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Badenoch & Reeves sink to new lows – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,420
edited April 17 in General
Badenoch & Reeves sink to new lows – politicalbetting.com

Latest political favourability ratings (13-14 April 2025)Party leadersKeir Starmer: -34Nigel Farage: -38Kemi Badenoch: -38Ed Davey: -11 (40% say DK)Other senior politiciansRachel Reeves: -48Angela Rayner: -29Ed Miliband: -28Mel Stride: -14 (72% DK)yougov.co.uk/politics/art…

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Comments

  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    edited April 17
    I reckon Rangers are more popular amongst Celtic fans than Kemi and Rachel are with the British public.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 76,569
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    I reckon Rangers are more popular amongst Celtic fans than Kemi and Rachel are with the British public.

    Aren't they in different teams ?
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 5,071
    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,873
    I doubt Starmer worries too much about Reeves being the most unpopular minister. A useful human shield.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 76,569
    A Senator from the party of radical free speech.

    “We are all afraid,” Murkowski said, taking a long pause. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
    https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/1912853012193624250

    What at this point is the balance between justified fear, and cowardice ?

    It's cowardice which enabled what has happened.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 5,071
    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    Hopefully Tory MPs won’t mess around with the voting this time as that cost Cleverly last year . I just don’t see how Badenoch lasts until the next election .
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 30,110
    edited April 17
    None of them are popular, and half the country has not even heard of the Honourable Member for Falling in the Water, the supposed campaigning genius.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 76,569
    Mel Stride continues to be the nearest thing to Jim Hacker that British politics can offer.

    What unlikely chain of events might put him in No10 ?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 5,071
    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    Starmer would not want to see Cleverly as leader of the opposition. Since when has daft been an impediment to winning an election!
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    Who?
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,659
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    I would imagine that the majority of people think he is a woman called Melanie or Melissa.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 20,163
    edited April 17
    SandyRentool said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    I would imagine that the majority of people think he is a woman called Melanie or Melissa.
    I hope he/she makes his/her preferred pronouns known
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    SandyRentool said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    I would imagine that the majority of people think he is a woman called Melanie or Melissa.
    Mel S - Political Spice.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 23,353
    The main news of today has to be Van Dijk joining Salah in extending for another two years.

    Will enjoy the title when it is official, but looking forward to the next season already.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 24,214
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    I liked him in "Not The Nine O'Clock News". Although his singing career with his sister Kim was a bit patchy.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 54,485
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    DecrepiterJohnL said:

    None of them are popular, and half the country has not even heard of the Honourable Member for Falling in the Water, the supposed campaigning genius.

    Perhaps he needs to release an action figure?


    It's just horrible to think of some poor kid getting that as a present...
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 924
    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,399
    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    You couldn't believe one of Sunak's ministers might mess things up?

    To be fair, Cleverly was by far the most effective of the Sunak cabinet, about the only one still functioning vaguely normally other than Hunt and Cameron.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,582
    edited April 17
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    DecrepiterJohnL said:

    None of them are popular, and half the country has not even heard of the Honourable Member for Falling in the Water, the supposed campaigning genius.

    Perhaps he needs to release an action figure?


    That's a bar chart even dodgier than all the other bar charts.

    It could be Ashfield on a bad day.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Mel Stride. To me that conjurs up an Australian private detective.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 924
    Given that Reform's popularity is mainly votes for Farage, does his high unfavourability set a ceiling on their support?
    Notwithstanding that in current circs. 28% could get you 200+ MPs.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    edited April 17
    In all seriousness, if I was the Lib Dems I would have jumped on the AI action figure trend. Perhaps drop the dodgy bar chart and post office logo, but appearing to not be stuck up your arse goes down well with the public.

    They could have done a set of them with his different stunts.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    Absolute shambles. Imagine the 'atmosphere' in the dressing room after that.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    kinabalu said:

    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    Absolute shambles. Imagine the 'atmosphere' in the dressing room after that.
    Man Utd level shambles....
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    https://x.com/keir_starmer/status/1912880033418330446

    As Lent comes to an end and we move into the Easter weekend, I want to wish Christians everywhere remembering the death and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ a very happy Easter.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/keir_starmer/status/1912880033418330446

    As Lent comes to an end and we move into the Easter weekend, I want to wish Christians everywhere remembering the death and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ a very happy Easter.

    That is very ChatGPT.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,155
    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    ydoethur said:

    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    You couldn't believe one of Sunak's ministers might mess things up?

    To be fair, Cleverly was by far the most effective of the Sunak cabinet, about the only one still functioning vaguely normally other than Hunt and Cameron.
    No he wasn't.

    He was possibly the nearest to your own political persuasion, which is not remotely the same thing. He started negotiating away Chagos, probably because he didn't give a shit and just left it to the FO, and displayed the same lackadaisical attitude to China, probably for the same reason. The leadership election twattery wasn't an unfortunate accident, it was wholly within the run of play.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,155
    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    I don't know. I've been reading quite a bit of fiction recently, including historical fiction based on known events.

    The advantage historical fiction has is that the writer doesn't have to make up unlikely events - they really happened. Whereas the author making something up completely has to convince the reader that the events they invent are credible realistic (even in a fantastical setting).

    Truth often is stranger than fiction, because unlikely things happen more often than we imagine is possible.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 34,549
    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    That last line smacks of desperation.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,155
    OldKingCole said:

    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    That last line smacks of desperation.
    Such are the times we live in, alas.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    edited April 17
    Dopermean said:

    Given that Reform's popularity is mainly votes for Farage, does his high unfavourability set a ceiling on their support?
    Notwithstanding that in current circs. 28% could get you 200+ MPs.

    I think they do have a low ceiling and Farage will be tacking centrewards between now and the GE to try to raise it. He's going to try and project himself as solid and reassuring. Cuddly even.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    I don't think she's a contender. She seems only to be staying as a firewall for Sir Useless.

    I don't really know who is a contender though. I can only think of Andy Burnham and he's not even in Parliament.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    edited April 17
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    I don't think she's a contender. She seems only to be staying as a firewall for Sir Useless.

    I don't really know who is a contender though. I can only think of Andy Burnham and he's not even in Parliament.
    Wes Streeting waves frantically...
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,925
    edited April 17
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    I don't think she's a contender. She seems only to be staying as a firewall for Sir Useless.

    I don't really know who is a contender though. I can only think of Andy Burnham and he's not even in Parliament.
    And he isn't interested.


  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,399
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    You couldn't believe one of Sunak's ministers might mess things up?

    To be fair, Cleverly was by far the most effective of the Sunak cabinet, about the only one still functioning vaguely normally other than Hunt and Cameron.
    No he wasn't.

    He was possibly the nearest to your own political persuasion, which is not remotely the same thing. He started negotiating away Chagos, probably because he didn't give a shit and just left it to the FO, and displayed the same lackadaisical attitude to China, probably for the same reason. The leadership election twattery wasn't an unfortunate accident, it was wholly within the run of play.
    Merely because he was no actual good doesn't invalidate my point he was the most effective of Sunak's ministers.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    Not a bad shout. I'd vote for a Henry Hoover over most of them. Robust. On the side iof working people. Telegenic smile.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    edited April 17
    ydoethur said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    You couldn't believe one of Sunak's ministers might mess things up?

    To be fair, Cleverly was by far the most effective of the Sunak cabinet, about the only one still functioning vaguely normally other than Hunt and Cameron.
    No he wasn't.

    He was possibly the nearest to your own political persuasion, which is not remotely the same thing. He started negotiating away Chagos, probably because he didn't give a shit and just left it to the FO, and displayed the same lackadaisical attitude to China, probably for the same reason. The leadership election twattery wasn't an unfortunate accident, it was wholly within the run of play.
    Merely because he was no actual good doesn't invalidate my point he was the most effective of Sunak's ministers.
    Good point, well made.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 24,214
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    Not a bad shout. I'd vote for a Henry Hoover over most of them. Robust. On the side iof working people. Telegenic smile.
    Unfortunately he sucks

    (boom-tish)
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,925
    edited April 17
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    Not a bad shout. I'd vote for a Henry Hoover over most of them. Robust. On the side iof working people. Telegenic smile.
    His great grandad was a poor President.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    kinabalu said:

    Dopermean said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    That still hurts, having backed him at up to 14s, I was just waiting to hit cash out, couldn't believe they'd f'ed it up.
    Absolute shambles. Imagine the 'atmosphere' in the dressing room after that.
    Man Utd level shambles....
    Steady on.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,582
    New to me.

    I did not know that Ernest Bevin was either 65 or 66 when he became Foreign Secretary.

    (He did not get much of a retirement.)
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    James Dyson for PM?
  • Peter_the_PunterPeter_the_Punter Posts: 14,636
    kinabalu said:

    Dopermean said:

    Given that Reform's popularity is mainly votes for Farage, does his high unfavourability set a ceiling on their support?
    Notwithstanding that in current circs. 28% could get you 200+ MPs.

    I think they do have a low ceiling and Farage will be tacking centrewards between now and the GE to try to raise it. He's going to try and project himself as solid and reassuring. Cuddly even.
    Whilst quietly edging away from Donald Trump, yes?
  • BatteryCorrectHorseBatteryCorrectHorse Posts: 4,769
    (3/5)

    By this time next year things could look very different for Labour. Maybe better, maybe worse.

    All I know is that to write Sir Keir off now seems rather foolish.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 121,598
    edited April 17
    LostPassword said:

    Not sure that having more levels to pull is to Reeves' advantage. She keeps on pulling the wrong ones.

    Besides Kwarteng, when was the last time Britain had such a weak Chancellor who couldn't be considered a serious contender for replacing the PM?

    She's not a contender? Right?

    Nadhim Zahawi.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    Reboot of disaster-hit Fyre Festival postponed, US media reports
    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62jzk1p49wo

    Fool me once...
  • TazTaz Posts: 17,548
    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Peter_the_Punter said:

    kinabalu said:

    Dopermean said:

    Given that Reform's popularity is mainly votes for Farage, does his high unfavourability set a ceiling on their support?
    Notwithstanding that in current circs. 28% could get you 200+ MPs.

    I think they do have a low ceiling and Farage will be tacking centrewards between now and the GE to try to raise it. He's going to try and project himself as solid and reassuring. Cuddly even.
    Whilst quietly edging away from Donald Trump, yes?
    That is crucial. Disliking Donald Trump is close to being a national sentiment.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    the habit of responding with "to be fair"....grinds my gears.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,659
    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    If nature abhors a vacuum, how come 99.99999999999999999999999999999% of the universe consists of a vacuum?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    BatteryCorrectHorse said:

    (3/5)

    By this time next year things could look very different for Labour. Maybe better, maybe worse.

    All I know is that to write Sir Keir off now seems rather foolish.

    Wasn't 1/5 first thing this morning? This is the slowest five-part post in history!
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    Two little-known Wall Street companies experienced an “unusual” stock price surge before an announcement naming Donald Trump’s sons to the board....

    Its very weird how this stuff keeps happening.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,659
    viewcode said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    You could say it's quite dangerous to have so many politicians with such awful ratings. It leaves a vacuum.

    Not a bad shout. I'd vote for a Henry Hoover over most of them. Robust. On the side iof working people. Telegenic smile.
    Unfortunately he sucks

    (boom-tish)
    Never give a sucker an even break.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 65,014
    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Good afternoon

    It is remarkable that Trump does not seem to be having an effect on Farage and Reform

    Maybe it is more we have an unpopular government, a conservative party struggling with their past, and a Lib Dem leader who seems to think politics is all about acting daft in and on water

    Certainly the 1st May is looking like successes for Reform and to top it all a likely win in Helsby and Runcorn
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,769
    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    I am pleased, but I did think 'Matt Goodwin' before I clicked, and so it proved.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    FrancisUrquhart said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    the habit of responding with "to be fair"....grinds my gears.
    I quite enjoy 'to be fair' where it adds absolutely nothing and the counterfactual - i.e. being unfair - is quite difficult to imagine. E.g. "To be fair, I quite like macaroni cheese"
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    edited April 17
    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    But TTOI was a comedy. Of course you could make it up as a joke. The Cleverly thing works fine as deliberate farce or even as a piece of whimsy. What I'm saying is you couldn't make it up and be taken seriously. That's what the phrase means in my book.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,582
    Chat GPT is thinking about a blister pack Lee Anderson.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Good afternoon

    It is remarkable that Trump does not seem to be having an effect on Farage and Reform

    Maybe it is more we have an unpopular government, a conservative party struggling with their past, and a Lib Dem leader who seems to think politics is all about acting daft in and on water

    Certainly the 1st May is looking like successes for Reform and to top it all a likely win in Helsby and Runcorn
    1) I don't think the Farage-Trump link sits terribly high in the consciousness of most Reform voters
    2) While Trump is very unpopular, I think he is differently unpopular among Reform voters than he is among voters of the other big three parties - possibly not quite the same red flag (and of course, some approve of him).

    And good afternoon, Big G.
  • scampi25scampi25 Posts: 95
    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 24,234
    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Good afternoon

    It is remarkable that Trump does not seem to be having an effect on Farage and Reform

    Maybe it is more we have an unpopular government, a conservative party struggling with their past, and a Lib Dem leader who seems to think politics is all about acting daft in and on water

    Certainly the 1st May is looking like successes for Reform and to top it all a likely win in Helsby and Runcorn
    The impact of Trump on Reform is not going to be whether they can get to 25% consistently but to create a strong anti Reform tactical vote if and when they are seen as realistic contenders.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 4,484
    kinabalu said:

    Dopermean said:

    Given that Reform's popularity is mainly votes for Farage, does his high unfavourability set a ceiling on their support?
    Notwithstanding that in current circs. 28% could get you 200+ MPs.

    I think they do have a low ceiling and Farage will be tacking centrewards between now and the GE to try to raise it. He's going to try and project himself as solid and reassuring. Cuddly even.
    Perhaps we could persuade him to get into a light aircraft to tow a banner...oh shit
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,376
    MattW said:

    Chat GPT is thinking about a blister pack Lee Anderson.

    I presume it comes as a BOGOF set with Steve Bray....
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    edited April 17
    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    But TTOI was a comedy. Of course you could make it up as a joke. The Cleverly thing works fine as deliberate farce or even as a piece of whimsy. What I'm saying is you couldn't make it up and be taken seriously. That's what the phrase means in my book.
    All right, House of Cards? To Play the King? Both of those contained plots more far fetched.

    Your problem with the Clevershambles is that it is a) improbable and b) funny. Drama has a problem with things that are funny, preferring tense looks all the time. And that is why drama is almost never fulfilling - because the real world isn't like that. Funny things happen all the time. Just because something's funny doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 24,214
    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Westminster Voting Intention:

    RFM: 28% (+2)
    LAB: 22% (=)
    CON: 20% (-1)
    LDM: 14% (=)
    GRN: 10% (-1)

    Via
    @FindoutnowUK
    , 16 Apr.
    Changes w/ 9 Apr.

    Go on Kemi! Under 20%! You can do it! One more heave!
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 65,455
    viewcode said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Westminster Voting Intention:

    RFM: 28% (+2)
    LAB: 22% (=)
    CON: 20% (-1)
    LDM: 14% (=)
    GRN: 10% (-1)

    Via
    @FindoutnowUK
    , 16 Apr.
    Changes w/ 9 Apr.

    Go on Kemi! Under 20%! You can do it! One more heave!
    Remember, though, that there was a time when LibDems were merely an * on the tables.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,873
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    I am pleased, but I did think 'Matt Goodwin' before I clicked, and so it proved.
    The Goodwin polling manages to suppress Tory and Labour in Reform’s while keeping Lib Dem and Green pretty much the same as others. It’s an interesting pattern - not easily explained by eg over sampling politically engaged voters, because that would usually suppress Lib Dem too.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 24,234
    Fishing said:

    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    If we allowed asylum seekers to work, which that moron May stopped, we wouldn't need to host them in hotels, 4* or otherwise.

    Truly one of the worst policy decisions of my lifetime.
    Then combine that with blocking the funding the courts to process them and becoming bemused that the costs of housing them grow exponentially.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,873
    viewcode said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Westminster Voting Intention:

    RFM: 28% (+2)
    LAB: 22% (=)
    CON: 20% (-1)
    LDM: 14% (=)
    GRN: 10% (-1)

    Via
    @FindoutnowUK
    , 16 Apr.
    Changes w/ 9 Apr.

    Go on Kemi! Under 20%! You can do it! One more heave!
    Some stats and ratios:

    LLG 46, RefCon 48: quite similar to other polls

    LabCon 42, SPLORG 58: way higher SPLORG than other pollsters

    Con:Ref 0.71. Quite close to the 0.67 crossover
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    Baxtered that give Reform 1 short of a majority. Lab down to 150, Tories on 46.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 34,549
    Fishing said:

    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    If we allowed asylum seekers to work, which that moron May stopped, we wouldn't need to host them in hotels, 4* or otherwise.

    Truly one of the worst policy decisions of my lifetime.
    Generally speaking, the political decisions of the period 2015-2024 seem to have uniformly bad. And those the Coalition period weren't often better.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    Fishing said:

    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    If we allowed asylum seekers to work, which that moron May stopped, we wouldn't need to host them in hotels, 4* or otherwise.

    Truly one of the worst policy decisions of my lifetime.
    Was that May? In any case, allowing asylum seekers to work is an obvious loophole in the work permit system that shouldn't be reopened. We need to remove the right to claim asylum on demand.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blunkett-to-stop-migrants-working-185391.html

    David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, will today unveil plans to strip thousands of asylum seekers of the right to work while their claim to stay in Britain is being assessed.
  • TazTaz Posts: 17,548
    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    Nothing new. We had them under the Tories too with these Tik Toks.

    Realistically what can anyone do about it ? People get angry. Futile waste of energy.

    Sure we are being played for mugs here but nothing is going to change and nothing will happen aside from more and more will come and there is little political will across the house to do anything aside from appear to be concerned just as they have been with regular migration going back nearly 30 years.
  • TazTaz Posts: 17,548
    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    Yeah, so of that fails then where do they go ?

    Back to,the other parties who have failed repeatedly ? Why. Pointless to do that.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    But TTOI was a comedy. Of course you could make it up as a joke. The Cleverly thing works fine as deliberate farce or even as a piece of whimsy. What I'm saying is you couldn't make it up and be taken seriously. That's what the phrase means in my book.
    All right, House of Cards? To Play the King? Both of those contained plots more far fetched.

    Your problem with the Clevershambles is that it is a) improbable and b) funny. Drama has a problem with things that are funny, preferring tense looks all the time. And that is why drama is almost never fulfilling - because the real world isn't like that. Funny things happen all the time. Just because something's funny doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously.
    We're at cross purposes. When I say "serious drama" I mean the likes of Kavanaugh QC or Smiley's People. Straightforward story telling with no attempt to be kooky or satirical. That genre. There's no place there for the sort of nonsense that happened with James Cleverly (or tbf his backers). If you tried to put something like that in you'd be told to go and have a rethink. Meaning you'd have failed to make it up.
  • scampi25scampi25 Posts: 95
    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    In the next GE it won't be the performance of a few local councils which matter.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 20,163
    scampi25 said:

    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    In the next GE it won't be the performance of a few local councils which matter.
    It might be, in those local authorities.
  • TazTaz Posts: 17,548
    scampi25 said:

    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    In the next GE it won't be the performance of a few local councils which matter.
    What will also help Reform in 2029 is they will have a councillor base in many target areas too. People to do the legwork to help get the vote out and knock on doors and distribute leaflets. They didn’t have this in 2024 whereas the Lib Dem’s did. That helps.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 76,569
    Is this a real person, or a parody ?

    I am excited and honored to announce I have been appointed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the DoD.

    Helping ensure our country is viewed as a force not to be reckoned with.
    https://x.com/RoyceChamberlin/status/1912626170136523016
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 44,734
    Taz said:

    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    Yeah, so of that fails then where do they go ?

    Back to,the other parties who have failed repeatedly ? Why. Pointless to do that.
    Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating it. Quite the opposite. But it might come to that. Elect Reform and then, "Oops, what were we thinking. Those Labs and Cons weren't so terrible after all. When's the next vote?"
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    I am no fan of Mel Stride, but I refuse to believe that 14% of people know who is is, let alone think he's doing a bad job.

    I can believe 14% of people are either political anoraks or semi-political anoraks.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 14,456
    Taz said:

    kinabalu said:

    scampi25 said:

    Taz said:

    Reform 6 point lead in latest poll

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1912895163598258240?s=61

    The locals could be brutal - voters want something different.
    And perhaps the only way to cure them of that is if they get it.
    Yeah, so of that fails then where do they go ?

    Back to,the other parties who have failed repeatedly ? Why. Pointless to do that.
    The "next big thing" will be what we've seen in Germany and Greece with BSW and Course of Freedom respectively. It will be termed by the indolent on here as a "left wing version of Reform" but there will be similarities. It will be nationalist, anti-immigrant and certainly anti-any return to the EU. It will be socially conservative but strongly anti-austerity arguing fort much higher taxes for the wealthy and more public spending in poorer areas an on education and health.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,582
    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    They claim they have a comment from Kemi Badenoch on it:
    https://www.gbnews.com/news/video-moment-kemi-badenoch-reacts-gb-news-exclusive-migrant-crisis

    For, I'd say the video looks fake.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,295
    Nigelb said:

    Is this a real person, or a parody ?

    I am excited and honored to announce I have been appointed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the DoD.

    Helping ensure our country is viewed as a force not to be reckoned with.
    https://x.com/RoyceChamberlin/status/1912626170136523016

    At one time people had secretaries to iron out any embarrassing mistakes like this, now they just do it themselves on social media.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 51,089
    edited April 17
    So the US market continues to sink. And the good news, for me at least, is that my spread betting firm has finally allowed me to repatriate the £thousands of profit from collapsing US prices back to my own bank account. The hoops they make you jump through when you become one of the estimated 10-30% of clients who net winning bets puts me off sticking with them, once the US hits bottom. The quandary is that the US may well be heading down for some time to come.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,769
    MattW said:

    williamglenn said:

    https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1912878438412673447

    Jaw-dropping footage revealed by @markwhiteTV today showing what GB News believes to be Sudanese migrants showing off their 4* hotels.

    This is a mockery. There are homeless British citizens sleeping rough on the street and economic migrants fleeing France are a priority for our government.

    Keir Starmer promised he would end the migrant hotels, yet another failure.

    These videos are nothing but an advertisement for others to come to the UK, of which we believe, there are thousands more queueing up.

    They claim they have a comment from Kemi Badenoch on it:
    https://www.gbnews.com/news/video-moment-kemi-badenoch-reacts-gb-news-exclusive-migrant-crisis

    For, I'd say the video looks fake.
    Fake in what way?
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,783
    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Cookie said:

    kinabalu said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:


    williamglenn said:

    nico67 said:

    Those are woeful ratings for Badenoch . They should have picked Cleverly who has much more cross over appeal .

    Cummings' prediction was that they would go for Cleverly next.
    A man so daft that he plotted himself out of a leadership race.
    That was his backers tbf. They tried to engineer his preferred opponent for the run off and succeeded in engineering the man himself out of the run off. You couldn't make it up. Literally couldn't make it up. If you submitted that in a script for a political drama you'd get it returned with a cover note saying "rejected on grounds of credulity".
    While I share your general amusement, the pedant in me bridles at the phrase 'couldn't make it up', especially when paired with the word 'literally' - I'm fairly sure you could make it up. People make stuff up all the time, much of it less believable than that. Look at Star Wars, for example.
    No but that's literally what I'm saying. You *could* make it up, yes, but not if you wanted it accepted as a serious proposition by the commissioning editor. So to all intents and purposes you couldn't.
    Oh come on! This is exactly the sort of thing which happened in The Thick of It.

    I'm not disputing how ridiculous the situation was. I'm pedantically disputing the use of the phrase 'you couldn't make it up'. People make up implausible stuff all the time, and much of it gets commissioned for telly. (Look at Death in Paradise. 50% of the time that finishes and you look at the wife and both shake your heads and say 'no...'. Still watch the next one though. I like light-hearted crime drama where the main puzzle is 'how'. And I have some sympathy for the writers still trying to come up with plots 100-odd episodes in).

    'You couldn't make it up' is just a phrase I can rarely let go without a quibble. (See also describing Great Britain - the 8th largest and, what, 3rd most populous island in the world - as a 'small island', the use of the word 'stunning' to mean 'nice', and the misuse of the word 'literally'.)

    I don't trying to fall out about it. This is just pb pedantry.
    But TTOI was a comedy. Of course you could make it up as a joke. The Cleverly thing works fine as deliberate farce or even as a piece of whimsy. What I'm saying is you couldn't make it up and be taken seriously. That's what the phrase means in my book.
    All right, House of Cards? To Play the King? Both of those contained plots more far fetched.

    Your problem with the Clevershambles is that it is a) improbable and b) funny. Drama has a problem with things that are funny, preferring tense looks all the time. And that is why drama is almost never fulfilling - because the real world isn't like that. Funny things happen all the time. Just because something's funny doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously.
    We're at cross purposes. When I say "serious drama" I mean the likes of Kavanaugh QC or Smiley's People. Straightforward story telling with no attempt to be kooky or satirical. That genre. There's no place there for the sort of nonsense that happened with James Cleverly (or tbf his backers). If you tried to put something like that in you'd be told to go and have a rethink. Meaning you'd have failed to make it up.
    The fault here is with most drama's utter aversion to anything amusing happening.

    But House of Cards was a proper drama. And it's a plausible plotline for one of that series. After all, the Chief Whip ended up as PM.

    Where we appear to be is that you could make it up, but if you did, and presented it to the humourless commissioners of TV drama, they wouldn't like it as a plotline because in their world nothing is allowed to be in the least bit amusing.

    I'm going to go and make an omelette now. Mushroom, onion, pancetta, potato and cheese. Maybe a bit of chorizo if there's any in the fridge.
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