Douglas Carswell has apparently been posting things on Twitter that might possibly get him into trouble if he was living in the UK at the moment, although apparently he's living in the US.
I've never trusted him since he tried to act like Periscoping (it was some video streaming thing) whilst an MP was some kind of demonstration of a bold and visionary spirit, rather than showing him to have a titanic ego (even for an MP).
I'm starting to think Farage and Reform won't ever be in government, because the polls will get so bad for Labour and the other establishment parties over the next few years that they'll be forced to completely change their policies in order to avoid political oblivion. That would be a good example of democracy in action I suppose — politicians responding to what the public are telling them.
Is Starmer doing Nixon goes to China on the ECHR? Has he asked Straw to prepare the ground? If so he's a genius.
So, probably not.
Looking forward to the Faragists all shouting:
"Yes, we did leave the ECHR, but it has been done the wrong way, which is why is isn't working"
Not sure Farage would mind being "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride" if he gets Brexit and ECHR reform/withdrawal. His acolytes would though, as you suggest.
Would Farage consider introducing American-style free speech laws in the UK? Interesting question imo.
Consider it? Perhaps. I suspect if he got into government he would, like most of our governments, find other priorities to fill the time than such a thing.
Jack Straw should be ashamed . As for Policy Exchange , it’s hardly a neutral publication.
Ashamed because he puts forward an opinion you don't agree with?
The ECHR affects more than just the GFA and he’s acting as a Farage enabler. Even if you accept the Policy Exchange view there are many others who would disagree with their conclusions.
Douglas Carswell has apparently been posting things on Twitter that might possibly get him into trouble if he was living in the UK at the moment, although apparently he's living in the US.
He sure has changed in the last decade. In 2015 he was holier than thou and reprimanding Farage for any perceived slight on immigrants. Now he’s channeling Roy Chubby Brown!
Just another economic migrant slagging off economic migrants.
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Ironic that Epping Forest was one of the few constituencies where Reform UK didn't stand at the last election. Tories therefore polled 43% as a consequence, one of their best percentages in the country.
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Can’t they ship them off to a trailer park in Alabama . They could be amongst their kind of people and they’ll have more choice of Klan meetings to go to .
I've mentioned before that we had a committee that used to sit in the 50's into the 60's to decide where the boundary lay between the UK and Norway. At some point the Norwegians laid on a slap-up lunch and our negotatiators said "OK, you can have it where you think it lies."
Which was a purely academic exercise - until all the massive Norwegian oil fields were found to lay in the bit we had conceded.
Norway has a massive wealth fund for the ages - as a result of one slap-up lunch.
Also, because they have a tiny population compared to the UK. In 1970, Norway had about 3.5 million people.
Let's just invade and take the wealth fund. It's ours.
Putin would.
I wonder if we are going to see stuff like this
So many countries are in a terrible debt situation. One way to ease that is…. Invade and conquer a smaller but wealthy country. Take all their resources. Sorted
America could take Canada. Who is going to stop them? China, Taiwan. Britain, Ireland (and Norway). France, Belgium
It would be in keeping with America moving from its Republican phase to its imperial mode
If the more pessimistic view - which I hold for now until proved otherwise - about Trumpism and the gangster kleptocracy that is the USA is right, then in relative terms we are about in 1932, awaiting the method by which future elections will be abandoned or rigged, the military control the streets and the takeover is complete.
From then on it is not possible to say what horrors await, including such impossible things as the occupation of Canada and Greenland, which, as you say, no western power could lift a finger to prevent.
A relative triviality in that scheme of things, if the pessimists are right, is that it isn't really possible to say what effect this would have on UK elections in 2028/9, and in particular on the fate of parties, such as Reform, which sit fairly loosely to the rule of law and international obligation. But by then who would be Quisling, who would be Petain and who would be Churchill is not something I would put money on, not on moral grounds but because my crystal ball clouds over well before then.
I fear you are correct. This is about 1932. The parallels are uncanny
Much of it, however, is being driven by an insane left wing in the west (equivalent to the fellow traveling Stalinist Fabians of the 30s?) who do not understand how they are driving despairing voters to the hard or far right
Look at the asylum discourse this weekend. The rights of 23 year old Syrian men in free four star hotels which we pay for, and who still hate Britain, must come first, in Britain, over the rights of British girls not to be raped
In this light, Brits may as well vote Nazi
Britain has a wonderful history of peaceful change coming when needed. The glorious revolution. The industrial revolution. The Great Reform Act. This era is just the same. We are just lucky like that.
"The nations not so blessed as thee, must in their turn to tyrants fall, while thou shalt flourish great and free, the dread and envy of them all"
Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance, as they say. David Cameron was phenomenally lucky until he wasn't.
Our past performance also includes the long anarchy following the death of Henry I, John, the violence and deposition of Edward II and Richard II, the Wars of the Roses, the violence and deposition of Richard III, the Civil Wars to name a few.
Also, LG's 'Britain' excludes 'Ireland'. Which was very much seen as de facto part of the UK for centuries even if not formally till 1800.
It was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - so explicitly Ireland and Britain are separate things, regardless of what some confused Nordies will tell you.
A distinction complicated by the official use of Britain as a synonym not for Great Britain but for the United Kingdom. (And don't get the ScotNats started on the use of England to mean Britain.)
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Ironic that Epping Forest was one of the few constituencies where Reform UK didn't stand at the last election. Tories therefore polled 43% as a consequence, one of their best percentages in the country.
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Can’t they ship them off to a trailer park in Alabama . They could be amongst their kind of people and they’ll have more choice of Klan meetings to go to .
Well, it's complicated. The government's position seems to be agreement with the good burghers of Epping that hotels should not be used to house asylum seekers, but needs must.
Years ago, I recall reading the half-joking suggestion that citizens of the UK be called "Ukasians". (I am passing that on without endorsing it, since it is none of my business. But I would be opposed to calling any of you -- well, almost any of you -- late to dinner.)
A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault after a video of a confrontation in a Yorkshire park circulated online.
The video, seen by the BBC, shows a man and a woman making racial comments towards a woman and child as they walk through Manor Heath Park in Halifax on Thursday.
A man is seen throwing water at the woman and appears to ask her if she arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in a boat.
Another example for those who think that their immigrant friends and family are safe because... well, because REASONS.
Years ago, I recall reading the half-joking suggestion that citizens of the UK be called "Ukasians". (I am passing that on without endorsing it, since it is none of my business. But I would be opposed to calling any of you -- well, almost any of you -- late to dinner.)
I have read that, post Scottish independence, the remainder of the UK compromising England Wales And Northern Ireland would be Ewanistan.
Years ago, I recall reading the half-joking suggestion that citizens of the UK be called "Ukasians". (I am passing that on without endorsing it, since it is none of my business. But I would be opposed to calling any of you -- well, almost any of you -- late to dinner.)
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Can’t they ship them off to a trailer park in Alabama . They could be amongst their kind of people and they’ll have more choice of Klan meetings to go to .
Well, it's complicated. The government's position seems to be agreement with the good burghers of Epping that hotels should not be used to house asylum seekers, but needs must.
Which happens to be a decent approximation to the truth. And the main fixes are the boring incremental ones of processing applications faster and having more proper accommodation capacity.
Surprised TSE hasn't yet posted on Liverpool landing Isak, unless I missed it.
After the drama over the summer I'm not sure how much its good news. He's clearly a great player, but no player should be bigger than the club, and he obviously thinks he is over at Newcastle and has destabilised them, I hope he doesnt do the same to us in a couple of years when he decides he'd rather be in Spain for example or elsewhere.
Despite the clean sheet yesterday I'm more worried about our defence than attacking options so potentially landing Guehi could be more important. Hope we get him. And Guehi has gone about seeking a transfer the right way, remaining playing at his best at his existing club until deadline day.
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Can’t they ship them off to a trailer park in Alabama . They could be amongst their kind of people and they’ll have more choice of Klan meetings to go to .
Well, it's complicated. The government's position seems to be agreement with the good burghers of Epping that hotels should not be used to house asylum seekers, but needs must.
Which happens to be a decent approximation to the truth. And the main fixes are the boring incremental ones of processing applications faster and having more proper accommodation capacity.
If you want more proper accommodation capacity then we need more houses, which we need more of anyway.
The problem is that Starmer has an attitude and has said we have enough houses, despite having been elected on a platform of proper planning reform that he's now failing to deliver.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
Can’t they ship them off to a trailer park in Alabama . They could be amongst their kind of people and they’ll have more choice of Klan meetings to go to .
Well, it's complicated. The government's position seems to be agreement with the good burghers of Epping that hotels should not be used to house asylum seekers, but needs must.
Which happens to be a decent approximation to the truth. And the main fixes are the boring incremental ones of processing applications faster and having more proper accommodation capacity.
Also notable that August arrivals are the lowest since 2019, despite the fine weather.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
It doesn’t help that he doesn’t have a strong voice for radio, always sounds like some half-strangulated schoolboy.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
It doesn’t help that he doesn’t have a strong voice for radio, always sounds like some half-strangulated schoolboy.
True, but I meant, he’s the actual minister who put the asylum seekers in the hotel in Epping in the first place!
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
True, but that's inevitable until some of the Class of '24 rise to the top. The question is whether the Conservatives have got that long.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
You learn more from your failures than you do from your successes.
The biggest problem is those who refuse to admit they ever failed in the first place.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
Every party needs someone willing to turn up to any interview, willing to endure any humiliation and bullshit away past disgraces; a kind of sin eater. That Philp was one of the sinners doesn’t really matter.
I accidentally heard him on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking. Apparently in a past life Philp voted for Blair which shows just how flexible he is.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
It doesn’t help that he doesn’t have a strong voice for radio, always sounds like some half-strangulated schoolboy.
True, but I meant, he’s the actual minister who put the asylum seekers in the hotel in Epping in the first place!
That makes me wonder how pitiful he was, given that you move straight from your criticism of his apparently pitful performance to your criticism of his legitimacy on the issue.
A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault after a video of a confrontation in a Yorkshire park circulated online.
The video, seen by the BBC, shows a man and a woman making racial comments towards a woman and child as they walk through Manor Heath Park in Halifax on Thursday.
A man is seen throwing water at the woman and appears to ask her if she arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in a boat.
Just worried parents with legitimate concerns surely?
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
You learn more from your failures than you do from your successes.
The biggest problem is those who refuse to admit they ever failed in the first place.
You're just trying to get Man Utd to stick with Amorin.
Morning all. If he's dead can we cancel the state visit?
Nope, the big smelly orange corpse has to be shown all the due formalities, propped up at the state banquet and given a hearty snog by Sir Keir and Camilla. Them’s the rules.
A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault after a video of a confrontation in a Yorkshire park circulated online.
The video, seen by the BBC, shows a man and a woman making racial comments towards a woman and child as they walk through Manor Heath Park in Halifax on Thursday.
A man is seen throwing water at the woman and appears to ask her if she arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in a boat.
Just worried parents with legitimate concerns surely?
Morning all. If he's dead can we cancel the state visit?
Nope, the big smelly orange corpse has to be shown all the formalities, propped up at the state banquet and given a hearty snog by Sir Keir and Camilla. Them’s the rules.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
I've made this point - the Tories have been *awful* on the media this month. They've thrown themselves at it - endless posts denying history and sanity. And have ended up polling 17 seats...
Good morning from Eastern France. Passed the offices of the Communist Party of France together with its hammer and sickle logo. Office was abandoned and boarded up. Meanwhile in the next town along is the office of the current MP (?) who belongs to the RN. Have the left been defeated in rural France?
Morning all. If he's dead can we cancel the state visit?
Nope, the big smelly orange corpse has to be shown all the formalities, propped up at the state banquet and given a hearty snog by Sir Keir and Camilla. Them’s the rules.
I'm starting to think Farage and Reform won't ever be in government, because the polls will get so bad for Labour and the other establishment parties over the next few years that they'll be forced to completely change their policies in order to avoid political oblivion. That would be a good example of democracy in action I suppose — politicians responding to what the public are telling them.
Four years is a very long time. For now the Overton window has shifted. No-one electable is doing anything other than finding ways of saying they have a route to Reform's destination without Reform doing it.
A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault after a video of a confrontation in a Yorkshire park circulated online.
The video, seen by the BBC, shows a man and a woman making racial comments towards a woman and child as they walk through Manor Heath Park in Halifax on Thursday.
A man is seen throwing water at the woman and appears to ask her if she arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in a boat.
Just worried parents with legitimate concerns surely?
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
I've made this point - the Tories have been *awful* on the media this month. They've thrown themselves at it - endless posts denying history and sanity. And have ended up polling 17 seats...
They have for now run out of choices. Tory government is too recent to make them credible. Leader unpopular but change really hard because it compounds the story that they keep changing leader because they are useless, no time to develop a genuine new strategy as they have decided a long silence is not an option. Lack of spokespeople with gravitas.
IMO a brave long silence would be best for them, and try to look intelligent. But probably nothing can work for now.
Douglas Carswell has apparently been posting things on Twitter that might possibly get him into trouble if he was living in the UK at the moment, although apparently he's living in the US.
Philp is just pitiful whenever he’s on the radio. You think the tories would realise the man who failed last time isn’t the man who can credibly claim to have all the answers this time
I've made this point - the Tories have been *awful* on the media this month. They've thrown themselves at it - endless posts denying history and sanity. And have ended up polling 17 seats...
They have for now run out of choices. Tory government is too recent to make them credible. Leader unpopular but change really hard because it compounds the story that they keep changing leader because they are useless, no time to develop a genuine new strategy as they have decided a long silence is not an option. Lack of spokespeople with gravitas.
IMO a brave long silence would be best for them, and try to look intelligent. But probably nothing can work for now.
Speak fitly or be silent wisely may be the best choice for the Stories, but, you know, a silent politician is probably a dead one.
Comments
"Yes, we did leave the ECHR, but it has been done the wrong way, which is why is isn't working"
Jack Hadfield 🇬🇧
@JackHadders
The residents of Epping are calling out to @elonmusk
to help them as much as he can in chants, recognising the attention he paid to the small Essex town over the last few days.
“ELON ELON HELP US OUT, STARMER FUCKING SOLD US OUT!”
https://x.com/JackHadders/status/1962215421135786486
See new posts
Conversation
Politics & Poll Tracker 📡
@PollTracker2024
2028 Democratic primary polling average from
@RacetotheWH
(Change from June 30)
Kamala Harris 19.0% (-3.4)
Gavin Newsom 18.8% (+7.9)
Pete Buttigieg 15.0% (no change)
AOC 7.2 % (-3.1)
Josh Shapiro 4.3% (-0.4)
Cory Booker 3.6% (-2.1)
Tim Walz 3.5% (-0.5)
JB Pritzker 3.4% (+1.5)
Jasmine Crockett 2.8% (+0.8)
Mark Cuban 2.2% (-1.3)
Gretchen Whitmer 2.1% (-0.9)
Elizabeth Warren 2.0% (no change)
Andy Beshear 2.0% (new)
Roy Cooper 1.9% (new)
Mark Kelly 1.9% (no change)
https://bsky.app/profile/helenkennedy.bsky.social/post/3lxq3eutupk2i
After the drama over the summer I'm not sure how much its good news. He's clearly a great player, but no player should be bigger than the club, and he obviously thinks he is over at Newcastle and has destabilised them, I hope he doesnt do the same to us in a couple of years when he decides he'd rather be in Spain for example or elsewhere.
Despite the clean sheet yesterday I'm more worried about our defence than attacking options so potentially landing Guehi could be more important. Hope we get him. And Guehi has gone about seeking a transfer the right way, remaining playing at his best at his existing club until deadline day.
The problem is that Starmer has an attitude and has said we have enough houses, despite having been elected on a platform of proper planning reform that he's now failing to deliver.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/01/uk-to-make-it-harder-for-refugees-to-bring-family-members-to-country?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
The biggest problem is those who refuse to admit they ever failed in the first place.
I accidentally heard him on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking. Apparently in a past life Philp voted for Blair which shows just how flexible he is.
Good old financial fair play.
One vehicle driving into the rear end of another vehicle at high speed does not sound like an "accident".
NEW THREAD
Although you could still call it the Reform Act.
IMO a brave long silence would be best for them, and try to look intelligent. But probably nothing can work for now.
Douglas Carswell 🇬🇧🇺🇸
@DouglasCarswell
From Epping to the sea, let’s make England Abdul free
https://x.com/DouglasCarswell/status/1962130132413378586
There's quite a lot more on the thread.