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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Johnson looks certainty as YouGov CON members’ poll has him le

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  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    Charles said:

    There is room for us all in the party

    I thought you said you weren't in the party?
    I’m not a member.

    But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge still binds us.
    Are you a grandmother yet?
    We’re shopkeepers not grocers...
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    Charles said:

    There is room for us all in the party

    I thought you said you weren't in the party?
    I’m not a member.

    But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge still binds us.
    Are you a grandmother yet?
    We’re shopkeepers not grocers...
    :smile:
  • Cyclefree said:

    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.

    EU membership, which is gradual incremental change in the opposite direction to our political system and way of life, is now conservativism to you?

    The rot runs deep.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992

    Cyclefree said:

    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.

    EU membership, which is gradual incremental change in the opposite direction to our political system and way of life, is now conservativism to you?

    The rot runs deep.
    We were always sovereign, sunshine. Take it from someone who knows.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    glw said:

    TOPPING said:

    You are brilliant. Please stay around here and keep posting.

    You will bring @RochdalePioneers some relief as he battles the entity that is @TheJezziah. He will giggle and rightly so at your declarations and declamations.

    Perhaps between you and @HYUFD you could draw up the rules of conservative party membership. Just some of the basics will be fine so we can begin to weed out the imposters.

    The thing about fanatics dividing the true believers up into ever smaller factions is that eventually they always tend to a size of 1, at which point they are at war with literally everyone else.
    Very like the Far Left in that respect.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237
    Cyclefree said:

    Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.

    In my business life, I have found one policy has been enormously successful: iteration.

    You have a general idea of where you want to get to, and you keep iterating, making small improvements that get you going to where you want.

    Every business I've been involved with that has failed has failed because there was a big plan, and there was going to be a huge amount of work, and this enormous transformation. And everyone loses their jobs because there's no feedback loop in place. You need to be guided, constantly, by discovering if what you're doing is working.

    And that's why conservatism - mostly - worked. It was little changes. It was government by iterative change. Even the most extraordinary developments in Britain, like the Glorious Revolution or the Act of Union, were barely more than incremental, especially when compared to our continental neighbours.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318

    Cyclefree said:

    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.

    EU membership, which is gradual incremental change in the opposite direction to our political system and way of life, is now conservativism to you?

    The rot runs deep.
    Since that is not what I said it’s hard to know what your point is.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    HYUFD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
    Always sovereign.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    Charles said:

    There is room for us all in the party

    I thought you said you weren't in the party?
    I’m not a member.

    But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge still binds us.
    Are you a grandmother yet?
    We’re shopkeepers not grocers...
    Miaow!
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    There ought to be some feelings of schadenfraude in me here, but there isn't. Since 2015, it has all been desperately sad.
    No idea where this will end, but the 2 party system looks utterly broken. Neither of them are a party any more, but openly at each others' throats.
    We failed to deal with the GFC with anything other than partisan finger pointing.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,772
    I would love to see Katie Hopkins's "unrevised history" curriculum.

    William Wilberforce was a commie traitor for starters?
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237
    Unrevised history?

    What happens if we discover our previous understanding was wrong? Can we not revise our views?
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    Somebody once said: "politics is a choice between the unpalatable and the disastrous".
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,720
    HYUFD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
    Except it isn't. EU membership pools sovereignty, but doesn't give it up. Withdrawing in the absence of some new context that renders the EU irrelevant just means we have to renegotiate an inferior version of what we've already got.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,131
    Charles said:

    ...But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge...still binds us...

    I think at this point in the movie there's a roll of thunder, everybody pauses, then you clap your hands together and say "But let's not dwell on old times, yes? The maids will take you to your rooms. There's clean linen and hot water, but don't forget to lock your door and don't go out after midnight. No matter what you may hear..."

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    HYUFD said:


    If a person voted to Remain then does not commit to Leave Deal or No Deal then clearly they are trying to stop Brexit

    There are people whose preference order is Deal > Remain > No Deal, and indeed those whose order is No Deal > Remain > Deal (the ones saying that May's Deal was worse than Remain).

    Now, I suppose some people may claim to be in either one of those groups disingenuously, really wanting to advance the cause of Remain. But are you saying that nobody is genuinely in one of those groups?
    The vast majority of Tories prefer Leave Deal or No Deal to Remain.

    If you prefer Remain then clearly you are not really suited to the current Tory Party
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    HYUFD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
    Wait and see how much control you will be taking back in reality.

    Ripping up overnight the legal, regulatory and commercial basis on which the country has been run for the last 46 years is not a conservative act.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    rcs1000 said:

    Unrevised history?

    What happens if we discover our previous understanding was wrong? Can we not revise our views?
    No. History happened in the past, therefore is a fixed series of facts which cannot change.
    Apparently.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936

    HYUFD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
    Except it isn't. EU membership pools sovereignty, but doesn't give it up. Withdrawing in the absence of some new context that renders the EU irrelevant just means we have to renegotiate an inferior version of what we've already got.
    The two are incompatible, aren't they? Either you can decide things yourself, or you can't.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414

    I would love to see Katie Hopkins's "unrevised history" curriculum.

    William Wilberforce was a commie traitor for starters?

    Typical Tory he was...
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:


    The party really will be finished if it does not deliver Brexit, the Brexit Party will overtake it as the main party of the right.

    If it delivers Brexit, Deal or No Deal, it may lose some Remain voters to the LDs but it will still be the main party of the right.

    Labour though if Corbynism retains control and it still refuses to commit to EUref2 or even full single market membership could well be overtaken as the main party of the centre left by the LDs

    I agree that the party will be finished if it doesn't deliver Brexit. That's because it has signed up to a suicide pact.

    Your big mistake is failing to understand that it will also be finished - in fact, in an even worse state - if it does deliver Brexit by the unthinkable route of crashing us out in chaos. It is utter madness, which no sentient government or party should even begin to contemplate. The polling support for crashing out in chaos, which you are fond of quoting, and which is based entirely on a naïve frustration with the fact that Labour and the ERG have conspired to sabotage Brexit, will disintegrate in weeks when it hits the reality of crashing out.
    ...even as an economic disaster, the most that will happen is the Tories fall back to 25 to 30%...
    Listen to yourself.

    You are seeking election and have a complete disregard for the public good. You have gone mad.

    Sorry but you are simply unfit for office.
    That depends on how you define the public good and refusing to implement the Leave vote does not seem to me a key definition of the public good
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    rcs1000 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.

    In my business life, I have found one policy has been enormously successful: iteration.

    You have a general idea of where you want to get to, and you keep iterating, making small improvements that get you going to where you want.

    Every business I've been involved with that has failed has failed because there was a big plan, and there was going to be a huge amount of work, and this enormous transformation. And everyone loses their jobs because there's no feedback loop in place. You need to be guided, constantly, by discovering if what you're doing is working.

    And that's why conservatism - mostly - worked. It was little changes. It was government by iterative change. Even the most extraordinary developments in Britain, like the Glorious Revolution or the Act of Union, were barely more than incremental, especially when compared to our continental neighbours.
    True. The Treaty of Union was the culmination of well over a century of work by the two privy councils.

    Similarly, the dissolution of the Union is an iterative process that can be traced back to societal and attitude changes and developments with roots in the Victorian era.

    Independence is a process, not a destination. Brexiteers haven’t understood that, yet.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    viewcode said:

    Charles said:

    ...But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge...still binds us...

    I think at this point in the movie there's a roll of thunder, everybody pauses, then you clap your hands together and say "But let's not dwell on old times, yes? The maids will take you to your rooms. There's clean linen and hot water, but don't forget to lock your door and don't go out after midnight. No matter what you may hear..."

    :)
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:


    If a person voted to Remain then does not commit to Leave Deal or No Deal then clearly they are trying to stop Brexit

    There are people whose preference order is Deal > Remain > No Deal, and indeed those whose order is No Deal > Remain > Deal (the ones saying that May's Deal was worse than Remain).

    Now, I suppose some people may claim to be in either one of those groups disingenuously, really wanting to advance the cause of Remain. But are you saying that nobody is genuinely in one of those groups?
    The vast majority of Tories prefer Leave Deal or No Deal to Remain.

    If you prefer Remain then clearly you are not really suited to the current Tory Party
    But...Oh never mind.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156

    HYUFD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    Brexit is a restoration of national sovereignty, nothing unconservative about that
    Except it isn't. EU membership pools sovereignty, but doesn't give it up. Withdrawing in the absence of some new context that renders the EU irrelevant just means we have to renegotiate an inferior version of what we've already got.
    No, it means we can have a FTA with the EU or at worst trade on WTO terms as most sovereign nations do with their neighbours and trading partners
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    dixiedean said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:


    If a person voted to Remain then does not commit to Leave Deal or No Deal then clearly they are trying to stop Brexit

    There are people whose preference order is Deal > Remain > No Deal, and indeed those whose order is No Deal > Remain > Deal (the ones saying that May's Deal was worse than Remain).

    Now, I suppose some people may claim to be in either one of those groups disingenuously, really wanting to advance the cause of Remain. But are you saying that nobody is genuinely in one of those groups?
    The vast majority of Tories prefer Leave Deal or No Deal to Remain.

    If you prefer Remain then clearly you are not really suited to the current Tory Party
    But...Oh never mind.
    It’s like arguing with toddlers.
  • Cyclefree said:

    Wait and see how much control you will be taking back in reality.

    Ripping up overnight the legal, regulatory and commercial basis on which the country has been run for the last 46 years is not a conservative act.

    So we have been run from abroad for 46 years.

  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237
    HYUFD said:

    at worst trade on WTO terms as most sovereign nations do with their neighbours and trading partners

    I'm not really sure that statement holds up. The most common FTA, by far, is between neighbours. Whether Mercosur, EEA, NAFTA, CARICOM, or ASEAN, one thing dominates: distance.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237

    Cyclefree said:

    Wait and see how much control you will be taking back in reality.

    Ripping up overnight the legal, regulatory and commercial basis on which the country has been run for the last 46 years is not a conservative act.

    So we have been run from abroad for 46 years.

    You have more certainty about everything than I have about anything.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,156
    rcs1000 said:

    HYUFD said:

    at worst trade on WTO terms as most sovereign nations do with their neighbours and trading partners

    I'm not really sure that statement holds up. The most common FTA, by far, is between neighbours. Whether Mercosur, EEA, NAFTA, CARICOM, or ASEAN, one thing dominates: distance.
    As I said before that 'it means we can have a FTA with the EU or at worst trade on WTO terms as most sovereign nations do with their neighbours and trading partners'
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936

    Cyclefree said:

    Wait and see how much control you will be taking back in reality.

    Ripping up overnight the legal, regulatory and commercial basis on which the country has been run for the last 46 years is not a conservative act.

    So we have been run from abroad for 46 years.

    It's our comeuppance for ruling other countries from London for decades. ;)
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,676

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,534

    The party is finished either way, at least until it comes back to its senses and allows some future David Cameron to drag it back into the real world, which is not going to happen anytime soon. However, of the two catastrophes facing it, crashing out with no deal is the worse; it will be blamed for a generation.

    This here is exactly the problem with the party, that people like yourself are in it when you belong in the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron was a Liberal Democrat who was in the Conservative Party because of his background, not because of his beliefs.

    Once you've all defected to the Liberal Democrats - which must be soon going by these figures - maybe the party will get back on track to believing in something and doing conservative things.
    Err, I've supported the Conservatives since 1964 when I was 9 years old and got hold of the manifestos of the then three main parties, deciding that the Conservative one made most sense. I've voted Conservative in every election (apart from one local election) since I reached voting age. I even voted Conservative in the recent Euro elections, which seems to be more than most Conservative Party members can claim. Margaret Thatcher is my political heroine. So I really don't think I need to take any lessons from a Kipper as to what a 'true Conservative' is.

    I certainly won't join the LibDems, but faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the Conservative Party seems determined to become indistinguishable from UKIP.
    Remembering all the polite disputes we've had over the years when you seemed utterly Conservative no matter what, this exchange makes quite remarkable reading. But you really can say that it's not that you've moved away from the party but that it's moved away from you.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
    Meh, more money for the government to spend on the NHS. What's not to like?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,772
    A cynic might say that Operation Save Jeremy is now under way:


    Ousting Jeremy Corbyn now could spell catastrophe for Labour
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/04/ousting-jeremy-corbyn-now-would-spell-catastrophe-labour/
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936

    A cynic might say that Operation Save Jeremy is now under way:


    Ousting Jeremy Corbyn now could spell catastrophe for Labour
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/04/ousting-jeremy-corbyn-now-would-spell-catastrophe-labour/

    He went slightly off piste in 2017, but I hear his handlers think he is back on the straight and narrow.
  • felixfelix Posts: 15,164
    HYUFD said:

    kle4 said:

    HYUFD said:

    kle4 said:

    HYUFD said:

    So hopefully no more jibes then about how biased ConHome surveys are, given Hunt did better with ConHome this morning than he does with YouGov this evening

    That isn't the main reason people object to way you report the surveys and you are not stupid enough not to know that.
    Whether I call it a survey or a poll it does not really matter, that is just being pedantic for the sake of being pedantic, as it closely mirrors YouGov there is little reason to doubt its accuracy
    So you do know why many people objected (and it is fine that you disagree that the objection is valid) and yet acted as though it was solely about something else.

    And given you operate your own definitions of what constitutions a true Tory (it does not include people who vote Tory regularly or are longstanding members and insist they are Tories, if they take the wrong view) and of being a remainer (it does not include those who respevt democracy now despite voting remain like yourself, unless that person is a politician who voted remain even if they have voted multiple times to leave) I am curious that you would get huffy about people being unreasonably pedantic in their interpretation of the use of survey/poll.

    One cannot exercise extreme pedantry and then object to being turned against them, I thought that was a golden rule of PB.

    Pleasant night to all.
    If a person voted to Remain then does not commit to Leave Deal or No Deal then clearly they are trying to stop Brexit
    Oh dear you are now as nutty as the nuttiest kipper loon there ever was. Shame on you.
  • rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787
    RobD said:

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
    Meh, more money for the government to spend on the NHS. What's not to like?
    170 fewer tax / NI receipts. 170 more JSA claims.
  • ReggieCideReggieCide Posts: 4,312
    RobD said:

    A cynic might say that Operation Save Jeremy is now under way:


    Ousting Jeremy Corbyn now could spell catastrophe for Labour
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/04/ousting-jeremy-corbyn-now-would-spell-catastrophe-labour/

    He went slightly off piste in 2017, but I hear his handlers think he is back on the straight and narrow.
    you say "handlers" and (to my mind) "dog" comes to mind, and I make my mind right.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237
    rpjs said:

    RobD said:

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
    Meh, more money for the government to spend on the NHS. What's not to like?
    170 fewer tax / NI receipts. 170 more JSA claims.
    That's a dangerous route to go down. If you start including NI/Income tax reciepts in the cost of a project, then you are essentially subsidising domestic producers.

    Why charge an economic rate, when you know you'll be evaluated on a rate that includes NI/Income tax benefits to the government?
  • DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300

    I'm a bit sceptical about the line that LibDems are one happy family. Isn't that because a load of them left in disgust because Clegg had the temerity to carry out the stated party policy of working with either of the two main parties?

    Or because Nick Clegg tore up the manifesto and main campaign themes?
  • KentRisingKentRising Posts: 2,917
    edited July 2019
    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    What utter twaddle you write. If other Boris voters are as ignorant as you, little wonder they’ve fallen for him.

    Call me what you want.

    But in this ballot, like the referendum, I have a voice. And I will use it.
    Indeed. And I have a vote too and will use it at the next election.

    Says he's a true Conservative then in the next breath says he'll vote for the left-wing Liberal Democrats who support a federal Europe thus proving my point entirely.

    Maybe you once were a conservative, but clearly no longer.

    It doesn't prove your point at all. I don't support the LibDem policy on Brexit, or indeed on lots of other things. But, as I said, faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the alternatives are either Corbyn's Labour, or a party which has taken over the name of the Conservative Party but which is no longer recognisable as the pragmatic, serious, business-friendly, non-ideological, financially sound party of good government which is the essence of Conservatism.
    Non-ideological is just another way of saying you don't believe in anything and will follow the centre-left on everything but with lower taxes to protect all those second homes in London. Aka a description of David Cameron.

    For everyone else outside of that bracket, we actually want conservative politics and not just social liberal guff and low tax bands.
    Brexit is a profoundly unconservative policy. If it is anything it is a revolutionary act, certainly in the way in which it is proposed, which will likely cause harm to the country you claim to love. Gradual incremental change is the essence of Conservatism. Whatever you are, you are not a Conservative.
    That might be a valid argument if Remaining is standing still and Leaving is change. But Remaining is change also - towards ever closer union. There was no status quo on the ballot in 2016 - to Remain would have meant remaining a part of ever closer union.

    As for 'harm', didn't Thatcher do harm? You can't make omelettes without breaking eggs, my mum always used to say.
  • DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    rcs1000 said:

    rpjs said:

    RobD said:

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
    Meh, more money for the government to spend on the NHS. What's not to like?
    170 fewer tax / NI receipts. 170 more JSA claims.
    That's a dangerous route to go down. If you start including NI/Income tax reciepts in the cost of a project, then you are essentially subsidising domestic producers.

    Why charge an economic rate, when you know you'll be evaluated on a rate that includes NI/Income tax benefits to the government?
    It is the route taken by other countries and it does not seem unreasonable that the government or any buyer should take into account all the costs, not just the sticker number. Surely car buyers look at fuel consumption and insurance group as well as the showroom cost, and holiday makers consider the cost of fares and meals alongside the hotel bill.

    That said, I've no idea what are the ins and outs of this particular deal.
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    edited July 2019
    Sweden vs England tomorrow. Third place playoff in the women's world cup.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48886246
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,238
    Cyclefree said:

    dixiedean said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:


    If a person voted to Remain then does not commit to Leave Deal or No Deal then clearly they are trying to stop Brexit

    There are people whose preference order is Deal > Remain > No Deal, and indeed those whose order is No Deal > Remain > Deal (the ones saying that May's Deal was worse than Remain).

    Now, I suppose some people may claim to be in either one of those groups disingenuously, really wanting to advance the cause of Remain. But are you saying that nobody is genuinely in one of those groups?
    The vast majority of Tories prefer Leave Deal or No Deal to Remain.

    If you prefer Remain then clearly you are not really suited to the current Tory Party
    But...Oh never mind.
    It’s like arguing with toddlers.
    Or religious fundamentalists.

  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,237
    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    viewcode said:

    Charles said:

    ...But we pledged our support for the Tories a few years ago and that pledge...still binds us...

    I think at this point in the movie there's a roll of thunder, everybody pauses, then you clap your hands together and say "But let's not dwell on old times, yes? The maids will take you to your rooms. There's clean linen and hot water, but don't forget to lock your door and don't go out after midnight. No matter what you may hear..."

    Reminds me of my childhood
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    rcs1000 said:

    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.

    Let's hope to god that these two recent quakes are not the precursors to the next 1906 event. That was a 7.9 with a MMI at the top end of the scale of XI :

    "Few, if any, (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad fissures in ground. Underground pipe lines completely out of service. Earth slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly."
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Gordon Brown keeps the anti-Semitism row in the Labour party at full pitch with a call for automatic expulsion of offenders :

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48887671
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    JackW said:

    rcs1000 said:

    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.

    Let's hope to god that these two recent quakes are not the precursors to the next 1906 event. That was a 7.9 with a MMI at the top end of the scale of XI :

    "Few, if any, (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad fissures in ground. Underground pipe lines completely out of service. Earth slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly."
    These are rolling quakes not shakers. My wife is very blasé about it.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    BBC 5Live advising that a "Today" programme investigation on R4 this morning will report that Conservative party members are receiving two ballots for the PM beauty show contest.

    Who's running this sh*t show? .... UKIP entryists, Tower Hamlets Labour party or the North Korean Elections Unit?
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Charles said:

    JackW said:

    rcs1000 said:

    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.

    Let's hope to god that these two recent quakes are not the precursors to the next 1906 event. That was a 7.9 with a MMI at the top end of the scale of XI :

    "Few, if any, (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad fissures in ground. Underground pipe lines completely out of service. Earth slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly."
    These are rolling quakes not shakers. My wife is very blasé about it.
    Many moons ago I was chatting with a scientist "quack nut" (his words) who described that broad view as "Bill Haley Syndrome" - Shake Rattle and Roll - the idea that rollers wouldn't be believed to be upcoming major quakes until the death rattle struck the victims !!
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065

    I'm a bit sceptical about the line that LibDems are one happy family. Isn't that because a load of them left in disgust because Clegg had the temerity to carry out the stated party policy of working with either of the two main parties?

    Or because Nick Clegg tore up the manifesto and main campaign themes?
    And because the LD ministers started activels supporting Conservative Party policies.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    JackW said:

    BBC 5Live advising that a "Today" programme investigation on R4 this morning will report that Conservative party members are receiving two ballots for the PM beauty show contest.

    Who's running this sh*t show? .... UKIP entryists, Tower Hamlets Labour party or the North Korean Elections Unit?

    To wit .... @Big_G_NorthWales might as a Conservative male member draw a substantial male member next to one different candidate on each of his ballot papers - Duty done, view clearly expressed and honour served.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Good morning, everyone.

    Boo and also hiss.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065

    The party is finished either way, at least until it comes back to its senses and allows some future David Cameron to drag it back into the real world, which is not going to happen anytime soon. However, of the two catastrophes facing it, crashing out with no deal is the worse; it will be blamed for a generation.

    This here is exactly the problem with the party, that people like yourself are in it when you belong in the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron was a Liberal Democrat who was in the Conservative Party because of his background, not because of his beliefs.

    Once you've all defected to the Liberal Democrats - which must be soon going by these figures - maybe the party will get back on track to believing in something and doing conservative things.
    Err, I've supported the Conservatives since 1964 when I was 9 years old and got hold of the manifestos of the then three main parties, deciding that the Conservative one made most sense. I've voted Conservative in every election (apart from one local election) since I reached voting age. I even voted Conservative in the recent Euro elections, which seems to be more than most Conservative Party members can claim. Margaret Thatcher is my political heroine. So I really don't think I need to take any lessons from a Kipper as to what a 'true Conservative' is.

    I certainly won't join the LibDems, but faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the Conservative Party seems determined to become indistinguishable from UKIP.
    Beacause the Enoch Powell loving Viceroy became a member of the Conservative Party a couple of years ago, then "True Conservatives" must be like him. Meanwhile a thinking conservative who regularly posts thought provoking and challenging Conservative ideas is tarred as a Liberal Democrat.

    This is more nuts, than a Topic Bar .
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936
    rcs1000 said:

    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.

    Felt nothing up here!
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,478
    eristdoof said:

    The party is finished either way, at least until it comes back to its senses and allows some future David Cameron to drag it back into the real world, which is not going to happen anytime soon. However, of the two catastrophes facing it, crashing out with no deal is the worse; it will be blamed for a generation.

    This here is exactly the problem with the party, that people like yourself are in it when you belong in the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron was a Liberal Democrat who was in the Conservative Party because of his background, not because of his beliefs.

    Once you've all defected to the Liberal Democrats - which must be soon going by these figures - maybe the party will get back on track to believing in something and doing conservative things.
    Err, I've supported the Conservatives since 1964 when I was 9 years old and got hold of the manifestos of the then three main parties, deciding that the Conservative one made most sense. I've voted Conservative in every election (apart from one local election) since I reached voting age. I even voted Conservative in the recent Euro elections, which seems to be more than most Conservative Party members can claim. Margaret Thatcher is my political heroine. So I really don't think I need to take any lessons from a Kipper as to what a 'true Conservative' is.

    I certainly won't join the LibDems, but faute de mieux I might have to vote for them, given that the Conservative Party seems determined to become indistinguishable from UKIP.
    Beacause the Enoch Powell loving Viceroy became a member of the Conservative Party a couple of years ago, then "True Conservatives" must be like him. Meanwhile a thinking conservative who regularly posts thought provoking and challenging Conservative ideas is tarred as a Liberal Democrat.

    This is more nuts, than a Topic Bar .
    I don't think one is 'tarred' as a Liberal Democrat. That imp[lies some form of condemnation!

    Seriously though, as one who has never voted Conservative, I see doing so is the result of an understandable philosophical position, if not one I could hold myself.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065
    RobD said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Wait and see how much control you will be taking back in reality.

    Ripping up overnight the legal, regulatory and commercial basis on which the country has been run for the last 46 years is not a conservative act.

    So we have been run from abroad for 46 years.

    It's our comeuppance for ruling other countries from London for decades. ;)
    England has been ruling other countries for 900 years.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,217
    Morning all, is California still attached to the USA ?
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869
    Naughty Tories, with so many duplicate members
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Mr. Doof, not unlike the French ruling Languedoc or Brittany (assuming you're referring to Wales).

    It seems odd to me, even as a historically interested person, that so many are willing to bang on about the past rather than deal with the reality of today. Byzantium/Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. Yet the idea of 'restoring' it now is clearly crackers.

    Time moves on. What profit is there to be had by clinging to ancient grudges rather than seeking trying to learn the lessons that were painfully learnt in the past, so we might take advantage of the lesson without incurring the pain?

    Should I be loathing Normans for the Harrying/Harrowing of the North? Or despise Lancastrians because they 'cheated' in 1485?

    I realise you're almost certainly not one of said people, but the topic is baffling to me.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426
    JackW said:

    JackW said:

    BBC 5Live advising that a "Today" programme investigation on R4 this morning will report that Conservative party members are receiving two ballots for the PM beauty show contest.

    Who's running this sh*t show? .... UKIP entryists, Tower Hamlets Labour party or the North Korean Elections Unit?

    To wit .... @Big_G_NorthWales might as a Conservative male member draw a substantial male member next to one different candidate on each of his ballot papers - Duty done, view clearly expressed and honour served.
    Given the two candidates involved, I'm not sure I'd go for a 'substantial' drawing.
  • Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,069
    Good to see kippers are able to identify real conservatives...

    Corbynistas are also able to spot lifelong Labour imposters in their party too. Must be a shared sixth sense.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,653
    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426

    Mr. Doof, not unlike the French ruling Languedoc or Brittany (assuming you're referring to Wales).

    It seems odd to me, even as a historically interested person, that so many are willing to bang on about the past rather than deal with the reality of today. Byzantium/Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. Yet the idea of 'restoring' it now is clearly crackers.

    Time moves on. What profit is there to be had by clinging to ancient grudges rather than seeking trying to learn the lessons that were painfully learnt in the past, so we might take advantage of the lesson without incurring the pain?

    Should I be loathing Normans for the Harrying/Harrowing of the North? Or despise Lancastrians because they 'cheated' in 1485?

    I realise you're almost certainly not one of said people, but the topic is baffling to me.

    At risk of being a pedant, with the exceptions of Oxford and Pembroke all Henry VII's most important supporters were Yorkists, former members of Edward IV's government who were less than brilliantly happy at what Richard did to his sons.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!

    Call me Mr Suspicious, Joff, but I get the feeling you're not a fan?
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Mr. Observer, aye, I saw that. He's a complete ****ing idiot.

    And more fool the craven MPs backing someone they know to be incompetent.

    Mr. Doethur, not to mention that the Houses were more names than anything else, and even before 1485 there were plenty of Yorkshiremen who supported the House of Lancaster.

    But over time it's morphed into a county rivalry, even though it was never that to start with.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065
    glw said:

    IanB2 said:

    I’ll say one thing for the LibDems: despite all of its ups and downs, I can’t imagine the party ever getting to the stage where large numbers of its members are telling me that I am not liberal enough and should f**k off and join some other party where I belong.

    If nothing else the Lib Dems ought to now be extremely wary about large numbers of new members joining them. Anyone thinking "it can't happen to us, we're the nice party" is being reckless.
    Some people become members of a political party far too quickly. The Labour Party and to a lesser extent the Conservative Party have encouraged this by making mebership cheap, giving a vote to all members and using the total number of party members as a statistic.

    I see a lot of merit in having tiers, affiliate member (or some such name) for new and not so active "members". Full membership requires a year or two as an affiliate, some indication that the person is prepared to actively hel the party and be nominated by another full member.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869

    Good to see kippers are able to identify real conservatives...

    Corbynistas are also able to spot lifelong Labour imposters in their party too. Must be a shared sixth sense.

    I reckon this explains HY’s belated zeal. He knows he was on the losing side in the Tory civil war, and has been trying to over-compensate for this ever since.

    Yet the stain on his character in the eyes of his colleagues is written into the archives of PB and cannot be expunged. One day surely his name will work its way to the top of their hate list.

    Perhaps he should create a new account; there must be some lost poets not yet taken?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426

    Mr. Observer, aye, I saw that. He's a complete ****ing idiot.

    And more fool the craven MPs backing someone they know to be incompetent.

    Mr. Doethur, not to mention that the Houses were more names than anything else, and even before 1485 there were plenty of Yorkshiremen who supported the House of Lancaster.

    But over time it's morphed into a county rivalry, even though it was never that to start with.

    Not to mention of course that the House of York had very little to do with Yorkshire. Indeed, Richard III was the only one of the family to have a long-term base there (while Duke of Gloucester). His father was based at Fotheringhay and his brother at Ludlow.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426
    IanB2 said:

    Good to see kippers are able to identify real conservatives...

    Corbynistas are also able to spot lifelong Labour imposters in their party too. Must be a shared sixth sense.

    I reckon this explains HY’s belated zeal. He knows he was on the losing side in the Tory civil war, and has been trying to over-compensate for this ever since.

    Yet the stain on his character in the eyes of his colleagues is written into the archives of PB and cannot be expunged. One day surely his name will work its way to the top of their hate list.

    Perhaps he should create a new account; there must be some lost poets not yet taken?
    That line will get a Frosty reception.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869
    RobD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    7.1 magnitude earthquake in SoCal.

    Really felt that one.

    Nobody hurt. Power still on. And Internet still working. Phew.

    Felt nothing up here!
    Feel for the shelf stackers who spent all of yesterday stacking up those fallen tins...
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065

    Mr. Doof, not unlike the French ruling Languedoc or Brittany (assuming you're referring to Wales).

    It seems odd to me, even as a historically interested person, that so many are willing to bang on about the past rather than deal with the reality of today. Byzantium/Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. Yet the idea of 'restoring' it now is clearly crackers.

    Time moves on. What profit is there to be had by clinging to ancient grudges rather than seeking trying to learn the lessons that were painfully learnt in the past, so we might take advantage of the lesson without incurring the pain?

    Should I be loathing Normans for the Harrying/Harrowing of the North? Or despise Lancastrians because they 'cheated' in 1485?

    I realise you're almost certainly not one of said people, but the topic is baffling to me.

    I agree entirely.

    You can learn from history. But it is not a science. We can be worried that the political world in Europe and North America is splitting into two extremes, similar Europe in the period between the two world wars. But to rely on what we learnt historically from this period, in order to steer us away from fascism is a dangerous game, because so much of the environment is totally different.

    Equally, wanting to take the UK back to its status at the start of 1970 is absurd, as the rest of the world has moved on. England no longer holds the football world cup, Russia has lost most of it's empire, and I am allowed to walk one mile to visit friends without getting shot dead.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    Mr. Doethur, still daft his corpse was stolen by Leicester and used in a dark magic ritual to grant them the premiership title, but there we are.
  • notme2notme2 Posts: 1,006

    rcs1000 said:

    rpjs said:

    RobD said:

    viewcode said:
    That's business in a nutshell. They tried to gouge the Govt. on price, because it would be too embarassing to have blue passports made by....

    They were told where to get off.
    Taken back control and awarded the contract to the EU
    Meh, more money for the government to spend on the NHS. What's not to like?
    170 fewer tax / NI receipts. 170 more JSA claims.
    That's a dangerous route to go down. If you start including NI/Income tax reciepts in the cost of a project, then you are essentially subsidising domestic producers.

    Why charge an economic rate, when you know you'll be evaluated on a rate that includes NI/Income tax benefits to the government?
    It is the route taken by other countries and it does not seem unreasonable that the government or any buyer should take into account all the costs, not just the sticker number. Surely car buyers look at fuel consumption and insurance group as well as the showroom cost, and holiday makers consider the cost of fares and meals alongside the hotel bill.

    That said, I've no idea what are the ins and outs of this particular deal.
    This particular business does a roaring trade manufacturing passports for other countries. How would it survive if other countries did what it’s suggested we do?
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    "There's no doubt at all, that .... er .... you know ...."

  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869
    eristdoof said:

    Mr. Doof, not unlike the French ruling Languedoc or Brittany (assuming you're referring to Wales).

    It seems odd to me, even as a historically interested person, that so many are willing to bang on about the past rather than deal with the reality of today. Byzantium/Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. Yet the idea of 'restoring' it now is clearly crackers.

    Time moves on. What profit is there to be had by clinging to ancient grudges rather than seeking trying to learn the lessons that were painfully learnt in the past, so we might take advantage of the lesson without incurring the pain?

    Should I be loathing Normans for the Harrying/Harrowing of the North? Or despise Lancastrians because they 'cheated' in 1485?

    I realise you're almost certainly not one of said people, but the topic is baffling to me.

    I agree entirely.

    You can learn from history. But it is not a science. We can be worried that the political world in Europe and North America is splitting into two extremes, similar Europe in the period between the two world wars. But to rely on what we learnt historically from this period, in order to steer us away from fascism is a dangerous game, because so much of the environment is totally different.

    Equally, wanting to take the UK back to its status at the start of 1970 is absurd, as the rest of the world has moved on. England no longer holds the football world cup, Russia has lost most of it's empire, and I am allowed to walk one mile to visit friends without getting shot dead.
    On a related point, this article from Freedland drawing some comparisons between Trump and the behaviour of an aspirant dictator:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/05/donald-trump-dictator-not-enough-laugh
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,391

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787

    Mr. Doethur, still daft his corpse was stolen by Leicester and used in a dark magic ritual to grant them the premiership title, but there we are.

    Who knew Leicester Tigers were into satanic rituals outside of just the scrum ?!?
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331

    Mr. Doof, not unlike the French ruling Languedoc or Brittany (assuming you're referring to Wales).

    It seems odd to me, even as a historically interested person, that so many are willing to bang on about the past rather than deal with the reality of today. Byzantium/Constantinople was the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire for over a thousand years. Yet the idea of 'restoring' it now is clearly crackers.

    Time moves on. What profit is there to be had by clinging to ancient grudges rather than seeking trying to learn the lessons that were painfully learnt in the past, so we might take advantage of the lesson without incurring the pain?

    Should I be loathing Normans for the Harrying/Harrowing of the North? Or despise Lancastrians because they 'cheated' in 1485?

    I realise you're almost certainly not one of said people, but the topic is baffling to me.

    To quote T.S. Eliot (in relation to memories of the English Civil War):

    These men, and those who opposed them
    And those whom they opposed
    Accept the constitution of silence
    And are folded in a single party.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426

    Mr. Doethur, still daft his corpse was stolen by Leicester and used in a dark magic ritual to grant them the premiership title, but there we are.

    Incoming from Foxy in 3...2...1...
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    Perhaps he could take up golf. It would only be a matter of time before he breaks Kim Jong-Il's record for holes in one.
  • SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095
    JackW said:

    Mr. Doethur, still daft his corpse was stolen by Leicester and used in a dark magic ritual to grant them the premiership title, but there we are.

    Who knew Leicester Tigers were into satanic rituals outside of just the scrum ?!?
    I seem to recall that that there is video evidence of such an occurrence.. Did Not Neil Back do something "satanic" in the European Cup final v Munster

    and yes here is the evidence

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAfepsoVPtQ
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869
    Two Labour councillors in Rochdale - ward colleagues and husband and wife - have left Labour, one to sit as a BXP councillor and the other as an Indy.

    Is this the BXP's first councillor?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,391

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    Perhaps he could take up golf. It would only be a matter of time before he breaks Kim Jong-Il's record for holes in one.
    I myself am awestruck that intellectual genius in Britain is marked, not by discovering penicillin, designing Concord or engineering the Severn Bridge but by writing a book.

    As Johnson's previous efforts with factual accuracy have been questioned, perhaps I can help him get started. Once upon a time there was a man called William Shakespeare...
  • nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    I’m sure HY will provide you with a list given he has been asked many times as to why Johnson would be a good PM.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,426

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    Perhaps he could take up golf. It would only be a matter of time before he breaks Kim Jong-Il's record for holes in one.
    I myself am awestruck that intellectual genius in Britain is marked, not by discovering penicillin, designing Concord or engineering the Severn Bridge but by writing a book.

    As Johnson's previous efforts with factual accuracy have been questioned, perhaps I can help him get started. Once upon a time there was a man called William Shakespeare...
    Since he never used that name, that doesn't help.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,391
    nichomar said:

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    I’m sure HY will provide you with a list given he has been asked many times as to why Johnson would be a good PM.
    I would like a more robust analysis than 'because he is the only Conservative politian who can beat Corbyn'.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,331

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    Perhaps he could take up golf. It would only be a matter of time before he breaks Kim Jong-Il's record for holes in one.
    I myself am awestruck that intellectual genius in Britain is marked, not by discovering penicillin, designing Concord or engineering the Severn Bridge but by writing a book.

    As Johnson's previous efforts with factual accuracy have been questioned, perhaps I can help him get started. Once upon a time there was a man called William Shakespeare...
    Shakespeare scholars around the world will be devastated to know that they've lost such an obvious masterwork, because Boris has had to selflessly respond to a higher calling.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,869

    nichomar said:

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    I’m sure HY will provide you with a list given he has been asked many times as to why Johnson would be a good PM.
    I would like a more robust analysis than 'because he is the only Conservative politian who can beat Corbyn'.
    Corbyn is beginning to look beaten already.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,391
    ydoethur said:

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    Perhaps he could take up golf. It would only be a matter of time before he breaks Kim Jong-Il's record for holes in one.
    I myself am awestruck that intellectual genius in Britain is marked, not by discovering penicillin, designing Concord or engineering the Severn Bridge but by writing a book.

    As Johnson's previous efforts with factual accuracy have been questioned, perhaps I can help him get started. Once upon a time there was a man called William Shakespeare...
    Since he never used that name, that doesn't help.
    In light of Mr Johnson's literary track record 'Once upon a time' still fits the bill. So perhaps a help but not as much as I first thought.
  • alex.alex. Posts: 4,658
    Why doesn't he quickly knock off the book on Shakespeare in the next couple of weeks? Now he knows he's going to win 'n' all.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    JackW said:

    BBC 5Live advising that a "Today" programme investigation on R4 this morning will report that Conservative party members are receiving two ballots for the PM beauty show contest.

    Who's running this sh*t show? .... UKIP entryists, Tower Hamlets Labour party or the North Korean Elections Unit?

    WE WILL DELIVER BREXIT !!!!

    OK, let's start with ballot papers...

    Ummmm.
  • alex.alex. Posts: 4,658
    edited July 2019
    IanB2 said:

    nichomar said:

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    I’m sure HY will provide you with a list given he has been asked many times as to why Johnson would be a good PM.

    I would like a more robust analysis than 'because he is the only Conservative politian who can beat Corbyn'.
    Corbyn is beginning to look beaten already.
    Don't forget Farage!

  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,914
    edited July 2019
    The cheers reverberating throughout the country when Portillo went will be nothing compared to those that will be heard when Patel and IDS go. For those who are ambivalent about Johnson just need to listen to those who he has chosen as his spokespeople.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,163

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    Leaving aside the actual comments, he is really not that good a communicator for someone who is meant to be a good communicator.

    Reminds me a bit of Corbyn despite very different styles, as he us a great communicator who usually has supporters and spokespersons clarifying what he communicated.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,391
    IanB2 said:

    nichomar said:

    This from Johnson is just embarrassing. And on so many levels. Such self-centredness, totally inarticulate, entirely incapable of thinking on his feet. Imagine him trying to negotiate anything, let alone a new deal with the EU!!
    https://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1147118705253502976?s=21

    That is some sacrifice, not least for his potential readers.

    Having read significant segments of Johnson's challenging(*) book on Churchill I got the distinct impression that Churchill's wartime statesmanship, was somehow, through a quirk of time-travelling telepathy, a channelling of Johnson's own genius. I couldn't quite work out whether Johnson was in awe of Churchill, or infact Churchill would have been in awe of Johnson had the timings of the two great men aligned.

    As Johnson has now set his sights on Shakespeare does this mean we should credit Johnson with the more impressive works of the bard?

    It would be helpful if one of Johnson's admirers could reassure the doubters with a catalogue of genuine achievements why this seemingly flawed individual will become our greatest ever Prime Minister. I have done my own cost-benefit analysis and the costs far outweigh the benefits, to the point where the benefits column remains empty- I can't even add the go to reassurance that at least he would be better than Corbyn.

    (*) - tedious.
    I’m sure HY will provide you with a list given he has been asked many times as to why Johnson would be a good PM.
    I would like a more robust analysis than 'because he is the only Conservative politian who can beat Corbyn'.
    Corbyn is beginning to look beaten already.
    I have never doubted Mr Corbyn's ability to reach the highest levels of ineptitude.

    One of our more prolific posters has said on numerous occassions that the only way to save the nation from Soviet-style ruin is to vote for Boris. Indeed this was apparently once borne out by a Yougov poll.
This discussion has been closed.