Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Getting the non voters out – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,127
edited September 29 in General
imageGetting the non voters out – politicalbetting.com

Post debate polls. Happy Saturday!Harris 50-45 (+5) MorningCHarris 47-42 (+5) IpsosHarris 51-47 (+4) RMGHarris 50-46 (+4) D4PHarris 49-45 (+4) YG/YahooHarris 49-45 (+4) YG/TimesHarris 47-43 (+4) TIPPHarris 50-47 (+3) LegerHarris 48-45 (+3) SoCalHarris 44-42 (+2) R/W

Read the full story here

«1345678

Comments

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,154
    Thought - how many of those non-voters are African American, Asian American and Hispanic women who have traditionally seen no reason to vote for anyone?

    There was polling suggesting Harris' ratings actually went up when she pushed her gender and ethnicity as selling points.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190
    edited September 15
    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,661
    "Tony" Blinken
    Lammy twice makes a cringingly overfamiliar reference
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190
    geoffw said:

    "Tony" Blinken
    Lammy twice makes a cringingly overfamiliar reference

    Oh dear, another confected criticism.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,661

    geoffw said:

    "Tony" Blinken
    Lammy twice makes a cringingly overfamiliar reference

    Oh dear, another confected criticism.
    Nice to know you're not cringing
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    geoffw said:

    "Tony" Blinken
    Lammy twice makes a cringingly overfamiliar reference

    Possibly short for Antoinette in his mind.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994
    It's probably a really bad time to bet on Harris right now.

    Wait for the post debate glow to fade. There are still nearly 2 months to go.
  • Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html

    The Tories and, more particularly, the Tory press are doing exactly what you would expect any opposition to do - the surprise is that Labour does not seem to have been ready for it. The WFA was a misstep but no more. The Tories are not going to reinstate it. No-one is. As for the rest, the problem is that the election happened months before the budget so there is currently a void into which a lot of spin is being deposited. Again, Labour should have anticipated this. But I don't see any of it as terminal. As the song says, we have only just begun ...

  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,772
    edited September 15

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
  • geoffw said:

    "Tony" Blinken
    Lammy twice makes a cringingly overfamiliar reference

    IIRC they've known each other since 2008 when Lammy went to the Democratic Party convention.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 10,696
    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
  • VerulamiusVerulamius Posts: 1,539
    Are non voters registered to vote? Do they have the requisite papers to show that they are citizens as the Republicans are pressing for?
  • On topic: for as long as the fundamentals remain in Trump's favour - and they do - he is the favourite IMO, no matter what the top line national polling says.

    But that is not great, to put it mildly. Events in Ohio give a hint of what an empowered Trump base might do when there an is in the White House. And that's before you throw in the enablement of Putin. It's not a happy prospect.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,355

    It's probably a really bad time to bet on Harris right now.

    Wait for the post debate glow to fade. There are still nearly 2 months to go.

    2 months for millions of Swifties to register though...
  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,412
    mercator said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Quinnipac or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan (although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.
    I think people are largely joking about Reeves's golden legacy, 11 weeks of labour misrule etc. But what the fuck is wrong with Starmer? I am a reasonably well off lawyer. If anyone offered to buy me or my wife thousands of pounds worth of clothes or some nice wallpaper I would tell them to fuck off. Who who can afford their own clothes and wallpaper would not? Who wants to be governed by the sort of person who says yes please?
    It’s very weird accepting clothes as a gift, we aren’t just talking about a nice cashmere jumper or a Hermes scarf but full wardrobe (and a pretty vanilla one at that).

    Did the donor think Starmer is too poor to outfit him and his wife, or that they dressed badly so needed his help? Obviously not so just a really strange gift to accept.
  • BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton to start Azerbaijan GP from pit lane after engine change 🚨

    https://x.com/SkySportsNews/status/1835233422450602242
  • Battle of Britain Day, btw. Churchill was another prime minister fond of a freebie.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,661
    boulay said:

    mercator said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Quinnipac or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan (although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.
    I think people are largely joking about Reeves's golden legacy, 11 weeks of labour misrule etc. But what the fuck is wrong with Starmer? I am a reasonably well off lawyer. If anyone offered to buy me or my wife thousands of pounds worth of clothes or some nice wallpaper I would tell them to fuck off. Who who can afford their own clothes and wallpaper would not? Who wants to be governed by the sort of person who says yes please?
    It’s very weird accepting clothes as a gift, we aren’t just talking about a nice cashmere jumper or a Hermes scarf but full wardrobe (and a pretty vanilla one at that).

    Did the donor think Starmer is too poor to outfit him and his wife, or that they dressed badly so needed his help? Obviously not so just a really strange gift to accept.
    Does anyone remember Wilson's Gannex coat "scandal".

  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994

    It's probably a really bad time to bet on Harris right now.

    Wait for the post debate glow to fade. There are still nearly 2 months to go.

    2 months for millions of Swifties to register though...
    That's irrelevant. They would do so in every election cycle.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 10,696

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Have I sought to stop your speech? No. I just thought you’re so keen on one British tradition, maybe you could partake in another, one with deeper roots.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,316
    boulay said:

    mercator said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Quinnipac or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan (although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.
    I think people are largely joking about Reeves's golden legacy, 11 weeks of labour misrule etc. But what the fuck is wrong with Starmer? I am a reasonably well off lawyer. If anyone offered to buy me or my wife thousands of pounds worth of clothes or some nice wallpaper I would tell them to fuck off. Who who can afford their own clothes and wallpaper would not? Who wants to be governed by the sort of person who says yes please?
    It’s very weird accepting clothes as a gift, we aren’t just talking about a nice cashmere jumper or a Hermes scarf but full wardrobe (and a pretty vanilla one at that).

    Did the donor think Starmer is too poor to outfit him and his wife, or that they dressed badly so needed his help? Obviously not so just a really strange gift to accept.
    Even odder was fitting SKS with racy underwear
  • It's probably a really bad time to bet on Harris right now.

    Wait for the post debate glow to fade. There are still nearly 2 months to go.

    It is not that Kamala has a post-debate glow but that Trump imploded. No-one watched that debate and thought blimey, the Dems have a great set of policies. Instead, you should perhaps wait for Trump's image to recover with time, if it ever does.

    (That's two game-changing debates out of two, if anyone is keeping count.)
  • Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.

    Presumably they see the political benefit in the longer term if they do succeed in turning thigs around - "Look, we made the hard choices and were attacked for it but it was worth it" kind of thing. People will remember the WFA thing in a way they might not remember other stuff. But it does depend on turning things around. I do think it's fair to say that the approach so far has tended to obscure memories of what came before.

  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,125
    https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/06/texas-ken-paxton-travis-county-voter-registration/

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County to block an effort to register more voters before the November election.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 10,696
    kamski said:

    https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/06/texas-ken-paxton-travis-county-voter-registration/

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County to block an effort to register more voters before the November election.

    There are so many Ken Paxton stories. I like this one: https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/ken-you-lost-this-case-texas-ag-mocked-for-absurdly-claiming-a-win-after-supreme-court-rules-9-0-against-him/
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,772

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.

    Presumably they see the political benefit in the longer term if they do succeed in turning thigs around - "Look, we made the hard choices and were attacked for it but it was worth it" kind of thing. People will remember the WFA thing in a way they might not remember other stuff. But it does depend on turning things around. I do think it's fair to say that the approach so far has tended to obscure memories of what came before.

    I think that most certainly is their tactic, as it is any government who inherits a poor legacy I guess. It’s still too early to make an assessment on whether that tactic will succeed, all I will say is that their first steps have been pretty wobbly and not particularly encouraging.
  • Leon said:

    Have we established where @Theuniondivvie is sporting his excellent shoes?

    Is it really Trump Tower?

    I’m surprised no one got my clue, must have been too subtly TSE-ish.

    https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/celebrity/michael-jackson-explains-baby-out-balcony-window-643218-20240913

    Afaicr the Adlon pops up in I Am A Camera so it’s on the Weimarophile route map. Miraculously it largely survived Allied bombing but after victory in 1945 the Red Army occupied it, got in to the wine cellar and burnt it down. Very plush but lacking a bit of soul in its reincarnation.

    "Unknown" with Liam Neeson!
  • FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,639

    Leon said:

    Have we established where @Theuniondivvie is sporting his excellent shoes?

    Is it really Trump Tower?

    I’m surprised no one got my clue, must have been too subtly TSE-ish.

    https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/celebrity/michael-jackson-explains-baby-out-balcony-window-643218-20240913

    Afaicr the Adlon pops up in I Am A Camera so it’s on the Weimarophile route map. Miraculously it largely survived Allied bombing but after victory in 1945 the Red Army occupied it, got in to the wine cellar and burnt it down. Very plush but lacking a bit of soul in its reincarnation.

    "Unknown" with Liam Neeson!
    And some of the Gunther novels of Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,488

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    If a pensioner needs to save £10 a week towards costs they were expecting to be covered by the WFA, they need time to save. The budget would be too late.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,639

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Have I sought to stop your speech? No. I just thought you’re so keen on one British tradition, maybe you could partake in another, one with deeper roots.
    I see the Graun is being helpful today.

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/sep/15/all-the-rage-why-anger-drives-the-world-josh-cohen
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,720
    edited September 15
    Labour is going to be at a disadvantage in spin terms with the current fractured voting patterns. Nobody cares that the Tories, HM loyal opposition, are in the mid 20s in the polls and trailing Labour. They will notice that the new government elected with a stonking majority is at or below 30%. That’s going to set the tone and potentially become self-fulfilling. Media follows public opinion and reinforces it. Polling in the 20s is not a good look.

    The last election showed us that LLG vs RefCon does have some decent predictive power, though perhaps more on the LL front. The latest more in common is LLG:RefCon 51:43. General election result was 53:40. So a small swing right.
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,314
    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,639
    edited September 15

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    Didn't we see reams and reams of virtual paper filled up by PBTories saying how outrageous the WFA was, over the last few years before the election? Now they're complaining? I'v e never understood that aspect of the debate.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,720

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    I think they do. The mistake was to set the means testing threshold so low that it catches some actual poor pensioners. That and not burying it in a raft of other measures rather than making it their single stand-out fiscal policy of the first months in office.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,265
    Trump did attract voters in 2016 and 2020 who wouldn't normally vote and certainly not Republican, especially white working class men. Harris in turn will want to drive up African American turnout especially amongst young black women who don't always vote
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,706
    The thing is that the what seems to be happening on the ground is the exact opposite of what the Telegraph is claiming he is doing and its now pretty much too late.

    This is a highly partisan source but does contain quite a lot of facts and figures on the comparative effort: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/9/10/2268953/-Turnout-matters-but-Trump-s-barely-working-to-get-out-the-vote

    As an example:

    "The Trump campaign still refuses to give exact numbers, but claims they have a larger field operation than in 2022, when they had 350 staffers nationwide, and 50 in Pennsylvania. The Harris campaign currently has 375 staffers in Pennsylvania alone—more than Trump has on the entire map. "


    So what we are in fact seeing is that it is the Democrats who are putting enormous efforts into new registrations of voters with a lower propensity of vote. The astonishing 189% increase in young black women in the number of new registrations, for example, contrasted with a 7% increase in Republicans.

    Will enough of these new voters actually get around to voting to make the investment worthwhile? The election may turn on the answer to that but again the Dems are already geared up for a massive early vote effort to make that more likely. Trump seems to have been more interested in taking money away from the GOP and grifting it to his pals like Kirk.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Have I sought to stop your speech? No. I just thought you’re so keen on one British tradition, maybe you could partake in another, one with deeper roots.
    Great. So my wedding invite is in the post, right?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994

    It's probably a really bad time to bet on Harris right now.

    Wait for the post debate glow to fade. There are still nearly 2 months to go.

    It is not that Kamala has a post-debate glow but that Trump imploded. No-one watched that debate and thought blimey, the Dems have a great set of policies. Instead, you should perhaps wait for Trump's image to recover with time, if it ever does.

    (That's two game-changing debates out of two, if anyone is keeping count.)
    I don't think it was game changing.

    I agree the first was.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    edited September 15

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    Tbh I think it more plausible that WFA was cut because Tony Blair and/or Peter Mandelson told Starmer to do something unpopular at the start, and this advice combined with an old Treasury chestnut of ‘fixing’ WFA.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994
    edited September 15

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    I'm hoping the Mods eventually give you a yellow card on this for the same reason @Anabobazina got one.

    Loses some of its humour after the 893rd time you post it, even though I like the idea of a fantasy Tory landslide.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,772
    carnforth said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    If a pensioner needs to save £10 a week towards costs they were expecting to be covered by the WFA, they need time to save. The budget would be too late.
    Which is why I think they should have bought themselves time and gone for a 2025 implementation.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994
    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    Progress that was happening anyway and has absolutely nothing to do with Labour in office.
  • FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    I'm hoping the Mods eventually give you a yellow card on this for the same reason @Anabobazina got one.

    Loses some of its humour after the 893rd time you post it, even though I like the idea of a fantasy Tory landslide.
    There, you see! It's NOT the same as "Labour 411 seats/Tories 121 seats"!

    :lol:
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 49,586
    mercator said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Quinnipac or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan (although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.
    I think people are largely joking about Reeves's golden legacy, 11 weeks of labour misrule etc. But what the fuck is wrong with Starmer? I am a reasonably well off lawyer. If anyone offered to buy me or my wife thousands of pounds worth of clothes or some nice wallpaper I would tell them to fuck off. Who who can afford their own clothes and wallpaper would not? Who wants to be governed by the sort of person who says yes please?
    My first thought would be -

    - “Write down on that piece of paper exactly what you want for the gift”
    - If they see stupid enough to do that, take it to a regulator/legal authority.

    Way back, there was a Channel 4 sting, targeting the House of Lords. All the usual ex pols signed up merrily. Apart from one - DUP IIRC - who damned them as immoral and told them to go and never darken his door again.

    When the DUP have the moral high road….
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,265
    Anti abortion activists start to lose enthusiasm for Trump.

    'Among the more than 67 million people who tuned in to the first US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was Lila Rose.

    The young and charismatic founder of the anti-abortion group Live Action had hoped for big things from the Republican candidate: a bold display of anti-abortion beliefs and a promise to turn those beliefs into law.

    She was quickly disappointed. While Trump criticised Democrats’ “extreme” abortion policies, he refused to take a position on a national ban, saying instead that the issue should be left to the states.

    And he called himself a “leader” on IVF, putting himself at odds with Ms Rose and many in her movement, who oppose the procedure because it often involves destroying embryos.

    “It was painful to watch,” Ms Rose said of Trump’s performance.

    Ms Rose, 36, had always had reservations about Trump’s anti-abortion bona fides, after years of shifting positions (including previously declaring himself pro-choice) and his openness to what she called “concerning compromises”. But she, like most in her movement, had been encouraged by his first term and the three Trump-appointed Supreme Court nominees who went on to overturn Roe v Wade and end the nationwide right to abortion.

    Then Trump changed course, and her disillusionment with the former president swelled. Now on his third White House run, Trump seems to be working to appeal to all sides.

    He hinted he would sign federal abortion legislation, before later walking it back. He called the state-wide restrictions that came into place after Roe v Wade fell “a beautiful thing”. But later, he said abortion bans early in pregnancy went too far, suggesting Republican candidates needed to be moderate enough on the issue to “win elections”.

    This summer, during the Democratic National Convention, the former president posted a statement online saying his future administration would be “great for women and their reproductive rights” - language typically used by pro-choice activists.

    By late August, Ms Rose had had enough, telling her more than one million followers that Trump was “making it impossible” to vote for him.“It’s very clear that Trump is less pro-abortion than Kamala Harris,” she told the BBC on Thursday. “But our movement’s goal is not just to accept whatever the least worst candidate is and show up for them. Our goal is to help candidates who are going to be fighters for the pre-born.”

    One of the most prominent leaders in the anti-abortion movement, Ms Rose’s defection signals a potential problem with Trump’s new strategy. As Trump attempts to moderate on abortion, he risks alienating some within his socially conservative base. And in an election that may be decided by a razor-thin margin, if those voters stay home in November it could cost Trump the White House.'
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62r2y62rwro
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190
    edited September 15

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    Perhaps you should wheel out your 2017 graph.

    Places tin hat on head.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,695
    edited September 15

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and
    pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    I disagree with you here (which doesn’t happen that often).

    It’s not the waving of EU flags that irritates me - if it happened organically (as it did in the past as @Richard_Tyndall noted). It’s the fact that there is a campaign to make a political point out of something that is harmless fun and a bit of silliness and flag waving

    (And there are regular attempts to change the music for what it is worth)
    @StillWaters Thank you for your kind comment (even if you are disagreeing with me). Kind of you.

    if they did try and change the usual songs I would be annoyed as that spoils the tradition and I am aware that their have been attempts.

    Re the difference between organic and organised I agree with you, but to ban it would be Stalinist. I get frustrated when people from the right claim they want freedom of speech then want to ban stuff they don't like. Credit to @Luckyguy1983 on the last thread for not going along with that.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 49,586

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    It’s not just the “Tory press” - tons of Labour MPs and UNITE. Plus lots of Labour supporters on the left.

    If they did it because it was right, but they knew it was going to be unpopular, they did nothing to prepare the ground. Or soften the blow.

    The idea that the bond market would collapse if they didn’t cut a few billion from the budget is nonsense.

    I work in banking. The attitude in general is 1) relief at a change in government 2) waiting for the budget. The general expectation is that this government will be fiscally cautious. Much like New Labour in the first term.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,851
    edited September 15

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    I'm hoping the Mods eventually give you a yellow card on this for the same reason @Anabobazina got one.

    Loses some of its humour after the 893rd time you post it, even though I like the idea of a fantasy Tory landslide.
    There you go again, if you aren't handing out "flags" left right and centre you are demanding bans. Such is the mindset of conservative-anti-woke-free-speechers!

    I'm gone, I'm dust! Just like Leon.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,113
    I've been away for a couple of weeks - I'm sure this has been mentioned - why the reversal so that newest posts are at the bottom rather than at the top?

    This change makes the site unusable on my phone and annoying on my PC.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,695
    edited September 15
    @Casino_Royale you wrote on the last thread:

    I have a friend of mine who lives in Hendon (a staunch Brexiteer) and drives past every year to see what's going on and gently encourage them to get a life. He said they were 100% white, earnest, all over 55 years old, and all very sad people.

    Do you not get the irony. What you friend does must be the very definition of sad. He is as bad or worse than the sad people handing out the flags.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 22,703
    edited September 15

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    I'm hoping the Mods eventually give you a yellow card on this for the same reason @Anabobazina got one.

    Loses some of its humour after the 893rd time you post it, even though I like the idea of a fantasy Tory landslide.
    There, you see! It's NOT the same as "Labour 411 seats/Tories 121 seats"!

    :lol:
    Good morning everyone.

    I think after this exchange, and after the Last Night, we need the Cats' Duet from Hinge and Brackett. Miaow. :smiley:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_emloH91VnU

    Are there any PBers cross-dressing as single cat ladies?
  • FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    Perhaps you should wheel out your 2017 graph.

    Places tin hat on head.
    Sorry - 2017 graph??
  • In other news, minor rare track addition yesterday (just 32 chains!):

    Curve connecting the GWML to the Oxford line, just west of Didcot Parkway. GWR now have two Saturday-only round-trips from Bristol to Oxford direct.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,695
    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and
    pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    I disagree with you here (which doesn’t happen that often).

    It’s not the waving of EU flags that irritates me - if it happened organically (as it did in the past as @Richard_Tyndall noted). It’s the fact that there is a campaign to make a political point out of something that is harmless fun and a bit of silliness and flag waving

    (And there are regular attempts to change the music for what it is worth)
    @StillWaters Thank you for your kind comment (even if you are disagreeing with me). Kind of you.

    if they did try and change the usual songs I would be annoyed as that spoils the tradition and I am aware that their have been attempts.

    Re the difference between organic and organised I agree with you, but to ban it would be Stalinist. I get frustrated when people from the right claim they want freedom of speech then want to ban stuff they don't like. Credit to @Luckyguy1983 on the last thread for not going along with that.
    There, there, there, there......... Aggghhhh
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,265
    edited September 15

    On topic: for as long as the fundamentals remain in Trump's favour - and they do - he is the favourite IMO, no matter what the top line national polling says.

    But that is not great, to put it mildly. Events in Ohio give a hint of what an empowered Trump base might do when there an is in the White House. And that's before you throw in the enablement of Putin. It's not a happy prospect.

    Mind you even Lammy was toning down the prospect of letting Zelensky sending long range western missiles beyond their current use in Ukraine into Russia saying 'no war is won with one weapon' and that what is required is 'allies coming together' The risk of Putin using a tactical nuclear weapon in response is clearly there as he is aware
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,585
    kjh said:

    @Casino_Royale you wrote on the last thread:

    I have a friend of mine who lives in Hendon (a staunch Brexiteer) and drives past every year to see what's going on and gently encourage them to get a life. He said they were 100% white, earnest, all over 55 years old, and all very sad people.

    Do you not get the irony. What you friend does must be the very definition of sad. He is as bad or worse than the sad people handing out the flags.

    Not sure about that. What's worse: "Let's try to irritate people!" or "Let's complain at people who are deliberately irritating people!". The second seems a but sad but the first is the action of a Grade A wanker.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    Perhaps you should wheel out your 2017 graph.

    Places tin hat on head.
    Sorry - 2017 graph??
    The one where the red bar chart is higher than the blue one. Obviously this time around you would have to reverse that for the recent Tory win.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,706
    Stocky said:

    I've been away for a couple of weeks - I'm sure this has been mentioned - why the reversal so that newest posts are at the bottom rather than at the top?

    This change makes the site unusable on my phone and annoying on my PC.

    The company running the forum software suddenly changed it. The way to make it usable on a phone is to access it from https://vf.politicalbetting.com/ , that way you can at least jump to the last page.
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,851
    Deep breath now....
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,480

    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    Progress that was happening anyway and has absolutely nothing to do with Labour in office.
    Oh, I completely understand. Everything bad is due to the last 10 weeks of oppressive Starmerism, everything good is due to the golden legacy inherited from 14 years of Tory delivery.

    The fact that most of the current Tory MPs were elected on a 2017 manifesto to end the WFP and end the triple lock is completely irrelevant to their current pearl clutching horror.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    Perhaps you should wheel out your 2017 graph.

    Places tin hat on head.
    I was just thinking that wasn't Corbyn's targeting of non-voters the reason he won the 2017 election?
  • FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Labour 121 seats
    Tories 411 seats

    :innocent:
    Perhaps you should wheel out your 2017 graph.

    Places tin hat on head.
    Sorry - 2017 graph??
    The one where the red bar chart is higher than the blue one. Obviously this time around you would have to reverse that for the recent Tory win.
    Oh yes, d'oh!! :lol:

  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190
    ...
    MattW said:

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    If it's a traditional Church of England wedding, you can turn up and say that in response to “Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace”.

    Then if you are deemed to be indulging in riotous, violent, or indecent behaviour in the church or churchyard, the Churchwarden can arrest you under Chapter 32 of The Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860 and lock you up in the tower to wait for the constable.

    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/23-24/32
    That's more like it!

    PB: Every day a school day.
  • On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    What is this all about the Tory press

    The Guardian and now Unite Union are leading the opposition to it all the way to the floor of labour's conference
  • MattWMattW Posts: 22,703

    Battle of Britain Day, btw. Churchill was another prime minister fond of a freebie.

    Don't mention all his campaign medals for all the campaigns he did not take part in.

    Vanity, vanity etc...
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    What is this all about the Tory press

    The Guardian and now Unite Union are leading the opposition to it all the way to the floor of labour's conference
    This is either the greatest stroke of political genius since Thatcher invented "right to buy" or since Osborne's pasty tax. I am yet to decide, but I am erring on the latter.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 22,703
    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    We'll get that from the published numbers. I'm not sure what the publication delay is, but that will be important.

    Starmer needs to see them moving in the right direction imo to prevent getting a possibly-negative real narrative pre-empted, so the Opposition attacks continue mainly to be clutching at straws.

    The last time I checked, my hospital had waiting lists 30% less than average, but they are highly rated (though staff I asked whilst in for a time last summer said the shine was coming off in some respects).

  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    Progress that was happening anyway and has absolutely nothing to do with Labour in office.
    Oh, I completely understand. Everything bad is due to the last 10 weeks of oppressive Starmerism, everything good is due to the golden legacy inherited from 14 years of Tory delivery.

    The fact that most of the current Tory MPs were elected on a 2017 manifesto to end the WFP and end the triple lock is completely irrelevant to their current pearl clutching horror.
    I truly hate to fact check on your parade but the 2017 manifesto said MEANS TEST the WFA. Not end it. And it said maintain the triple lock for three years and then MODIFY it to a double lock by (very sensibly) dropping the 2.5% element.

    All of which makes me think May was better at this stuff than Starmer.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,706

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    What is this all about the Tory press

    The Guardian and now Unite Union are leading the opposition to it all the way to the floor of labour's conference
    This is either the greatest stroke of political genius since Thatcher invented "right to buy" or since Osborne's pasty tax. I am yet to decide, but I am erring on the latter.
    I don't think it's either of those. It's just when you've got a bad policy that's unpopular to repeal, it's better to get rid it far from an election and while the opposition is busy arguing with itself.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 49,586

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    Tbh I think it more plausible that WFA was cut because Tony Blair and/or Peter Mandelson told Starmer to do something unpopular at the start, and this advice combined with an old Treasury chestnut of ‘fixing’ WFA.
    My theory is that they started with being told by the Treasury that they “needed” cuts. The bit about the markets needing it would have been bollocks from an official.

    They had a pile of measures and these got whittled down to WFA - the others were too politically difficult.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,706
    mercator said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    Progress that was happening anyway and has absolutely nothing to do with Labour in office.
    Oh, I completely understand. Everything bad is due to the last 10 weeks of oppressive Starmerism, everything good is due to the golden legacy inherited from 14 years of Tory delivery.

    The fact that most of the current Tory MPs were elected on a 2017 manifesto to end the WFP and end the triple lock is completely irrelevant to their current pearl clutching horror.
    I truly hate to fact check on your parade but the 2017 manifesto said MEANS TEST the WFA. Not end it. And it said maintain the triple lock for three years and then MODIFY it to a double lock by (very sensibly) dropping the 2.5% element.

    All of which makes me think May was better at this stuff than Starmer.
    Means testing would be a worse policy. If the government has spare money to give to low-income pensioners there are less complicated ways to do it.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,851
    edited September 15
    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
  • AnneJGPAnneJGP Posts: 3,055
    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    That's good to hear and very interesting. Do you have a feel for what's caused it? Is it a general improvement of morale all round, or just a mechanical result of not having strike days to cope with?

    Good morning, everyone.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,695
    edited September 15
    Cookie said:

    kjh said:

    @Casino_Royale you wrote on the last thread:

    I have a friend of mine who lives in Hendon (a staunch Brexiteer) and drives past every year to see what's going on and gently encourage them to get a life. He said they were 100% white, earnest, all over 55 years old, and all very sad people.

    Do you not get the irony. What you friend does must be the very definition of sad. He is as bad or worse than the sad people handing out the flags.

    Not sure about that. What's worse: "Let's try to irritate people!" or "Let's complain at people who are deliberately irritating people!". The second seems a but sad but the first is the action of a Grade A wanker.
    I must admit I wouldn't contemplate doing either, but 'a bit sad' is somewhat an understatement. To be so annoyed that every year you waste a Saturday night to drive there to do that. An utter waste of time. he isn't going to change anyone's mind.

    And the point of course was 'the irony'. Referring to the people doing it as 'sad' when doing something which is clearly also 'sad' and not getting it.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 22,703
    On the header it feels like a last-blast strategy from Trump, but the election could be close enough that it could potentially make a difference. But I wonder how many of his newly russled-up registered voters will not vote for *him*?

    I note that the Telegraph article linked mentions that Kamala Harris has more funding than Donald Trump, bit does mention that one of the main reason is Trump's possibly illegal looting of campaign and party funds to pay for his millions-per-month bill from the lawyers.

    One further factor I have not seen numbers on is the Republican-linked campaign to prevent ethnic minority voters being able to vote by hundreds of thousands of questionable (word chosen carefully) challenges to voting roles, and by other means such as reducing numbers of polling places in probably Democrat voting areas.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,095

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.
    l

    Don’t be catty…
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190
    edited September 15
    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    The Atkins programme?

    Proof, if it were needed, that Sunak should have hung on 'til November.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    edited September 15

    Stocky said:

    I've been away for a couple of weeks - I'm sure this has been mentioned - why the reversal so that newest posts are at the bottom rather than at the top?

    This change makes the site unusable on my phone and annoying on my PC.

    The company running the forum software suddenly changed it. The way to make it usable on a phone is to access it from https://vf.politicalbetting.com/ , that way you can at least jump to the last page.
    Usable as a write-only forum, that is. If you want to read pb before posting...

    ETA: confession time: sometimes my heart sinks if I see 500 unread comments and I will just wait for the next thread.
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Any Answers so she initially self selected by ringing in, though I am sure she was then screened. But she exists and is in a bad way
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 62,749
    edited September 15
    Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Ed Davey was very much against it yesterday, and Sky went to the home of the disabled couple that Davey had referred to in his PMQs and the despair they felt was palable and the husband said it was cruel

    No matter how Labour supporters try to defend it, this policy has united opposition to it across all parties, age related organisations, and now the Unite union who are submitting a motion to the floor of the labour conference to reverse it

    Additional the irony is that if the 800,000 pensioners claimed pension credit which they are entitled to, it would actually cost the Treasury billions rather than saving any money

    This is not going away, and while most everyone would agree wealthy pensioners should not receive it there were far better ways of implementing it including in the Autumn statement and from 2025

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/05/labours-decision-to-cut-winter-fuel-payments-is-mean-and-politically-inept
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,344
    AnneJGP said:

    Foxy said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I am not surprised they are holding firm on WFA. If a new government backtracks on one of its very first tax and spend announcements, then it sets a precedent that they’ll roll over every time.

    The issue for Starmer and Reeves is that this particular policy is the hill they’ve chosen (or had chosen for them) to take a stand on. It’s not a policy that wins them votes elsewhere, it doesn’t save tremendous sums of money, it annoys one of the most politically-engaged segments of society, it was announced before winter at a time the energy cap is going up and at the same time as public sector pay deals, it seems to have been announced as a throwaway policy, outside of a budget, because Reeves wanted something to sound “tough” on.

    Their first big policy battle should have been the tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, with public sector reform the absolute next item on that list. As it is, they’ve allowed their hasty WFA announcement to set the scene and to spend all their political capital on, for no discernible political benefit.
    Yes, a stupid way to fill the void over the summer and before the budget.

    Stuff does seem to be happening on delivery though, largely under the radar as the right wing press isn't interested in the dull grind. While the hospital sector looks to be on a shoestring budget in anticipation of a tough winter, we do seem to be making progress on waiting lists etc with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Maybe it is just my Trust, but things seem to be happening elsewhere too. My dad is 89 in Hants and commencing treatment this week just 3 weeks from NHS referral, having seen the Consultant last week. It's a characteristic of our society that we focus on the problems and take real progress for granted.
    That's good to hear and very interesting. Do you have a feel for what's caused it? Is it a general improvement of morale all round, or just a mechanical result of not having strike days to cope with?

    Good morning, everyone.
    Good morning to you, Anne, and to everyone.

    I must say that over the last year my wife and I have often managed to get early hospital appointments by ringing up every so often and asking for cancellations.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,095
    boulay said:

    mercator said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Quinnipac or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan (although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.
    I think people are largely joking about Reeves's golden legacy, 11 weeks of labour misrule etc. But what the fuck is wrong with Starmer? I am a reasonably well off lawyer. If anyone offered to buy me or my wife thousands of pounds worth of clothes or some nice wallpaper I would tell them to fuck off. Who who can afford their own clothes and wallpaper would not? Who wants to be governed by the sort of person who says yes please?
    It’s very weird accepting clothes as a gift,
    we aren’t just talking about a nice cashmere jumper or a Hermes scarf but full wardrobe (and a pretty vanilla one at that).

    Did the donor think Starmer is too poor to outfit him and his wife, or that they dressed badly so needed his help? Obviously not so just a really strange gift to accept.
    To be fair as the wife of a Prime Minister she probably needs a fuller wardrobe than most women. So I can understand helping - I’m surprised there isn’t (and maybe there is) a clothing allowance for her although I can see the civil service getting their knickers in a twist about the idea.

    But not disclosing? That’s just idiotic. Even if the rules say you don’t have to because Starmer is not the beneficiary. Over disclosure should be the approach
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/154268/petition/2

    Petition to reconsider WFA decision.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,344

    Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Ed Davey was very much against it yesterday, and Sky went to the home of the disabled couple that Davey had referred to in his PMQs and the despair they felt was palable and the husband said it was cruel

    No matter how Labour supporters try to defend it, this policy has united opposition to it across all parties, age related organisations, and now the Unite union who are submitting a motion to the floor of the labour conference to reverse it

    Additional the irony is that if the 800,000 pensioners claimed pension credit which they are entitled to, it would actually cost the Treasury billions rather than saving any money

    This is not going away, and while most everyone would agree wealthy pensioners should not receive it there were far better ways of implementing it including in the Autumn statement and from 2025

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/05/labours-decision-to-cut-winter-fuel-payments-is-mean-and-politically-inept
    A short-term answer might be to have made it taxable. Personally, as I've posted before, I'm grateful for it, but it's not by any measure crucial.
    Certainly a bit (lot???) more thought should have gone into a) introducing it and b) removing it.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 49,586
    Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Researching news stories? To find actual, real examples?

    Horrific! Trumpism! There should be a law!
  • Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Roger maybe you should acquaint yourself with this:

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwales/2020to2021provisionaland2019to2020final

    Even with the WFA, excess winter deaths were around 25k pre-COVID. These deaths will now, fairly or unfairly be laid at Labour's door. And if there is a particularly cold spell this winter, all the broadcast media will go around and interview people like the 81 year old above, shivering in a cold flat/house under 3 layers of blankets.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,113
    mercator said:

    https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/154268/petition/2

    Petition to reconsider WFA decision.

    The furore over this is surprising IMO over a proposal to means-test a single £300 per annum payment.

    I'd abolish the whole thing.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 49,586

    Roger said:

    mercator said:

    Roger said:

    Where's @williamglenn when balance is required? Surely there's a Rasmussen or Trafalgar poll available with Trump ten points ahead.

    FPT.

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    So three months in and nobody's talking about how competent Starmer's government is.

    Unbelievably Sunak is starting to look good

    Now hang on, that's going a bit far.
    Is it ?

    I mean for months on PB Starmer was praised for his quiet competence, w were going to have better government etc.

    So far we have had a mega lie on £22 billion, the unions are rubbing their hands om inflationary pay increases, Miliband is merrily screwing up energy and killiing 100000+ jobs in the North Sea, , WFA fiasco, riots, growth at a stand still for the last 2 months and big tax rises on the horizon.

    And all of that in 10 week as just today the sleaze accusations start to circle round Starmer.




    It is permissible to think Starmer is no good after several weeks of mistakes.

    It is hardly permissible to say Sunak after two years of extraordinary bungling where he got practically every major decision wrong looks good by comparison.
    FWIW I believe the WFA issue is a massive misstep, and one Starmer and Reeves appear to be disinclined to walk back from, which is bizarre.

    Most of the other criticisms on here and in the Tory client media, that the haven't stopped the boats because they jettisoned the "fantastic" Rwanda plan, although flights of failed asylum seekers have left the country to no fanfare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpe388jy2n3o.amp The accusation that Reeves has squandered the "golden legacy" and they have lost control over the NHS and prison management which was in Trumpian terms "great" under the Tories is all nonsense. The remaining Jenrick-smoothing Tories on here seem to believe if they can talk up a Starmer failure their boy is a shoo in in 2029. Of course Labour probably will be useless, and after ten weeks we have little evidence bto suggest otherwise, but will the Conservatives romp home unopposed in five years time? Our faithful friends on here, on the BBC and in the Telegraph don't seem to have twigged just how despised the Johnson and post- Johnson Tories are.

    As to Mrs Starmer's clothing gift, whilst unwise, it's not (yet) on the scale of Lulu Lytle's wallpaper, the PPE fast lane scandal and of course Robert Jenrick's outrageous planning intervention on behalf of the pornographer and Tory donor Richard Desmond.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/robert-jenrick-richard-desmond-housing-tory-donor-westferry-a9631876.html
    I wouldn't say it was bizarre not walking away from the WFA. My guess is that it was very deliberate and they knew perfectly well the people it would offend. I also don't believe they're unhappy at the outcome. They'll make sure those missing the £200 will be compensated in some other way but by then their objectives will have been met.

    Just tlistening to the hyperbole from the Tory diehards and their client media and you begin to understasnd how Starmer and Reeves surefootedness is unnerving them. I heard a report on how Reeves walked into the committee room for a meeting with the Labour PLP with a big smile on her face and a can of coke in her hand.....
    The Guardian is the most vocal opponent of the policy. Labours own numbers show that hundreds of thousands will lose out because they won't apply for the right benefits. There was an 81 year old living in rented accommodation on £7,500 on radio 4 yesterday lunchtime.
    I'm surprised you of all people would bring up the story of the 81 year old living in rented accomodation......

    The BBC pay researchers buttons to find dozens of such people. The Guardian the same but they call them 'trainees'.

    ...........The fifth richest man in the country getting WFA living in Monaco while an 80 year old man living in Scunthorpe was eating Yaks testicles raw because he couldn't afford to switch on his cooker.....

    .........If the Star won't take it they can always go to the Telegraph
    Ed Davey was very much against it yesterday, and Sky went to the home of the disabled couple that Davey had referred to in his PMQs and the despair they felt was palable and the husband said it was cruel

    No matter how Labour supporters try to defend it, this policy has united opposition to it across all parties, age related organisations, and now the Unite union who are submitting a motion to the floor of the labour conference to reverse it

    Additional the irony is that if the 800,000 pensioners claimed pension credit which they are entitled to, it would actually cost the Treasury billions rather than saving any money

    This is not going away, and while most everyone would agree wealthy pensioners should not receive it there were far better ways of implementing it including in the Autumn statement and from 2025

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/05/labours-decision-to-cut-winter-fuel-payments-is-mean-and-politically-inept
    So far, we have

    - a bunch of Labour MPs
    - Unite
    - The Guardian
    - Ed Davey and the Lib Dems

    As Tory right wingers.

    At this rate, whoever takes over as Tory leader won’t need to do much to rebuild the party. Everyone has joined….
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,080

    On the WFA, it seems to me to be utterly implausible that Starmer and Reeves didn't realise that its withdrawal would be deeply unpopular with many people, and of course with the Tory press. So isn't it just possible that they did it anyway because they thought it was the right thing to do? Haven't we had enough of government policies enacted solely to court popularity?

    Tbh I think it more plausible that WFA was cut because Tony Blair and/or Peter Mandelson told Starmer to do something unpopular at the start, and this advice combined with an old Treasury chestnut of ‘fixing’ WFA.
    I think that's it. An analogue to the cut to single parent benefit that New Labour made early on.

    Maybe they suggested the clothes money could be the equivalent to the Ecclestone scandal - but I'm not seeing what the quid pro quo for the donor was in this case.
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    Stocky said:

    mercator said:

    https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/154268/petition/2

    Petition to reconsider WFA decision.

    The furore over this is surprising IMO over a proposal to means-test a single £300 per annum payment.

    I'd abolish the whole thing.
    My understanding is that what is proposed is abolition. You can then alleviate the situation by claiming pension credit but that's not the same as means testing
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 70,513

    FPT…

    kjh said:

    Andy_JS said:

    I trust everyone's watching the Last Night of the Proms. 😊

    Yep. I try and watch and listen to all the Prom concerts though the summer and The Last Night for me marks the start of autumn and my Sacred Season.
    What's with the EU flags? During Elgar?

    There have always been flags of many different nations there although the Union Flag was usually the most prominent. After the Referendum the Remainer clique tried to flood the Last Night with EU flags as a protest and I think hoping to provoke some outrage. The Daily Mail crowd were predictably outraged but everyone else just shrugged and got on with it.

    Weirdly it has become a new tradition now and it would be strange to be offended by it - well except for the Daily Mail readers.

    One thing I did notice once again was how many Ukraine flags were being waved
    Nah, that's a bit of an inspid establishment view. It's not a "bring your own flag" competition and to say that robs of its meaning, and why people started going in the first place.

    I'm with @Luckyguy1983 on this - it was a musical carnival, an unabashed, celebration of being British - all glorious and bombastic - and to enjoy it amongst everyone else doing it. The fewer doing it the less of a collective and special communal experience it is.

    You get "unofficial" battleproms/last nights around the country now that have sprung up where ordinary people can enjoy themselves as it should be. Either the Albert Hall event needs resetting or it should be relocated or debroadcast now.

    It has been totally sullied and spoiled.
    I think you are being a bit of a spoilsport here. It is a great event that hasn't really changed. I can understand people not liking the EU flags, but they don't spoil the event and there are still plenty of Union flags and I'm sure with time it will revert when the fuss finally dies down. And the fun and music are the important thing which are very patriotic and nobody has suggested changing that.

    It is one of the events that makes Britain British, like pubs, bonfire night and pantomime.

    PS re @Big_G_NorthWales he has mentioned his child in Canada a few times.
    The spoilsports are those who actually organise - bear in mind they are sad enough to spend their free time doing this - the purchase and manufacture of boxes and boxes of EU flags and then hang around all day outside the Albert Hall with the sole purpose of ruining a iconic festival of British music with europhilia and trolling the country on national TV.

    There should only be Union flags, except for a handful of niche ones for guests and interest. Once they get swamped by political campaigns like this action must be taken.
    I thought Conservatives believed in freedom of speech?
    Can I turn up at your wedding then and issue all your guests with flags inscribed with @bondegezou is a pointless wanker, then?
    So much anger on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you should go to a traditional Church of England service and talk to your local vicar?
    Free speech mate. I thought you were in favour?
    Says the would be flag banner.
This discussion has been closed.