The frontrunner in the betting to succeed Corbyn, Keir Starmer, has formally launched his campaign and has seen his position in the betting rise even further. At his launch he was blunt about where LAB stands and the huge challenges ahead. According to the Guardian he said:
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I predict that he'll easily defeat Boris.
NB that could also include Johnson. Although Parris in today’s Times is surprising.
At 10/1 (ish) I think she's value.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51077811
That'll probably be enough in Labour, with Nandy finishing second.
Stormont deal: Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill new top NI ministers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-51077397
But these speeches are ominous. They all want different things and seem determined to all try to get them. This could go sour again very quickly.
There'd likely have been higher immigration first, as the economy boomed up to 2007, and then the 2008-2009 Great Recession would have hit us far harder and, without a UK currency to take the blow, been followed by far higher unemployment post 2009 and a nasty house price crash.
If I had to guess, I'd say we'd have exited the Euro, and possibly the EU too, even earlier.
As Matt says, it's all opinion with this sort of counterfactual. FWIW, I think the Tories would have won comfortably in 2020 had the referendum been won by Remain. The economy would have been reasonably robust (it isn't absolutely terrible now, but is mired in uncertainty). Corbyn would still have been Corbyn, and antisemitism would still be a big problem for him. Who would the Tory leader be? Well, possibly Johnson... a narrow referendum defeat wouldn't have killed his career by any means (indeed I think he actually wanted a narrow defeat) and he'd have been brought back to the Cabinet in the post-referendum healing.
2016 was the inflexion point when they'd had enough of the latter, but as 2019 showed they don't trust those who just ignore the former.
Boris (or more accurately his team) judged it right, in my view.
I think the original reference to "euro referendum" was to the 2016 European Referendum.
There was never a referendum on membership of the Euro currency, and we were never in it (although we were briefly in the ERM). Was that what you meant?
I thought you (or someone) was saying what the politics would have looked like if we'd joined the euro in 2003-2004 under Blair with a euro referendum he'd won.
Incidentally, I lived in FFM as the Euro was introduced, The queues at ATMs on 1201 1 January were remarkable,
Rural Voter said
'Rural seats like Sedgefield, Bolsover, Don Valley, Blyth Valley, NW Durham won't be returning to Labour. The mines are gone. '
But those seats were all very comfortably Labour in 2017. I doubt that many mines closed in the period between the 2017 and 2019 elections! If opinion can shift so dramatically in just two and a half years, why can it not swing back over a four to five year period?
My introduction to politics was the Profumo scandal. Quite interesting for a precocious 10 yr old ...
FWIW, no woman is anywhere above 3rd tier positions in Ireland, it remains a remarkably sexist, retrograde society.
Three times now I have called peak Starmer and the bugger keeps peaking higher.
I'm looking for value in the other contenders as it's a long race but if anyone should be laid it should be RLB.
I need a new boiler for my four bed. I've investigated "green" alternatives.
The best is a ground source heat pump at (wait for it) about £23k with my whole garden being dug up and weeks of work.
The boiler is about £2k with another £1k for installation and can be done in a day or two.
Am I still going to go for the GSHP? Am I fuck.
Judge me. But you'd do exactly the same and unless the government hugely subsidise this it isn't going to happen.
Labour has a better chance in areas like Watford, Reading, Chingford and Woodford Green, Southampton, Hastings etc which voted only narrowly Leave or Remain and stayed Tory largely on an anti Corbyn vote rather than a pro Boris or pro Brexit vote, especially under a leader like Starmer
From your perspective, will buyers attribute a real (or at least cost neutral) value.? Probably, no.
Sky went into town and every voter they interviewed said it was Corbyn and they could never vote for him
Labour, or more specifically RLB, just do not get it
It's the price that's the issue for me. If I'm honest there's a social factor too: not enough people I know have done it, and I don't know if it matches the billing.
With a young family I want and need guaranteed hot water and heating.
I would never install a ground source. I would only ever consider an air source and even then I would only consider a high quality European model, not the cheap rubbish British companies try and peddle.
Ground source works best in district heating schemes where they are professionally maintained and you have economies of scale.
Corbynistas are deluded into thinking they lost because of Brexit. You are deluded into thinking you won because of Brexit.
You cultists are all the same no matter what colour.
Why is keir now 73% ??
Has he got more nomination's?
Astrology is a subject about which I have come to have a very open mind - despite my reasoning telling me that it is a load of codswallop. I do not claim to be a firm believer and cannot offer an obvious. explanation for what I am about to relate. For three years I have been in contact with a guy who operates as an astrologer and psychic in India - though we have never met. In late April and early May 2017 I informed him of my very deeply held fears for the pending General Election. He sought to console me and asserted with great confidence that I would be far more satisfied with the election result than I expected. This was when the Tories were 20% plus ahead in the polls.We all know what happened in June 2017.
A year later I contacted him in respect of my anxiety for a brother about to receive a kidney transplant from his wife. He bluntly told me not to expect a successful outcome and- despite the surgery being successful - within three months it became clear that the transplant had failed forcing my brother to rely on dialysis.
Last summer I contacted him again regarding the political turmoil in the UK. He replied to the effect that Johnson had 'luck' very much with him , that an election would not be a repeat of 2017 - and that Corbyn would lose decisively. I did provide him with the Date of Birth of both leaders. Beyond that he does not have a good feeling re-Johnson , and is firm in his view that he will only have one term.
Make of that what you will - but it is 100% true.
The members poll is a pointer though. Presumably after the MPs choose the longlist, the shortlist is then done by the CLPs
It is not just Boris, but the whole government who is moving spending to the north from London and the south. It is long overdue and he has virtually 5 years to show real progress
Anyway, 2020 has started well with the WDA passed, the NI assembly up and running, and Patel seeking extradiction of the US diplomats wife involved in the crash with young Mr Dunn
Furthermore, Boris has played Iran well with refusing to back Trump on the nuclear deal and has laid ground work with others for more dialogue. The irony of this tragic shooting down of the Ukraine passenger jet by Iran has actually made peace talks more likely and even helped in the eventual aim of returning Nazazin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to the UK
Kensington is now 2nd on the Labour target list, Chipping Barnet 10th, Chingford and Woodford Green 13th, Hastings and Rye 37th, Watford 41st, Reading West 46th, Southampton Itchen 50th, Milton Keynes North 56th.
Even if Labour win enough seats to become largest party next time (they need 82 gains for that) much of the 'Red Wall' will now stay Tory.
The north needs billions of pounds of investment. One recession and all good will be gone. Just one is all it takes.
Small N cities like Wakefield might well stay as marginals and be won back.
All I know about Blyth Valley is what UK Polling Report says about it. I defer to any local knowledge Gallowgate possesses. However, in private surely Starmer must know that the small towns aren't likely to be won back, even if Wakefield is.
He has earned respect, but of course counter arguments are the very essence of this forum
However, as far as Johnson is concerned, is his luck going to turn out, or his Party’s?
What will matter is what @Big_G_NorthWales says. True investment. Real change.
One recession is all it will take for the Boris sheen to wear off.
Which channel please?
I do not know how long you have been posting but his knowledge is amazing and while he can be annoying, as we all can, he has made several and many predictions which have materalised and if those on here who bet had taken note of them they would have had quite some success
And remember, HYUFD and I have had some real disagreements, I just think you are being somewhat unfair to be honest