Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
We will now require 140 points in every section and to be radioactive to claim 10% PIP
When the government wallah ran his rule over my grandfather's WWI injuries to work out his pension, the official checklist said he had 125% disability. But the gentleman argued that 100% disabled meant you were dead, so he took the extra 25% and deducted it from the 100%. Grandad received pension for 75% disability for the rest of his life.
He's now officially (according to me) the worst PM of my lifetime. By a country mile. Worse than Brown, worse than Heath. Worse than Mary Elizabeth Truss by 2 country miles
Who would you have as Prime Minister?
Seriously, he's not that bad - for me, Heath was the worst followed by Truss. The best? For me, first term Blair.
Churchill, Thatcher and Blair for me
Wasn't Churchill a bit Joe Biden during his post war premiership?
Post war until today I'd give a nod to Attlee, Supermac and of course Harold. I don't dislike Ted. His wisdom in joining the Common Market gave us an amazing 44 years of stability within Europe.
Johnson head and shoulders the worst PM followed by Truss. Home was a bit useless,but nice enough, too.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
As opposed to all the good addictions?
All addictions are bad but the UK has the most gambling of any European country .
Having worked in the belly of the beast - an alt-bank specialising in the gambling sector - yeah.
They like to talk about “whales” - but many of the big spenders are really addicts destroying their lives. And their families.
It’s tragic . The companies pretend to care with their list of agencies that support problem gamblers but as you rightly said the big spenders are the real addicts .
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
It will happen from the 26/27 season, something the Tories got right.
I'd ban them from advertising at all. Put them in the same category as tobacco companies.
I agree, a few years ago a friend told me that his football crazy four year old asked him 'do you have to bet to watch football?' because of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports.
I felt very uncomfortable about Klopp doing ads for Bet Victor during his stint as Liverpool manager.
(That wasn't Klopp per se, Bet Victor were one of LIverpool's sponsors, so it was contractual, but I still had issues with it.)
The problem with gambling adverts is they sell a lifestyle not a product. If the adverts were restricted to saying "We are X price Y to happen" I don't see the problem.
I did write about this while I was still in my thirties....
He's now officially (according to me) the worst PM of my lifetime. By a country mile. Worse than Brown, worse than Heath. Worse than Mary Elizabeth Truss by 2 country miles
Who would you have as Prime Minister?
Seriously, he's not that bad - for me, Heath was the worst followed by Truss. The best? For me, first term Blair.
Churchill, Thatcher and Blair for me
Wasn't Churchill a bit Joe Biden during his post war premiership?
Post war until today I'd give a nod to Attlee, Supermac and of course Harold. I don't dislike Ted. His wisdom in joining the Common Market gave us an amazing 44 years of stability within Europe.
Johnson head and shoulders the worst PM followed by Truss. Home was a bit useless,but nice enough, too.
Actually Johnson was OK with Ukraine and covid, but Truss is on a scale of her own in being our worst PM
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
I would appreciate if Moonrabbit would answer my question as to whether the Chagos Deal makes the Falklands more or less secure.
Regarding the header, this is simply a measure of awareness. There is no such thing as being aware of this deal and liking it. It's not like welfare where some are in receipt and some are paying, or a tax increase, assisted dying, or the NHS - there are no winners and losers or ideological fault lines. There are just losers.
Those who are in favour are just being reflexively pro-Labour (it's about equal with their poll rating) and are either ignorant about the deal or are acting from partisan loyalty.
My mind is still open on your question. persuade me. 🙂
I would answer, argument it’s less secure is based on precedent has been set by this case. But has a precedent been set, if each situation is unique? Put more specifically, when inhabitants have chosen, have there been instances UN and courts ruled against the choice of inhabitants? That would set a precedent making UK sovereignty of Falklands more insecure, our enemies like Moscow, would line up to game the UN workings, throwing their weight behind a claimant.
I’m not in favour of this Governments Chagos deal. My header was sharing my understanding they chose this option wanting to be seen as a fair and responsible power, rather than simply claiming land outright without international support, on basis this approach brings more leverage to our diplomacy, more influence, friends, more security deals and trade. Which actually is not new - it’s identical reasoning in 1898 British Empire chose to sign a lease on something else. They thought they would get more of the good stuff doing it that way.
I know you disagree. the other day you fully signed up to 1 million years BC diplomacy, Raquel Welch in Faun skins and a club in her hand. Perhaps one day we should have a simple header IS IT BETTER TO BE FEARED OR LOVED? and debate it out underneath. I’m certain it’s not as open and shut as you sure it is.
My personal preference is neither sovereignty or the deal. With either sovereignty or lease, UK gets absolutely nothing in defence and security that isn’t also pooled with others. Let US and India deal and pay this time.. But is that realistic? Was it ever an option?
Two things you unrealistically dismiss Lucky. Keeping sovereignty WILL come with brickbats and loss of influence. When it went into court, no one in the world turned up for us, apart from USA and some little places slipped a backhander to vote with us. No NATO allies, no Canada, no Australia. No one in the Indian Ocean or South China Sea, as India had used our Imperial Squat to whip them all up against doing any business with us.
Secondly, when UK got into base talks back in 1960s, it came hand in hand with interlocking UK defence and security with the US catalogue of expensive kit. Are we in any position to decouple? Seriously?
I don’t mind Reform making same glib mistakes as you, but fear Conservative front bench making the same and being unrealistic about what options actually were. in government or opposition, Lab & Con have been as one in agreement being interlocked with US equipment and security since 1960s. Today in opposition Tories attacking the deal as far too favourable to the US. What exactly is Kemi saying, what exactly is her policy, on interlocked with US on security and key bits of equipment?
Thanks for the time taken to answer.
It is not about being feared or loved. It is a far simpler calculation of positive and negative consequences on the part of those whose interests clash with ours. We have sent a HUGE signal up not only that we are in giveaway mode even when there is no legal compulsion or military threat, but that we will even bankroll our own disgrace. AND that we don't give a flying fuck about the wishes of the peoples' of the islands and their democratic wishes. The positives of taking on the UK have just become massively more attractive than the perceived downsides, for anyone.
I am happy for the UK be loved - I am not in favour of flouncing around taking delight in upsetting foreign Governments. But we MUST be consistent in defence of our own legitimate interests. We are not being celebrated on the streets of Calcutta with this deal - we were already loathed for the Raj; we have simply added a layer of being despised for being weak and in terminal decline.
Time and again Labour have made the foolish error of thinking that British Governments (usually Tory ones) didn't get anywhere in negotiations with overseas powers because they weren’t being 'nice' enough. It led to Blair giving away much of our EU rebate for a non-existent reform of the CAP, it has led to Starmer giving away 12 years of fishing rights for fuck all, it now leads to this.
In the bigger picture - and if you don’t agree with this please correct me - for the last 100 years, the US has been on a relentless mission to expunge all influence UK has in the world. They usurped UK good and proper in Middle East, even drew up plans in the forties to kick us out of Hong Kong. India has joined in with glee. UK pressured into this deal by India, steering everyone in the region away from the old evil empire for not being fair to Mauritius. There’s the clearer story of being hauled into court on Chagos. Not China driving it, but India. (I put all this in the header btw)
And what’s UK been doing whilst “friends” have been burying the British Empire, expunging last traces of it, clipping away at our influence around the region like a back street vet neutering a dog? We’ve interlocked ourselves into the expensive catalogue of US weaponry. We’ve got the hit of ethnic cleansing the Chagos, and the ongoing mess from that we saw outside a court house last week. And we brought both India and US into the negotiating room to help write this lease agreement.
When PBers post “we should have kept sovereignty, simples” I put it to you - isn’t that the preferred option Washington wanted in the first place? their bitch to keep the sovereignty, carry on doing the dirty work, until India’s campaign against us made it all the more difficult?
When you look at this bigger picture, from sixties to now, what the word Chagos should mean in the English language is “the UK have been mugs” all these years doing the heavy lifting for others, and getting what back exactly? Keeping the sovereignty as you say, I say naively, thoughtlessly, glibly,, artlessly you keep insisting we should have kept the sovereignty, we would have carried on as the bitch, carried on being the mug.
In my opinion we should be trying to decouple ourselves from the donkey work for others we have got ourselves into over in Chagos.
At least a lease on an island may be far less complicated to legally transfer on at some point, than sovereignty.
I understand your arguments, and I agree with much of what you say, but the Chagos deal is not the remedy for any of it.
In my heart, I don't want the US there at all. However, I appreciate that telling them to do one is an abject impossibility. From where we are (or where we were a year ago), the sensible middle road was simply to retain sovereignty. It wouldn't have delighted anyone, but neither would it have burned bridges or badly damaged any relationships.
If this deal goes through, we will be in a new situation. From where we will be then the best course of action will be to terminate the deal. There are numerous ways this could be achieved, and providing that none of them come with a 99 year rent, I'm up for whichever one causes with least hassle - though I accept that, as with the EU deal, Labour have left us with a signficant amount of lasting hassle, cleaning up their dirty protest of a Government.
Personally I think we should have given the Chagos Islands back to the Chagosians decades ago and could have used some of that money we are using to bribe Mauritius to actually support the Chagosians rebuilding their lives.
Two things are wrong/bad about the Chagos deal (ignoring the fact that Mauritius had no claim in the first place) and I think will come back to haunt us.
Firstly we have simply ignored the prople who actually inhabited the islands and should have been the ones we were returning them to.
And secondly we are going to see the utter detrsuction of the one of the largest marine reserves in the world.
These two combined make this a 'bad' decision.
We treated the Chagossians badly. However, the problem with giving the island to them is that it’s highly questionable that they would form a viable, independent state.
Surely that is for them to decide not us. The idea that these islanders are not capable of ruling themselves is one of the those colonial arguments that got us into this mess in the first place.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
It will happen from the 26/27 season, something the Tories got right.
I'd ban them from advertising at all. Put them in the same category as tobacco companies.
I agree, a few years ago a friend told me that his football crazy four year old asked him 'do you have to bet to watch football?' because of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports.
I felt very uncomfortable about Klopp doing ads for Bet Victor during his stint as Liverpool manager.
(That wasn't Klopp per se, Bet Victor were one of LIverpool's sponsors, so it was contractual, but I still had issues with it.)
The problem with gambling adverts is they sell a lifestyle not a product. If the adverts were restricted to saying "We are X price Y to happen" I don't see the problem.
I did write about this while I was still in my thirties....
He's now officially (according to me) the worst PM of my lifetime. By a country mile. Worse than Brown, worse than Heath. Worse than Mary Elizabeth Truss by 2 country miles
Who would you have as Prime Minister?
Seriously, he's not that bad - for me, Heath was the worst followed by Truss. The best? For me, first term Blair.
Of the current Labour party? Probably Hilary Benn Of parliament? Noone really appeals, maybe Huddlestone from the Tories, maybe one of the new LD lot (anyone but the Hobby Horse fool), Stephen Flynn seems alright to me but the SNP aren't forming a government From outside? Andy Street. Norman Lamb was a seriously good egg actually
He is that bad though Stodge, he so is
Imagine after 14 years of Labour Government, the Conservatives had won a landslide last July. They'd have been faced with all the same problems Starmer and Reeves have faced starting with Southport.
Would a Badenoch-led Government be doing any better at this time?
No, the party was over last July and it's time to pay the bill and leave.
Ending Winter Fuel Allowance wasn't a mistake - the way it was done was.
He's still the worst. That applies even if 'circumstances' make him so. Everything they do is done wrong, presented wrong, the priorities are wrong, the rhetoric is wrong. He claims the finances were falling apart but within 10 months WFA changes and the 2 child cap are tossed aside From 'we are prepared to make the tough choices' to 'we are prepared to unmake them' via a bad local election and poor personal polling. Backbone like a twix bar. There's no way his disability cuts get through and then this financial probity stuff is totally exposed.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Does that mean Morgan McSweeney has been given his P45 . He apparently wanted to keep the cap .
Regardless of the merits of the policy, the Labour leadership will be reassured that their current pledge of keeping the two-child limit is supported by six in ten Britons (60%), with less than three in ten (28%) believing it should be abolished.
There is support for keeping the cap across almost all voting and social groups, including Labour voters, who back it by 50% to 38%. The only exception is among 18-24 year olds, only a third (32%) of whom think the cap should be kept, with nearly half (46%) opposing it. Older voters are far more likely to favour the policy, with 69% of over-65s wanting it to stay and only 21% believing it should be abolished.
Yougov July 24
They do. And what it boils down to is that the public wants to use child poverty as a punishment for what they see as bad behaviours. I guess they don't express it that way, but that is what it is. I'm pretty sure Keir Starmer knows this, just as about everyone else interested in the topic across the political spectrum does. So what does he do? Does he ignore them, face them down, try to educate/reason or give in?
He has to find the money first, along with reversing WFP and finding the finance for the public sector wage and pension increases, though word is Reeves is only funding 2.8% of the public sector wage increases with the rest coming out of their budgets
Lets be honest, Starmer is simply not upto being PM and his ambition to be Attorney General should have been his destiny
I would forgive Starmer a lot of things if he gets rid the two child cap. It's the brave choice, both in a Yes Minister sense, but also because it's the morally right thing to do. I accept this is just a personal view.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
It will happen from the 26/27 season, something the Tories got right.
I'd ban them from advertising at all. Put them in the same category as tobacco companies.
I agree, a few years ago a friend told me that his football crazy four year old asked him 'do you have to bet to watch football?' because of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports.
I felt very uncomfortable about Klopp doing ads for Bet Victor during his stint as Liverpool manager.
(That wasn't Klopp per se, Bet Victor were one of LIverpool's sponsors, so it was contractual, but I still had issues with it.)
The problem with gambling adverts is they sell a lifestyle not a product. If the adverts were restricted to saying "We are X price Y to happen" I don't see the problem.
I did write about this while I was still in my thirties....
My other issue is that bookies don't tell you that if you make profits with them they restrict your stakes/close your account.
In 2010 I made about £200 profit on some football bets/political bets with Victor Chandler as it was then, they then closed my account.
Yes, they are rats. When I worked as a market maker for a bookmaker I tried to take on clients as much as possible. I felt it was beyond cowardice to reach for the limit/restrict/void buttons. But I think nowadays there are more restrictions than ever, and it is harder to get on as a winner.
I write about it in the second of those links; Bookies encourage "problem gamblers/mugs" with free bets and corporate hospitality, whilst denying shrew bettors the opportunity to bet at all; it's like a pub refusing to serve someone who drinks shandy whilst giving free shots to people who are already pissed
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
Yes but I love the drama, darling! Yeah maybe i overdo it but I'm serious that Red Queen has launched and I'm serious about the blind panic. Whether that snowballs into events will see if I'm smart or just hyperventilating again
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Does that mean Morgan McSweeney has been given his P45 . He apparently wanted to keep the cap .
Regardless of the merits of the policy, the Labour leadership will be reassured that their current pledge of keeping the two-child limit is supported by six in ten Britons (60%), with less than three in ten (28%) believing it should be abolished.
There is support for keeping the cap across almost all voting and social groups, including Labour voters, who back it by 50% to 38%. The only exception is among 18-24 year olds, only a third (32%) of whom think the cap should be kept, with nearly half (46%) opposing it. Older voters are far more likely to favour the policy, with 69% of over-65s wanting it to stay and only 21% believing it should be abolished.
Yougov July 24
They do. And what it boils down to is that the public wants to use child poverty as a punishment for what they see as bad behaviours. I guess they don't express it that way, but that is what it is. I'm pretty sure Keir Starmer knows this, just as about everyone else interested in the topic across the political spectrum does. So what does he do? Does he ignore them, face them down, try to educate/reason or give in?
He has to find the money first, along with reversing WFP and finding the finance for the public sector wage and pension increases, though word is Reeves is only funding 2.8% of the public sector wage increases with the rest coming out of their budgets
Lets be honest, Starmer is simply not upto being PM and his ambition to be Attorney General should have been his destiny
I would forgive Starmer a lot of things if he gets rid the two child cap. It's the brave choice, both in a Yes Minister sense, but also because it's the morally right thing to do. I accept this is just a personal view.
The danger is it is another WFP misstep as the public support it, and more tax to pay for benefits will be the cry
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
It will happen from the 26/27 season, something the Tories got right.
I'd ban them from advertising at all. Put them in the same category as tobacco companies.
I agree, a few years ago a friend told me that his football crazy four year old asked him 'do you have to bet to watch football?' because of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports.
I felt very uncomfortable about Klopp doing ads for Bet Victor during his stint as Liverpool manager.
(That wasn't Klopp per se, Bet Victor were one of LIverpool's sponsors, so it was contractual, but I still had issues with it.)
The problem with gambling adverts is they sell a lifestyle not a product. If the adverts were restricted to saying "We are X price Y to happen" I don't see the problem.
I did write about this while I was still in my thirties....
My other issue is that bookies don't tell you that if you make profits with them they restrict your stakes/close your account.
In 2010 I made about £200 profit on some football bets/political bets with Victor Chandler as it was then, they then closed my account.
Yes, they are rats. When I worked as a market maker for a bookmaker I tried to take on clients as much as possible. I felt it was beyond cowardice to reach for the limit/restrict/void buttons. But I think nowadays there are more restrictions than ever, and it is harder to get on as a winner.
I write about it in the second of those links; Bookies encourage "problem gamblers/mugs" with free bets and corporate hospitality, whilst denying shrew bettors the opportunity to bet at all; it's like a pub refusing to serve someone who drinks shandy whilst giving free shots to people who are already pissed
Yes, there has been an explosion in so-called black market gambling mostly driven by our bookmakers closing down anyone who might have a clue.
He's now officially (according to me) the worst PM of my lifetime. By a country mile. Worse than Brown, worse than Heath. Worse than Mary Elizabeth Truss by 2 country miles
Who would you have as Prime Minister?
Seriously, he's not that bad - for me, Heath was the worst followed by Truss. The best? For me, first term Blair.
Churchill, Thatcher and Blair for me
Wasn't Churchill a bit Joe Biden during his post war premiership?
Post war until today I'd give a nod to Attlee, Supermac and of course Harold. I don't dislike Ted. His wisdom in joining the Common Market gave us an amazing 44 years of stability within Europe.
Johnson head and shoulders the worst PM followed by Truss. Home was a bit useless,but nice enough, too.
Actually Johnson was OK with Ukraine and covid, but Truss is on a scale of her own in being our worst PM
No Johnson was simply appalling. Ukraine was the last throw of the dice and he threw a six. Sunak and Starmer have continued with unoquvocal support for Ukraine.
You wrote earlier that Starmer has been over promoted and you may be right, only time will tell. Johnson proved himself unfit for high office not only with policy and communication errors but with significant character flaws and weaknesses travelling over to his job as a Prime Minister. Starmer may be struggling against a background of hostile media. Johnson became massively unpopular even with the press pack fawning over one of their own.
And on the subject of Putin's war with Ukraine which Foreign Secretary attended Lebedev's private party and elevated Lebedev's son to the HoL? The man is a disgusting disgrace, even after Salisbury.
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
Anyone who had been paying attention?
What would PB have been saying in 1980?
Thatcher didn't win a landslide in 79, the opposition was much much stronger and there was no serious third (or fourth!) party challenger as the gang of four hadn't happened yet. We'd have said she's not convincing the public on economics - polling varied but generally the opposition were a few points ahead.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
You mean, as it's not a Deltic it's for the benefit of @JosiasJessop ?
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Does that mean Morgan McSweeney has been given his P45 . He apparently wanted to keep the cap .
Regardless of the merits of the policy, the Labour leadership will be reassured that their current pledge of keeping the two-child limit is supported by six in ten Britons (60%), with less than three in ten (28%) believing it should be abolished.
There is support for keeping the cap across almost all voting and social groups, including Labour voters, who back it by 50% to 38%. The only exception is among 18-24 year olds, only a third (32%) of whom think the cap should be kept, with nearly half (46%) opposing it. Older voters are far more likely to favour the policy, with 69% of over-65s wanting it to stay and only 21% believing it should be abolished.
Yougov July 24
They do. And what it boils down to is that the public wants to use child poverty as a punishment for what they see as bad behaviours. I guess they don't express it that way, but that is what it is. I'm pretty sure Keir Starmer knows this, just as about everyone else interested in the topic across the political spectrum does. So what does he do? Does he ignore them, face them down, try to educate/reason or give in?
He has to find the money first, along with reversing WFP and finding the finance for the public sector wage and pension increases, though word is Reeves is only funding 2.8% of the public sector wage increases with the rest coming out of their budgets
Lets be honest, Starmer is simply not upto being PM and his ambition to be Attorney General should have been his destiny
I would forgive Starmer a lot of things if he gets rid the two child cap. It's the brave choice, both in a Yes Minister sense, but also because it's the morally right thing to do. I accept this is just a personal view.
I have to confess, I hadn't noticed you not forgiving him anything. Did this bout of implacable bitterness happen this afternoon during your nap?
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
I am under pain of death if I make any taking up the aisle gags at this wedding.
Fortunately I am well known for not making any innuendoes.
I was under pain of death if I told “the sheep’s a bloody liar” joke at my wedding (there were a number of Baptists, and African Christians, among those present).
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
I am under pain of death if I make any taking up the aisle gags at this wedding.
Fortunately I am well known for not making any innuendoes.
I was under pain of death if I told “the sheep’s a bloody liar” joke at my wedding (there were a number of Baptists, and African Christians, among those present).
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
Some suggestion of an online gambling tax
Good . The UK is overrun with online gambling which is very corrosive for society . Gambling addiction is a terrible thing and destroys lives . Online betting companies should be banned from sponsoring football teams .
It will happen from the 26/27 season, something the Tories got right.
I'd ban them from advertising at all. Put them in the same category as tobacco companies.
I agree, a few years ago a friend told me that his football crazy four year old asked him 'do you have to bet to watch football?' because of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports.
I felt very uncomfortable about Klopp doing ads for Bet Victor during his stint as Liverpool manager.
(That wasn't Klopp per se, Bet Victor were one of LIverpool's sponsors, so it was contractual, but I still had issues with it.)
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
And the Northern platforms were called "Charing Cross" upon opening by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway in 1907, then "Charing Cross (Strand)" in 1914, and then "Strand" from 1915 to 1973.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
London boroughs, lots of metropolitan districts (all-out due to boundary reviews), (sub)urban shire districts that elect by thirds or halves. Probably some of the new mayors. Scotland and Wales.
Baseline is 2022, when people were beginning to be cross with Boris about Partygate.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
An opportunity to crowbar in an off-topic picture of the day, you say?
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
Guess where we were today
When I was at school in Berwick, which was close to the mainline, we were allowed to go and stand by the fence as Mallard hauled the Edinburgh to King's Cross service and across the magnificent border bridge
We only saw it the once as it was later retired from service but I will never forget it
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
Yeah - Labour are not in a good spot Scotland & Welsh parliament-wise. I was curious about the locals as I suspect that's where the media will focus. I'm assuming - possibly incorrectly - that London isn't great for Reform? (General PB question - I know very little about local London politics apart from it's often been quite Labour)
Observer reporting Labour will scrap the two child benefit cap. Starmer and Lammy also recently criticising Israel on Gaza. It feels like maybe they're having a reset? Oh and WFA changes also...
Where are they going to get the money from?
We will now require 140 points in every section and to be radioactive to claim 10% PIP
When the government wallah ran his rule over my grandfather's WWI injuries to work out his pension, the official checklist said he had 125% disability. But the gentleman argued that 100% disabled meant you were dead, so he took the extra 25% and deducted it from the 100%. Grandad received pension for 75% disability for the rest of his life.
The Norwegian insurance industry bases % disabled on how much your earning power is diminished. So if you were earning 40K before but now can only do a job worth 30K , you are 25% disabled.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
London boroughs, lots of metropolitan districts (all-out due to boundary reviews), (sub)urban shire districts that elect by thirds or halves. Probably some of the new mayors. Scotland and Wales.
Baseline is 2022, when people were beginning to be cross with Boris about Partygate.
I was just wondering what the prelude media-mood-music will be in terms of the English locals. This year it was very much "It was a high-point in Boris-era - they will be doomed this time". Are we looking at a more cagey 'mibbe Reform will storm it, mibbe not'?
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
London boroughs, lots of metropolitan districts (all-out due to boundary reviews), (sub)urban shire districts that elect by thirds or halves. Probably some of the new mayors. Scotland and Wales.
Baseline is 2022, when people were beginning to be cross with Boris about Partygate.
National polling was approximately Con 35 Labour 40 LD 11
National polling for 2021 and this year's was approx Con 45 Labour 35 LD 8
Scots parl VI was roughly polling at SNP 50 Con 20 Labour 20 LD 7
Wales rough VI in 2021 Labour 38 Con 25 Plaid 20 LD 4
Wales will be worse than Svotland for Tories and a disaster forLabour Scotland might not be 'too' bad for either
So far Reform's agenda in local government seems to extend no further than taking down the Ukrainian flag - perhaps unsurprising given Farage's past relationship with Russia Today. The comments from the independent Durham councillor at the end of the article seem quite perceptive. I would guess a Reform government would be quite a disappointment to its supporters. Complex problems are not easily fixed by simplistic solutions.
They are not taking down the Ukrainian flag. They are taking down all flags except the union flag, cross of st. George and county flags.
I’m not a Reform supporter and will never vote for Farage. But this sort of misrepresentation just pisses me when off. This board relies on accurate information / assessment for people to for their betting judgements.
Given per the article the only flag taken down so far has been the Ukrainian one, possibly you are misrepresenting them.
Evidence? You have one quote from Kent.
Moreover there have been complaints year in and year out about pride flags etc. so it may not have been seen in the last 3 weeks but that doesn’t mean it was the motivating factor
Evidence was the article you are complaining about.
Actually the story is a party that happily decries gesture politics in others trips up when indulging in performative flag banning themselves and they don't like it being pointed out.
The quote fron the article is:
one of Reform’s first acts was to take down the Ukrainian flag – hoisted to show solidarity with the war-besieged nation – and vowed not to fly rainbow-coloured flags in support of LGBTQ+ residents
Which demonstrates that it is not just about Ukraine but a broader campaign of nastiness. Which is exactly my point.
We're beating this to death but you claimed a factual statement was misrepresentation.
I’m even boring myself!
But the statement was So far Reform's agenda in local government seems to extend no further than taking down the Ukrainian flag
That’s simply not true. At the very minimum Reform’s agenda included banning Palestinian and Pride flags.
That seems like a minor error compared to many repeated here often (e.g. exaggerated costs of the Chagos deal, asylum seekers supposedly staying in 4* hotels).
Nope.
On Chagas - assuming they are accurate: I haven’t done the maths - it’s just discounted vs non discounted.
On 4* hotels I believe that you argue they no longer have the facilities that would win a 4* rating. But until they are reinspected they are a 4* hotel…
That attempted sophistry around 4* hotels is a much more aggressive attack on the truth than saying Reform UK are taking down Ukrainian flags. This board relies on accurate information / assessment for people to inform their betting judgements.
The 4* Hotels debate can be argued from both sides, and the other would think they're being lied to.
One side sees what was previously a 4* hotel being used to house illegal immigrants, and considers it a 4* hotel lost. The other ignores that it ever was a 4* hotel.
Put it this way, if the illegals were housed in Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family and all their staff having moved out and the name being changed to Asylum Village, it wouldn't be unreasonable to say "They're putting the boat people up in Buckingham Bleeding Palace" even though the boat people weren't being treated like royalty and it was no longer called Buckingham Palace
It's also like the £350m on the NHS on the bus
The pro-open borders side is reduced to arguing "they WERE 4 star hotels when we put the illegal migrants in the rooms, but now we've shut the sauna and really reduced the choice at the breakfast buffet, so they aren't reallty 4 star even tho the rooms are the same and yes they get free laundry and private health care and dentistry"
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
Yeah - Labour are not in a good spot Scotland & Welsh parliament-wise. I was curious about the locals as I suspect that's where the media will focus. I'm assuming - possibly incorrectly - that London isn't great for Reform? (General PB question - I know very little about local London politics apart from it's often been quite Labour)
London isn't too hot for them, watch SE and NE London though for gains Tories will hope NW London, Chelsea, Kensington give them 'something' to cheer but they'll make losses Labour will lose everywhere but hold loads of councils because 'London'
So far Reform's agenda in local government seems to extend no further than taking down the Ukrainian flag - perhaps unsurprising given Farage's past relationship with Russia Today. The comments from the independent Durham councillor at the end of the article seem quite perceptive. I would guess a Reform government would be quite a disappointment to its supporters. Complex problems are not easily fixed by simplistic solutions.
They are not taking down the Ukrainian flag. They are taking down all flags except the union flag, cross of st. George and county flags.
I’m not a Reform supporter and will never vote for Farage. But this sort of misrepresentation just pisses me when off. This board relies on accurate information / assessment for people to for their betting judgements.
Given per the article the only flag taken down so far has been the Ukrainian one, possibly you are misrepresenting them.
Evidence? You have one quote from Kent.
Moreover there have been complaints year in and year out about pride flags etc. so it may not have been seen in the last 3 weeks but that doesn’t mean it was the motivating factor
Evidence was the article you are complaining about.
Actually the story is a party that happily decries gesture politics in others trips up when indulging in performative flag banning themselves and they don't like it being pointed out.
The quote fron the article is:
one of Reform’s first acts was to take down the Ukrainian flag – hoisted to show solidarity with the war-besieged nation – and vowed not to fly rainbow-coloured flags in support of LGBTQ+ residents
Which demonstrates that it is not just about Ukraine but a broader campaign of nastiness. Which is exactly my point.
We're beating this to death but you claimed a factual statement was misrepresentation.
I’m even boring myself!
But the statement was So far Reform's agenda in local government seems to extend no further than taking down the Ukrainian flag
That’s simply not true. At the very minimum Reform’s agenda included banning Palestinian and Pride flags.
That seems like a minor error compared to many repeated here often (e.g. exaggerated costs of the Chagos deal, asylum seekers supposedly staying in 4* hotels).
Nope.
On Chagas - assuming they are accurate: I haven’t done the maths - it’s just discounted vs non discounted.
On 4* hotels I believe that you argue they no longer have the facilities that would win a 4* rating. But until they are reinspected they are a 4* hotel…
That attempted sophistry around 4* hotels is a much more aggressive attack on the truth than saying Reform UK are taking down Ukrainian flags. This board relies on accurate information / assessment for people to inform their betting judgements.
The 4* Hotels debate can be argued from both sides, and the other would think they're being lied to.
One side sees what was previously a 4* hotel being used to house illegal immigrants, and considers it a 4* hotel lost. The other ignores that it ever was a 4* hotel.
Put it this way, if the illegals were housed in Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family and all their staff having moved out and the name being changed to Asylum Village, it wouldn't be unreasonable to say "They're putting the boat people up in Buckingham Bleeding Palace" even though the boat people weren't being treated like royalty and it was no longer called Buckingham Palace
It's also like the £350m on the NHS on the bus
The pro-open borders side is reduced to arguing "they WERE 4 star hotels when we put the illegal migrants in the rooms, but now we've shut the sauna and really reduced the choice at the breakfast buffet, so they aren't reallty 4 star even tho the rooms are the same and yes they get free laundry and private health care and dentistry"
And now the same wingnuts are screaming with outrage about nurses getting a payrise.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Now I've remembered enjoying this youtube channel where they visited every train station in the UK :
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Big Nige might have a cunning plan – get Starmer to lift the cap and then complain about benefits going to immigrants' larger families (or WFP to older relatives).
He's now officially (according to me) the worst PM of my lifetime. By a country mile. Worse than Brown, worse than Heath. Worse than Mary Elizabeth Truss by 2 country miles
Who would you have as Prime Minister?
Seriously, he's not that bad - for me, Heath was the worst followed by Truss. The best? For me, first term Blair.
Churchill, Thatcher and Blair for me
Wasn't Churchill a bit Joe Biden during his post war premiership?
Post war until today I'd give a nod to Attlee, Supermac and of course Harold. I don't dislike Ted. His wisdom in joining the Common Market gave us an amazing 44 years of stability within Europe.
Johnson head and shoulders the worst PM followed by Truss. Home was a bit useless,but nice enough, too.
Actually Johnson was OK with Ukraine and covid, but Truss is on a scale of her own in being our worst PM
Bozo initiated the first lockdown to late, resulting in thousands of unnecessary deaths. Then went along with Rishi's "Eat out to catch Covid" nonsense to precipitate a second wave. And then set a shining example by ignoring his own rules, then lying about it. But otherwise, yes, he was OK with Covid.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Have you done the Monk Bretton branch? I was on this:
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
The metros that are up in full primarily due to boundary changes:
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale Barnsley Sefton, St Helens West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
The metros that are up in full primarily due to boundary changes:
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale Barnsley Sefton, St Helens West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
All ripe Reform targets Workers will have a grab at some representation in Birmingham, especially round Yardley and Hodge Hill where they ran second in the GE
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
The metros that are up in full primarily due to boundary changes:
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale Barnsley Sefton, St Helens West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
Will some of the local councils from this year that deferred due to the changes in county/region shenanigans be up for election too?
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
The metros that are up in full primarily due to boundary changes:
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale Barnsley Sefton, St Helens West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
If next year’s results mirror this year’s Reform should take Sunderland, Barnsley, Calderdale, Wakefield, St. Helen’s, Walsall, Sandwell.
I have, inter alia, threads about AV, Scottish Independence, Cash, and why patriots want to rejoin the EU whilst traitors want us to keep us outside the EU planned.
I look forward to reading all of them, because we can be absolutely sure that nothing newsworthy will happen during your holiday.
Keep 4th and 5th of June clear as I am going to be incommunicado those days.
Can I ask you to reconsider? Those are the days my house move is meant to be starting.
I wish I could but it will require my friends to change their wedding date.
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
As I mentioned earlier, all the seats are up in Bradford due to boundary changes. So the chance for three times as many Labour l9sses as would otherwise be the case.
Norfolk and Suffolk will be ready to go next year,the combined maoyalty will be a Con versus Reform fight with Reform probably gunning for largest Party in the councils, I doubt they get overall control
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Merseyrail is not "considered" part of National Rail. It is part of National Rail!
Anyhow, you'll have to pop up to Yorkshire to visit the new Platform Zero at Bradford Forster Square.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Now I've remembered enjoying this youtube channel where they visited every train station in the UK :
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Only heritage line in Wales I've done is Snowdon, twice!
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Merseyrail is not "considered" part of National Rail. It is part of National Rail!
Anyhow, you'll have to pop up to Yorkshire to visit the new Platform Zero at Bradford Forster Square.
But it is pretty much PHYSICALLY segregated FROM National Rail, as a visit to Headbolt Lane or Ormskirk can confirm!
And I don't know they can't just add 1 to the highest number platform at a given station instead of this "Platform Zero" bollocks! KIng's Cross is bad enough!
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
I disagree with Farage on both of these topics but maybe it's good politics.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Merseyrail is not "considered" part of National Rail. It is part of National Rail!
Anyhow, you'll have to pop up to Yorkshire to visit the new Platform Zero at Bradford Forster Square.
But it is pretty much PHYSICALLY segregated FROM National Rail, as a visit to Headbolt Lane or Ormskirk can confirm!
And I don't know they can't just add 1 to the highest number platform at a given station instead of this "Platform Zero" bollocks! KIng's Cross is bad enough!
In all cases, it is because the station has been extended on the Platform 1 side. Going 3-2-1-4 would be daft.
Catch the right service, and you can go from P0 at Bradford to P0 at Leeds. Or the other way round.
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
I disagree with Farage on both of these topics but maybe it's good politics.
It's very clever (and I also disagree). Outflank Starmer on the right and the left
As things stand Farage is going to win in 2028 quite easily
I will vote for Farage because his stance on immigration is the only way to save the UK from a much worse fate
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
I disagree with Farage on both of these topics but maybe it's good politics.
It's very clever (and I also disagree). Outflank Starmer on the right and the left
As things stand Farage is going to win in 2028 quite easily
I will vote for Farage because his stance on immigration is the only way to save the UK from a much worse fate
"If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic"
Aren't the Liberals already in favour of ending the two child cap?
Norfolk county Council election from 2013 gives a flavour of what we might expect next year here with the Tory and UKIP share probably the samish overall but split evenly with Reform this time at 27 or so each......
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
Anyone who had been paying attention?
What would PB have been saying in 1980?
PB would have been a hoot in December 81 when the SDP/Alliance hit 50%, polling more than the Tories and Labour combined.
Supposedly the site is full of mean, hard-headed, profit-seeking punters, able to stand back and objectively assess the bigger picture, so that we can make money from the mistaken assumptions of folk with only a short term horizon. Hence, once upon a time, we’d all be profitably laying the favourite.
In reality nowadays, there are all too many of us unable to imagine anything other than more of whatever is going down right now, but worse.
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Now I've remembered enjoying this youtube channel where they visited every train station in the UK :
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Only heritage line in Wales I've done is Snowdon, twice!
I really recommend the Caernarfon to Porthmadog Welsh Highland Railway in the observation car
"This is not just any cyber meltdown: will shoppers forgive M&S? Customer loyalty is the magic ingredient that should see Marks and Spencer bounce back from this crisis Claer Barrett"
Shopped there today and noticed they have added quite a bit to the prices. They are either going through a period of high food price inflation or they are soaking their customers to cover their losses. We'd rather walk than rewarding their incompetent IT department.
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
I disagree with Farage on both of these topics but maybe it's good politics.
It's very clever (and I also disagree). Outflank Starmer on the right and the left
As things stand Farage is going to win in 2028 quite easily
I will vote for Farage because his stance on immigration is the only way to save the UK from a much worse fate
"If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic"
Aren't the Liberals already in favour of ending the two child cap?
Yes but SKS can't follow Farage and reverse his own position given the history of this. If he's going to do it he has to do it before farage announces it as Reform policy
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Welsh Highland Railway?
Now I've remembered enjoying this youtube channel where they visited every train station in the UK :
Ian Austin talking absolute bollocks laced with things we already know
There must be something going on behind the scenes
Starmer wins a landslide in July 24 and looks in trouble less than a year later
Who would have predicted that ?
I mean it's not even a secret Big G, she's launched. The interventions that keep popping up from grandees, the Welsh leader, etc etc. It's happening. It's just not acknowledged. Both the Starmer govt and the tories are in a blind panic. It's all starting to fall apart, everywhere
That's a bit over dramatic. We're moving into the "silly season" - we didn't have one last year because we were in an election but this year we will.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
I know there are two things keeping Badenoch safe until next year.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
What is the spread of local councils up for election next year in England? I suspect that will set a lot of the media mood-music.
All of Londons councils are up, 1/3s of the metropolitan districts, the delayed counties? Some of the districts in 1/3s, Wales and Scotland parliaments.
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows Labour will get trounced
The metros that are up in full primarily due to boundary changes:
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale Barnsley Sefton, St Helens West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
Will some of the local councils from this year that deferred due to the changes in county/region shenanigans be up for election too?
Don't go see the latest Mission: Impossible film, it will trigger you.
Apparently there's a Trafalgar Square tube station.
The Northern Line and Bakerloo Line parts of present Charing Cross station were originally opened as two separate stations but were combined when the Jubilee Line was opened.
The Bakerloo Line platforms were opened as ‘Trafalgar Square’ by the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway.
You are trainsplaining to the God Of Trains. Brave move, sir.
[Edit. I thought @Sunil_Prasannan had written it. Turns out @TheScreamingEagles had written it. For the joke to work I promote @TSE to the Demigod Of Trains for the moment. As the Anti-God Of Trains I have the authority to do that. All Hail Beeching.]
I am the God of trains.
I use them a lot on a regular basis.
How much of the British railway network have you covered?
All of it I feel.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
I've done the whole of the "everyday" National Rail network, along with a fair amount of "rare" track, along with all of the London Underground, London Overground*, Elizabeth Line*, Docklands Light Rail, Tramlink (Croydon etc.), West Midlands Metro, Nottingham Express Transit, Sheffield Supertram, Merseyrail*, Manchester Metrolink, Blackpool Trams, Tyne & Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, and the Edinburgh Trams. And I've visited every station in Greater London (612 by my calculations).
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
Have you done the Monk Bretton branch? I was on this:
Seems Farage is to announce he will reinstate the WFP in full and abolish the 2 child cap
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
Cynical and clever. If he gets that out before SKS he simply cannot reverse the 2 child cap or he looks pathetic with Nigel leading him by the nose ring
Farage is simultaneously shameless and cunning, a dangerous politician indeed
I disagree with Farage on both of these topics but maybe it's good politics.
It's very clever (and I also disagree). Outflank Starmer on the right and the left
As things stand Farage is going to win in 2028 quite easily
I will vote for Farage because his stance on immigration is the only way to save the UK from a much worse fate
Suella Braverman is also in favour of lifting the cap. It doesn't seem sensible in an era when we're concerned about plunging birth rates to penalise those who want large families.
On the other hand, it also makes it a bit more likely that people you wouldn't really want to have larger families do so.
I think I'm broadly in favour of scrapping the cap.
Comments
Post war until today I'd give a nod to Attlee, Supermac and of course Harold. I don't dislike Ted. His wisdom in joining the Common Market gave us an amazing 44 years of stability within Europe.
Johnson head and shoulders the worst PM followed by Truss. Home was a bit useless,but nice enough, too.
So, it'll be The Sound of Silence from you then.
In 2010 I made about £200 profit on some football bets/political bets with Victor Chandler as it was then, they then closed my account.
I supect both Badenoch and Starmer will still be leaders at their respective Conferences.
https://shorturl.at/scDa9
(Thus speaks a Man U fan.)
Everything they do is done wrong, presented wrong, the priorities are wrong, the rhetoric is wrong.
He claims the finances were falling apart but within 10 months WFA changes and the 2 child cap are tossed aside
From 'we are prepared to make the tough choices' to 'we are prepared to unmake them' via a bad local election and poor personal polling. Backbone like a twix bar.
There's no way his disability cuts get through and then this financial probity stuff is totally exposed.
I'm not a fan it transpires
I write about it in the second of those links; Bookies encourage "problem gamblers/mugs" with free bets and corporate hospitality, whilst denying shrew bettors the opportunity to bet at all; it's like a pub refusing to serve someone who drinks shandy whilst giving free shots to people who are already pissed
Yeah maybe i overdo it but I'm serious that Red Queen has launched and I'm serious about the blind panic.
Whether that snowballs into events will see if I'm smart or just hyperventilating again
What would PB have been saying in 1980?
You wrote earlier that Starmer has been over promoted and you may be right, only time will tell. Johnson proved himself unfit for high office not only with policy and communication errors but with significant character flaws and weaknesses travelling over to his job as a Prime Minister. Starmer may be struggling against a background of hostile media. Johnson became massively unpopular even with the press pack fawning over one of their own.
And on the subject of Putin's war with Ukraine which Foreign Secretary attended Lebedev's private party and elevated Lebedev's son to the HoL? The man is a disgusting disgrace, even after Salisbury.
1) Nobody wants to take responsibility for the shellacking that happens next year (particularly the devolved elections) so better Badenoch takes the rap for that.
2) About 90% of the PCP want her gone but 75% of the PCP don't want Jenrick so they are trying to arrange a coronation for either Cleverly or Hunt. Cleverly wants to be Mayor of London and thinks he could win it on 22% of the vote.
Boris Johnson brands Starmer ‘the orange ball-chewing gimp of Brussels’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/19/boris-johnson-starmer-orange-ball-chewing-gimp-brussels/
Something for steam fans and diesel weirdos there.
I once did the Penzance to Aberdeen service which has now closed.
Baseline is 2022, when people were beginning to be cross with Boris about Partygate.
We only saw it the once as it was later retired from service but I will never forget it
It will be bad for Tories but not as bad as this year as they aren't defending 75% of the seats up for grabs but Wales and Scotland will be horror shows
Labour will get trounced
So if you were earning 40K before but now can only do a job worth 30K , you are 25% disabled.
No wonder Starmer is in a panic
[* can be considered part of National Rail.]
What have you done, TSE? You've done Nothing!
[shrieking] NOTHING!!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums#40_million_copies_or_more
Con 35
Labour 40
LD 11
National polling for 2021 and this year's was approx
Con 45
Labour 35
LD 8
Scots parl VI was roughly polling at
SNP 50
Con 20
Labour 20
LD 7
Wales rough VI in 2021
Labour 38
Con 25
Plaid 20
LD 4
Wales will be worse than Svotland for Tories and a disaster forLabour
Scotland might not be 'too' bad for either
The pro-open borders side is reduced to arguing "they WERE 4 star hotels when we put the illegal migrants in the rooms, but now we've shut the sauna and really reduced the choice at the breakfast buffet, so they aren't reallty 4 star even tho the rooms are the same and yes they get free laundry and private health care and dentistry"
Tories will hope NW London, Chelsea, Kensington give them 'something' to cheer but they'll make losses
Labour will lose everywhere but hold loads of councils because 'London'
https://www.youtube.com/@AllTheStations/videos
It was rather charming as I remember.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/neil_harvey_railway_photos/9260057677/in/album-72157646658461367
Have you done the Roxby Gullet line? I was on this:
https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/00s/031108pt.htm
It went round this curve and you could see the front of the train going in the opposite direction from the back:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.5792648,-0.099669,16z?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUyMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw==
Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland
West Yorkshire: Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale
Barnsley
Sefton, St Helens
West Midlands: Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry
Reform could easily pick up 1,500.
Workers will have a grab at some representation in Birmingham, especially round Yardley and Hodge Hill where they ran second in the GE
Labour = lol
Anyhow, you'll have to pop up to Yorkshire to visit the new Platform Zero at Bradford Forster Square.
And I don't know they can't just add 1 to the highest number platform at a given station instead of this "Platform Zero" bollocks! KIng's Cross is bad enough!
Catch the right service, and you can go from P0 at Bradford to P0 at Leeds. Or the other way round.
As things stand Farage is going to win in 2028 quite easily
I will vote for Farage because his stance on immigration is the only way to save the UK from a much worse fate
Aren't the Liberals already in favour of ending the two child cap?
In reality nowadays, there are all too many of us unable to imagine anything other than more of whatever is going down right now, but worse.
My main source is this map from election maps:
https://x.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1919417624946942273?t=DLYNqyr8AZoR9zrCLwjH2Q&s=19
Clitheroe to Hellifield
Chesterfield to Woodhouse via Beighton
Aylesbury to Quainton Road
Aston to Stechford
Bushbury to Portobello
On the other hand, it also makes it a bit more likely that people you wouldn't really want to have larger families do so.
I think I'm broadly in favour of scrapping the cap.