals to vote too - overall turnout seemed decent, though. On balance I expect to win but not forseeing an earthquake.
"some flat refusals to vote" - eh? They turn up at the Polling Station and then refuse to vote?
Not sure if this has been picked up but the latest Techne poll has a 15-point Labour lead.
The numbers - Labour 44%, Conservative 29% (-1), Liberal Democrat 11% (+2), Reform 6%, Green 5%, SNP 3%..
Polls herding around a 15-18 point Labour advantage but a series with the Conservatives sub 30% and the Liberal Democrats at or above 10%.
Any good polling news for Labour Categorically offset by Labours falls in the Survation and Omnisis this last week. Labours lead fell by three in the Omnisis.
That 20-point lead Omnisis looks an outlier (the Labour rating of 47% a bit frothy). The week's polls have herded towards a 15-18 point Labour lead with Labour around 45%, the Conservatives just below 30% and the Liberal Democrats just above 10%.
As others have said, it's likely any local election coverage will quickly be drowned out by Saturday's events but tomorrow might be a difficult day for the Conservatives.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem. He demands a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. He thinks people care what he thinks about religion too. Every religion. Because they all want a king. Right. Right? The guy is f***ing gaga.
I'll give it a year, tops.
I bet the insiders are already discussing how to save the monarchy from him.
As far as Australia is concerned it appears this is old news as Sky are pushing a poll this evening that shows that support for a Republic has dropped and there is now 60% support for contiuing with the Monarchy
Apparently the AfD in Bremen have been disqualified, for putting forward two separate lists of candidates.
Bremen votes on May 14th - the beneficiaries of the AfD disqualification look to be the BIW (Citizens in Rage) who will get into the Burgerschaft with 7-9% of the vote likely outpolling the FDP.
The latest polls show the SPD narrowly ahead of the CDU by between 3-6 points. The Greens are down but Linke are up to around 10%. In 2019, the CDU outpolled the SPD 27-25 but it looks as though the SPD will top the poll and the present SPD/Green/Linke coalition will keep a small overall majority.
So it seems the story of these local elections will be extremely low turnout.
That enables quite a few narratives, so the journalists will have a field day.
General headline of a voter strike because of the ID requirements. There seems to be mounting anecdotal evidence of people not bothering to go and vote because they don’t have the ID, rather than hordes being turned away at polling stations.
For the Tory press, the low turnout will mean that a. Nothing can be read into the poor conservative results as they clearly don’t represent a large portion of the electorate, and b. the public remain unenthused about Labour
For Labour, former Tories abstaining en masse due to disgust with the government.
For Lib Dems and Greens, no real angle on turnout so they’ll focus on the results (if good).
Not sure if this has been picked up but the latest Techne poll has a 15-point Labour lead.
The numbers - Labour 44%, Conservative 29% (-1), Liberal Democrat 11% (+2), Reform 6%, Green 5%, SNP 3%..
Polls herding around a 15-18 point Labour advantage but a series with the Conservatives sub 30% and the Liberal Democrats at or above 10%.
Any good polling news for Labour Categorically offset by Labours falls in the Survation and Omnisis this last week. Labours lead fell by three in the Omnisis.
That 20-point lead Omnisis looks an outlier (the Labour rating of 47% a bit frothy). The week's polls have herded towards a 15-18 point Labour lead with Labour around 45%, the Conservatives just below 30% and the Liberal Democrats just above 10%.
As others have said, it's likely any local election coverage will quickly be drowned out by Saturday's events but tomorrow might be a difficult day for the Conservatives.
Labour on 47 now too frothy to take seriously? It’s opinion polling not a cappuccino.
I disagree about the drowning out. Certainly Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday it’s nothing but the Cozza party. You won’t hear from me till Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean a line is drawn on the result like it never happened and repercussions won’t happen. The Tory spring revival will be over, Sunak looking like a loser, and Starmer a winner, boost for Lib Dem polling, Sunak v Boris comparisons in terms of appeal to voters, these things could be the political narrative for May.
Sky News leading on the fact that Charles hasn't yet apologised for the slave trade.
By 55% to 22%, our voters don’t wish him to.
And, that’s why various Caribbean kleptocracies will become Republics. Charles can’t both serve the British people and Caribbean kleptocrats simultaneously.
The Times: "Almost half of countries where Charles is King support becoming a republic", including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica.
With the coronation, he's banging nails into his own coffin. It's excruciating as well as hilarious. Nobody told him to have a coronation. He doesn't have to have one if he doesn't want one. He could easily go about in a business suit or scruff it up like Bill Gates. But no, he demands full-scale anointment with oil from Jerusalem. He demands a seat in front of the Cosmati pavement getting an archbishop put a diamond-studded hat on his head. He thinks people care what he thinks about religion too. Every religion. Because they all want a king. Right. Right? The guy is f***ing gaga.
I'll give it a year, tops.
I bet the insiders are already discussing how to save the monarchy from him.
The polling doesn't show what you think it does. Australia looks like it'd go for monarchy on that polling, and Canada has a huge "don't know" contingent that could swing it too. I am sceptical of this closer links to the US and China stuff. Jamaica does have a majority but not a massive one.
There are probably only three Commonwealth realms I'd be seriously worried about on that list. The most important thing is that we are seen to care and invest and help in such places, which I fully support.
Of course the country was founded as a seditious conspiracy by a bunch of white supremacists, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be allowed as a defence in court there.
Sky News leading on the fact that Charles hasn't yet apologised for the slave trade.
By 55% to 22%, our voters don’t wish him to.
And, that’s why various Caribbean kleptocracies will become Republics. Charles can’t both serve the British people and Caribbean kleptocrats simultaneously.
Given Rishi's and Charles's personal fortunes ,are we not also a kleptocracy?
Of course the whole country was a seditious conspiracy by a bunch of white supremacists, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be allowed as a defence in court there.
Don't forget the religious nutjobs either. That's a running theme too.
I'm hearing from credible sources the next UK net migration figures will be much higher than the (record) 504,000 for 2022 --potentially as high as 700,000-800,000. If true, this will not only continue to make a mockery of "Take Back Control" but reveal the extent to which both Left and Right remain firmly committed --amid a national housing and NHS crisis-- to a political economy that is now completely dependent on cheap labour via mass immigration."
As an aside, the current voter ID laws can't prevent all personation.
The electoral roll does not contain dates of birth (except for those below 18). That means that if the name on the ID matches the name on the electoral roll, then one can vote.
In certain communities, there are surprisingly few unique First Name - Last Name combinations. How many Muhammed Khan's will there be in the UK? And if you go to - say - Tower Hamlets, you might find tens (or even hundreds) of them.
I'm hearing from credible sources the next UK net migration figures will be much higher than the (record) 504,000 for 2022 --potentially as high as 700,000-800,000. If true, this will not only continue to make a mockery of "Take Back Control" but reveal the extent to which both Left and Right remain firmly committed --amid a national housing and NHS crisis-- to a political economy that is now completely dependent on cheap labour via mass immigration."
As an aside, the current voter ID laws can't prevent all personation.
The electoral roll does not contain dates of birth (except for those below 18). That means that if the name on the ID matches the name on the electoral roll, then one can vote.
In certain communities, there are surprisingly few unique First Name - Last Name combinations. How many Muhammed Khan's will there be in the UK? And if you go to - say - Tower Hamlets, you might find tens (or even hundreds) of them.
Comments
I need a personal Ian Dury lawyer.
Perhaps when the Electoral Commission, whose recommendations are supposedly Holy Writ said "there are going to be problems making this work for May 2023", the government should have paid attention.
And remember- significant chunks of the country still have to experience this for the first time next year.
Exceed expectations, like Edward VII? (Also George VI.)
The Prime Minister, for example:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/david-starkey-condemned-for-vile-and-racist-remarks-about-rishi-sunak/ar-AA1aKpni
My partner had a row with the polling officials as they wanted to know his name and address even though it was on the polling card and driving license!
David Starkey, not you.
I am so immersed in the culture of this country that I want the French to honour the Treaty of Troyes.
I'm actually warming to Raab after reading this.
One mystery that was never really cleared up in the Dominic Raab bullying report was what exactly those infamous "high standards" of his entailed. What on earth could have been so bad about the reports his staff submitted that caused him to blow up?
The things that would reliably boil Raab's piss:
a/ Poor formatting
2/ Split infinitives
Also
It was sport for a while in Raab's office to sneakily add extra a's into his surname on official documents.
It usually follows after I have sent an email/report which uses French, German, and Latin, and a few classical historical reference.
It started well enough. I left the apartment just after nine, went to the Tabac to get some tabac, then headed off. I decided not to buy any beer until a bit later as I’ve ended up carrying a couple of extra kilos for over two hours before drinking any, and always walked past a few other shops in that time
Today I didn’t see another shop in the first three hours out of Landerneau. I decided to take a diversion (probably a couple of extra miles) to a bigger town where I knew there definitely was a shop
On the way there it started to rain quite hard and the wind picked up, but I kept mostly dry under my little umbrella. I made it to the shop, grabbed some beers and a sandwich and went to the till. When I tried to pay I couldn’t find my bank card..
I paid with my phone and in the entrance to the shop frantically searched through all my pockets and bags at least three times to no avail. I guess I must have somehow left or dropped it in the Tabac, and I really didn’t fancy a ten mile walk back to try to find it
So I pressed on with little idea what to do about it. I thought I couldn’t cancel my card; it’s my only card and if I cancelled it my phone payments wouldn’t work and I wouldn’t be able to book any more rooms
By this time the weather had got even worse and I was walking by the side of a minor but rather busy road, with a load of big lorries squeezing down it. When they came by I had to step into the grass verge and turn my back to them to best avoid the huge spray and gust that comes behind them, all the while worrying what to do about my card
Just as I realised what to do - temporarily freeze my card using my bank app - I saw two lorries heading my way, so stepped to the side and turned my back. I had what I thought was a firm hold on my brolly handle, with the loop of cord attached to it round my wrist. As the second lorry passed it was accompanied by a huge gust of wind which caused the umbrella shaft to detach from the handle I was clinging onto, and my umbrella went flying way, way off down a hill and somewhere into the middle of a field of crops
I had to keep going. I managed to find a dry enough spot under a tree to freeze my card which relieved some anxiety. A couple of miles further on, fully soaked by rain and lorry spray, my phone instructed me to turn off that road, thankfully onto a very quiet one
Soon after that the rain stopped, the sun came out and the breeze dried me out in about half an hour. The rest of the walk was quite pleasant, except my right foot was sore. Turns out it now has two blisters, one between the ball of my foot and the second toe (index toe?!), the other on the inside of my big toe that fully fills the gap to my second toe. It looks pretty rough
But at least I got here two days early!
How times change so quickly in politics.
I recently said in an email, I feel like the Emperor Augustus and like him, it is time to get Agrippa.
1931:
Con 62%
Lab 38%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootle_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#Elections_in_the_1930s
If ever there was an argument against the many worlds theory of existence, that all possible outcomes play out somewhere in the multiverse, then the existence of Bootle surely proves it wrong.
Because I cannot believe that there is a universe out there that reports.....
CON Gain Bootle.
“Bad news I’m afraid. I mis-spelled *your* name on the department list for honours. So your K went to a chap in the mail room. Nothing can be done - too late. Good joke though, what?”
Postal vote returns in Conservative wards slightly down on previous years. In wards contested between Labour and Independents turnout slightly up.
Have we already noted another gem from Matt?
https://twitter.com/MattCartoonist/status/1654167284682743813
I'm pretty sure that the fight for the seat is always tough because its basically a job for the rest of your life.
TLDR: Unless the gossip is really good, or you are personally involved, not much is going to be revealed until tomorrow.
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/provisional-council-election-declaration-times-014537144.html
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/local-elections-2023-timetable-key-080234428.html
[insert PB King of Swing joke here]
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/when-local-elections-2023-results-timings-polls-uk-xd6svtb5w
Most of the action happens later tomorrow
Not that he gives a blind fiddler's final farewell fuck, of course.
The latest polls show the SPD narrowly ahead of the CDU by between 3-6 points. The Greens are down but Linke are up to around 10%. In 2019, the CDU outpolled the SPD 27-25 but it looks as though the SPD will top the poll and the present SPD/Green/Linke coalition will keep a small overall majority.
Good opportunity for a GreenMachine (or similar active poster) thread header?
As others have said, it's likely any local election coverage will quickly be drowned out by Saturday's events but tomorrow might be a difficult day for the Conservatives.
I was the only person in there. The polling staff looked bored. And there weren't many names crossed off the list at all.
That said, I do live in a village in Hampshire.
About a billion quid there.
https://www.butenunbinnen.de/nachrichten/afd-bremen-zulassung-wahl-bremerhaven-100.html
And re: the alternative for Bremen head-bangers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_in_Rage
Must say that "Citizens in Rage" is eye-catching, though personally like Bürger in Wut (rhymes with "nut"?)
That enables quite a few narratives, so the journalists will have a field day.
General headline of a voter strike because of the ID requirements. There seems to be mounting anecdotal evidence of people not bothering to go and vote because they don’t have the ID, rather than hordes being turned away at polling stations.
For the Tory press, the low turnout will mean that a. Nothing can be read into the poor conservative results as they clearly don’t represent a large portion of the electorate, and b. the public remain unenthused about Labour
For Labour, former Tories abstaining en masse due to disgust with the government.
For Lib Dems and Greens, no real angle on turnout so they’ll focus on the results (if good).
I disagree about the drowning out. Certainly Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday it’s nothing but the Cozza party. You won’t hear from me till Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean a line is drawn on the result like it never happened and repercussions won’t happen. The Tory spring revival will be over, Sunak looking like a loser, and Starmer a winner, boost for Lib Dem polling, Sunak v Boris comparisons in terms of appeal to voters, these things could be the political narrative for May.
https://www.channel4.com/news/inside-the-world-of-ukraines-private-arms-dealers
And, that’s why various Caribbean kleptocracies will become Republics. Charles can’t both serve the British people and Caribbean kleptocrats simultaneously.
The polling doesn't show what you think it does. Australia looks like it'd go for monarchy on that polling, and Canada has a huge "don't know" contingent that could swing it too. I am sceptical of this closer links to the US and China stuff. Jamaica does have a majority but not a massive one.
There are probably only three Commonwealth realms I'd be seriously worried about on that list. The most important thing is that we are seen to care and invest and help in such places, which I fully support.
https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2023/05/uncharted-realms-the-future-of-the-monarchy-in-the-uk-and-around-the-world/#more-17010
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65307770
Of course the country was founded as a seditious conspiracy by a bunch of white supremacists, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be allowed as a defence in court there.
I may rejoin for a little while if a dot of insomnia hits Watch out for that Hook entering stage left.
'Britain Elects' live YouTube feed FYI:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnzVfXmpOd0
The hill in question being Ilkley Moor, and our candidate lives on the other side of it.
@GoodwinMJ
I'm hearing from credible sources the next UK net migration figures will be much higher than the (record) 504,000 for 2022 --potentially as high as 700,000-800,000. If true, this will not only continue to make a mockery of "Take Back Control" but reveal the extent to which both Left and Right remain firmly committed --amid a national housing and NHS crisis-- to a political economy that is now completely dependent on cheap labour via mass immigration."
https://twitter.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1654148685570220033
The electoral roll does not contain dates of birth (except for those below 18). That means that if the name on the ID matches the name on the electoral roll, then one can vote.
In certain communities, there are surprisingly few unique First Name - Last Name combinations. How many Muhammed Khan's will there be in the UK? And if you go to - say - Tower Hamlets, you might find tens (or even hundreds) of them.
I was at a party and he rang about a vehicle that I and some friends were looking to buy. Was trying to get us to close at price X.
A rather superior looking woman sneeringly asked me if I’d been speaking to my drug dealer.
“No”, I replied, “that was my arms dealer.”
He is a good bloke - mad as a box of frogs in that very English way.