Categories
It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for Farage. – politicalbetting.com
It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for Farage. – politicalbetting.com
This is fascinating. A pitch for disaffected nationalists? If so, would Reform sacrifice the grumpy Tory right wing Unionists who might be considered Farage’s most obvious audience? “Nigel Farage: I’d rather have SNP in power at Holyrood than Labour”https://t.co/15TOQV3BCf
0
Comments
One part of the increase in Church attendances yesterday may be down to the Orthodox Easter being on the same date as the Western this year (it isn't always).
Our local Church has evangelical groups and Christian services conducted in Tamil as well as the main Anglican service so there was a steady flow of traffic yesterday.
To be fair, we have lots of faith(s) in East Ham - the mosques and other prayer places are busy on Fridays and you see the older more devout Muslims making the trek to the mosque at all hours. We have a local Sikh temple in the High Street as well which provides food (not quite a carvery in the Church but still).
Our neighbours are Catholics so go to their Church every Sunday.
I wouldn't say we were an agnostic or atheist nation at all and I don't know if the rise in attendance at Christian Churches is being matched at the places of worship of other faiths.
As to why, in general, more people are turning toward religion I think we can all suggest the obvious reasons. Many religions do contain within them some very strong positive messages about individual morality and social cohesion (not all and there are many other less amenable messages to be blunt) so that in itself may be a cause for optimism but I have found professing a faith and living to the tenets of that faith aren't always one and the same thing.
Sounds a bit morbid, but do we have any markets on his successor yet?
On topic, in 2017 Kenny Farq advised betting on Kezia Dugdale for next First Minister.
‘Nuff said.
https://theweek.com/news/religion/960338/papal-succession-the-cardinals-in-the-running-to-be-the-next-pope
When all hope is lost start praying.
Although it may be that his brain has died in light of his recent pronouncements.
What was it they said in the USSR?
'Lenin has died, but his cause lives on!
What a coincidence. Brezhnev has died, but his body lives on.'
All other answers are varying degrees of wrong.
I suspect Farage sees Holyrood as not much more than an upmarket local council and after May it will be fascinating to see which way any newly elected Reform Councillors will jump if they find themselves in positions of either being the largest party or as "kingmakers" on any Council.
We know all kinds of political permutations happen in local Government and it's often about getting rid of the old administration in favour of almost anything new. Given the Conservatives currently run most of the Councils up for election, you would think the opposition forces would be looking to put themselves in charge so could we see minority Reform administrations backed by Labour or vice versa?
One thing all this will do (and this plays to Stodge's Twelfth Law of Politics which states "success means getting your hands dirty".) is it will weaken Reform's NOTA image once it becomes clear which way they will jump locally as that will become the standard for how they might jump nationally. Conservative-Liberal Democrat administrations weren't unknown in local Government before the coalition and we'll see if Reform's spoon is long enough to sup with Labour, the LDs, Greens and even the Tories.
"During the presidency of President Donald Trump, it became evident to me that the prophecies about the Son of Man, as predicted by Jesus in the Bible were, to a significant extent, fulfilled at the hands of Mr Trump." - Helgard Muller
https://x.com/DominicKing_DM/status/1914060893417324921
Got to say I was tempted by the Renault 5 turbo but then I saw the price and 4 times the base model is pushing it a bit.
Going to wait a while though as I want to see what the Renault 4 canvas roof is like in real life
Says how competitive the Premier League is that out 15th and 16th best sides could contest the final of Europe's second competition.
True, you get St Peter’s as well…
It's certainly different as a strategy,
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
Reform UK Scotland
@ReformUKScot
The feeling is mutual, John, there’s no way we’d work with your rotten separatist government 🏴🇬🇧
The thing is, often nobody is to blame at an individual level. It's just the gods of chance acting randomly. Some throw 6-6, some throw 1-1 and a lot of politics boils down to how far the more fortunate have a duty to the less fortunate.
But that message doesn't always go down well.
I don't think it is down to US style evangelicalism so much as a counter reaction to the Sixties and Seventies counter-culture. Similar to the way that youngsters drink less alcohol and are more chaste than their parents did.
This is the bulleted list. I would add things such as current high-tensions causing anxiety, the Dawkins new atheism balloon having deflated, and local Councils withdrawing many non-statutory social services so churches are one of the set of groups still out there doing the work and providing the services. There was a not dissimilar trend in the late 1970s / early 1980s, with some similarities - anxiety caused by Mrs Thatcher's policies, 3 million unemployed etc.
- This shift is attributed to several factors, including a change in the perception of Christianity, a search for belonging, and the potential benefits for mental well-being.
- Young Christians cite a sense of community, personal connection with God, and hope as key aspects of their faith.
- The report also notes higher life satisfaction and lower stress levels among churchgoers compared to non-churchgoers.
Fundamentally, no-one else is felt to be dealing with many American voters social and economic insecurities (indeed, many of the other side sneer at or dismiss them) so this sort of appeal carries resonance.
I wonder if language and rhetoric has a big part to play with it. Politicians seem to have lost the art of soothing and uniting and instead prefer to enrage to activate their base.
Next step: EBC Yellowstuffs, braided HEL lines, DOT 5.1 flush, and possibly a cheeky remap via OBDLink MX+ and my guy who tunes with a laptop duct-taped to the passenger seat and a sixth sense for AFRs.
This thing’s gonna be a sleeper spec canyon scalpel before the warranty even knows what hit it.
Not that I get a say in it. I am firmly Nonconformist Protestant.
But at the end of the day, politicians have to deal with reality, and rhetoric can only get them so far - as Truss found, and Trump is finding out with the markets. Yet it seems the voters, on all sides, do not particularly want to hear about reality.
TBH I think this is a *very* clever play. Hoover up the SNP last time but ‘services are shit and “independence” isn’t the answer to why I can’t see a dentist’ voters. Of which there are many.
How it affects the Reform vote in Scotland I don't know, but Reform seems on course to do well in Wales, particularly the valleys.
Similarly I am sanguine about Farage, it will be fascinating to watch him try to actually deliver on his promises instead of just riding the grievance train.
Equally, we should remember the next election will be under the monstrosity that is List PR so unless Labour suffer a Canadian Tories 93 style pounding they will still be the largest party.
"Reform UK rule out Scottish independence referendum | The National" https://www.thenational.scot/news/24955407.reform-uk-rule-scottish-independence-referendum/
And they form much of the MAGA base.
Other Trump voting demographics have different motivations.
I am v sceptical of the idea that Reform could go past the Conservatives without even competing for many of the 120 Conservative seats. It is unlikely to establish a clear view of it being a Labour v Reform election among Cons 2024 voters. (2024 Reform voters don't care much about efficacy).
https://bsky.app/profile/sundersays.bsky.social/post/3lncsoryy5s2v
Means there will now be a new Pope as well as a new Archbishop of Canterbury
And Good Morning all. Why is Easter Monday Bank Holiday always a miserable day, weather-wise? At least that's what my memory tells me.
BTW that line about Text ‘WIN’ is a cracker. 😂😂😂
than London and the South East
It is always blame the voters.
Curse that self-perpetuating bureaucracy.
There must be a chance of the first female Archbishop and a non white Pope
His death on Easter Monday feels especially poignant. He reminded us that leadership isn’t about power, but about service. When I met him in 2022, he spoke warmly of the UK and the values we share. In a world that too often turns away from faith, he stood firm. May he rest in peace.
https://x.com/KemiBadenoch/status/1914242754575507902
I had a chat with my parents yesterday who are life long Tories but who abandoned them in 2024 to Lib Dems and no vote.
What was interesting is that nether of them thought Farage would ever win an election. “Too marmite”. “Doesn’t stand for anything”. “None of the above candidate”.
I wonder if Farage’s support splinters as soon as it’s clear that he’s not just a protest vote.
Good morning, everyone.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/john-curtice-reform-uk-just-35081777
With the MAGA base being full of hatreds or thinking that they are themselves hated (sometimes with justification).
Background on her faith:
https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/kemi-badenoch-new-conservative-party-leader-chosen