So. An attack on Sunak from the Jewish Chronicle two days before the election.
This campaign is remarkable for the amount of negative campaigning that has backfired on the Tories.
Indeed, and another utterly unforced, pointless error from Sunak and friends. It probably won't make much/any difference as the press are largely steering clear of the story (and with good reason), plus the fact there is only 1,2 or 3 days of the campaign left*
*Delete according to your preferred counting system.
What I can't understand is why the Democrats seem so convinced that any candidate other than Joe Biden would lose to Donald Trump, and therefore have to stick with Biden.
"They" are not; there's quite obviously (and often publicly) a debate going on between those who want to stick with Biden and those who don't.
Relatedly, the person whose decision matters here isn't The Democrats, it's Joe Biden.
More opinion pieces today in NY Times saying he has to step down.
Do a LBJ as one piece by a historian argues.
That would be the same LBJ who stepped down in 1968 only to see his VP Humphrey become Democratic nominee and lose the November general election to Nixon?
He'd have lost anyway. Half the Democratic Party was in open revolt against him over Vietnam.
“The attack on Keir Starmer for asserting his right to family time on a Friday night, as he has done for many, many years, is so dangerous.
“So insidious from those aware of why he chooses to be with his family specifically on Friday evenings.”
He told the PA news agency: “It’s a very strange thing to attack over. I’m the independent adviser to the Prime Minister and my advice would be this is not an area to stray into.”
He pointed out that Friday nights had a wider cultural significance within the Jewish community, likening it to Sundays in Christian communities.
Sunak needs to shut this attack down or he risks it blowing up in his face.
So Starmer makes public that he will try to carry on with the habit he has had for some years of making sure that he does not work on Friday nights so he can spend time with his wife and children (no mention that he does not work Friday nights for religious or cultural reasons but because he’s Mr Family).
Why does he make this public? I’m guessing he thought it showed him as a family man with a good work life balance?
People start attacking him saying he shouldn’t do this as he’s going to be PM and the country doesn’t stop at 6 on a Friday.
Now it’s suddenly a matter of religious observance and so it’s awful to criticise him for doing it.
So it’s not actually about him keeping a work/life balance but about him observing a cultural norm reflecting the region of his wife and children. So an obligation not a choice.
Why didn’t he just mention the religious aspect of this in the first place? I might be overly cynical but I’m wondering if perhaps he thought he would get cred points with voters without losing cred points with another section of voters.
He tried to play a game, got kicked for it and now saying you can’t kick him because it’s anti-Semitic.
WRONG. DEAD WRONG.
He has spoken about the importance of Friday night dinner to his wife (who is Jewish) umpteen times in the past. This is trivially googleable,
Ok, I’ve googled “Keir Starmer Friday nights family”. The first story not relating to today’s furore is from a linked-in post, the second on page 5 of searching was from an article in December 2020 from a publication called “Jewish Ledger”.
I would imagine 99% of voters have absolutely no idea he has Friday nights with his family as part of a Jewish cultural lifestyle but he chose to discuss it without any context on Chris Evans Show to millions of people but chose to leave out context.
It doesn’t bother me in the slightest what cultural or religious practices he has but I find this whole shroud waving about it being anti-Semitic to criticise him somewhat of a reflection on his being two faced. I do remember Labour putting out press releases attacking Boris in August 2022 for being on holiday during a cost of living crisis whilst Starmer was, er, on holiday in Mallorca.
A friend has just pointed out that Starmer might take Friday evenings off for religious reasons. If so, this might be The Mole's finest work.
(I don't think this has been pointed out on PB so far, but widely noted on twitter)
I think it has been pointed out. If it is the case (which would be fair enough), it's slightly odd that Starmer has avoided mentioning it rather than majoring on wanting to spend time with his beloved kids (also fair enough). Perhaps it's devilish cunning in that he can now quietly say the Tories are worse than Julius Streicher.
Also: Tories going on about Labour antisemitism ... doesn't work quite so well, does it?
A Tory anti-Semitism scandal over the last two days of the post-Corbyn election wouldn't make it into a script.
Because trivial? Or because improbably unbelievable?
The latter.
Thanks - makes sense. I wondered if you meant they were doing such an awful job already it didn't move the needle from the stop.
Here is the youth surge towards Le Pen. Look at that massive leap in the 18-24 vote
She’s gone from the mid teens to the mid 30 percent. In one election. A ginormous leap
Also see this about Bardella, from the same FT article
“Driving much of the change is Le Pen’s 28-year old protégé Jordan Bardella, who appeals to women and does not have the baggage of the Le Pen name.”
Women - younger women - are shifting to the RN. Despite the mewlings of geriatric thermos-freak and self declared anarchist @Heathener, sitting under her tartan blankie on the top deck of her hipster revolutionary bus heading into suburban Sidmouth, I am right. The young are moving to the hard right
What I can't understand is why the Democrats seem so convinced that any candidate other than Joe Biden would lose to Donald Trump, and therefore have to stick with Biden.
"They" are not; there's quite obviously (and often publicly) a debate going on between those who want to stick with Biden and those who don't.
Relatedly, the person whose decision matters here isn't The Democrats, it's Joe Biden.
More opinion pieces today in NY Times saying he has to step down.
Do a LBJ as one piece by a historian argues.
That would be the same LBJ who stepped down in 1968 only to see his VP Humphrey become Democratic nominee and lose the November general election to Nixon?
He'd have lost anyway. Half the Democratic Party was in open revolt against him over Vietnam.
The comparison is nonsensical.
Not necessarily, southerner LBJ would probably have squeezed the Wallace vote more than Minnesota native Humphrey could have done and remember Nixon only won by less than 1%. In 1964 LBJ had of course beaten Goldwater by a landslide in the EC and over 60% of the vote
"ANAS Sarwar has rejected calls for him to back the SNP campaign against outgoing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross – despite Labour not standing a candidate in the constituency."
Thanks for the heads up. Shows you how desperate the SNP are getting. My campaign is cutting through - I’m out-spending them talking about jobs, investment, public services and the cost of living. They’re putting out quotes from MSPs saying you have to vote SNP to stop the Tories.
EDIT - posting this under a tree sheltering from a passing shower here in Fochabers!
How well would a Whitmer/Ossoff ticket poll against Trump?
Pretty well. I've got a long standing bet on Whitmer at 21. Might struggle with the black vote unless it is very clear that Harris didn't want to run and wasn't pushed out of the running.
Perhaps Kamala Harris can be appointed to the Supreme Court after President Biden has used his new powers to have the existing Justices assassinated.
I know that's tongue in cheek but if Trump gets back in it might cease to be funny! God knows what he will do if he believes he is immune from prosecution and above the law.
I wonder though, like the Roe v Wade decision, it might backfire on the GOP. It should make a number of Independents in particular ponder whether it is wise to give Trump that sort of power.
Someone show this to the ph lefties. The young are moving sharply to the hard right
Who was that roaster telling us young females are going overwhelmingly hard right?
From that sample.
Females:
LAB: 43% GRN: 33% REF: 12% LDEM: 8% CON: 0%
As I have said we are 5-10 years behind Europe on this. We will catch up
And women will catch up fast as they realise mass immigration makes the streets MUCH less safe for them
1. No. We are 10 years ahead of Europe on this. We did Brexit in 2016/2019. That was our moment of right-wing lurch.
2. You lecturing any of us on here, especially women, on our safety when you wrote a book all about your sexual predation of women, including of dubious age, marrying a teenage girl when you were in your 50’s, and then leaving your young girls to be brought up by their mother is typical of your reprobate character.
Steer clear of dog whistle personal politics or you’ll get it back with both barrels old man.
Someone show this to the ph lefties. The young are moving sharply to the hard right
Who was that roaster telling us young females are going overwhelmingly hard right?
From that sample.
Females:
LAB: 43% GRN: 33% REF: 12% LDEM: 8% CON: 0%
As I have said we are 5-10 years behind Europe on this. We will catch up
And women will catch up fast as they realise mass immigration makes the streets MUCH less safe for them
1. No. We are 10 years ahead of Europe on this. We did Brexit in 2016/2019. That was our moment of right-wing lurch.
2. You lecturing any of us on here, especially women, on our safety when you wrote a book all about your sexual predation of women, including of dubious age, marrying a teenage girl when you were in your 50’s, and then leaving your young girls to be brought up by their mother is typical of your reprobate character.
Steer clear of dog whistle personal politics or you’ll get it back with both barrels old man.
Fire away, you prolapsed old bat
A lot younger, sexier, and slimmer than you old man
The whole POETS day thing - albeit six on a Friday is a bit late for my blood - reeks of desperation from the Conservative Party.
Although I don’t detect any particular malicious intention from them. They have been trying to draw distinction between Sunak and Starmer’s ages for some time. And trying to get a “Sleepy Starmer” thing going. All rather sub-Trumpian nonsense.
Personally I am pleased the Starmer tries to have time with his family - and has studiously kept his family out of the fight (I think his daughter’s name has not been released by the Labour Party - albeit it is generally known). I hope Sunak has managed to have some regular time with his wife and kids while in the role.
However, I am big fan of Maria Caufield claiming she “works seven days a week, often close to 20-hour days.” So she gets by on four hours sleep every day? What rot - I never believed in the Thatcher claim of four hours sleep (and I believe that was only weekdays according to Bernard Ingham - who probably invented the whole story). Smacks of those pr!cks on LinkedIn who claim to be up working at four am.
"ANAS Sarwar has rejected calls for him to back the SNP campaign against outgoing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross – despite Labour not standing a candidate in the constituency."
Thanks for the heads up. Shows you how desperate the SNP are getting. My campaign is cutting through - I’m out-spending them talking about jobs, investment, public services and the cost of living. They’re putting out quotes from MSPs saying you have to vote SNP to stop the Tories.
EDIT - posting this under a tree sheltering from a passing shower here in Fochabers!
If I know Fochabers, You might be sheltering for a while!
Sir John Curtice projects 370 Labour seats, 191 Tory seats and 34 LD and 34 SNP seats, 2 Plaid, 1 Green and 0 Reform on universal national swing based on analysis of 8 recent polls.
However on an MRP change the results look significantly different, with Curtice saying Labour could then get 447 seats, the Tories 98, the LDs 53, the SNP 21, Reform 8 and the Greens and Plaid 2 each https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cl7y2xj728do
You can also see what the result would be with uniform swing on the UKPollingReport website. Very similar figures.
Sir John Curtice projects 370 Labour seats, 191 Tory seats and 34 LD and 34 SNP seats, 2 Plaid, 1 Green and 0 Reform on universal national swing based on analysis of 8 recent polls.
However on an MRP change the results look significantly different, with Curtice saying Labour could then get 447 seats, the Tories 98, the LDs 53, the SNP 21, Reform 8 and the Greens and Plaid 2 each https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cl7y2xj728do
You can also see what the result would be with uniform swing on the UKPollingReport website. Very similar figures.
This imbecile literally endorsed a convicted felon.
Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox News: "The president and VP are the only two offices in our constitutional system that are elected by all the people. No one who is elected to that office is going to be prone to this kind of crazy criminal activity." https://x.com/atrupar/status/1807930573207302602
He is not an imbecile. He is an a*se-kisser who hopes for largesse from King Donald I after his coronation.
What I am wondering is this: since all official Presidential acts are above the law now, what is stopping King Biden I from tossing the Justices and Trump into a dungeon without trial?
Apparently, the legality cannot be an issue...
He's an imbecile.
What's stopping Biden ? He thinks it would be wrong.
A constitutional ruling enabling criminals applies to all, but is really only to the benefit of those who want to commit crimes.
The GOP are relying on Biden being a better person than they are.
"ANAS Sarwar has rejected calls for him to back the SNP campaign against outgoing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross – despite Labour not standing a candidate in the constituency."
Thanks for the heads up. Shows you how desperate the SNP are getting. My campaign is cutting through - I’m out-spending them talking about jobs, investment, public services and the cost of living. They’re putting out quotes from MSPs saying you have to vote SNP to stop the Tories.
EDIT - posting this under a tree sheltering from a passing shower here in Fochabers!
If I know Fochabers, You might be sheltering for a while!
Years ago when our children were in their early teens we stayed in a caravan in Fochabers, whilst visiting their grandparents in Lossiemouth, and most notably our youngest son of RNLI fame kicked a football through the main window of the caravan causing much mirth with his siblings and costing his parents an unexpected bill
Sir John Curtice projects 370 Labour seats, 191 Tory seats and 34 LD and 34 SNP seats, 2 Plaid, 1 Green and 0 Reform on universal national swing based on analysis of 8 recent polls.
However on an MRP change the results look significantly different, with Curtice saying Labour could then get 447 seats, the Tories 98, the LDs 53, the SNP 21, Reform 8 and the Greens and Plaid 2 each https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cl7y2xj728do
So he doesnt know.
Here's my regular reminder that if one methodology gives one result and another gives another, the truth is not in splitting the difference, the truth is that one of them is wrong. We now have to decide whether polls+UNS is right, or MRP is right.
@christopherhope NEW Sir Keir Starmer tells @GBNEWS he does not rule out recounts in some seats due to undelivered postal ballots. Me: "If some postal votes are not counted because they are not delivered by Royal Mail, should there be recounts in some seats on Thursday?" Starmer: "We will cross that bridge when we get to it." He says the focus "at the moment" is making sure ballots are delivered to the right addresses. More at @GBNEWS on the hour.
Forgive my ignorance on this: if someone has registered for a postal vote and the ballot isn't delivered can that person still vote in person? I assume not?
No - if you glance at the list of names when you go to vote, you will see that the postal voters are already crossed off.
If you made a real fuss you might get given a pink ballot paper, perhaps
I really dislike the broadening out of postal voting. It should only be for exceptional circumstances. We lose control about who is actually voting.
If you register for postal voting you take the risk that the ballot doesn't get to you in time, that's the risk - end of.
I agree. I cannot see why they introduced it – an ordinary vote or a proxy vote should be fine for all but the infirm or those that are away.
Or that some official doesn't recognise your signature. Grr.
The Tories need to be careful. Starmers Family is Jewish and the Sabbath runs from Friday evening to Saturday evening
Indeed. By the way, I owe you an apology. Thanks for your explanation – I do remember @Paul_Bedfordshire and the cap fits. Sorry about the accusation you were @MrEd – a very odd poster who was a Trumpian shill and hated buses. I've enjoyed many of your posts today in particular.
Good Lord, look at what's in the pipeline for VI come the 2030s !
16/17 yr old
Males:
REF: 35% LAB: 35% LDEM: 11% CON: 11% GRN: 2%
Females:
LAB: 43% GRN: 33% REF: 12% LDEM: 8% CON: 0%
Anecdotally this feels correct to me.
I recall the kids coming home from (Comprehensive) the day after Trump had been elected. Reported Girls and Teachers generally mortified about it. Meanwhile groups of boys gone all Nelly the Elephant (chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump")
“The attack on Keir Starmer for asserting his right to family time on a Friday night, as he has done for many, many years, is so dangerous.
“So insidious from those aware of why he chooses to be with his family specifically on Friday evenings.”
He told the PA news agency: “It’s a very strange thing to attack over. I’m the independent adviser to the Prime Minister and my advice would be this is not an area to stray into.”
He pointed out that Friday nights had a wider cultural significance within the Jewish community, likening it to Sundays in Christian communities.
Sunak needs to shut this attack down or he risks it blowing up in his face.
So Starmer makes public that he will try to carry on with the habit he has had for some years of making sure that he does not work on Friday nights so he can spend time with his wife and children (no mention that he does not work Friday nights for religious or cultural reasons but because he’s Mr Family).
Why does he make this public? I’m guessing he thought it showed him as a family man with a good work life balance?
People start attacking him saying he shouldn’t do this as he’s going to be PM and the country doesn’t stop at 6 on a Friday.
Now it’s suddenly a matter of religious observance and so it’s awful to criticise him for doing it.
So it’s not actually about him keeping a work/life balance but about him observing a cultural norm reflecting the region of his wife and children. So an obligation not a choice.
Why didn’t he just mention the religious aspect of this in the first place? I might be overly cynical but I’m wondering if perhaps he thought he would get cred points with voters without losing cred points with another section of voters.
He tried to play a game, got kicked for it and now saying you can’t kick him because it’s anti-Semitic.
it isn't suddenly anything ... the Jewish observance is public and known for years.
I think that a strong commitment to maintaining family life as a sane foundation to keep politics in context is great.
I expect most of our PMs have done the samr in some way.
I think the takeaway is the measure of Tory poor judgement and desperation. Just the latest pratfall.
The sabbath has started on Friday at Sundown for about the last five thousand years.
Yours a member of Reformed Judaism (ie Roman Catholicism).
(There were many Christians who also observed Jewish rituals and Traditions until Constantine (I think) went all Henry V111 and ordered them to drop it or else)
Comments
*Delete according to your preferred counting system.
Half the Democratic Party was in open revolt against him over Vietnam.
The comparison is nonsensical.
I would imagine 99% of voters have absolutely no idea he has Friday nights with his family as part of a Jewish cultural lifestyle but he chose to discuss it without any context on Chris Evans Show to millions of people but chose to leave out context.
It doesn’t bother me in the slightest what cultural or religious practices he has but I find this whole shroud waving about it being anti-Semitic to criticise him somewhat of a reflection on his being two faced. I do remember Labour putting out press releases attacking Boris in August 2022 for being on holiday during a cost of living crisis whilst Starmer was, er, on holiday in Mallorca.
She’s gone from the mid teens to the mid 30 percent. In one election. A ginormous leap
Also see this about Bardella, from the same FT article
“Driving much of the change is Le Pen’s 28-year old protégé Jordan Bardella, who appeals to women and does not have the baggage of the Le Pen name.”
Women - younger women - are shifting to the RN. Despite the mewlings of geriatric thermos-freak and self declared anarchist @Heathener, sitting under her tartan blankie on the top deck of her hipster revolutionary bus heading into suburban Sidmouth, I am right. The young are moving to the hard right
EDIT - posting this under a tree sheltering from a passing shower here in Fochabers!
I wonder though, like the Roe v Wade decision, it might backfire on the GOP. It should make a number of Independents in particular ponder whether it is wise to give Trump that sort of power.
Although I don’t detect any particular malicious intention from them. They have been trying to draw distinction between Sunak and Starmer’s ages for some time. And trying to get a “Sleepy Starmer” thing going. All rather sub-Trumpian nonsense.
Personally I am pleased the Starmer tries to have time with his family - and has studiously kept his family out of the fight (I think his daughter’s name has not been released by the Labour Party - albeit it is generally known). I hope Sunak has managed to have some regular time with his wife and kids while in the role.
However, I am big fan of Maria Caufield claiming she “works seven days a week, often close to 20-hour days.” So she gets by on four hours sleep every day? What rot - I never believed in the Thatcher claim of four hours sleep (and I believe that was only weekdays according to Bernard Ingham - who probably invented the whole story). Smacks of those pr!cks on LinkedIn who claim to be up working at four am.
https://pollingreport.uk
Baxters of Fochabers is worth a visit
Here's my regular reminder that if one methodology gives one result and another gives another, the truth is not in splitting the difference, the truth is that one of them is wrong. We now have to decide whether polls+UNS is right, or MRP is right.
Yours a member of Reformed Judaism (ie Roman Catholicism).
(There were many Christians who also observed Jewish rituals and Traditions until Constantine (I think) went all Henry V111 and ordered them to drop it or else)