What’s happening with the polling “don’t knows” – politicalbetting.com
The proportion of “don’t knows” in opinion polls is not particularly high at this stage: @PME_Politicshttps://t.co/nzUipk2OdJ pic.twitter.com/K2xyFWAlxz
We're deep into the long campaign, and parties are doing exercises rather than actually attacking. There appear to be a big chunk of voters who voted in 2019 who identify now as DK. Understandably, some excitable / desperate people imagine those simply going back from whence they came to shore up the Tory collapse.
Anyone who has done doorstep politics will tell you that persuading don't know voters to actually vote is Hard Work. Primarily there needs to be something motivating them to step out of their house and head to the polling station. If you don't have that, forget it. Even if you do have that, its hard to motivate them early on polling day, and later on polling day they have settled into the evening routine.
Those voters who are angry will vote - but have likely already identified with their new party. Some will be looking to protest vote and won't yet have plumped for ReFUK/Green/TrotSplinterUnity as they are waiting until there's a list of candidates.
Most? Not voting. As well as the coming Tory ELE we will see a couple of million 2019 voters staying at home. Like in 1997 that will not be good news for the Tories...
It would be interesting to see a longer run of data, but the story of 2015 was ex-Lib Dems who couldn't forgive their party for the coalition. And 2019 was Labour voters who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Angry Old Jez.
My long term hypothesis is that voters who say "don't know" really mean "not you, but I'm too English to say it out loud".
In which case, it's Colourful Metaphor Time for the Conservatives.
We're deep into the long campaign, and parties are doing exercises rather than actually attacking. There appear to be a big chunk of voters who voted in 2019 who identify now as DK. Understandably, some excitable / desperate people imagine those simply going back from whence they came to shore up the Tory collapse.
Anyone who has done doorstep politics will tell you that persuading don't know voters to actually vote is Hard Work. Primarily there needs to be something motivating them to step out of their house and head to the polling station. If you don't have that, forget it. Even if you do have that, its hard to motivate them early on polling day, and later on polling day they have settled into the evening routine.
Those voters who are angry will vote - but have likely already identified with their new party. Some will be looking to protest vote and won't yet have plumped for ReFUK/Green/TrotSplinterUnity as they are waiting until there's a list of candidates.
Most? Not voting. As well as the coming Tory ELE we will see a couple of million 2019 voters staying at home. Like in 1997 that will not be good news for the Tories...
And it has a second order effect - it is very hard to motivate activists to put the work in if they know they are just going to get knocked back.
Given most of those DKs voted Tory last time, the size of Starmer's majority or whether he gets any majority at all could depend on whether Sunak can squeeze them or not
Given most of those DKs voted Tory last time, the size of Starmer's majority or whether he gets any majority at all could depend on whether Sunak can squeeze them or not
It would be interesting to see a longer run of data, but the story of 2015 was ex-Lib Dems who couldn't forgive their party for the coalition. And 2019 was Labour voters who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Angry Old Jez.
My long term hypothesis is that voters who say "don't know" really mean "not you, but I'm too English to say it out loud".
In which case, it's Colourful Metaphor Time for the Conservatives.
It's a pity there's no spreads available. I'd like to buy LAB seats while there is still a reasonable body of opinion thinking it won't be a landslide. By the time spreads go up I bet landslide will be the consensus view and the value won't be there.
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
If @Leon is looking for a new travel theme, this thread on rock cut architecture might prove of interest. Has he visited Ellora ?
...In any case, nowhere has rock-cut architecture been perfected and developed as in India — here there are more rock-cut buildings than anywhere else on earth.
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
Creating statutory obligations is a form of populist politics - "I'm virtuous. At no apparent cost"
Much like gold plating regulations so that things like child care end up being only affordable for the well off.
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
And have a decent electoral system; one which doesn’t give all the seats in a ward to a party getting around 40% of the votes.
One thing I have no idea about is why we have both district and county level in rural areas. My Dad's a councillor in a unitary (Coventry) and the system of having one councillor and council for your area simply seems so much more efficient than where I am/ I'm also convinced it's why my council tax is a bit higher than the counterfactual of similar banded properties in neighbouring unitaries (Rotherham/Doncaster) compared to Bassetlaw. I think a much stronger argument can be made for keeping parish/town rather than two levels at district/council as the responsibilities of those councils are far less and if you really want to get involved it's relatively easy to get elected and you can decide whether to have an annual village fete or whatever.
Anyway, I was elected at the weekend; so I'm now a Board trustee of a heritage railway.
Got to deliver now. Gulp.
Is it a charity? If so, have you had a look at the Charity Commission’s website?
Personal Liability for Everything Here You Come .
Wasn't there that comment from the judge in the Kids Company case that holding the trustees liable for their liabilities was unfair and would prevent trustees coming forward in future. Or does that only apply to the NU10K?
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
Creating statutory obligations is a form of populist politics - "I'm virtuous. At no apparent cost"
Much like gold plating regulations so that things like child care end up being only affordable for the well off.
Good childcare doesn't come cheap. Whilst I'm not at the Max/Eek/Casino levels of salary, my better half earns roughly the same as me (Both a bit under 50k) so we can just about suck it up till we get the September 15 hrs help.
It's those who earn just that bit too much for UC support that I think it's the roughest on.
Also the April child tax is very annoying though that'll be gone for April 2023 children, my daughter being the last year (2022) to suffer that particular wrinkle in the system.
Sad news for Rugby Union fans, especially Welsh ones. Barry John has died. He was 79.
Well I thought he had already succumbed. He was a big drinker, lost his licence a few times. Quite a sad final decade, which is unfortunate. He was a great outside half, but retired young at his peak. In our household though he was no Phil Bennett.
Quite a few of the1970s Welsh Triple Crowners are falling off the perch in their mid and late seventies. I genuinely expect the vast intake of Double Dragon, Reverend James and Brains S.A.has taken its toll. They should have listened to the Minister in Chapel on Sunday, played their rugby and avoided the demon drink.
Very sad.
A pub in the town where I live used to get Rev James as a guest beer every so often. Very good drink indeed. Sadly the pub hasn’t got a wheelchair-friendly entrance so I haven’t been able to check whether they still have it for a year or so.
Have you considered asking them to make reasonable adjustments, as is the legal requirement?
Or is there a good reason why it is impossible?
(If they are like most places, they will do nothing and happily ignore the rules, until someone makes them do something.)
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
Creating statutory obligations is a form of populist politics - "I'm virtuous. At no apparent cost"
Much like gold plating regulations so that things like child care end up being only affordable for the well off.
Good childcare doesn't come cheap. Whilst I'm not at the Max/Eek/Casino levels of salary, my better half earns roughly the same as me (Both a bit under 50k) so we can just about suck it up till we get the September 15 hrs help.
It's those who earn just that bit too much for UC support that I think it's the roughest on.
Also the April child tax is very annoying though that'll be gone for April 2023 children, my daughter being the last year (2022) to suffer that particular wrinkle in the system.
One interesting calculation for many families is this : Wife (yes, I know) considers going back to work. Is she going to make more than minimum wage after childcare costs?
It’s like they’ve looked at the hell that is the American Culture War, and thought Great, that looks good, let’s ship it over here
How's your might have to pop your vote Labour cherry thing going?
lol. Yes. Abstention looking more likely, right now
Weird thing is I am pleased with some of the economic stuff, don't mind any of their foreign policy stuff, but this Wokeness is genuinely calamitous
They are going down the explosively stupid equity route, as far as I can see: ie if there is any pay differential between ethnic groups in a profession, that is ipso facto proof of racism in the system. There must be equality of OUTCOME not just opportunity
So there can't be any other reason why Jews do better in law or Indians in STEM, if there is a difference between them and say Roma it must be systemic racism. Utter madness
Anyway, I was elected at the weekend; so I'm now a Board trustee of a heritage railway.
Got to deliver now. Gulp.
Congratulations! Let us know the date for your next Diesel Gala - and see if you can get a Class 55 down there.
Thanks. There were 200+ people at the AGM, which was a large crowd, and I had a 3-minute speech to deliver at the hustings with questions after.
However, given I have a lifelong love and involvement with the railway I seemed to go down ok. No votes against me in the room, and only two abstentions, with everyone else in favour.
One thing I have no idea about is why we have both district and county level in rural areas. My Dad's a councillor in a unitary (Coventry) and the system of having one councillor and council for your area simply seems so much more efficient than where I am/ I'm also convinced it's why my council tax is a bit higher than the counterfactual of similar banded properties in neighbouring unitaries (Rotherham/Doncaster) compared to Bassetlaw. I think a much stronger argument can be made for keeping parish/town rather than two levels at district/council as the responsibilities of those councils are far less and if you really want to get involved it's relatively easy to get elected and you can decide whether to have an annual village fete or whatever.
I have no idea what nonsense you get up to England. I wasted 10 minutes trying to understand it a few years ago.
If @Leon is looking for a new travel theme, this thread on rock cut architecture might prove of interest. Has he visited Ellora ?
...In any case, nowhere has rock-cut architecture been perfected and developed as in India — here there are more rock-cut buildings than anywhere else on earth.
That interesting thread misses out the salt mines of Katowice with their incredible underground shrines and also the eerie rock cut underground opal-mining city of Coober Pedy in Oz - one of the strangest places I have been (slept in an underground hotel)
Anyway, I was elected at the weekend; so I'm now a Board trustee of a heritage railway.
Got to deliver now. Gulp.
Congratulations! Let us know the date for your next Diesel Gala - and see if you can get a Class 55 down there.
Thanks. There were 200+ people at the AGM, which was a large crowd, and I had a 3-minute speech to deliver at the hustings with questions after.
However, given I have a lifelong love and involvement with the railway I seemed to go down ok. No votes against me in the room, and only two abstentions, with everyone else in favour.
Quite pleasing.
Good morning
Many congratulations and from my earliest memories, to the day I signalled the flying sotsman past the signal box (c1955) near Berwick-upon-Tweed, to witnessing Mallard in full steam going through Berwick onto the Royal Border Bridge, to trips on the SVR, the Strathspey Railway, Llangollen Railway and others I have had a lifetime love affair with steam trains
Anyway, I was elected at the weekend; so I'm now a Board trustee of a heritage railway.
Got to deliver now. Gulp.
Congratulations! Let us know the date for your next Diesel Gala - and see if you can get a Class 55 down there.
Thanks. There were 200+ people at the AGM, which was a large crowd, and I had a 3-minute speech to deliver at the hustings with questions after.
However, given I have a lifelong love and involvement with the railway I seemed to go down ok. No votes against me in the room, and only two abstentions, with everyone else in favour.
Quite pleasing.
I have had a lifelong love of your railway, some of my happiest childhood memories and I've taken my own kids there. It's a very special place, best of luck with the role and congratulations for stepping up.
"A lot of Don't Knows may not mean 'a big pool of potential returners'" sums up the situation, I think.
I agree. The Tories had an unusually large number of first-time voters in 2019 and have done an awful lot to put them off since. It's not at all surprising that many more 2019 Con voters are now DK than 2019 voters from other parties.
It would be interesting to see the figures broken down by 2017 or 2015 votes, which are probably a better baseline.
I still think that everything is pointing towards a large Labour landslide, albeit with quite a wide spread of possible outcomes on both sides of the distribution curve.
they can turn up on Saturday in the rain to help dredge the duckpond/make the coffee/man the signal box.
(CC26 alone, on Risk Management, runs to 33 pages and there are over 50 documents listed).
This is bananas. Why would anyone in their right mind sign up to this?
I was approached to be a trustee for a new UK charity (under E&W law) to form a UK organisation of an international group to directly fun activities here rather than everything having to go through the umbrella German non-profit. I was surprised to be asked as I wouldn't have put myself in the top most senior/active UK people at the time. On reading through what I'd be signing up to, I realised why those other people were passing it on and declined!
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
they can turn up on Saturday in the rain to help dredge the duckpond/make the coffee/man the signal box.
(CC26 alone, on Risk Management, runs to 33 pages and there are over 50 documents listed).
This is bananas. Why would anyone in their right mind sign up to this?
It's a branch of 'The Process State' as described recently by Malmesbury. It's not, of course, that anyone reads all this, it is so that in all circumstances short of the end of the world the Charity Commission have something in writing with which to prove that the elderly trustee of the Great Snoring Duck Pond Society is not only in error but ought to have known he was in error when dredging with a rake without a risk assessment being agreed by the trustees.
Looks like AI could be the saviour of the in person business meeting long term. More difficult to fake an actual real life person than a video.
Good point
Also, long term, might it impact Working From Home? How easy will it be to "fake yourself" and apparently attend Teams and make calls and send emails when in fact you've just got ChatGPT5 set up to do everything and you are on a 4 month wanking holiday in Puglia
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
Oddly enough the same last twelve months has seen this normally Tory voter decide to vote Labour in the next GE for the first time in 50 years. Any indication of a return to sympathy with their friends in Hamas would change me back again, and possibly a few million others.
To seek to govern is to be willing to make choices.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
they can turn up on Saturday in the rain to help dredge the duckpond/make the coffee/man the signal box.
(CC26 alone, on Risk Management, runs to 33 pages and there are over 50 documents listed).
This is bananas. Why would anyone in their right mind sign up to this?
It's a branch of 'The Process State' as described recently by Malmesbury. It's not, of course, that anyone reads all this, it is so that in all circumstances short of the end of the world the Charity Commission have something in writing with which to prove that the elderly trustee of the Great Snoring Duck Pond Society is not only in error but ought to have known he was in error when dredging with a rake without a risk assessment being agreed by the trustees.
Nonsense. To start with the trustee would have had to fill out the 2,544 page form on contingency planning for the End Of The World. This would need to specify the training in rake handling, risk assessment methodology, risk assessment for each scenario - Zombies, Alien invasion, Alien AI invasion etc.
The issue of Xenophobia and Necrophobia expressed in these sections is an ongoing concern for the Charities Commission.
Can't get veterinary certificates issued in France, can't send this week's shipment of medium-risk meat products. So job stopped. We have perhaps 36 hours to get this moving or we're in danger of losing big chunks of the business we've built up in the UK over the last few years.
In 2024, we might have a Tory election campaign based entirely on religion. Sunak attacks the CofE on dodgy asylum conversions, while funding attack ads claiming Labour has betrayed Gaza:
It’s like they’ve looked at the hell that is the American Culture War, and thought Great, that looks good, let’s ship it over here
How's your might have to pop your vote Labour cherry thing going?
lol. Yes. Abstention looking more likely, right now
Weird thing is I am pleased with some of the economic stuff, don't mind any of their foreign policy stuff, but this Wokeness is genuinely calamitous
They are going down the explosively stupid equity route, as far as I can see: ie if there is any pay differential between ethnic groups in a profession, that is ipso facto proof of racism in the system. There must be equality of OUTCOME not just opportunity
So there can't be any other reason why Jews do better in law or Indians in STEM, if there is a difference between them and say Roma it must be systemic racism. Utter madness
Proponents of "equity" rarely seem to acknowledge that equalising outcomes has to be a two way street. If there are minority groups that are overrepresented in prestige fields (and clearly there are), then firms/professions logically would need a strategy for limiting the numbers they hire from those groups, as well as for increasing representation for underrepresented minorities. It's a zero sum game.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
That’s actually scary as hell. The victim, a company accountant, was the only real person on the call, his ‘colleagues’ all being artificial images. They discussed a new project and the CFO asked the victim to transfer the money.
Remember this stuff doesn’t need to be perfect, it only needs to be good enough to fool someone who’s not expecting it.
It will definitely wake up a lot of companies when it comes to processes around bank accounts and records of meetings.
That’s actually scary as hell. The victim, a company accountant, was the only real person on the call, his ‘colleagues’ all being artificial images. They discussed a new project and the CFO asked the victim to transfer the money.
Remember this stuff doesn’t need to be perfect, it only needs to be good enough to fool someone who’s not expecting it.
It will definitely wake up a lot of companies when it comes to processes around bank accounts and records of meetings.
Warning signs -
1) All participants having the camera on 2) All participants dressed in business attire 3) All participants paying attention.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
It’s like they’ve looked at the hell that is the American Culture War, and thought Great, that looks good, let’s ship it over here
How's your might have to pop your vote Labour cherry thing going?
lol. Yes. Abstention looking more likely, right now
Weird thing is I am pleased with some of the economic stuff, don't mind any of their foreign policy stuff, but this Wokeness is genuinely calamitous
They are going down the explosively stupid equity route, as far as I can see: ie if there is any pay differential between ethnic groups in a profession, that is ipso facto proof of racism in the system. There must be equality of OUTCOME not just opportunity
So there can't be any other reason why Jews do better in law or Indians in STEM, if there is a difference between them and say Roma it must be systemic racism. Utter madness
Proponents of "equity" rarely seem to acknowledge that equalising outcomes has to be a two way street. If there are minority groups that are overrepresented in prestige fields (and clearly there are), then firms/professions logically would need a strategy for limiting the numbers they hire from those groups, as well as for increasing representation for underrepresented minorities. It's a zero sum game.
Of course. Which led to Ivy League universities having maximum quotas for Jews and East Asians and now whites, drastically limiting their numbers, so as to let in more blacks and Hispanics, creating a legal minefield and an entire, parasitic industry dedicated to getting round court judgements that keep striking down this racist discrimination
Read across for the corporate sector and everywhere else
And Labour has looked at this poisonous mess and thought Yeah, let's have all that in Britain
That’s actually scary as hell. The victim, a company accountant, was the only real person on the call, his ‘colleagues’ all being artificial images. They discussed a new project and the CFO asked the victim to transfer the money.
Remember this stuff doesn’t need to be perfect, it only needs to be good enough to fool someone who’s not expecting it.
It will definitely wake up a lot of companies when it comes to processes around bank accounts and records of meetings.
Yes, all the frightening Black Mirror-y scifi dystopias around AI are now coming true, thick and fast
Can't get veterinary certificates issued in France, can't send this week's shipment of medium-risk meat products. So job stopped. We have perhaps 36 hours to get this moving or we're in danger of losing big chunks of the business we've built up in the UK over the last few years.
Are you absolutely sure you are thinking positively enough.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
This is the second poll in short succession where digging into the sample and results presentation yields different conclusions to that posted by the media. Is this going to be an election of "creative" polling?
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
I spend nearly all my time in two classic Tory areas (Godalming and rural Oxfordshire) and although I know a few people who are still planning to vote Tory, even they are doing it with a wry smile and don't dispute that it's time for a period in Opposition to reflect on their future direction. Most of my Tory friends are now either not planning to vote ("constructive abstention", one calls it) or switching, with most of those coming straight over to Labour, for the slightly dismaying reason that they don't see any difference between us and the LibDems. The LibDem literature is overwhelmingly focused on getting tactical votes, but that's fading in effectiveness, as people feel the Tories are goners anyway so they might as well just vote for the alternative Government. Both Labour and the LibDems arguably need to switch gear to a more positive and distinctive message to seal their respective deals, though it's awfully tempting to just keep the focus on how useless the Tories are.
There's a UK Polling Report poll on the Kingswood by-election next week predicting a Labour gain, but I'm not sure it's a real poll o just a projection from national polls?
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
This is the second poll in short succession where digging into the sample and results presentation yields different conclusions to that posted by the media. Is this going to be an election of "creative" polling?
Almost certainly, especially on controversial subjects. There’s a fine line between adding your spin and misreading the statistics.
It could be worse though, the American political media is going to be totally full of fake news between now and November, and they don’t have a polling council.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
This is the second poll in short succession where digging into the sample and results presentation yields different conclusions to that posted by the media. Is this going to be an election of "creative" polling?
Policy-driven data, rather than data-driven policy.
It's probably always been there, but two particularly shameless examples in a month or so is a bad thing.
(Besides, the important thing about the Labour Muslim vote is it's geographic concentration in seats that mostly aren't remotely at risk this time round.)
Yes, it really is a thing. Yes, it is *deeply* annoying, when they are rewatching the same TikTok boomerang again and again.
ETA: I actually don't mind if it is a call at sensible volume - it's no different from a conversation. It's the expectation that we all listen to your soundtrack that is insufferable.
Yes it is a thing unfortunately. In South London at least. People seem to use each new shift in technology as an opportunity to be more obnoxious and thoughtless to their fellow human beings.
That’s actually scary as hell. The victim, a company accountant, was the only real person on the call, his ‘colleagues’ all being artificial images. They discussed a new project and the CFO asked the victim to transfer the money.
Remember this stuff doesn’t need to be perfect, it only needs to be good enough to fool someone who’s not expecting it.
It will definitely wake up a lot of companies when it comes to processes around bank accounts and records of meetings.
Sounds to me like this guy got duped by a phishing email and then concocted a cock-and-bull story about Deep Fake to make himself seem less stupid.
Yes it is a thing unfortunately. In South London at least. People seem to use each new shift in technology as an opportunity to be more obnoxious and thoughtless to their fellow human beings.
I use the bus a lot and I can't say I have come across this at all. I am but a mere provincial though. Perhaps we have got this to look forward to?
"Don't know" is the answer people give when they believe they should vote / have always or usually voted, but are unlikely to in this election. The reason that seems to predominantly be people who voted Tory in 2019 is that no one is offering what the Tories offered in 2019, and the Tories are shit. Starmer is trying to tack to the right on social issues and is still wedded to austerity - so he is winning some Tory floaters and those one off Tory voting "Red Wall" voters. He isn't winning dyed in the wool Tories, who are either DK or still voting blue, and he isn't winning those voters who are extremely right wing on social issues (immigration, wokeness, etc) but who would like to see social spending increase (but only for white people, even if they don't say that out loud).
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
This is the second poll in short succession where digging into the sample and results presentation yields different conclusions to that posted by the media. Is this going to be an election of "creative" polling?
Policy-driven data, rather than data-driven policy.
It's probably always been there, but two particularly shameless examples in a month or so is a bad thing.
(Besides, the important thing about the Labour Muslim vote is it's geographic concentration in seats that mostly aren't remotely at risk this time round.)
If you take the ~ 9 to 14 odd % swing to the greens as the most likely will actually happen from this poll then it points to an improvement in the efficiency of the Labour vote as yes they'll have places like Keighley long in the bag from the Tories if things continue as they are.
I spend nearly all my time in two classic Tory areas (Godalming and rural Oxfordshire) and although I know a few people who are still planning to vote Tory, even they are doing it with a wry smile and don't dispute that it's time for a period in Opposition to reflect on their future direction. Most of my Tory friends are now either not planning to vote ("constructive abstention", one calls it) or switching, with most of those coming straight over to Labour, for the slightly dismaying reason that they don't see any difference between us and the LibDems. The LibDem literature is overwhelmingly focused on getting tactical votes, but that's fading in effectiveness, as people feel the Tories are goners anyway so they might as well just vote for the alternative Government. Both Labour and the LibDems arguably need to switch gear to a more positive and distinctive message to seal their respective deals, though it's awfully tempting to just keep the focus on how useless the Tories are.
There's a UK Polling Report poll on the Kingswood by-election next week predicting a Labour gain, but I'm not sure it's a real poll o just a projection from national polls?
I think your comment re the LDs is worryingly accurate @NickPalmer. They should pick up a lot of seats with the anti Tory vote and tactical voting, but with the polls as they are I suspect that in many of these seats instead of the LDs winning it will result in a lot of Tory holds and a big Labour vote, with the possibility of the occasional Labour win coming through from 3rd.
I also agree it is sad that people can't see a distinction between the two parties, which isn't helped by the LD (necessary) tactical voting message.
I hope I am wrong as I want the LDs to do well, but if Labour rack up huge votes in places like Guildford and Godalming it is going to be depressing. In the past it has always been easy to squeeze these. Not sure anymore.
I fucking hate Lloyds and Santander, they’ve ruined my week but allowed me to be smug, still not as bad as HSBC who were the bankers for the IRGC.
Shares in Santander and Lloyds fell after the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported that Iran used accounts held at the banks in the UK to covertly move money around the world as part of a sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Iran's intelligence services.
Lloyds and Santander UK provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based in London, according to documents seen by the FT.
Shares in Madrid-based parent Santander fell as much as 5.8% and were down 5.7% at 0936 GMT, while shares in Lloyds declined 1.8%. Santander shares rose more than 6% last week following 2023 earnings that beat forecasts.
"The market must be realising that they may be fined," said Nuria Alvarez, an analyst at Madrid-based broker Renta 4
Yes, it really is a thing. Yes, it is *deeply* annoying, when they are rewatching the same TikTok boomerang again and again.
Seriously?
On buses only? Or elsewhere? There are people on that thread saying it is everywhere
I take a few Tubes and trains and I've not seen it there. Yet
I've not experienced it on a train - or rather, on the occasions that I have, it has been acceptable to say "sorry, could you put your headphones on".
It happens all the time on buses. (Which I take almost every day.)
Hm. I'd say fifteen years ago this sort of thing was irritatingly ubiquitous. Smartphones were new and exciting and to many teenagers it simply hadn't occurred to them that blasting their shite out to the whole bus might not be welcome. Seriously. They thought they were brightening everyone's journey. In my experience, it's tailed off considerably since then. That said, since I moved outside the M60 I get buses a lot less than I used to. But I get trams A LOT and it happens a lot less on trams than it used to too.
Yes, it really is a thing. Yes, it is *deeply* annoying, when they are rewatching the same TikTok boomerang again and again.
Seriously?
On buses only? Or elsewhere? There are people on that thread saying it is everywhere
I take a few Tubes and trains and I've not seen it there. Yet
I’ve noticed very few people these days seem to leave the room or, for example get up from a table at a social occasion and move away, to take calls. I find it really rude to sit there having a phone call in other people’s presence (apart from at work obviously) and noticed it massively increase probably over the least ten years or so.
I might just be a misery guts but it’s quite obnoxious.
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
I mean, whilst I think it is significant that British Muslims are unhappy with the Labour party - they make up like 7% of the population of the UK and likely less than that in the electorate. They're an important constituency in some specific seats, mostly urban seats in London, Birmingham and Manc, as well as some places like Watford (where ~13% are Muslim) and Luton (where a third of people are Muslim) - but for the national picture it won't mean much for most seats.
Comments
Anyone who has done doorstep politics will tell you that persuading don't know voters to actually vote is Hard Work. Primarily there needs to be something motivating them to step out of their house and head to the polling station. If you don't have that, forget it. Even if you do have that, its hard to motivate them early on polling day, and later on polling day they have settled into the evening routine.
Those voters who are angry will vote - but have likely already identified with their new party. Some will be looking to protest vote and won't yet have plumped for ReFUK/Green/TrotSplinterUnity as they are waiting until there's a list of candidates.
Most? Not voting. As well as the coming Tory ELE we will see a couple of million 2019 voters staying at home. Like in 1997 that will not be good news for the Tories...
My long term hypothesis is that voters who say "don't know" really mean "not you, but I'm too English to say it out loud".
In which case, it's Colourful Metaphor Time for the Conservatives.
PM again the least popular cabinet attender apart from Michael Tomlinson, min for illegal immigration
Last four elections have all been in the 65-68% range, but 2005 was 61% and 2001 was 59%. Less than 60% might well happen this year.
Got to deliver now. Gulp.
For balance, Scotland is also guilty of undermining councils. Increased statutory duties, large real terms cuts in the grant from the SG, frozen council tax dictated by central government.
Councils have decomposed into a impotent bureaucracy, where local councillors receive extreme levels of abuse for desperately funneling cash towards the areas most vulnerable to litigation.
Either devolve tax raising and spending powers to councils or abolish them entirely.
At least in Northern Ireland.
I recall anger at one trawl through the electoral rolls there. Which was characterised as a very necrophobia exercise.
Has he visited Ellora ?
...In any case, nowhere has rock-cut architecture been perfected and developed as in India — here there are more rock-cut buildings than anywhere else on earth.
The most famous example is the vast complex at Ellora, a place that defies explanation and fires the imagination.
https://twitter.com/culturaltutor/status/1754172949257458076
Much like gold plating regulations so that things like child care end up being only affordable for the well off.
I think a much stronger argument can be made for keeping parish/town rather than two levels at district/council as the responsibilities of those councils are far less and if you really want to get involved it's relatively easy to get elected and you can decide whether to have an annual village fete or whatever.
French service sector downturn extends into January, marking its longest period of contraction in over a decade
French service sector business activity falls for eighth month in a row
New business intakes shrink, but confidence picks up
Price pressures intensify
https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/PressRelease/5a01d5c9b88a40c79f751aeab8b1d727
Strongest service sector performance since May 2023
Faster rises in business activity and new orders
Renewed upturn in staffing levels
Cost inflation eases to joint-lowest since February 2021
https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/PressRelease/983758bd175848c78f10343dc3ec8e84
So what are the consequences of the failure of Macronism ?
It’s like they’ve looked at the hell that is the American Culture War, and thought Great, that looks good, let’s ship it over here
It's those who earn just that bit too much for UC support that I think it's the roughest on.
Also the April child tax is very annoying though that'll be gone for April 2023 children, my daughter being the last year (2022) to suffer that particular wrinkle in the system.
Or is there a good reason why it is impossible?
(If they are like most places, they will do nothing and happily ignore the rules, until someone makes them do something.)
Is she going to make more than minimum wage after childcare costs?
Weird thing is I am pleased with some of the economic stuff, don't mind any of their foreign policy stuff, but this Wokeness is genuinely calamitous
They are going down the explosively stupid equity route, as far as I can see: ie if there is any pay differential between ethnic groups in a profession, that is ipso facto proof of racism in the system. There must be equality of OUTCOME not just opportunity
So there can't be any other reason why Jews do better in law or Indians in STEM, if there is a difference between them and say Roma it must be systemic racism. Utter madness
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/list-of-charity-commission-cc-guidance-publications
they can turn up on Saturday in the rain to help dredge the duckpond/make the coffee/man the signal box.
(CC26 alone, on Risk Management, runs to 33 pages and there are over 50 documents listed).
However, given I have a lifelong love and involvement with the railway I seemed to go down ok. No votes against me in the room, and only two abstentions, with everyone else in favour.
Quite pleasing.
(Clackmannanshire enters the chat)
That interesting thread misses out the salt mines of Katowice with their incredible underground shrines and also the eerie rock cut underground opal-mining city of Coober Pedy in Oz - one of the strangest places I have been (slept in an underground hotel)
https://twitter.com/danielgross/status/1754202065029550463
Many congratulations and from my earliest memories, to the day I signalled the flying sotsman past the signal box (c1955) near Berwick-upon-Tweed, to witnessing Mallard in full steam going through Berwick onto the Royal Border Bridge, to trips on the SVR, the Strathspey Railway, Llangollen Railway and others I have had a lifetime love affair with steam trains
I am sure you will make an excellent Trustee
"An HK-based employee of a multinational firm wired out $25M after attending a video call where all employees were deepfaked, including the CFO.
He first got an email which was suspicious but then was reassured on the video call with his “coworkers.”"
https://x.com/pitdesi/status/1754168239574368342?s=20
It would be interesting to see the figures broken down by 2017 or 2015 votes, which are probably a better baseline.
I still think that everything is pointing towards a large Labour landslide, albeit with quite a wide spread of possible outcomes on both sides of the distribution curve.
Labour: 43% (-43)
Conservative: 6% (-4)
Liberal Democrat: 6% (+5)
SNP: 3% (+1)
Green: 10% (+9)
Other: 4% (+4)
Undecided: 23% (N/A)
38% of British Muslims polled saying their views of the party had become more unfavourable over the last 12 months
While 85% said the position of political parties on Israel-Palestine will be important in how they choose to vote at the upcoming general election
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Women & Equalities, was supposed to hold an event today for Labour MPs about ‘Race Equality and Labour’s Missions for Government’ - it has been cancelled,
Oh well Luke Akehurst says https://twitter.com/LeftieStats/status/1713957526020960448/photo/1
So the process provides a shield like steel against fraud, theft, safety, safeguarding etc.
Also, long term, might it impact Working From Home? How easy will it be to "fake yourself" and apparently attend Teams and make calls and send emails when in fact you've just got ChatGPT5 set up to do everything and you are on a 4 month wanking holiday in Puglia
To seek to govern is to be willing to make choices.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/05/british-muslims-losing-trust-in-labour-over-its-handling-of-israel-gaza-war
The issue of Xenophobia and Necrophobia expressed in these sections is an ongoing concern for the Charities Commission.
Can't get veterinary certificates issued in France, can't send this week's shipment of medium-risk meat products. So job stopped. We have perhaps 36 hours to get this moving or we're in danger of losing big chunks of the business we've built up in the UK over the last few years.
https://www.itv.com/news/2024-02-05/british-muslim-support-for-labour-halves-according-to-new-poll
Poll seems a bit dodgy as it compares 100% with 77&
https://www.itv.com/news/2024-02-05/british-muslim-support-for-labour-halves-according-to-new-poll
Remember this stuff doesn’t need to be perfect, it only needs to be good enough to fool someone who’s not expecting it.
It will definitely wake up a lot of companies when it comes to processes around bank accounts and records of meetings.
1) All participants having the camera on
2) All participants dressed in business attire
3) All participants paying attention.
Read across for the corporate sector and everywhere else
And Labour has looked at this poisonous mess and thought Yeah, let's have all that in Britain
This is the second poll in short succession where digging into the sample and results presentation yields different conclusions to that posted by the media. Is this going to be an election of "creative" polling?
There's a UK Polling Report poll on the Kingswood by-election next week predicting a Labour gain, but I'm not sure it's a real poll o just a projection from national polls?
Lab 60% -26%
Con 8% -2%
L Dem 8% +7%
SNP 4% +2%
Green 14% +13%
Other 6% +6%
If you strip others and undecideds out :.
Lab 63% -23%
Con 9% -1%
LD 9% +8%
SNP 4% +2%
Green 15% +14%
If you apply the "Will eventually come home" theory to undecideds it is:
Lab 68% -18%
Con 9% -1%
LD 7% +6%
SNP 4% +2%
Green 12% +11%
It could be worse though, the American political media is going to be totally full of fake news between now and November, and they don’t have a polling council.
It's probably always been there, but two particularly shameless examples in a month or so is a bad thing.
(Besides, the important thing about the Labour Muslim vote is it's geographic concentration in seats that mostly aren't remotely at risk this time round.)
"Every single bus I get on now has people using their phone on loudspeaker. 100%.
This wasn't true two years ago. How does a society restore unspoken, shared community standards? Are there any examples of it being achieved?"
https://x.com/gavinantonyrice/status/1754090255580291366?s=20
I've not encountered this
However,
1. I rarely take buses
2. I am only in the UK half the year
ETA: I actually don't mind if it is a call at sensible volume - it's no different from a conversation. It's the expectation that we all listen to your soundtrack that is insufferable.
On buses only? Or elsewhere? There are people on that thread saying it is everywhere
I take a few Tubes and trains and I've not seen it there. Yet
Noticeable uptick in shouty aggression on the Lizzie Line as well. Everyone is just fed up.
It happens all the time on buses. (Which I take almost every day.)
I also agree it is sad that people can't see a distinction between the two parties, which isn't helped by the LD (necessary) tactical voting message.
I hope I am wrong as I want the LDs to do well, but if Labour rack up huge votes in places like Guildford and Godalming it is going to be depressing. In the past it has always been easy to squeeze these. Not sure anymore.
Shares in Santander and Lloyds fell after the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported that Iran used accounts held at the banks in the UK to covertly move money around the world as part of a sanctions-evasion scheme backed by Iran's intelligence services.
Lloyds and Santander UK provided accounts to British front companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemicals company based in London, according to documents seen by the FT.
Shares in Madrid-based parent Santander fell as much as 5.8% and were down 5.7% at 0936 GMT, while shares in Lloyds declined 1.8%. Santander shares rose more than 6% last week following 2023 earnings that beat forecasts.
"The market must be realising that they may be fined," said Nuria Alvarez, an analyst at Madrid-based broker Renta 4
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shares-santander-lloyds-fall-report-085306742.html
That said, since I moved outside the M60 I get buses a lot less than I used to. But I get trams A LOT and it happens a lot less on trams than it used to too.
I might just be a misery guts but it’s quite obnoxious.