I've been saying for a long time that the smart play for those who think the Democrats will win the election is to lay Trump. It covers all eventualities except one.
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Has anyone considered, whilst piling on about how the Democrats shouldn't have nominated Biden, that this debate was actually their exit strategy?
Like, I'm not saying they wanted this to happen. I'm sure they wanted to wake up today and everyone be singing the praises of Comeback Joe. But they chose to have this debate before the convention. And as someone who's always been resentful of Biden running again (he has a 34% chance of dying before the end of the next term, according to SSA stats) I was really glad they did this. Biden needed to prove he's still up to the job, and this was the quickest, easiest way of proving either way or another.
Now, with little effort, they can get him to step aside and move on and destroy Trump.
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Daft thing to say. Dementia is a progressive condition.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Daft thing to say. Dementia is a progressive condition.
How is it daft?
I am fully aware it’s a progressive condition, but “I am a bit senile but I can still hang on to the nuclear codes til January next year” isn’t a particularly convincing line is it?
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Standing down now also gives Kamala a platform as POTUS rather than just as candidate, it could be a useful boost to her candidacy.
Has anyone considered, whilst piling on about how the Democrats shouldn't have nominated Biden, that this debate was actually their exit strategy?
Like, I'm not saying they wanted this to happen. I'm sure they wanted to wake up today and everyone be singing the praises of Comeback Joe. But they chose to have this debate before the convention. And as someone who's always been resentful of Biden running again (he has a 34% chance of dying before the end of the next term, according to SSA stats) I was really glad they did this. Biden needed to prove he's still up to the job, and this was the quickest, easiest way of proving either way or another.
Now, with little effort, they can get him to step aside and move on and destroy Trump.
That's assuming they can get him to step aside.
The ‘little effort’ is the thing. I know from bitter experience that a stubborn, strong minded(sic) person with dementia is still a stubborn, strong minded person.
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
I also think if he stands down as president then it implies Kamala is also the nominee, you can't really say "I'm leaving you in the capable hands of Kamala here, but obviously I don't mean for her to be president from January lmao"
I hope the DNC get the message - Biden is done. It doesn't matter how awful Trump is and how many clips you have of Trump drooling on about sharks.
Your guy is done.
What you need is (God help me) a Sunak-style debater combined with a Clinton-style operator.
Someone who will skewer Trump's madness but isn't also seen as mad.
Boris! is available but unlikely. Michelle Obama Doesn't Want The Job and Isn't A Politician. Harris, Whitmer, Newsome - meh
If they were brave they would go with Buttigeg who will utterly skewer Trump and all he stands for. A chunk of America won't vote for him because of everything he is. Same was true of Obama, and yet Obama won. Twice.
Yes. You don't need to watch any of the debate (I haven't), or read any of the commentary (only sheet checking here first), to know that Biden had a shocker.
Will the Democrats manage to replace Biden? Is Newsom the best they can do? They lost in 2016 with a New York Democrat, do they want to lose in 2024 with a Californian?
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
I also think if he stands down as president then it implies Kamala is also the nominee, you can't really say "I'm leaving you in the capable hands of Kamala here, but obviously I don't mean for her to be president from January lmao"
The tragedy is that Harris may well be very capable, but he now hasn't left her much time to prove this.
On Leon’s mockery of people who point out that Biden has a stammer I feel I should point out that I have a stammer which is worsened by stress and (unusually) alcohol. At my worst I would be less coherent than Biden was last night. The worst thing is that because you desperately try to substitute any word you can actually get out it makes you sound stupid. I’m youngish so people don’t attribute it to senility but I could see how they could if I were older.
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
Has anyone considered, whilst piling on about how the Democrats shouldn't have nominated Biden, that this debate was actually their exit strategy?
Like, I'm not saying they wanted this to happen. I'm sure they wanted to wake up today and everyone be singing the praises of Comeback Joe. But they chose to have this debate before the convention. And as someone who's always been resentful of Biden running again (he has a 34% chance of dying before the end of the next term, according to SSA stats) I was really glad they did this. Biden needed to prove he's still up to the job, and this was the quickest, easiest way of proving either way or another.
Now, with little effort, they can get him to step aside and move on and destroy Trump.
That's assuming they can get him to step aside.
The ‘little effort’ is the thing. I know from bitter experience that a stubborn, strong minded(sic) person with dementia is still a stubborn, strong minded person.
Yep you're right and I don't think I expressed what I meant. I'm hypothesizing that Obama and a few other people have already talked to Biden and this debate was what they gave him as a chance to prove he could still do it. It's entirely possible that Biden knew what the stakes were last night. So what I'm saying is that the deal may already have been done. I hope so!
But if I'm wrong, you are very, very right and we are totally screwed.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
I also think if he stands down as president then it implies Kamala is also the nominee, you can't really say "I'm leaving you in the capable hands of Kamala here, but obviously I don't mean for her to be president from January lmao"
The tragedy is that Harris may well be very capable, but he now hasn't left her much time to prove this.
True, OTOH she could do 3 months of pure campaigning mode. Anywhere she wants to send a message she can make an announcement without being too constrained by previous positions. It's not a terrible setup, she'd have a lot of freedom to define herself in whatever way she needed to be defined to reach swing voters.
Thoughts and prayers for Moon Rabbit who said the Labour betting scandal would turn the polls.
If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do
The week’s revelations about betting on the election date dominated recent recollections among our participants, all of whom voted Tory in 2019:
“It’s a metaphor for the whole Conservative period in government. If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do, and they did. And this time they got caught;” “They look after each other, give money to their mates, give tips to their mates;”
“Serious lack of judgment. They weren’t even intelligent enough to get someone else to do it for them.”
Most did not think Rishi Sunak was implicated in this particular scandal (“I’d like to think he’s not, but you just don’t know. You can’t trust them;”), but this was beside the point: “They should be there doing a job and we should trust what they’re doing.
But it seems like on every occasion, they’re breaking the law and getting away with it;” “He gave his wife £100,000 in furlough and she didn’t pay taxes and he went along with that;” “It’s like the parties during covid when we were told not to do something, and the politicians didn’t take a blind bit of notice and did things we couldn’t do. It seems to be an ongoing thing from that;”
“You’ve had someone in the Labour party gambling now as well and Starmer got rid of him straight away. So he responded very much quicker than Rishi did.”
I hope the DNC get the message - Biden is done. It doesn't matter how awful Trump is and how many clips you have of Trump drooling on about sharks.
Your guy is done.
What you need is (God help me) a Sunak-style debater combined with a Clinton-style operator.
Someone who will skewer Trump's madness but isn't also seen as mad.
Boris! is available but unlikely. Michelle Obama Doesn't Want The Job and Isn't A Politician. Harris, Whitmer, Newsome - meh
If they were brave they would go with Buttigeg who will utterly skewer Trump and all he stands for. A chunk of America won't vote for him because of everything he is. Same was true of Obama, and yet Obama won. Twice.
Who else is there? Other than Boris of course.
Didn't Johnson relinquish his US citizenship over tax matters?
So not that bumbling fat oaf for POTUS and on a technicality. Besides which he's shilling for Trump.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Almost all Scots schools skail today (IIRC not Aberdeenshire/Aberdeen for some reason, which may have implications for the PB Candidate in ANME).
And that's assuming the parents have put in a postal vote application.
Disproportionately affects the generation with school age children, disproportionately does not affect the oldies who go on hols at cheaper times. A feature not a bug for Mr Sunak.
"But the climate influencer might want to have a look at her own carbon footprint. She has already flown twice to the Caribbean this year, a 9,000-mile round trip. First in January to see relatives in Jamaica, where she was born before moving to the UK as a toddler, and then in March to join 120 activists for a “climate justice camp” on the exotic island of Saint Martin.
This is despite declaring in 2019 she would go “flight-free”.
Addressing the “Elephant in the Room” on Instagram following her recent trips abroad, Loach told her followers she felt she didn’t have “to justify my whole life to everyone”, claiming criticism of her apparent U-Turn was simply a “distraction tactic” used by major corporations."
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Post has been increasingly erratic for the last few years.
Postal votes are not going to be practical soon. Simply too unreliable soon.
It seems the Democrats have a choice. Go ahead with an elderly man in the first stages of dementia and all that entails, meaning that he has to be protected from the press and the outside world. Or change now.
George the third managed for a while but times have changed. Trump may well be barmy,and anyone with half a brain should be able to beat him. Can I suggest an attractive female without the baggage of Hilary Clinton?
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Hi MP, I'm in waist deep on a small Tory majority. I have been reading your stuff on here and am a big fan. When it comes in you and I will be in fucking gravy.
My wife's arrived on Tuesday and she was going to post it the same day. I advised she used pen, not pencil, and I drove it round to the council offices myself. But with the sort of thing you point out in Vale of Glamorgan it appears that the Conservatives will win whatever happens.
I was astonished how fast things escalated yesterday after I called for biblical rain after Glastonbury attendees held my train up and I missed my onward bus.
Within an hour someone had called on a tactical nuclear device to be let off thede (which seemed to be going a little bit far) and @rcs1000 rushed to reassure anxious readers that the PB servers are not in the area.
Anyway, the festival organisers have convened and decided in the true spirit of self regulation to ban the England football from being shown on the big screens and they will have to listen to some ghastly band wailing while they poison the local eels with their drug riddled effluent instead.
I don’t often get fremdschamen listening to the news but this morning whenever they play Biden’s ramblings I have to cover my ears or turn the volume to mute as it’s so sad and embarrassing.
It should never have been allowed to get to a point where the clip of Trump saying “I didn’t understand what he was saying at the end there, and I don’t think he did either” sounded like the comment of a cool, sensible customer.
And the whole “I got my handicap as vice president” golf bollocks was the pits.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Thoughts and prayers for Moon Rabbit who said the Labour betting scandal would turn the polls.
If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do
The week’s revelations about betting on the election date dominated recent recollections among our participants, all of whom voted Tory in 2019:
“It’s a metaphor for the whole Conservative period in government. If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do, and they did. And this time they got caught;” “They look after each other, give money to their mates, give tips to their mates;”
“Serious lack of judgment. They weren’t even intelligent enough to get someone else to do it for them.”
Most did not think Rishi Sunak was implicated in this particular scandal (“I’d like to think he’s not, but you just don’t know. You can’t trust them;”), but this was beside the point: “They should be there doing a job and we should trust what they’re doing.
But it seems like on every occasion, they’re breaking the law and getting away with it;” “He gave his wife £100,000 in furlough and she didn’t pay taxes and he went along with that;” “It’s like the parties during covid when we were told not to do something, and the politicians didn’t take a blind bit of notice and did things we couldn’t do. It seems to be an ongoing thing from that;”
“You’ve had someone in the Labour party gambling now as well and Starmer got rid of him straight away. So he responded very much quicker than Rishi did.”
It seems the Democrats have a choice. Go ahead with an elderly man in the first stages of dementia and all that entails, meaning that he has to be protected from the press and the outside world. Or change now.
George the third managed for a while but times have changed. Trump may well be barmy,and anyone with half a brain should be able to beat him. Can I suggest an attractive female without the baggage of Hilary Clinton?
I don’t often get fremdschamen listening to the news but this morning whenever they play Biden’s ramblings I have to cover my ears or turn the volume to mute as it’s so sad and embarrassing.
It should never have been allowed to get to a point where the clip of Trump saying “I didn’t understand what he was saying at the end there, and I don’t think he did either” sounded like the comment of a cool, sensible customer.
And the whole “I got my handicap as vice president” golf bollocks was the pits.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Has anyone considered, whilst piling on about how the Democrats shouldn't have nominated Biden, that this debate was actually their exit strategy?
Like, I'm not saying they wanted this to happen. I'm sure they wanted to wake up today and everyone be singing the praises of Comeback Joe. But they chose to have this debate before the convention. And as someone who's always been resentful of Biden running again (he has a 34% chance of dying before the end of the next term, according to SSA stats) I was really glad they did this. Biden needed to prove he's still up to the job, and this was the quickest, easiest way of proving either way or another.
Now, with little effort, they can get him to step aside and move on and destroy Trump.
That's assuming they can get him to step aside.
The ‘little effort’ is the thing. I know from bitter experience that a stubborn, strong minded(sic) person with dementia is still a stubborn, strong minded person.
Yep you're right and I don't think I expressed what I meant. I'm hypothesizing that Obama and a few other people have already talked to Biden and this debate was what they gave him as a chance to prove he could still do it. It's entirely possible that Biden knew what the stakes were last night. So what I'm saying is that the deal may already have been done. I hope so!
But if I'm wrong, you are very, very right and we are totally screwed.
I certainly hope you’re right! If Biden can be persuaded to be the bigger man (which he is on all measures to Trump) and do the right thing by his party, his country and the world, that might work. He still has a chance to leave a noble legacy with a final act.
Got up late and just watched it. Seriously terrible for Biden, how can his family let him carry on like this with a clean conscience? We’ve all had to deal with elderly parents or grandparents who need to be told when to step back and enjoy what’s left of their lives, but it feels as if Biden is being tortured by those closest to him to stay in the race.
I don’t often get fremdschamen listening to the news but this morning whenever they play Biden’s ramblings I have to cover my ears or turn the volume to mute as it’s so sad and embarrassing.
It should never have been allowed to get to a point where the clip of Trump saying “I didn’t understand what he was saying at the end there, and I don’t think he did either” sounded like the comment of a cool, sensible customer.
And the whole “I got my handicap as vice president” golf bollocks was the pits.
Very sad for Biden, sad for the US and the world.
I missed it. Was it worse than watching England v Slovenia the other day?
"But the climate influencer might want to have a look at her own carbon footprint. She has already flown twice to the Caribbean this year, a 9,000-mile round trip. First in January to see relatives in Jamaica, where she was born before moving to the UK as a toddler, and then in March to join 120 activists for a “climate justice camp” on the exotic island of Saint Martin.
This is despite declaring in 2019 she would go “flight-free”.
Addressing the “Elephant in the Room” on Instagram following her recent trips abroad, Loach told her followers she felt she didn’t have “to justify my whole life to everyone”, claiming criticism of her apparent U-Turn was simply a “distraction tactic” used by major corporations."
Another example of why carbon emissions as a moral purity test is so stupid. It’s the same as treating obesity as a moral purity test. It lets the polluters and governments off the hook.
It’s a problem of industrial waste disposal. It should be treated as such.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Post has been increasingly erratic for the last few years.
Postal votes are not going to be practical soon. Simply too unreliable soon.
Good thing we are handing the Royal Mail over to a Czech. That's our democracy safe for the couple of decades while we transition to an electronic system on Fujitsu software.
Necessary though - with the Tories at or past a tipping point dozens of seats could change hands on very little vote share difference, there could be lots of very small majorities.
On Leon’s mockery of people who point out that Biden has a stammer I feel I should point out that I have a stammer which is worsened by stress and (unusually) alcohol. At my worst I would be less coherent than Biden was last night. The worst thing is that because you desperately try to substitute any word you can actually get out it makes you sound stupid. I’m youngish so people don’t attribute it to senility but I could see how they could if I were older.
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
I have a very good friend with a very bad stammer and I know how cruel and difficult it can be. I also know what it looks like. You have my sincere sympathies
But anyone with eyes can see that Biden exhibits bizarre, rambling, incoherent and sometimes meaningless speech patterns which go way beyond “a stammer”. Again this has been self evident for a couple of years but people have bluntly refused to believe it. Later on I will spend several weeks relentlessly digging up their remarks and putting them on here for month after month so they can be publicly humiliated but I won’t do any more than that because I’m not the vindictive, triumphalist type. It’s just not me. There’s no way I’ll spend more than three months sadistically laughing at these hapless twats that I am about to name
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Daft thing to say. Dementia is a progressive condition.
How is it daft?
I am fully aware it’s a progressive condition, but “I am a bit senile but I can still hang on to the nuclear codes til January next year” isn’t a particularly convincing line is it?
But the line doesn’t have to be that, it can be, “I’m fine now, but I may not be in 2027 and 2028, so someone else should be the candidate.”
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
For 2020, you could make the reasonable argument that ‘only Biden could beat Trump’.
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Post has been increasingly erratic for the last few years.
Postal votes are not going to be practical soon. Simply too unreliable soon.
Good thing we are handing the Royal Mail over to a Czech. That's our democracy safe for the couple of decades while we transition to an electronic system on Fujitsu software.
We're not handing it over, we're selling it to give the money for a few more foreign holidays.
And a trillion quid of assets has gone the same way over the last few decades.
Last night’s debate with Trump was like the first morning of a test match for Biden - he could not win the Presidency with a good performance but he could lose it with a bad one. And he has. The free world needs a new Democrat at the top of the ticket.
Whether Biden actually has early stage dementia or not is besides the point (I very much doubt he does, he's just getting old), the perception is everything. He cannot now win. He needs replacing. The plus side for the Democrats - and the rest of us - is that Trump is that Trump has spent the last few years preparing to take on Biden specifically. At his age, he would struggle to adapt to a new opponent.
Clearly main thing here is the disgusting comments. But it also caps off a week of Reform reinforcing their “10-20% problem”. People beyond their core support who like Farage being plain speaking but are hesitant about voting Reform because of Ukraine, racist comments, weirdness
Also notable in our groups another criticism has emerged that Farage led the Brexit charge & then disappeared from the stage. Somewhat unfair given he wasn’t in Government & did come back to lead the Brexit Party- but still a perception he left others to do the work of Brexiting
Necessary though - with the Tories at or past a tipping point dozens of seats could change hands on very little vote share difference, there could be lots of very small majorities.
Another interesting feature of that aggregator is that you can filter on the seats that all the aggregators agree on for each party - the 'nailed-on' seats maybe.
Doing so gives you: Lab 335 LD 21 Con 11 SNP 5 PC 2 Green 0 Ref 0
The issue is no one knows what the Tory party vote will be. 24-25% and the Tories get 155 even 200 seats 19% and 50 seats would be lucky
Morning all. Yeah, the vote share is a key factor. Going in to the election i think they believed they could get away with a 30%/200 seat strategy, but with Reform and endless ineptitude thats really now a 25%/160 seat thing. 25% seems reasonable if Reform underperform and at that level they would certainly be in triple figures and official opposition. Its increasingly perilous every 1% they drop under
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Hi MP, I'm in waist deep on a small Tory majority. I have been reading your stuff on here and am a big fan. When it comes in you and I will be in fucking gravy.
My wife's arrived on Tuesday and she was going to post it the same day. I advised she used pen, not pencil, and I drove it round to the council offices myself. But with the sort of thing you point out in Vale of Glamorgan it appears that the Conservatives will win whatever happens.
I hope you didn't just pop it in the council's letter box, you have to go through some arcane vetting process
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Quite a few people I know - me included - still haven't received their polling cards. It's not s big a deal but it does suggest a very widespread problem.
The fairly extensive cover of the RefUK bigotgate is interesting. The one point they seem to be missing is that they are not challenging Farage's "few bad apples" excuses.
The people in the 10 minute C4 video are a canvasser who has known Farage for years, and core people from the national campaign - long term associated of Farage - who have been brought in to Clacton.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Quite a few people I know - me included - still haven't received their polling cards. It's not s big a deal but it does suggest a very widespread problem.
Surely people affected can apply for a proxy vote instead?
"Democrats who have defended the president for months against his doubters — including members of his own administration — traded frenzied phone calls and text messages within minutes of the start of the debate as it became clear that Mr. Biden was not at his sharpest. Practically in despair, some took to social media to express shock, while others privately discussed among themselves whether it was too late to persuade the president to step aside in favor of a younger candidate."
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
My son's postal vote in the Vale of Glamorgan hasn't arrived. He was told they were being posted on Monday, still nothing yesterday.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
Hi MP, I'm in waist deep on a small Tory majority. I have been reading your stuff on here and am a big fan. When it comes in you and I will be in fucking gravy.
My wife's arrived on Tuesday and she was going to post it the same day. I advised she used pen, not pencil, and I drove it round to the council offices myself. But with the sort of thing you point out in Vale of Glamorgan it appears that the Conservatives will win whatever happens.
My hunch is entirely reliant on my 1992 disappointment and my reading of some outrageous voter suppression and foreign voter rule changes.
I am aware that the science is entirely contrary to my expectations, but I don't believe the polling and the MRP figures are absurd. Take North Herefordshire as an example.
Both parties are going to be within 50 seats either way of 300. I will be more than relieved if I am wrong and Labour are 350 and Tories 250. But haven't we seen evidence on here of Conservative waverers like BigG coming home just in time for Thursday?
For 2020, you could make the reasonable argument that ‘only Biden could beat Trump’.
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
I think it will have to be Harris, unless she can be persuaded to step aside for the greater good.
I think Harris would have a better chance than Biden, who appears to have no chance right now.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Seems like Biden has blown it. Not unpredictable. I must say if Trump now wins thank goodness Starmer and not Sunak will be in charge. Despite his appearance of pusillanimity underneath we know him to be a committed European and if ever we'll have needed to be part of a united Europe this is the time
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
No, it's not too late to change. I'd say it's odds on that Biden will (perhaps with some heavy persuasion being necessary) step down before the Democratic convention.
For 2020, you could make the reasonable argument that ‘only Biden could beat Trump’.
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
I think it will have to be Harris, unless she can be persuaded to step aside for the greater good.
I think Harris would have a better chance than Biden, who appears to have no chance right now.
Yep. All very upsetting if you have been rooting for Biden. Looks that way. Convention will need to move him aside now unless his wife can see this can't go on.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Quite a few people I know - me included - still haven't received their polling cards. It's not s big a deal but it does suggest a very widespread problem.
Anecdata but I have noticed the post here in this part of Scotland has become very much more erratic over the last month or so. Days without post have increased, and deliveries have become much lumpier.
Well don't the people who have defended Biden running again look like bloody idiots now? Not that Biden's frailties should come as a surprise to anyone who looked honestly at him over the last few years.
On Radio 5 this morning they spoke to a Professor of American politics, an American, and his first comment said dead straight was "pray for America". He's not wrong. Divine intervention is what is needed now to save America and the World from calamity.
Just waking up to this news. It sounds like a friggin' disaster.
I'm terrified. The full extent of Trump's criminality, viciousness, and contempt for democracy and rule of law is no joke, yet he looks likely to win - at the most positive interpretation Democrats are still worried and divided. And that's despite Trump also being rambling and incoherent.
I'd vote for a comatose Biden over Trump. But I don't think swing state voters would.
And that's before worrying about the interference state houses reps have essentially promised this time.
On Leon’s mockery of people who point out that Biden has a stammer I feel I should point out that I have a stammer which is worsened by stress and (unusually) alcohol. At my worst I would be less coherent than Biden was last night. The worst thing is that because you desperately try to substitute any word you can actually get out it makes you sound stupid. I’m youngish so people don’t attribute it to senility but I could see how they could if I were older.
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
I have a very good friend with a very bad stammer and I know how cruel and difficult it can be. I also know what it looks like. You have my sincere sympathies
But anyone with eyes can see that Biden exhibits bizarre, rambling, incoherent and sometimes meaningless speech patterns which go way beyond “a stammer”. Again this has been self evident for a couple of years but people have bluntly refused to believe it. Later on I will spend several weeks relentlessly digging up their remarks and putting them on here for month after month so they can be publicly humiliated but I won’t do any more than that because I’m not the vindictive, triumphalist type. It’s just not me. There’s no way I’ll spend more than three months sadistically laughing at these hapless twats that I am about to name
Beautiful company, beautiful, guy’s been doing it for 50 years, sells hundreds of boats, they use Mercury engines, they want to take that out, they want to make it all-electric, I asked, “How is it?” He said, ‘It’s a problem, sir, they want us to make all electric boats, the problem is, the boat is so heavy, it can’t float.’ I said, ‘that sounds like a problem.’ He said, ‘also it can’t go fast because of the weight, and they want to now have a 50 mile or 70 mile radius, you have to go out 70 miles before you can really start the boat up, and you go out at two knots, that’s essentially almost like two miles an hour.’ I said, ‘How long does it take you to get out there?’ He said, ‘many hours, and then you’re allowed to go around for ten minutes, and then you have to come back, because the battery only lasts a very short period of time.’ So I said, ‘let me ask you a question,’ and he said, 'nobody has ever asked this question,’ and it must because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. ‘Very smart,’ he goes. I say, ‘What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you’re in the boat, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery’s now under water, and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there — by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lotta shark attacks — I watched some guys justifying it today, ‘well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were, they were … not hungry but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy.’ He said, ‘there’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming,’ No, really got decimated and other people too, a lot of shark attacks, so I said, ‘there’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards, or here. Do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking, water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking? Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted?’ Because I will tell you, he didn’t know the answer, he said, ‘you know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’ I said, ‘I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water.’ But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time. I’m not getting near the shark. So we’re going to end that, we’re going to end it for boats, we’re going to end it for trucks.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
And then they'll all find out how fragile a thing a democracy is.
Seems like Biden has blown it. Not unpredictable. I must say if Trump now wins thank goodness Starmer and not Sunak will be in charge. Despite his appearance of pusillanimity underneath we know him to be a committed European and if ever we'll have needed to be part of a united Europe this is the time
FFS Roger. Let it go. We lost. I was sad too. Move on. If you want the UK to rejoin maybe consider rejoining the UK so you have a better idea of what might move the dial. Bleating like yours lost the Referendum for us in the first place and is not helping yours and ( to some extent even though you and James O'Brien are testing it) my cause.
The Trump campaign already has a brutal ad of Biden’s bad moments. They simply have to play this on tv again and again
Indeed the debate was so bad they could compile three or four entirely different ads making the same cruel but necessary point. Also watch the scenes of Biden being led away from the podium by his wife. He is a very frail and senile old man. It is utterly wrong in a basic way that this is being allowed to happen and all those that facilitate it in the USA should be ashamed
However the Dems now have one last chance to put this right
For 2020, you could make the reasonable argument that ‘only Biden could beat Trump’.
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
I think it will have to be Harris, unless she can be persuaded to step aside for the greater good.
I think Harris would have a better chance than Biden, who appears to have no chance right now.
Yes agreed. If it’s not Harris, or Michelle Obama, then how do you convince millions of Black Women voters “Well we’re passing over Harris.”
I’ve seen some people suggest Whitmer-Warnock as a potential compromise balanced ticket. But I still don’t think that assuages the above.
And how do you sell the message “The last 4 years have been a success…and now we are ditching both the President and VP” ? You can do it for age reasons if it was just Biden - but it looks a hard sell where Harris is concerned.
For 2020, you could make the reasonable argument that ‘only Biden could beat Trump’.
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
I think it will have to be Harris, unless she can be persuaded to step aside for the greater good.
I think Harris would have a better chance than Biden, who appears to have no chance right now.
Yep. All very upsetting if you have been rooting for Biden. Looks that way. Convention will need to move him aside now unless his wife can see this can't go on.
If Biden doesn't step down then the convention is likely to be chaos.
Listening to parts of the debate, I couldn't find a single thing said by Mr Trump that was actually true.
Except perhaps "My name is Donald Trump".
BBC coverage not making the point at all, beyond a polite "Trump made unsubstantiated statements."
Presentation, presentation, presentation.
Trump lies continously. I honestly can't think of any other person who so routinely lies about things, and so many of his lies are easily disproven. Anyone who supports clearly doesn't give a damn about whether Trump is suitable for the job, they just want to stick it to people they don't like such as liberals/gays/blacks/women/immigrants.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
No, it's not too late to change. I'd say it's odds on that Biden will (perhaps with some heavy persuasion being necessary) step down before the Democratic convention.
So they've got a month and a half.
And that destroys the campaign and immediately hands the election to Trump.
It's not procedurally too late, but it is practically.
What, the Dems are going to admit either they made a mistake, that Biden has had a sudden deterioration, or Trump beat Biden so they realised he could not last 4 years even if he's fine now?
What does that do for the prospects of Harris, Buttering, or whoever?
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
Btw I’ve been going over the history of “Biden is senile, no he’s not” arguments - the best of them are hilarious, I’ll post later - but I’ve noted how lucid and articulate you’ve been on this for many months. You said it a year ago and six months ago. “Biden is losing his mind and this is bad, people are in denial”
So well done you. Seriously
Also @Luckyguy1983 - absolutely clear that Biden is senile and was roundly abused on here for saying it. Deserves an apology
@DPJHodges Key thing about the Biden car-crash. Trump won’t run against him. He’ll run against Harris. And say -correctly - if Biden wins she will become President by default.
Listening to parts of the debate, I couldn't find a single thing said by Mr Trump that was actually true.
Except perhaps "My name is Donald Trump".
BBC coverage not making the point at all, beyond a polite "Trump made unsubstantiated statements."
Presentation, presentation, presentation.
Trump lies continously. I honestly can't think of any other person who so routinely lies about things, and so many of his lies are easily disproven. Anyone who supports clearly doesn't give a damn about whether Trump is suitable for the job, they just want to stick it to people they don't like such as liberals/gays/blacks/women/immigrants.
He lies about entirely inconsequential things even, it's really very strange.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 3m Key thing about the Biden car-crash. Trump won’t run against him. He’ll run against Harris. And say -correctly - if Biden wins she will become President by default.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
Also unlike last time there is a team behind with a plan to destroy their constitutional checks and balances, it will be far worse than last time and it is generally underestimated how much damage he did last time, the US Judicial system now has decades of right wing bias built in, not just the SCOTUS.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
Who fairly uniquely among recent US precedents, didn't start or wade into any wars.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
Btw I’ve been going over the history of “Biden is senile, no he’s not” arguments - the best of them are hilarious, I’ll post later - but I’ve noted how lucid and articulate you’ve been on this for many months. You said it a year ago and six months ago. “Biden is losing his mind and this is bad, people are in denial”
So well done you. Seriously
Also @Luckyguy1983 - absolutely clear that Biden is senile and was roundly abused on here for saying it. Deserves an apology
When you are in full flow this site is best avoided. Can't you post a photo of your breakfast instead?
On Leon’s mockery of people who point out that Biden has a stammer I feel I should point out that I have a stammer which is worsened by stress and (unusually) alcohol. At my worst I would be less coherent than Biden was last night. The worst thing is that because you desperately try to substitute any word you can actually get out it makes you sound stupid. I’m youngish so people don’t attribute it to senility but I could see how they could if I were older.
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
I have a very good friend with a very bad stammer and I know how cruel and difficult it can be. I also know what it looks like. You have my sincere sympathies
But anyone with eyes can see that Biden exhibits bizarre, rambling, incoherent and sometimes meaningless speech patterns which go way beyond “a stammer”. Again this has been self evident for a couple of years but people have bluntly refused to believe it. Later on I will spend several weeks relentlessly digging up their remarks and putting them on here for month after month so they can be publicly humiliated but I won’t do any more than that because I’m not the vindictive, triumphalist type. It’s just not me. There’s no way I’ll spend more than three months sadistically laughing at these hapless twats that I am about to name
Beautiful company, beautiful, guy’s been doing it for 50 years, sells hundreds of boats, they use Mercury engines, they want to take that out, they want to make it all-electric, I asked, “How is it?” He said, ‘It’s a problem, sir, they want us to make all electric boats, the problem is, the boat is so heavy, it can’t float.’ I said, ‘that sounds like a problem.’ He said, ‘also it can’t go fast because of the weight, and they want to now have a 50 mile or 70 mile radius, you have to go out 70 miles before you can really start the boat up, and you go out at two knots, that’s essentially almost like two miles an hour.’ I said, ‘How long does it take you to get out there?’ He said, ‘many hours, and then you’re allowed to go around for ten minutes, and then you have to come back, because the battery only lasts a very short period of time.’ So I said, ‘let me ask you a question,’ and he said, 'nobody has ever asked this question,’ and it must because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. ‘Very smart,’ he goes. I say, ‘What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you’re in the boat, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery’s now under water, and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there — by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lotta shark attacks — I watched some guys justifying it today, ‘well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were, they were … not hungry but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy.’ He said, ‘there’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming,’ No, really got decimated and other people too, a lot of shark attacks, so I said, ‘there’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards, or here. Do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking, water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking? Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted?’ Because I will tell you, he didn’t know the answer, he said, ‘you know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’ I said, ‘I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water.’ But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time. I’m not getting near the shark. So we’re going to end that, we’re going to end it for boats, we’re going to end it for trucks.
lol. Fair
Trump is also in mental decline - but crucially
1. It’s nowhere near as bad as Biden 2. He looks physically a lot better - ten years younger than Biden 3. He’s still funny - that counts for a lot 4. He’s always rambled so it disguises the decline
I appreciate that the broadcasters are in a difficult position here but why are they not being explicit about what the reform canvasser said. We should stop protecting people by refusing to call out what they say. The BBC might want a trigger warning but they should repeat exactly what was said so people can see how disgusting it is. Calling it a ‘racist slur’ just softens the impact in a very inappropriate way.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
Listening to parts of the debate, I couldn't find a single thing said by Mr Trump that was actually true.
Except perhaps "My name is Donald Trump".
BBC coverage not making the point at all, beyond a polite "Trump made unsubstantiated statements."
Presentation, presentation, presentation.
Trump lies continously. I honestly can't think of any other person who so routinely lies about things, and so many of his lies are easily disproven. Anyone who supports clearly doesn't give a damn about whether Trump is suitable for the job, they just want to stick it to people they don't like such as liberals/gays/blacks/women/immigrants.
He lies about entirely inconsequential things even, it's really very strange.
I think that a fair amount is perhaps from his boilerplate stump speech.
But I have not been able to bring myself to listen to the approx. 1 hour of that.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
No, it's not too late to change. I'd say it's odds on that Biden will (perhaps with some heavy persuasion being necessary) step down before the Democratic convention.
So they've got a month and a half.
Even in my ignorance I’ve assumed there are still options for the Dems. I was slightly taken aback when during a discussion this morning between Justin Webb and Sarah Smith (which is one definition of vapidity) that Smith, the BBC North American editor, admitted not knowing the rules governing any Biden replacement.
It's too late to change from Biden. If they thought they had an option to go for someone else, well, they still might have arrived at this point because taking down an incumbent is very difficult. There's no consensus on who would pick up the baton either, even though Harris is obvious.
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
Who fairly uniquely among recent US precedents, didn't start or wade into any wars.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
There is a problem brewing with postal votes (possibly only in Scotland). Lots of anecdotal evidence of them not arriving in time before people go on holiday.
Scottish voters miss out on general election as postal ballots arrive late Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
On Leon’s mockery of people who point out that Biden has a stammer I feel I should point out that I have a stammer which is worsened by stress and (unusually) alcohol. At my worst I would be less coherent than Biden was last night. The worst thing is that because you desperately try to substitute any word you can actually get out it makes you sound stupid. I’m youngish so people don’t attribute it to senility but I could see how they could if I were older.
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
I have a very good friend with a very bad stammer and I know how cruel and difficult it can be. I also know what it looks like. You have my sincere sympathies
But anyone with eyes can see that Biden exhibits bizarre, rambling, incoherent and sometimes meaningless speech patterns which go way beyond “a stammer”. Again this has been self evident for a couple of years but people have bluntly refused to believe it. Later on I will spend several weeks relentlessly digging up their remarks and putting them on here for month after month so they can be publicly humiliated but I won’t do any more than that because I’m not the vindictive, triumphalist type. It’s just not me. There’s no way I’ll spend more than three months sadistically laughing at these hapless twats that I am about to name
Beautiful company, beautiful, guy’s been doing it for 50 years, sells hundreds of boats, they use Mercury engines, they want to take that out, they want to make it all-electric, I asked, “How is it?” He said, ‘It’s a problem, sir, they want us to make all electric boats, the problem is, the boat is so heavy, it can’t float.’ I said, ‘that sounds like a problem.’ He said, ‘also it can’t go fast because of the weight, and they want to now have a 50 mile or 70 mile radius, you have to go out 70 miles before you can really start the boat up, and you go out at two knots, that’s essentially almost like two miles an hour.’ I said, ‘How long does it take you to get out there?’ He said, ‘many hours, and then you’re allowed to go around for ten minutes, and then you have to come back, because the battery only lasts a very short period of time.’ So I said, ‘let me ask you a question,’ and he said, 'nobody has ever asked this question,’ and it must because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. ‘Very smart,’ he goes. I say, ‘What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you’re in the boat, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery’s now under water, and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there — by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lotta shark attacks — I watched some guys justifying it today, ‘well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were, they were … not hungry but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy.’ He said, ‘there’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming,’ No, really got decimated and other people too, a lot of shark attacks, so I said, ‘there’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards, or here. Do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking, water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking? Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted?’ Because I will tell you, he didn’t know the answer, he said, ‘you know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’ I said, ‘I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water.’ But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time. I’m not getting near the shark. So we’re going to end that, we’re going to end it for boats, we’re going to end it for trucks.
lol. Fair
Trump is also in mental decline - but crucially
1. It’s nowhere near as bad as Biden 2. He looks physically a lot better - ten years younger than Biden 3. He’s still funny - that counts for a lot 4. He’s always rambled so it disguises the decline
You probably believe Trump shoots under par rounds of golf too.
Comments
Listening to parts of the debate, I couldn't find a single thing said by Mr Trump that was actually true.
Except perhaps "My name is Donald Trump".
BBC coverage not making the point at all, beyond a polite "Trump made unsubstantiated statements."
Presentation, presentation, presentation.
It covers all eventualities except one.
They have also put an aggregated Tactical Voting recommendation to it: https://inglesp.github.io/apogee/tactical-voting/
If you are expecting Biden to have to withdraw, then you are expecting him to withdraw on the grounds that he is unable, due to age/infirmity, to continue.
If you think that’s likely, it is hard to see beyond Kamala Harris becoming the next President, whether she is the nominee or not.
Admitting that means admitting you cannot do the job now either.
Has anyone considered, whilst piling on about how the Democrats shouldn't have nominated Biden, that this debate was actually their exit strategy?
Like, I'm not saying they wanted this to happen. I'm sure they wanted to wake up today and everyone be singing the praises of Comeback Joe. But they chose to have this debate before the convention. And as someone who's always been resentful of Biden running again (he has a 34% chance of dying before the end of the next term, according to SSA stats) I was really glad they did this. Biden needed to prove he's still up to the job, and this was the quickest, easiest way of proving either way or another.
Now, with little effort, they can get him to step aside and move on and destroy Trump.
That's assuming they can get him to step aside.
Nonetheless useful.
I am fully aware it’s a progressive condition, but “I am a bit senile but I can still hang on to the nuclear codes til January next year” isn’t a particularly convincing line is it?
Lab: 516-407
Con: 155-53
LibD: 71-38
SNP: 37-9
Grn: 4-0
PC: 4-2
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-climate-activists-taking-down-book-festivals-while-jetting-off-on-long-haul-flights/ar-BB1p0c45?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=fc10a51555f248829a3f526475b8f87a&ei=15
Your guy is done.
What you need is (God help me) a Sunak-style debater combined with a Clinton-style operator.
Someone who will skewer Trump's madness but isn't also seen as mad.
Boris! is available but unlikely. Michelle Obama Doesn't Want The Job and Isn't A Politician. Harris, Whitmer, Newsome - meh
If they were brave they would go with Buttigeg who will utterly skewer Trump and all he stands for. A chunk of America won't vote for him because of everything he is. Same was true of Obama, and yet Obama won. Twice.
Who else is there? Other than Boris of course.
Will the Democrats manage to replace Biden? Is Newsom the best they can do? They lost in 2016 with a New York Democrat, do they want to lose in 2024 with a Californian?
How our Nige took on the racist skinheads and won
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/how-farage-took-on-the-skinheads-and-geezers-of-the-far-right-and-won/ar-BB1p19q1?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=fc10a51555f248829a3f526475b8f87a&ei=10
As it happens I also think that Biden has other related issues too but that doesn’t mean his stammer is still not a problem.
But if I'm wrong, you are very, very right and we are totally screwed.
Of course having applied and not received a postal ballot, the voter simply can't rock up to the polling station and vote.
More voter suppressing Machiavellian genius from Rishi?
If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do
The week’s revelations about betting on the election date dominated recent recollections among our participants, all of whom voted Tory in 2019:
“It’s a metaphor for the whole Conservative period in government. If they can monetise it and steal it, they will do, and they did. And this time they got caught;” “They look after each other, give money to their mates, give tips to their mates;”
“Serious lack of judgment. They weren’t even intelligent enough to get someone else to do it for them.”
Most did not think Rishi Sunak was implicated in this particular scandal (“I’d like to think he’s not, but you just don’t know. You can’t trust them;”), but this was beside the point: “They should be there doing a job and we should trust what they’re doing.
But it seems like on every occasion, they’re breaking the law and getting away with it;” “He gave his wife £100,000 in furlough and she didn’t pay taxes and he went along with that;” “It’s like the parties during covid when we were told not to do something, and the politicians didn’t take a blind bit of notice and did things we couldn’t do. It seems to be an ongoing thing from that;”
“You’ve had someone in the Labour party gambling now as well and Starmer got rid of him straight away. So he responded very much quicker than Rishi did.”
https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2024/06/its-a-metaphor-for-the-whole-conservative-government-my-focus-groups-in-newquay-plymouth-and-ne-somerset/
So not that bumbling fat oaf for POTUS and on a technicality. Besides which he's shilling for Trump.
And that's assuming the parents have put in a postal vote application.
Disproportionately affects the generation with school age children, disproportionately does not affect the oldies who go on hols at cheaper times. A feature not a bug for Mr Sunak.
"But the climate influencer might want to have a look at her own carbon footprint. She has already flown twice to the Caribbean this year, a 9,000-mile round trip. First in January to see relatives in Jamaica, where she was born before moving to the UK as a toddler, and then in March to join 120 activists for a “climate justice camp” on the exotic island of Saint Martin.
This is despite declaring in 2019 she would go “flight-free”.
Addressing the “Elephant in the Room” on Instagram following her recent trips abroad, Loach told her followers she felt she didn’t have “to justify my whole life to everyone”, claiming criticism of her apparent U-Turn was simply a “distraction tactic” used by major corporations."
Postal votes are not going to be practical soon. Simply too unreliable soon.
George the third managed for a while but times have changed. Trump may well be barmy,and anyone with half a brain should be able to beat him. Can I suggest an attractive female without the baggage of Hilary Clinton?
My wife's arrived on Tuesday and she was going to post it the same day. I advised she used pen, not pencil, and I drove it round to the council offices myself. But with the sort of thing you point out in Vale of Glamorgan it appears that the Conservatives will win whatever happens.
Within an hour someone had called on a tactical nuclear device to be let off thede (which seemed to be going a little bit far) and @rcs1000 rushed to reassure anxious readers that the PB servers are not in the area.
Anyway, the festival organisers have convened and decided in the true spirit of self regulation to ban the England football from being shown on the big screens and they will have to listen to some ghastly band wailing while they poison the local eels with their drug riddled effluent instead.
https://x.com/dailystar/status/1806280970774929534?t=DrxYUCv9XXeQC1hYKszBpw&s=09.
Thoughts and prayers with the eels of Glastonbury.
It should never have been allowed to get to a point where the clip of Trump saying “I didn’t understand what he was saying at the end there, and I don’t think he did either” sounded like the comment of a cool, sensible customer.
And the whole “I got my handicap as vice president” golf bollocks was the pits.
Very sad for Biden, sad for the US and the world.
Anger as thousands leave for their holidays before forms turn up after ‘delivery difficulties’
About 25 per cent of the Scottish electorate now vote through the post but voters in several areas, including Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Perthshire, Fife and the Western Isles, said they were still without their papers.
The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has admitted there have been “many difficulties experienced with the delivery of postal votes” across the country.
The EMB, made up of returning officers and electoral registration officers, said there was now a need for a major review of capacity and systems.
Royal Mail said it had investigated concerns over the delivery of postal votes in some areas but had found no issues.
Blair McDougall, a Labour candidate, said: “In a seat in East Renfrewshire which is highly marginal and projections suggest could be won by a handful of votes, it is deeply frustrating to find yourself talking to people who say they will vote for you but cannot because they haven’t received their postal vote. We need the postal service to step up to the plate because this is not people’s fault.”
Some voters said that although they had applied for a postal vote before the cut-off date of June 19, the ballot papers had not arrived before they went on holiday.
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scottish-voters-postal-votes-general-election-3f395n6r3
Has Liz Trust got a US passport?
What were his parents thinking?
If Biden can be persuaded to be the bigger man (which he is on all measures to Trump) and do the right thing by his party, his country and the world, that might work. He still has a chance to leave a noble legacy with a final act.
24-25% and the Tories get 155 even 200 seats
19% and 50 seats would be lucky
It’s a problem of industrial waste disposal. It should be treated as such.
But anyone with eyes can see that Biden exhibits bizarre, rambling, incoherent and sometimes meaningless speech patterns which go way beyond “a stammer”. Again this has been self evident for a couple of years but people have bluntly refused to believe it. Later on I will spend several weeks relentlessly digging up their remarks and putting them on here for month after month so they can be publicly humiliated but I won’t do any more than that because I’m not the vindictive, triumphalist type. It’s just not me. There’s no way I’ll spend more than three months sadistically laughing at these hapless twats that I am about to name
In 2024, what is ironic about Biden’s cognitive deficiencies - is that Trump himself does not appear as formidable as in 2016 or 2020.
Barack Obama vs Trump last night, would have absolutely annihilated him.
But I think many other potential Dem candidates also would. This may not have been the case in 2020.
The complicating factor is that passing over Harris for anyone else might alienate large segments of the black and/or women vote. Even if Harris doesn’t seem the best candidate, it seems like she would have more of a fighting chance than Biden at this point.
And a trillion quid of assets has gone the same way over the last few decades.
Whether Biden actually has early stage dementia or not is besides the point (I very much doubt he does, he's just getting old), the perception is everything. He cannot now win. He needs replacing. The plus side for the Democrats - and the rest of us - is that Trump is that Trump has spent the last few years preparing to take on Biden specifically. At his age, he would struggle to adapt to a new opponent.
Also notable in our groups another criticism has emerged that Farage led the Brexit charge & then disappeared from the stage. Somewhat unfair given he wasn’t in Government & did come back to lead the Brexit Party- but still a perception he left others to do the work of Brexiting
https://x.com/LukeTryl/status/1806586415452418494
Doing so gives you:
Lab 335
LD 21
Con 11
SNP 5
PC 2
Green 0
Ref 0
Yeah, the vote share is a key factor. Going in to the election i think they believed they could get away with a 30%/200 seat strategy, but with Reform and endless ineptitude thats really now a 25%/160 seat thing. 25% seems reasonable if Reform underperform and at that level they would certainly be in triple figures and official opposition. Its increasingly perilous every 1% they drop under
I think the USA will really do it, they'll elect Trump again, and he's an unstable, idiotic, vindictive, criminal. Nothing he says or does appears to bother 45% of the country, and the 5-10% swayable voters may not be fans but don't fear him either, as they should.
The fairly extensive cover of the RefUK bigotgate is interesting. The one point they seem to be missing is that they are not challenging Farage's "few bad apples" excuses.
The people in the 10 minute C4 video are a canvasser who has known Farage for years, and core people from the national campaign - long term associated of Farage - who have been brought in to Clacton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmkMpYbOoO0
NY Times
I am aware that the science is entirely contrary to my expectations, but I don't believe the polling and the MRP figures are absurd. Take North Herefordshire as an example.
Both parties are going to be within 50 seats either way of 300. I will be more than relieved if I am wrong and Labour are 350 and Tories 250. But haven't we seen evidence on here of Conservative waverers like BigG coming home just in time for Thursday?
I think Harris would have a better chance than Biden, who appears to have no chance right now.
I'd say it's odds on that Biden will (perhaps with some heavy persuasion being necessary) step down before the Democratic convention.
So they've got a month and a half.
On Radio 5 this morning they spoke to a Professor of American politics, an American, and his first comment said dead straight was "pray for America". He's not wrong. Divine intervention is what is needed now to save America and the World from calamity.
I'd vote for a comatose Biden over Trump. But I don't think swing state voters would.
And that's before worrying about the interference state houses reps have essentially promised this time.
Brace as Leon would say.
Indeed the debate was so bad they could compile three or four entirely different ads making the same cruel but necessary point. Also watch the scenes of Biden being led away from the podium by his wife. He is a very frail and senile old man. It is utterly wrong in a basic way that this is being allowed to happen and all those that facilitate it in the USA should be ashamed
However the Dems now have one last chance to put this right
https://x.com/endwokeness/status/1806557731244986521?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw
I’ve seen some people suggest Whitmer-Warnock as a potential compromise balanced ticket. But I still don’t think that assuages the above.
And how do you sell the message “The last 4 years have been a success…and now we are ditching both the President and VP” ? You can do it for age reasons if it was just Biden - but it looks a hard sell where Harris is concerned.
Not a good look.
Not the first thing to spring to mind when naming one's child.
It's not procedurally too late, but it is practically.
What, the Dems are going to admit either they made a mistake, that Biden has had a sudden deterioration, or Trump beat Biden so they realised he could not last 4 years even if he's fine now?
What does that do for the prospects of Harris, Buttering, or whoever?
So well done you. Seriously
Also @Luckyguy1983 - absolutely clear that Biden is senile and was roundly abused on here for saying it. Deserves an apology
@DPJHodges
Key thing about the Biden car-crash. Trump won’t run against him. He’ll run against Harris. And say -correctly - if Biden wins she will become President by default.
@DPJHodges
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3m
Key thing about the Biden car-crash. Trump won’t run against him. He’ll run against Harris. And say -correctly - if Biden wins she will become President by default.
Trump is also in mental decline - but crucially
1. It’s nowhere near as bad as Biden
2. He looks physically a lot better - ten years younger than Biden
3. He’s still funny - that counts for a lot
4. He’s always rambled so it disguises the decline
But I have not been able to bring myself to listen to the approx. 1 hour of that.