Focussing on trade matters, Barnier said “the only frictionless relation with the U.K. would be a Norway Plus” model. This, he said, means a partnership under which the U.K. would continue to apply EU laws and guarantee free movement, like Norway currently does, and also form a customs union with Brussels.
Mr. Walker, 17.4m voted to Leave. Just over 100,000 have signed a petition. I'm one of the 17.3m who has not.
The Lords does need reform, and it would certainly help if its members recalled that the electorate is not there to be overruled or corrected by appointed lords. But knee-jerk reform of the constitution, and short-sighted, narrow-minded meddling is a Blairite solution.
Of course, if Clegg hadn't proposed such a stupid reform and then run away from any sort of democratic questioning of his proposals, we might be further along in finding an answer to the unsustainable situation we now have.
Of course the Lords could be reformed, starting with the dodgy appointments process.
But the idea that the Lords is trying to “overrule or correct” the electorate is truly bizarre.
This plebiscitary nonsense is fundamentally un-British. The people voted, some years ago, now, on a single question. We decided to “Leave”. It’s now up to Parliament (both Houses) to figure out how.
Basically, you didn’t like the result, so all bets are off and anything is fair game.
Yep. It’s called democracy. Something which many Brexiters seem to deign rather inconvenient.
You call democracy anything that delivers your preferred political result.
There is nothing democratic about the House of Lords, and you dismiss the referendum which definitively was.
You and I have to disagree, then.
The to-and-fro of Brexit in Parliament, including the contribution made by the revising chamber - a feature of many if not most western counties - is to me the very essence of democracy.
Besides which, it is the essence of referendum that they can only inform a decision so far given the nature and brevity of referendum questions.
You Leavers simply want to railroad dissent. That is no democracy, it’s dictatorship. Gina Miller went to court about it - and won.
On topic, excellent article from Alastair, with any number of worrying implications from the fracturing of the bonds of society (as a country, we used to read much the same papers and watch or listen to the same news bulletins; now, there is no such baseline and we live in different realities), to the already established risks to elections and other political processes, to the prospects of a clampdown on free speech itself, which might be the blowback from uncontrolled fake news.
Is there a word in English for a posh, articulate and plausible, but fundamentally dishonest, twat?
Cad?
Conman or conwoman might fit the stated requirement, but I don't understand why you seem to be labelling Mr Rees-Mogg fundamentally dishonest. Do I perhaps read you wrongly?
Yes.
He is fundamentally dishonest because he continues to espouse an impossible policy.
Just like his partner in boundership (or connerie) Daniel Hannan.
If you mean he espouses Brexit, then that is not dishonesty. That is a difference of opinion between you & him.
No. I’m talking about his serial propagation of deceits about, inter alia:
- the aims and intent of the EU - the supposed ease of Brexit - the non-problem of the Irish border - etc etc
Thank you.
My own opinion is that, if leaving the EU is so much more difficult than was expected, it is all the more necessary that we should undock as soon as possible, however long it takes to leave the EU eventually.
With respect, I think this is a fallacy. It took many years to “get into” the EU, and it is unspurprising that it should take many years to get out.
Besides which, the difficulty of entering into - or exiting - an arrangement does not weigh on the merit or otherwise of that arrangement.
My own opinion is that, if leaving the EU is so much more difficult than was expected, it is all the more necessary that we should undock as soon as possible, however long it takes to leave the EU eventually.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to leave the WTO while the majority of the rest of the world stayed in it. That does not provide a rationale for leaving the WTO though.
FPT very difficult to pin down a "bad" result for Labour because they are certain to add to their vote share.
Could be some expectation management from Owen. Or maybe he had very high hopes, as he has been out every day with gangs of young, enthusiastic Momentum kids, knocking on doors.
The referendum result did not mandate leaving the customs union. I appreciate that many Leavers would prefer that outcome (and indeed, if it eventuates, that's within the range of outcomes that is consistent with the result of the referendum).
To abolish the House of Lords just because it hampers a result that a cohort of Leavers don't like would be constitutional arson.
Hmm I've never been a fan of the Lords and think it should be abolished regardless of the Brexit machinations, but I take your point - alot of right wingers were in favour of the Lords till they weren't. The amount of peers in there is completely crackers for a secondary house for starters.
Oh I'm in favour of replacing the House of Lords with a chamber elected by PR. But replacing it simply because it's inconveniencing a few nut-nuts who are applying a fake purity test to Brexit would be a really bad turn of events.
Mr. Walker, 17.4m voted to Leave. Just over 100,000 have signed a petition. I'm one of the 17.3m who has not.
The Lords does need reform, and it would certainly help if its members recalled that the electorate is not there to be overruled or corrected by appointed lords. But knee-jerk reform of the constitution, and short-sighted, narrow-minded meddling is a Blairite solution.
Of course, if Clegg hadn't proposed such a stupid reform and then run away from any sort of democratic questioning of his proposals, we might be further along in finding an answer to the unsustainable situation we now have.
Of course the Lords could be reformed, starting with the dodgy appointments process.
But the idea that the Lords is trying to “overrule or correct” the electorate is truly bizarre.
This plebiscitary nonsense is fundamentally un-British. The people voted, some years ago, now, on a single question. We decided to “Leave”. It’s now up to Parliament (both Houses) to figure out how.
Basically, you didn’t like the result, so all bets are off and anything is fair game.
The referendum result did not mandate leaving the customs union. I appreciate that many Leavers would prefer that outcome (and indeed, if it eventuates, that's within the range of outcomes that is consistent with the result of the referendum).
To abolish the House of Lords just because it hampers a result that a cohort of Leavers don't like would be constitutional arson.
I agree with Alastair on that, though I the Commons will surely trump the Lords one way or another - either it backs a Remainy amendment, in which case the government loses, or it overturns anything the Lords does, in which case the Lords will back down.
What wouldn't be tenable would be for the Lords to use the Parliament Act to block the legislation until after March 2019 (which they have the power to do). That would be lighting the bonfire they're sitting on.
"Last year, Amazon asked for permission to unlock your front door so it could leave packages inside your home, and a certain number of extremely trusting Amazon Prime subscribers (Amazon won’t say how many) said okay. Now, the tech giant wants to do the same thing with your car."
Mr. Walker, your side was backed by Gerry Adams. Do I get to associate you with Irish terrorism now?
It's dumb. You're not a fool, but that is a foolish argument. I voted to Leave for reasons that had nothing to do with immigration. Ken Clarke once said he wanted Westminster to effectively become a local council. You and he voted the same way but I don't get to just pretend his opinion is also yours (and all others who voted Remain) because you're separate people.
The political class has a bad record of misleading at best and lying at worst to the electorate. One reason I did vote Leave is because I had no faith in our politicians to stand up for our interest over the EU interest. Just look at the contemptible deception over the Lisbon Treaty and the referendum-that-wasn't.
And now they're trying to give the EU the power to determine our trade deals. The whole point of leaving (in that regard) is that whilst we have less muscle, we can pursue deals that are advantageous for the UK economy without having to consider 27 others. We can have deals that suit us, not the EU. It's idiotic to suppose we're better served by having deals that suit the EU27 without having any consideration of the UK interest.
I’m sorry, but you’re wrong again.
On Gerry Adams, the difference is that the Remain campaign was not characterised by, nor did it’s aims necessarily align with, support for Irish nationalist terrorism.
Whereas, elements of the Brexit campaign were infected with anti-immigrant rhetoric and in fact the whole finale of the campaign ended up where Cummings wanted it to be - in a debate about immigration control. Moreover, Brexit is clearly helpful to anti-Western and anti-liberal actors like Putin.
Ken Clarke’s remarks about Westminster had, I thought, been debunked, but I don’t think it can seriously be suggested that such a belief formed part of the Remain campaign.
I agree we ought to have had a referendum on Lisbon, but the problems of our own political class are not related - it seems to me - to the merits or otherwise of EU membership.
As for the supposed idiocy of trading blocs, the logic of your statement is that individual (people or countries) should never act in concert, but always alone. That’s highly contestable.
The referendum result did not mandate leaving the customs union. I appreciate that many Leavers would prefer that outcome (and indeed, if it eventuates, that's within the range of outcomes that is consistent with the result of the referendum).
To abolish the House of Lords just because it hampers a result that a cohort of Leavers don't like would be constitutional arson.
Hmm I've never been a fan of the Lords and think it should be abolished regardless of the Brexit machinations, but I take your point - alot of right wingers were in favour of the Lords till they weren't. The amount of peers in there is completely crackers for a secondary house for starters.
Oh I'm in favour of replacing the House of Lords with a chamber elected by PR. But replacing it simply because it's inconveniencing a few nut-nuts who are applying a fake purity test to Brexit would be a really bad turn of events.
Perhaps we need some kind of fake news watchdog to actively counter the worst excesses through rebuttal if not the pursuit of defamation cases. Certainly we need to take action against Russian trolls.
Very difficult to make those totally impartial. And then you have some that are totally absurd, see this fine example of "fact checking" on the Clinton email story:
There is a London poll coming out on Thursday. I'm sceptical whether Owen Jones has reliable information about it.
FIrst up I should make clear I have absolubtely no inside information on postals or anything like that - but it was clear from twitter that for instance at GE2017 Penistone & Stocksbridge would have gone Tory if the "On the day" turnout had followed the postals in the normal fashion. The main point is the tea leaves might be bad from labour postals (I have no idea if O Jones knows of these or not), but if Labour are to do "well" they very much rely on on the day over and above the Tories.
Mr. Walker, 17.4m voted to Leave. Just over 100,000 have signed a petition. I'm one of the 17.3m who has not.
The Lords does need reform, and it would certainly help if its members recalled that the electorate is not there to be overruled or corrected by appointed lords. But knee-jerk reform of the constitution, and short-sighted, narrow-minded meddling is a Blairite solution.
Of course, if Clegg hadn't proposed such a stupid reform and then run away from any sort of democratic questioning of his proposals, we might be further along in finding an answer to the unsustainable situation we now have.
Of course the Lords could be reformed, starting with the dodgy appointments process.
But the idea that the Lords is trying to “overrule or correct” the electorate is truly bizarre.
This plebiscitary nonsense is fundamentally un-British. The people voted, some years ago, now, on a single question. We decided to “Leave”. It’s now up to Parliament (both Houses) to figure out how.
Basically, you didn’t like the result, so all bets are off and anything is fair game.
Yep. It’s called democracy. Something which many Brexiters seem to deign rather inconvenient.
Hmm, using unelected lords to block the people's vote is anything but democratic.
Mr. Walker, leaving the EU and then giving them the right to determine our trade arrangements, without any need for them to do anything to help us or even take account of our economy's needs, is idiotic.
I said for months, I was very flexible about how we left, and my single red line was the customs union. Because it's bloody stupid staying in it whilst leaving the EU.
Edited extra bit: good afternoon, Miss JGP.
The UK will probably be in a customs union with the EU out of practicality and not because of broader questions of democracy or attempts to overturn the EU referendum result.
Car and aviation manufacturers like Nissan and Airbus need frictionless movement of goods if they are going to stay in the UK, farmers need export markets, the Irish border is a problem that needs to be minimised, goods need to keep flowing unhindered at Dover. We have a good portfolio of trade agreements through our membership of the EU. It's all about trying to retain as much as possible of the status quo. Leaving the customs union doesn't unlock a single thing that we don't already have as a legacy of our membership of the EU.
So, if you don't want to be in a customs union, it isn't good enough say we voted out in the referendum. You have to explain what you are going to do about Nissan, Airbus, farmers exports, the Irish border problem, preventing blockages at Dover, getting trade deals that are better than the ones we have already got.
Mr. Walker, 17.4m voted to Leave. Just over 100,000 have signed a petition. I'm one of the 17.3m who has not.
The Lords does need reform, and it would certainly help if its members recalled that the electorate is not there to be overruled or corrected by appointed lords. But knee-jerk reform of the constitution, and short-sighted, narrow-minded meddling is a Blairite solution.
Of course, if Clegg hadn't proposed such a stupid reform and then run away from any sort of democratic questioning of his proposals, we might be further along in finding an answer to the unsustainable situation we now have.
Of course the Lords could be reformed, starting with the dodgy appointments process.
But the idea that the Lords is trying to “overrule or correct” the electorate is truly bizarre.
This plebiscitary nonsense is fundamentally un-British. The people voted, some years ago, now, on a single question. We decided to “Leave”. It’s now up to Parliament (both Houses) to figure out how.
Basically, you didn’t like the result, so all bets are off and anything is fair game.
Yep. It’s called democracy. Something which many Brexiters seem to deign rather inconvenient.
Hmm, using unelected lords to block the people's vote is anything but democratic.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
The optimist in me sees quite a lot of gains for us outside London, although the media narrative will no doubt be whatever happens in the capital.
Edit: did I see that you’re standing again? Good luck if so!
Yes, the likes of Walsall etc could prove fruitful and if we hold Barnet, Westminster, Wandsworth etc will be a relatively good result.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
The referendum result did not mandate leaving the customs union. I appreciate that many Leavers would prefer that outcome (and indeed, if it eventuates, that's within the range of outcomes that is consistent with the result of the referendum).
To abolish the House of Lords just because it hampers a result that a cohort of Leavers don't like would be constitutional arson.
Hmm I've never been a fan of the Lords and think it should be abolished regardless of the Brexit machinations, but I take your point - alot of right wingers were in favour of the Lords till they weren't. The amount of peers in there is completely crackers for a secondary house for starters.
Oh I'm in favour of replacing the House of Lords with a chamber elected by PR. But replacing it simply because it's inconveniencing a few nut-nuts who are applying a fake purity test to Brexit would be a really bad turn of events.
Unelected has-beens, nothing more, nothing less
I'm in favour of first replacing the Commons by a chamber of 600 elected by pretty pure PR. Giving an end to majorities of 150.
Then, think about the Lords ... but do it slowly and carefully because, apart from the party hacks and donors, who I think number ~200, they're pretty effective. That's more than one can say about the way the executive pushes poor legislation through parliament and obstructs most backbench MPs from introducing their own bills.
Mr. Walker, leaving the EU and then giving them the right to determine our trade arrangements, without any need for them to do anything to help us or even take account of our economy's needs, is idiotic.
I said for months, I was very flexible about how we left, and my single red line was the customs union. Because it's bloody stupid staying in it whilst leaving the EU.
Edited extra bit: good afternoon, Miss JGP.
The UK will probably be in a customs union with the EU out of practicality and not because of broader questions of democracy or attempts to overturn the EU referendum result.
Car and aviation manufacturers like Nissan and Airbus need frictionless movement of goods if they are going to stay in the UK, farmers need export markets, the Irish border is a problem that needs to be minimised, goods need to keep flowing unhindered at Dover. We have a good portfolio of trade agreements through our membership of the EU. It's all about trying to retain as much as possible of the status quo. Leaving the customs union doesn't unlock a single thing that we don't already have as a legacy of our membership of the EU.
So, if you don't want to be in a customs union, it isn't good enough say we voted out in the referendum. You have to explain what you are going to do about Nissan, Airbus, farmers exports, the Irish border problem, preventing blockages at Dover, getting trade deals that are better than the ones we have already got.
I can just see the discussion in a couple of months time. "We conceded on the customs union to move things on and show how reasonable we were. Never really important as we always said that we wanted frictionless trade and to protect the economy, and give certainty to business, as well as preserving the Northern Irish peace process. our focus remains, as it always has, on controlling immigration, setting our own laws and forging a Global Britain"
Once it was talks sequencing, then money, then fisheries, then border backstops, now customs union. It's an expert demonstration of how to salami slice concessions that would have seemed unthinkable a few months ago. This one will be bumpier than most, but what do the frustrated do? The only thing they can really do is put Jeremy Corbyn in charge.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
The optimist in me sees quite a lot of gains for us outside London, although the media narrative will no doubt be whatever happens in the capital.
Edit: did I see that you’re standing again? Good luck if so!
Yes, the likes of Walsall etc could prove fruitful and if we hold Barnet, Westminster, Wandsworth etc will be a relatively good result.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Thanks for your message
Best of luck. I'll be working for a friend who's a councillor in Wandsworth, on polling day.
The referendum result did not mandate leaving the customs union. I appreciate that many Leavers would prefer that outcome (and indeed, if it eventuates, that's within the range of outcomes that is consistent with the result of the referendum).
To abolish the House of Lords just because it hampers a result that a cohort of Leavers don't like would be constitutional arson.
Hmm I've never been a fan of the Lords and think it should be abolished regardless of the Brexit machinations, but I take your point - alot of right wingers were in favour of the Lords till they weren't. The amount of peers in there is completely crackers for a secondary house for starters.
Oh I'm in favour of replacing the House of Lords with a chamber elected by PR. But replacing it simply because it's inconveniencing a few nut-nuts who are applying a fake purity test to Brexit would be a really bad turn of events.
Unelected has-beens, nothing more, nothing less
I'm in favour of first replacing the Commons by a chamber of 600 elected by pretty pure PR. Giving an end to majorities of 150.
Then, think about the Lords ... but do it slowly and carefully because, apart from the party hacks and donors, who I think number ~200, they're pretty effective. That's more than one can say about the way the executive pushes poor legislation through parliament and obstructs most backbench MPs from introducing their own bills.
I hold the unpopular view that the Lords should remain entirely unelected. However, appointments should be taken out of political patronage, and an independent body made responsible. It also needs to be culled, but the conservative in me prefers to let natural selection take its course there.
FPT - I can take virtually anything on HoL reform except calling it The Senate.
We are British, for God’s sake.
I’ll settle for House if Peers or House of (elected) Lords. I don’t mind having a few bishops and law lords in there either, to be honest, but it should be 80%+ elected.
How about the Imperial Senate? Equal representation for the home nations, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.
I like it, but it sounds a bit Star Wars.
Might make it more popular, of course.
"It's all a machine, partner. Live free. Don't join!"
Off topic, this is a very interesting (and perhaps Brexity) quote from Jeff Bezos:
Bezos on listening to customer complaints:
"The thing I have noticed is when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There's something wrong with the way you are measuring it."
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
This time I'd expect Labour to hold every London Borough it won in 2014, and to gain Tower Hamlets. Barnet looks a toss up, along with Wandsworth and Westminster. Richmond and Kingston are toss ups, Sutton should be held by the Lib Dems with a reduced majority. Havering will either be gained by the Conservatives, or be run by them as a minority. I think Bexley, Bromley, Kensington, and Hillingdon will be Conservative holds.
Showing how things change, Hillingdon, Bexley and Havering used to be very marginal boroughs.
The UK will probably be in a customs union with the EU out of practicality and not because of broader questions of democracy or attempts to overturn the EU referendum result.
Car and aviation manufacturers like Nissan and Airbus need frictionless movement of goods if they are going to stay in the UK, farmers need export markets, the Irish border is a problem that needs to be minimised, goods need to keep flowing unhindered at Dover. We have a good portfolio of trade agreements through our membership of the EU. It's all about trying to retain as much as possible of the status quo. Leaving the customs union doesn't unlock a single thing that we don't already have as a legacy of our membership of the EU.
So, if you don't want to be in a customs union, it isn't good enough say we voted out in the referendum. You have to explain what you are going to do about Nissan, Airbus, farmers exports, the Irish border problem, preventing blockages at Dover, getting trade deals that are better than the ones we have already got.
I can just see the discussion in a couple of months time. "We conceded on the customs union to move things on and show how reasonable we were. Never really important as we always said that we wanted frictionless trade and to protect the economy, and give certainty to business, as well as preserving the Northern Irish peace process. our focus remains, as it always has, on controlling immigration, setting our own laws and forging a Global Britain"
Once it was talks sequencing, then money, then fisheries, then border backstops, now customs union. It's an expert demonstration of how to salami slice concessions that would have seemed unthinkable a few months ago. This one will be bumpier than most, but what do the frustrated do? The only thing they can really do is put Jeremy Corbyn in charge.
Ultimately it's about dealing with the contradictions of Brexit. The biggest contradiction IMO is that if we decide we need a close relationship with the EU to keep the things we like and which the Leave campaign promised would be unaffected by Brexit, and given the EU doesn't owe us any favours and is in fact damaged by our actions, that relationship will be determined by the EU on its terms. If our original aim was to take control and be master of our own ship, the opposite will happen. We will never be less in control. Alternatively we can head out to sea and have nothing to do with Europe but that won't seem like a success, particularly to the half of the population that voted against. And it probably isn't sustainable anyway.
The moral of the story is don't vote to reject what you already have until you have worked out the alternative and decided it's better.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Good luck with that ward, sounds like a big ask but I'm sure you'll give yourself the best possible chance.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I could easily see Lambeth, Lewisham, Islington, perhaps also Hackney, Brent, and Haringey, joining Barking & Dagenham and Newham as exclusively Labour councils.
The moral of the story is don't vote to reject what you already have until you have worked out the alternative and decided it's better.
The principle of Chesterton's fence should have applied. We didn't internalise the lessons from the period of our history summed up by Dean Acheson as having "lost an empire but not found a role" and seem determined to relive it.
Perhaps we need some kind of fake news watchdog to actively counter the worst excesses through rebuttal if not the pursuit of defamation cases. Certainly we need to take action against Russian trolls.
BTW, FPT:
I did, in fact live in Garden Walk as a footloose bachelor (and before that, on Old Street above a wine shop).
Subsequently bought a flat in Clerkenwell and then, as family started to grow, moved all the way out to London Fields.
But yes. We must surely have crossed paths. In fact, I just had lunch at Lantana (which I presume is almost underneath your abode!)
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I would not have us create an arbiter of truth, a Ministry, if you will.
It may well be the thin edge of the wedge, but we live in a different world. I was thinking of something relatively instructional rather than prosecutorial though: like a fact checker.
Jimmy Wales has set up a beta site to do for news what wikipedia has done for facts.
It aims to produce truthful news that is peer reviewed.
My first impression, I am ashamed to say, is that I find it boring. I'm ashamed because I've discovered that I much prefer partisan pieces that I can vigorously agree with or passionately disagree with, than the boring truth!
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I could easily see Lambeth, Lewisham, Islington, perhaps also Hackney, Brent, and Haringey, joining Barking & Dagenham and Newham as exclusively Labour councils.
I have my postal vote in Islington. I can't honestly say that I feel that it's worth a lot.
If Israel is a democratic country it gets off very lightly. They have killed 35 Palestinians without an injury to themselves. How would the world react if the Germans or any other democratic country shot 35 unarmed stone throwers?
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Good luck with that ward, sounds like a big ask but I'm sure you'll give yourself the best possible chance.
Thanks and I will try.
Though obviously you had even more work to do fighting a parliamentary seat so kudos for that
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
STV is working perfectly well in Scotland.
The problem with achieving electoral reform - or HoL reform - is that the jobs for life, which is what safe seats and lifetime peerages deliver, are just too attractive to politicians, particularly in the two larger parties, who are guaranteed platforms to 'represent' voters for as long as they want them, without having to trouble themselves unduly with the need to be diligent or actually represent your voters (of course, many do, regardless, but many don't).
Clegg' s second big mistake was in not insisting on STV for British/English local government as the price for coalition.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
The optimist in me sees quite a lot of gains for us outside London, although the media narrative will no doubt be whatever happens in the capital.
Edit: did I see that you’re standing again? Good luck if so!
Yes, the likes of Walsall etc could prove fruitful and if we hold Barnet, Westminster, Wandsworth etc will be a relatively good result.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Thanks for your message
Best of luck. I'll be working for a friend who's a councillor in Wandsworth, on polling day.
Good luck, that really is the most marginal of marginal London councils.
My sister lives there but does not always vote Tory so am working on her
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
This time I'd expect Labour to hold every London Borough it won in 2014, and to gain Tower Hamlets. Barnet looks a toss up, along with Wandsworth and Westminster. Richmond and Kingston are toss ups, Sutton should be held by the Lib Dems with a reduced majority. Havering will either be gained by the Conservatives, or be run by them as a minority. I think Bexley, Bromley, Kensington, and Hillingdon will be Conservative holds.
Showing how things change, Hillingdon, Bexley and Havering used to be very marginal boroughs.
Agree with that, I think the most vulnerable Tory council is Kingston
I always rather enjoyed reading the sub-reddit. There is something about a level of self-delusion that is rather fascinating - like one of Louis Theroux's programmes.
I always rather enjoyed reading the sub-reddit. There is something about a level of self-delusion that is rather fascinating - like one of Louis Theroux's programmes.
Sexual frustration sure seems to be behind some atrocious behaviour.
Yet, I would have thought with Tinder et al, it has never been a better time in history to be a single young man.
If Israel is a democratic country it gets off very lightly. They have killed 35 Palestinians without an injury to themselves. How would the world react if the Germans or any other democratic country shot 35 unarmed stone throwers?
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
STV is working perfectly well in Scotland.
The problem with achieving electoral reform - or HoL reform - is that the jobs for life, which is what safe seats and lifetime peerages deliver, are just too attractive to politicians, particularly in the two larger parties, who are guaranteed platforms to 'represent' voters for as long as they want them, without having to trouble themselves unduly with the need to be diligent or actually represent your voters (of course, many do, regardless, but many don't).
Clegg' s second big mistake was in not insisting on STV for British/English local government as the price for coalition.
STV avoids party lists, true. But ranking candidates seems to me too onerous a mental task. I like the simplicity of a single cross.
Anyway, we must wait for TSE’s forthcoming thread on this.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
STV is working perfectly well in Scotland.
The problem with achieving electoral reform - or HoL reform - is that the jobs for life, which is what safe seats and lifetime peerages deliver, are just too attractive to politicians, particularly in the two larger parties, who are guaranteed platforms to 'represent' voters for as long as they want them, without having to trouble themselves unduly with the need to be diligent or actually represent your voters (of course, many do, regardless, but many don't).
Clegg' s second big mistake was in not insisting on STV for British/English local government as the price for coalition.
STV avoids party lists, true. But ranking candidates seems to me to onerous a mental task. I like the simplicity of a single cross.
Anyway, we must wait for TSE’s forthcoming thread on this.
You don't need to rank all the candidates. Indeed you can just cast a first preference vote alone, if you wish. Or just vote 1,2,3 for the party of your choice. It's up to the individual voter. Which is kind of the point?
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Good luck with that ward, sounds like a big ask but I'm sure you'll give yourself the best possible chance.
Thanks and I will try.
Though obviously you had even more work to do fighting a parliamentary seat so kudos for that
I'm helping in hyper-marginal Newcastle-under-Lyme this time. The new ward boundaries aren't everything we'd hoped for but fingers crossed.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Good luck with that ward, sounds like a big ask but I'm sure you'll give yourself the best possible chance.
Thanks and I will try.
Though obviously you had even more work to do fighting a parliamentary seat so kudos for that
I'm helping in hyper-marginal Newcastle-under-Lyme this time. The new ward boundaries aren't everything we'd hoped for but fingers crossed.
I always rather enjoyed reading the sub-reddit. There is something about a level of self-delusion that is rather fascinating - like one of Louis Theroux's programmes.
Sexual frustration sure seems to be behind some atrocious behaviour.
Yet, I would have thought with Tinder et al, it has never been a better time in history to be a single young man.
If you're a good-looking single young man, yes. Otherwise, Tinder might be much less of a boon for young men than you would expect:
Mr. Walker, 17.4m voted to Leave. Just over 100,000 have signed a petition. I'm one of the 17.3m who has not.
The Lords does need reform, and it would certainly help if its members recalled that the electorate is not there to be overruled or corrected by appointed lords. But knee-jerk reform of the constitution, and short-sighted, narrow-minded meddling is a Blairite solution.
Of course, if Clegg hadn't proposed such a stupid reform and then run away from any sort of democratic questioning of his proposals, we might be further along in finding an answer to the unsustainable situation we now have.
Of course the Lords could be reformed, starting with the dodgy appointments process.
But the idea that the Lords is trying to “overrule or correct” the electorate is truly bizarre.
This plebiscitary nonsense is fundamentally un-British. The people voted, some years ago, now, on a single question. We decided to “Leave”. It’s now up to Parliament (both Houses) to figure out how.
Basically, you didn’t like the result, so all bets are off and anything is fair game.
Yep. It’s called democracy. Something which many Brexiters seem to deign rather inconvenient.
Hmm, using unelected lords to block the people's vote is anything but democratic.
Claiming an answer to one question (leaving the EU) in a referendum implies the view of the people on another (leaving the Customs union) is extremely undemocratic.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I raised the same question myself a week or so ago. Hackney is not much better. Nick Palmer said he had campaigned unsuccessfully for PR in local elections.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC. I don’t like the idea of party lists.
STV is working perfectly well in Scotland.
The problem with achieving electoral reform - or HoL reform - is that the jobs for life, which is what safe seats and lifetime peerages deliver, are just too attractive to politicians, particularly in the two larger parties, who are guaranteed platforms to 'represent' voters for as long as they want them, without having to trouble themselves unduly with the need to be diligent or actually represent your voters (of course, many do, regardless, but many don't).
Clegg' s second big mistake was in not insisting on STV for British/English local government as the price for coalition.
STV avoids party lists, true. But ranking candidates seems to me too onerous a mental task. I like the simplicity of a single cross.
Anyway, we must wait for TSE’s forthcoming thread on this.
Mr. Fire, it's to stretch reason beyond the point of breaking to assert a vote to leave the EU was also a vote for the EU to govern our trade deals.
People vote for all sorts of strange reasons and it's a perfectly defensible, if eccentric, view that leaving the EU is like resigning from a committee - you still follow the rules but you don't have to bother with all the boring meetings anymore.
I always rather enjoyed reading the sub-reddit. There is something about a level of self-delusion that is rather fascinating - like one of Louis Theroux's programmes.
Sexual frustration sure seems to be behind some atrocious behaviour.
Mr. Glenn, it's that kind of bullshit that made people who were 50/50 opt to leave.
If the political class keep us in, or halfway in, the current political climate could get a lot worse. Asking people what they think and then treating their answer with contempt because they had the temerity to disagree with what the political/media class wanted is a great way to foster political divisions.
If Israel is a democratic country it gets off very lightly. They have killed 35 Palestinians without an injury to themselves. How would the world react if the Germans or any other democratic country shot 35 unarmed stone throwers?
Mr. Glenn, it's that kind of bullshit that made people who were 50/50 opt to leave.
If the political class keep us in, or halfway in, the current political climate could get a lot worse. Asking people what they think and then treating their answer with contempt because they had the temerity to disagree with what the political/media class wanted is a great way to foster political divisions.
If Leavers had thought leaving the customs union was vitally important, they should have banged on about it during the referendum campaign. Instead they decided to campaign on pushing bogus savings into the NHS and telling xenophobic lies. That is the nature of the mandate they secured.
The customs union does not form part of the referendum mandate.
Mr. Glenn, it's that kind of bullshit that made people who were 50/50 opt to leave.
If the political class keep us in, or halfway in, the current political climate could get a lot worse. Asking people what they think and then treating their answer with contempt because they had the temerity to disagree with what the political/media class wanted is a great way to foster political divisions.
Off topic, this is a very interesting (and perhaps Brexity) quote from Jeff Bezos:
Bezos on listening to customer complaints:
"The thing I have noticed is when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There's something wrong with the way you are measuring it."
I have found the same both in politics and UX.
My favourite anecdote was when the data was telling us that everything was ok with a new system, and that load was very low; but that was because someone had forgotten to direct users from an entire building to the new system...
Mr. Glenn, there is no case for a second referendum, as it would give a massive incentive to pro-EU politicians to try and get us the worst possible deal upon leaving so we 'see the error of our ways' and stay in.
If the poll is bad for Labour in London then it is likely to be even worse for Labour in most of the rest of England
I can't imagine that it would show anything other than a substantial Labour lead, but it may be less of a lead than expected.
The less than expected will be the key, of course Labour won London by well over 10% in 2014
Labour underperformance would be wonderful.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Unless Labour start losing seats in London to the Conservatives, I doubt if it would threaten Corbyn's position.
Let me dream.
In Islington, if the Green councillor ends up losing her seat, his colleagues may end up running a one-party state, i.e. no opposition. The Supreme Soviet would have been proud of that result.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I could easily see Lambeth, Lewisham, Islington, perhaps also Hackney, Brent, and Haringey, joining Barking & Dagenham and Newham as exclusively Labour councils.
I agree in general, although I think in Barking and Dagenham there's a small chance the Tories could pick up one or two seats on the border with Havering simply because most of the contests this time are straight Lab v Con battles whereas previously there were a lot of UKIP candidates.
Rightly, they just remember all the stuff about Turkey and the bus.
Leavers have to accept the nature of the mandate they secured - insular, xenophobic and dishonest. That much has to be delivered. Everything else is up for grabs.
Mr. Glenn, there is no case for a second referendum, as it would give a massive incentive to pro-EU politicians to try and get us the worst possible deal upon leaving so we 'see the error of our ways' and stay in.
If our success doesn't depend on our relationship with the EU, why would it matter?
Rightly, they just remember all the stuff about Turkey and the bus.
Leavers have to accept the nature of the mandate they secured - insular, xenophobic and dishonest. That much has to be delivered. Everything else is up for grabs.
Or that the NHS and Immigration are frequently at, or near the top of voters concerns? Of course people remember things they are interested in.
Comments
https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-will-insist-on-ecj-in-brexit-treaty-says-barnier/
The to-and-fro of Brexit in Parliament, including the contribution made by the revising chamber - a feature of many if not most western counties - is to me the very essence of democracy.
Besides which, it is the essence of referendum that they can only inform a decision so far given the nature and brevity of referendum questions.
You Leavers simply want to railroad dissent.
That is no democracy, it’s dictatorship. Gina Miller went to court about it - and won.
It took many years to “get into” the EU, and it is unspurprising that it should take many years to get out.
Besides which, the difficulty of entering into - or exiting - an arrangement does not weigh on the merit or otherwise of that arrangement.
Or I’d have never got married!
What wouldn't be tenable would be for the Lords to use the Parliament Act to block the legislation until after March 2019 (which they have the power to do). That would be lighting the bonfire they're sitting on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43878007
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17261744/amazon-package-delivery-car-trunk-gm-volvo
US only so far.
Embarrassing for Macron
Edit: did I see that you’re standing again? Good luck if so!
On Gerry Adams, the difference is that the Remain campaign was not characterised by, nor did it’s aims necessarily align with, support for Irish nationalist terrorism.
Whereas, elements of the Brexit campaign were infected with anti-immigrant rhetoric and in fact the whole finale of the campaign ended up where Cummings wanted it to be - in a debate about immigration control. Moreover, Brexit is clearly helpful to anti-Western and anti-liberal actors like Putin.
Ken Clarke’s remarks about Westminster had, I thought, been debunked, but I don’t think it can seriously be suggested that such a belief formed part of the Remain campaign.
I agree we ought to have had a referendum on Lisbon, but the problems of our own political class are not related - it seems to me - to the merits or otherwise of EU membership.
As for the supposed idiocy of trading blocs, the logic of your statement is that individual (people or countries) should never act in concert, but always alone. That’s highly contestable.
Probably need to put 1p on income tax to fund the police overtime to control the protests.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386692/Surrey-pub-worker-chlorine-gassed-cleaning-toilet.html
The main point is the tea leaves might be bad from labour postals (I have no idea if O Jones knows of these or not), but if Labour are to do "well" they very much rely on on the day over and above the Tories.
It has extant trade deals with most of the world, and is negotiating with most of the remainder.
The trade argument for Leave is nonsense and always has been.
Car and aviation manufacturers like Nissan and Airbus need frictionless movement of goods if they are going to stay in the UK, farmers need export markets, the Irish border is a problem that needs to be minimised, goods need to keep flowing unhindered at Dover. We have a good portfolio of trade agreements through our membership of the EU. It's all about trying to retain as much as possible of the status quo. Leaving the customs union doesn't unlock a single thing that we don't already have as a legacy of our membership of the EU.
So, if you don't want to be in a customs union, it isn't good enough say we voted out in the referendum. You have to explain what you are going to do about Nissan, Airbus, farmers exports, the Irish border problem, preventing blockages at Dover, getting trade deals that are better than the ones we have already got.
I am standing in my ward again for district, the LD incumbent got 800 last time, UKIP 500, the Tory about 400 and Labour just under 200. There is no UKIP candidate this time but the LDs are campaigning against the Local Plan and spreading rumours about the long term future of the Sports Centre so it is a big ask but have been canvassing and leafleting and have some posters up and a leaflet going out at the weekend too rebutting some LD claims.
Thanks for your message
Then, think about the Lords ... but do it slowly and carefully because, apart from the party hacks and donors, who I think number ~200, they're pretty effective. That's more than one can say about the way the executive pushes poor legislation through parliament and obstructs most backbench MPs from introducing their own bills.
It might hasten the departure of Corbyn who is, more than anyone else save May, enabling a bad Brexit.
In fact across a range of issues he provides such incompetent Opposition that he lets the government get away with murder.
Once it was talks sequencing, then money, then fisheries, then border backstops, now customs union. It's an expert demonstration of how to salami slice concessions that would have seemed unthinkable a few months ago. This one will be bumpier than most, but what do the frustrated do? The only thing they can really do is put Jeremy Corbyn in charge.
The last remaining aristos should go though.
Bezos on listening to customer complaints:
"The thing I have noticed is when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There's something wrong with the way you are measuring it."
Showing how things change, Hillingdon, Bexley and Havering used to be very marginal boroughs.
The moral of the story is don't vote to reject what you already have until you have worked out the alternative and decided it's better.
The same can happen to Tory councils, although I don't think it's so common because their support is less concentrated. A 50-60% Tory vote is more common than 70-80%.
What's wrong with this country that it fails to introduce fair voting, i.e. PR for local govt or the HoC? It's done it for the EU, Wales and Scotland.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC.
I don’t like the idea of party lists.
I don’t agree, however, with PR for the HoC.
I don’t like the idea of party lists.
Tories (26% last time)
<25% terrible
25-29% grin and bear it
30-32% OK
32-35% good
not much point above that
Labour (37% last time)
<37% terrible
37-43% grin and bear it
44-48% OK
48-55% good
55%+ Lab majority nailed on
It aims to produce truthful news that is peer reviewed.
My first impression, I am ashamed to say, is that I find it boring. I'm ashamed because I've discovered that I much prefer partisan pieces that I can vigorously agree with or passionately disagree with, than the boring truth!
https://www.wikitribune.com/
I think it is a worthwhile experiment so I have made a donation to it.
Edit: having just checked:
A cad is a man who behaves dishonourably
A bounder is a dishonourable man
That’s a very nice* distinction
* traditional usage
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180424-12-year-old-palestinian-shot-by-israel-army-sniper-loses-leg/
Though obviously you had even more work to do fighting a parliamentary seat so kudos for that
Presenting - who else?
https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/988816587401510912
The problem with achieving electoral reform - or HoL reform - is that the jobs for life, which is what safe seats and lifetime peerages deliver, are just too attractive to politicians, particularly in the two larger parties, who are guaranteed platforms to 'represent' voters for as long as they want them, without having to trouble themselves unduly with the need to be diligent or actually represent your voters (of course, many do, regardless, but many don't).
Clegg' s second big mistake was in not insisting on STV for British/English local government as the price for coalition.
My sister lives there but does not always vote Tory so am working on her
Yet, I would have thought with Tinder et al, it has never been a better time in history to be a single young man.
Anyway, we must wait for TSE’s forthcoming thread on this.
#4466 in a series.
https://twitter.com/stevepeers/status/988822004215304193?s=21
https://medium.com/@worstonlinedater/tinder-experiments-ii-guys-unless-you-are-really-hot-you-are-probably-better-off-not-wasting-your-2ddf370a6e9a
And that's without considering the 2017 election manifestos.
If the political class keep us in, or halfway in, the current political climate could get a lot worse. Asking people what they think and then treating their answer with contempt because they had the temerity to disagree with what the political/media class wanted is a great way to foster political divisions.
Just ask Goliath!
The customs union does not form part of the referendum mandate.
https://twitter.com/Open_Britain/status/988681988109422592
My favourite anecdote was when the data was telling us that everything was ok with a new system, and that load was very low; but that was because someone had forgotten to direct users from an entire building to the new system...
Trigger warning: this video features footage of Nigel Farage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R16-ZvH5_ho
You silly sausage.
https://twitter.com/AndrewCooper__/status/961908728801976320
Rightly, they just remember all the stuff about Turkey and the bus.
Leavers have to accept the nature of the mandate they secured - insular, xenophobic and dishonest. That much has to be delivered. Everything else is up for grabs.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/finland-to-end-basic-income-experiment-2018-4?r=UK&IR=T