Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Future generations should get their information from books, not the internet.
That’s presuming that the authors researched from proper sources and not the internet.
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Future generations should get their information from books, not the internet.
@Byron_Wan 🇨🇳 Li Liu (left pic) and 🇨🇳 Wanqing Yu (right pic), two Chinese students living in Leeds, have been locked up after exploiting a massive loophole in Britain’s rail compensation system. Liu and Yu raked in a whopping £156,743 — Liu stole £141,031, Yu £15,712 — by scamming the Delay Repay scheme for three years.
Liu began a one-year course at Leeds University last year, having previously applied for an advanced computer science course at Birmingham University. Yu was enrolled on a one-year English-teaching course at Leeds.
Seems he was quite good at advanced computer science...
Sign them up and put them in charge of British Rail?
One other straw in the wind. That MRP mega-poll everyone was getting so excited about a few weeks ago had Reform winning Caerphilly by 7 points at a general election. Westminster obviously, but something to note.
MRP won't pick up that local "can't win here" dynamic. If the anti-Reform vote is efficient, there's a limit to how far NF will get. (See also, the General Election exit poll).
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Nowhere near enough for the population that we have living here. Villages should be evolving into towns and towns into cities, with millions of extra homes being built, not just small numbers.
Or rather than just turning the entire country into one giant housing estate we could also slash immigration. Hence Reform's rise.
The UK birthrate is now well below replacement rate, without immigration the UK population would be falling
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Nah. Racism has a glass ceiling. It’s economics that will move votes they need for sniff of power.
Plaid are the most left wing party in mainstream UK politics, Economically Socialist to the left of Corbyn.
I don’t think anyone can win UK general election under FPTP on a “immigration making you poorer and our country a foreign land” election with an economic base as gibberish as Reforms - voters will coalesce around economics closer to themselves in FPTP.
Just look at what Reform promised going into local elections, and their delivery in charge of councils - promise and delivery universes apart, and it’s burning them.
Fascists got in in the 20th Century based on era of Nationalism, with Nationalism Economics. 100% impossible in age of Global Capitalism, they cannot write stand and win on economics that match their rhetoric and promises.
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Future generations should get their information from books, not the internet.
I don't know whether this story is an AI-generated bullshit story, but I think people have died after eating poisonous mushrooms that an AI-generated print on demand book on foraging for mushrooms told them were safe to eat.
Another mediocre performance from Nigel. Despite Reform's leading in opinion polls - more to do with Labour and Tory collapse than any convincing Reform enthusiasm - Nigel hasn't really done anything good for some time. This isn't a Ming vase strategy because there've been quite a few missteps along the way, although Nigel has been lucky that they tend to go under the media's radar. Nigel can't keep flatlining like this for ever. I'd say he's got about six months' grace from here. After that he needs to start showing a bit of oomph.
I think there's a bit of wishful thinking there. Would you expect Reform to get 36% in South Wales? The "right" got less than 20% last time.
They can't win everywhere. Obviously it's not as good a result as if they had won, although they could have easily won with 36% of the vote if other parties' votes had fallen differently.
It is of course instructive that anti-Reform tactical voting appears to be a thing, at least in more left-leaning areas. So they may underperform their vote share at a general election.
Can they win a election flatlining? Absolutely. It is the election they need to win, not the opinion polls. Maintaining a steady ~30% will show they are getting people who support them long term, not just as a one-off protest vote. They then need just a few percent from the election campaign. Of course they could lose a few percent too.
Be interested to know how much of the former Tory vote went Reform - and how much went Plaid to poke Farage in the eye...
As a (generally) Tory voter (in national elections) I am certainly not going to vote Reform. Living where I do, I will probably go Lib Dem again. Unless a new Tory leader gets in, scraps the Reform-lite stuff and disassociates the party from the Boris/Liz/Rishi years and comes up with some new policies. Which is probably unlikely.
Interesting what happens in left-leaning constituencies where Labour being the party of Government won't be so well placed to get anti-Reform votes, and the alternatives of Green and maybe Your will be too left wing for many people. We need an English Plaid Cymru*
*Which has an official English name, the Party of Wales. So why is it not referred to as that when speaking English? It could help them with Anglophone voters I would have thought
There already is one, the English Democrats basically English Nationalists
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Sure. Truthiness was a concept that came to prominence during the, now much lauded, period that George W Bush was President.
I feel like the process has accelerated and that we've tipped over the edge where there's now too much bullshit for us to cope with.
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Bouncing bombs are surely sound. They made an entire movie out of it.
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Nah. Racism has a glass ceiling. It’s economics that will move votes they need for sniff of power.
Plaid are the most left wing party in mainstream UK politics, Economically Socialist to the left of Corbyn.
I don’t think anyone can win UK general election under FPTP on a “immigration making you poorer and our country a foreign land” election with an economic base as gibberish as Reforms - voters will coalesce around economics closer to themselves in FPTP.
Just look at what Reform promised going into local elections, and their delivery in charge of councils - promise and delivery universes apart, and it’s burning them.
Fascists got in in the 20th Century based on era of Nationalism, with Nationalism Economics. 100% impossible in age of Global Capitalism, they cannot write stand and win on economics that match their rhetoric and promises.
Ridiculous, Reform are promising lower spending then lower taxes. We are also in an age where Trump's US is imposing massive protectionist tariffs, especially in China
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
But we were insulated from those by not being part of the EU superstate.
Oh, wait...
So do you believe that if we had voted remain in 2016 then covid wouldn't have resulted in huge government borrowing and a massive economic shock? And that the Russian invasion of Ukraine wouldn't have sent inflation sky high and caused a huge spike in energy costs (both seen in Europe too)?
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Future generations should get their information from books, not the internet.
IIUC there are a *lot* of AI-generated self-published books online. Hitherto-trustworthy sources like books and YouTube are gradually being corrupted by AI-slop. And even if there was a book that contained the absolute truth on a subject, how would you find it?
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
There's so much of that sort of stuff going around. Historical stories with just enough truthiness to draw you in.
We have an epistemological problem with establishing truth that has become markedly worse recently.
My Facebook seems to get a lot of posts that are about how awful the Brits are without saying it directly. So there is the usual pathetic crap about the everything in the British Museum is stolen (apart from the fact that over 90% of objects are from Britain) and then the comments get progressively anti-British. Then there are loads which single out the Brits for being uniquely awful colonialists.
A lot of the comments are in English but clearly not written by native speakers. Strangely there are always a huge proportion in Spanish saying how evil we are and how we are Pirates. A few issues there I think. But it’s instructive how easy it is for foreign powers can post low level agitation in a mass way that chips away. If you only really have your knowledge of history from social media you are going to be thinking we were the worst peoplein the world.
The other weird thing I’ve seen a lot of recently, related to the Whitehouse “improvements” is that the vast majority of Canadians on Facebook seem to believe that Canada invaded the US in retaliation for burning York/Toronto and Canadians burnt down the Whitehouse. Silly really as the regiments who did it are clearly identifiable as Britishregular regiments not militia and certainly not Canadians.
So whilst the internet has put loads of knowledge at a click it’s also put as much bullshit fake info there.
One of the sad things about this is that it puts a lot of knowledge about the past that is true (but weird and surprising) into the, "you've got to be kidding, AI has made that up," category.
Think of things like the bouncing bombs used in WWII, or sound-ranging to locate artillery in WWI. I heard about these things from reputable sources before AI started generating mountains of rubbish, so I'm confident they're true. But nowadays even supposedly reputable sources are publishing AI crap because they don't have time to check their sources, so how would a future generation be able to validate that those stories are true?
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
Bouncing bombs are surely sound. They made an entire movie out of it.
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Sure. Truthiness was a concept that came to prominence during the, now much lauded, period that George W Bush was President.
I feel like the process has accelerated and that we've tipped over the edge where there's now too much bullshit for us to cope with.
Trump is leaning into that. He holds events every single day with the direct intent of overwhelming anybody's ability to sort out the truth
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
I don't think that's true.
Brexit is a very long way from being everything, but it (and our still to be fully worked out relationship with Europe) does, to a greater or lesser extent, impact everything - trade; industry; defence; immigration; finance; medicine - and will continue to do so.
I find it bizarre to pretend otherwise.
How has Brexit adversely impacted on defence, for say Ukraine? Arguably it allowed Boris to make a bolder commitment than if we had been tied in to a common EU response - especially when the Germans in particular were so far up Putin's arse. We still pay a chunk of change to the EU for access in to their markets. On immigration, Merkel opening the EU borders arguably was the UK's biggest single driver to Brexit, having happened before the Referendum. DavidL is right.
Straw man. I said that Brexit impacts everything, not that its effects are universally negative (though in the round they very much are, IMO).
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
The issue there is why is everyone heading to the South East.... If you need to fix things you need to help the regions so people don't have to be in the South East.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
It also puts a dampener on the ReformWave polling. If polling doesn't cover tactical voting (and I don't think it does, at least not yet) and it exists enough to turn a 7pt Reform win in MRP to a 11pt Plaid win in yesterday's by-election, then the ReformWave polling is much less useful than before.
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Nah. Racism has a glass ceiling. It’s economics that will move votes they need for sniff of power.
Plaid are the most left wing party in mainstream UK politics, Economically Socialist to the left of Corbyn.
I don’t think anyone can win UK general election under FPTP on a “immigration making you poorer and our country a foreign land” election with an economic base as gibberish as Reforms - voters will coalesce around economics closer to themselves in FPTP.
Just look at what Reform promised going into local elections, and their delivery in charge of councils - promise and delivery universes apart, and it’s burning them.
Fascists got in in the 20th Century based on era of Nationalism, with Nationalism Economics. 100% impossible in age of Global Capitalism, they cannot write stand and win on economics that match their rhetoric and promises.
Ridiculous, Reform are promising lower spending then lower taxes. We are also in an age where Trump's US is imposing massive protectionist tariffs, especially in China
But you think Trump is actually getting away with it in age of Global capitalism? The damage Trump is doing to America might even scar them economically forever.
You think Reform ever can and currently are delivering on their slash and burn economic platform?
Remember Boris thrashed Corbyn despite Corbyn’s Labour promising all sorts of goodies and even more than Boris. Making a promise is one thing, believed is another. And failing to deliver, the thing that finishes you off.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
We need reduced immigration and more homes.
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Nah. Racism has a glass ceiling. It’s economics that will move votes they need for sniff of power.
Plaid are the most left wing party in mainstream UK politics, Economically Socialist to the left of Corbyn.
I don’t think anyone can win UK general election under FPTP on a “immigration making you poorer and our country a foreign land” election with an economic base as gibberish as Reforms - voters will coalesce around economics closer to themselves in FPTP.
Just look at what Reform promised going into local elections, and their delivery in charge of councils - promise and delivery universes apart, and it’s burning them.
Fascists got in in the 20th Century based on era of Nationalism, with Nationalism Economics. 100% impossible in age of Global Capitalism, they cannot write stand and win on economics that match their rhetoric and promises.
Ridiculous, Reform are promising lower spending then lower taxes. We are also in an age where Trump's US is imposing massive protectionist tariffs, especially in China
But you think Trump is actually getting away with it in age of Global capitalism? The damage Trump is doing to America might even scar them economically forever.
You think Reform ever can and currently are delivering on their slash and burn economic platform?
Remember Boris thrashed Corbyn despite Corbyn’s Labour promising all sorts of goodies and even more than Boris. Making a promise is one thing, believed is another. And failing to deliver, the thing that finishes you off.
It is the rising inflation though that could hit Trump and the GOP yes if the tariffs don't bring back lots of new manufacturing jobs in the rustbelt
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Plaid are the most socialist left wing party there is - anyone voting for them who couldn’t vote for Blair’s Labour, well, that would be ridiculous.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
A recognition that we need serious devolution of powers and a fairer electoral system hopefully.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
A recognition that we need serious devolution of powers and a fairer electoral system hopefully.
Or everybody just screams at each other all day...
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
Con led by Cleverly could also beat Reform with tactical votes in Con held seats and pick up a few Labour seats in affluent areas.
Most likely result a hung parliament but with Reform most seats still after winning the Midlands, East and Leave voting areas of the South as well as redwall Northern and Welsh seats Boris won unless Labour replace Starmer with Burnham or maybe Streeting in which case Labour might get most seats
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
If we see no signs of voter consolidation, it is plausible we get a GE result where REF/CON/LAB/LD/SNP perhaps even GRN are in the range of 40-180 seats.
It’s hard to see how that wouldn’t lead to a massive political realignment.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Which means Reform beats Labour in the Red Wall, but SNP beats Reform and Labour in Scotia, Plaid beats Reform and Labour in Wales, Lib beats Con and Reform in the South West, Lab still wins in London(??), and we get...what? Labour becomes a London regional party, Con loses everywhere (sorry ), and we have a patchwork GE. I don't know who wins in this scenario.
A recognition that we need serious devolution of powers and a fairer electoral system hopefully.
To do that you also need to devolve tax raising powers and the Treasury / HMRC move heaven and earth to avoid that...
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
We need reduced immigration and more homes.
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
We haven't allowed new homes to be built. We have kicked off a number of projects. Which will steadily enrich the Enquiry Industrial Complex.
While I am all for Ferraris For Lawyers, I think we need more spend on Homes For Non-Lawyers.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Nowhere near enough for the population that we have living here. Villages should be evolving into towns and towns into cities, with millions of extra homes being built, not just small numbers.
There's some right offenders in the southeast for housebuilding, Kingston is iirc just about the worst offender. Full of Lib Dem NIMBYS.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Interesting. I just had my first ever doorstep polling experience, from RAJAR.
They want a 7 day radio diary.
I did one of those once - it was quite fun, but led to a few family discussions as to what we had actually listened to, rather than thought we remembered listening to. I was also given a rather nice biro.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
I would never have thought I would find myself writing of my relief that Plaid Cymru won an election. But, the lesser of two evils, and all that.
I would be cautious about drawing too many conclusions. In Wales, and Scotland, there is a non-Labour alternative for the WWC vote if you don't fancy Farage. And clearly they were able to coalesce around the Plaid candidate in Caerphilly. But is that true for voters in County Durham, Nottinghamshire, etc? At the moment, it still looks like a potential wipe for Reform in these old industrial areas in England.
BTW, I note that the Tories managed to hold on to a council seat in Fenland (Cambridgeshire) last night against Reform so it shows that they can still win in some core areas, even now.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Nowhere near enough for the population that we have living here. Villages should be evolving into towns and towns into cities, with millions of extra homes being built, not just small numbers.
There's some right offenders in the southeast for housebuilding, Kingston is iirc just about the worst offender. Full of Lib Dem NIMBYS.
In local government, in the UK, more people living in your area is a cost.
In the regions of France I know, more people = more money in the local government kitty. So, strangely, the local politics is all about growth. In Chablis, when you "spoil the view" with an enormous stainless steel industrial facility to make wine, the locals get better roads and more money for the schools.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Plaid are the most socialist left wing party there is - anyone voting for them who couldn’t vote for Blair’s Labour, well, that would be ridiculous.
Even Michael Foot and Jeremy Corbyn twice won Caerphilly, it is not redwall. It is a nice to have for Farage but he doesn't need it to become UK PM, if he and Reform win most of the seats Boris won in 2019 then Farage still enters No 10
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
Overall the effects of Brexit have been marginal - certainly compared to covid and Ukraine.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Yes, if Reform lead the popular vote by a clear margin it will need strong tactical voting to keep them out. I'm not sure why you're saying the evidence is against that happening in seats where Lab are best placed? What evidence are you referring to?
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
We need reduced immigration and more homes.
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
Demographics? We've got an increasing retired segment who are no longer actively earning/productive but require increasing health, care and pension resources. Even if you stop the current working population from ever retiring they're still going to require greater health care and be less productive. So you either progressively increase tax on the working population and/or progressively increase the retirement age or increase working age migration. An increase in birth rate would take 20 years to make an effect even if you could achieve it.
The alternative is that the working population will leave if they can, Brexit could be viewed as an attempt by the older demographics to prevent the younger working population from emigrating to avoid this issue.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
Overall the effects of Brexit have been marginal - certainly compared to covid and Ukraine.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
We need reduced immigration and more homes.
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Nowhere near enough for the population that we have living here. Villages should be evolving into towns and towns into cities, with millions of extra homes being built, not just small numbers.
There's some right offenders in the southeast for housebuilding, Kingston is iirc just about the worst offender. Full of Lib Dem NIMBYS.
OTOH here in Redbridge there's quite a lot of construction going on, for example One Goodmayes, near the Lizzie Line station. Also down the road at Barking Riverside and at Beam Park.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
Overall the effects of Brexit have been marginal - certainly compared to covid and Ukraine.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
Don’t forget ‘stop immigration from the racist EU so we can take in folk from the former colonies’. That certainly came to pass with bells on.
Fundamentally democracy can only function with a degree of trust, and a reasonably reliable way of establishing what is true. AI slop and troll factories run by despots are undermining both. We're in big trouble.
UKIP didn't need AI to produce their blisteringly racist NHS ad or their 'too many darkies' poster
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
Sure. Truthiness was a concept that came to prominence during the, now much lauded, period that George W Bush was President.
I feel like the process has accelerated and that we've tipped over the edge where there's now too much bullshit for us to cope with.
It does feel like a more often than not situation.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Yes, if Reform lead the popular vote by a clear margin it will need strong tactical voting to keep them out. I'm not sure why you're saying the evidence is against that happening in seats where Lab are best placed? What evidence are you referring to?
Labour seems to be extremely unpopular at the moment, because of what it is doing as Government. So that will likely deter people from voting for it who want to vote against Reform, and want to vote against the government.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Nowhere near enough for the population that we have living here. Villages should be evolving into towns and towns into cities, with millions of extra homes being built, not just small numbers.
There's some right offenders in the southeast for housebuilding, Kingston is iirc just about the worst offender. Full of Lib Dem NIMBYS.
In local government, in the UK, more people living in your area is a cost.
In the regions of France I know, more people = more money in the local government kitty. So, strangely, the local politics is all about growth. In Chablis, when you "spoil the view" with an enormous stainless steel industrial facility to make wine, the locals get better roads and more money for the schools.
Yes. People react to incentives. We have to provide better incentives to people to support development in their areas.
Ok, i will admit being at the Acropolis looking out over the city on a warm, sunny late October day did momentarily make me feel very Leon-esque and inclined to wax lyrical about the glory of mankind. So i then went to McDonald's to avoid the comparison.
If anything it looks like Russia's campaign against Ukrainian civilians has intensified recently.
FPV drones targeting farmers in Donetsk Oblast. MLRS shelling of Kherson. The killing of civilians in Pokrovsk by Russian soldiers who had infiltrated the city.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Yes, if Reform lead the popular vote by a clear margin it will need strong tactical voting to keep them out. I'm not sure why you're saying the evidence is against that happening in seats where Lab are best placed? What evidence are you referring to?
Labour seems to be extremely unpopular at the moment, because of what it is doing as Government. So that will likely deter people from voting for it who want to vote against Reform, and want to vote against the government.
As happened in Caerffili, which was a Labour seat
I agree I find it hard to see Labour as the main beneficiary of anti-Reform tactical voting for the reason you state. If their unpopularity continues there’ll be a significant counterweight effect of people who will also be motivated to get Labour out.
It feels like nationalists are likely to be the main repository of these voters in Scotland and Wales. In England, the picture is much more confused. In a lot of parts of the South, that role is conceivably offered by the Lib Dems. In some places, it might even be the Tories. It is much harder to work out what happens in much of the midlands and the north at the moment, and perhaps these regions are more likely to see Reform victories as a result.
The next general election is going to be all about tactical voting. Britons are very good at tactical voting and centre-left Britons are especially good at it. One thing that I am a little more sure about today is that there is a majority of us who really hate Reform and its dishonest and divisive approach to politics, and I think that this majority may be more effective than people expect at locking Reform out of power.
Rather a shame, though, that there's unlikely to be any interest from that present majority to address the issues that motivate others to become Reform voters.
I don't think that is right at all. Labour is absolutely focused on fixing the asylum system so that those without a valid claim can be deported quickly, it is focused on cutting the huge backlog it inherited in the NHS, it is focused on housebuilding to deal with the massive housing shortage it inherited... but all of these things take time and so we will only see the results in coming years. To deal with the country's problems we need competence and steady progress, not populist slogans, scaremongering and scapegoating.
Lets consider housebuilding
The problem with housebuilding is that it's all very fine to say "We are committed to building more homes"
But on one side, the government is piling on more regulations and costs - see landfill pricing and the conflicts between safety, environmental and density. At another, local political NIMBYism is alive and well in the Labour Party.
So home building has collapsed in some areas. We see the latest band-aid policy is abandoning targets for affordable homes, in London.
For example, the rules about "No active air con in domestic" ignores modern air source heat pumps and the fact that electricity is decarbonising at steep rate. The lack of air con then leads to complicated geometries for flats - which then bumps into the desire for dual staircases in larger buildings. Result - less density, and a more complicated layout. Oh, and natural ventilation doesn't help much above 25c - which is why A/C is universal in modern homes being built in many European countries.
A rational approach to the problem is to look at all the oppositional factors and see which ones can be reduced rationally. A holistic plan.
Instead we get random efforts.
Can't move in the South East for new build and lots on infills. One commented before - 5000 homes for a small Kentish village.
Most of these proposals will be in the courts long after the next general election.
That is how the system we have at the moment works.
There are 250 within a 1/4 mile of me going up now. There are 1500 being built at pace (!) about 8 miles away. Further away, new build is merging towns together. What used to be gaps are now new homes on flood plain. Building is happening but may be in the wrong places for most.
This is why immigration needs to be curtailed drastically. It's not about ethnicity, but rather that many areas of England, especially the South-East with its limited water and other resources, cannot cope with more people living there.
That's bollocks
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
We need reduced immigration and more homes.
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
Except that we are reducing immigration.
And we are not building.
Also when we are building, it's generally slums of tomorrow in places people don't want to live. A country where Doncaster has abundant new builds while London or Oxford are being strangled should win the national Darwin Awards. This focus on numbers of houses built nationwide is the usual Stalinist central planning problem of hitting the target (or, in this government's case, missing it) and missing the point.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Yes, if Reform lead the popular vote by a clear margin it will need strong tactical voting to keep them out. I'm not sure why you're saying the evidence is against that happening in seats where Lab are best placed? What evidence are you referring to?
Labour seems to be extremely unpopular at the moment, because of what it is doing as Government. So that will likely deter people from voting for it who want to vote against Reform, and want to vote against the government.
As happened in Caerffili, which was a Labour seat
To test how true this is we need a byelection in England in a seat where Reform lead and Labour are closest.
One thing I will say about the result last night is (whatever the politics) it’s nice to see someone who has stood for the same seat fourteen times finally win it. I wonder if that sense of commitment and strong local connection might also have helped Plaid.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
Overall the effects of Brexit have been marginal - certainly compared to covid and Ukraine.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
Don’t forget ‘stop immigration from the racist EU so we can take in folk from the former colonies’. That certainly came to pass with bells on.
The core message of Remain was that leaving the EU would leave us poorer, weaker and less secure. Reality since has hardly contradicted this.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
Except Nigel Fucking Farage is the face of both
You can't pretend there is no connection between them
He promised them the moon on a stick if they voted for Brexit
They voted for Brexit
it's shit (even they say so)
Now he is offering them the moon on a stick if they vote RefUK
But that's totally different...
Can I interest you in a bridge? One careful owner
I know you absolutely hate Brexit - you've been fairly clear on that. But it is 'shit'? Its not clear that the situation in the UK is that different. The biggest economic shocks were Covid (a once in 100 years event) and the war in Ukraine. Its not as if the EU is somehow surging ahead and the UK is trailing behind. Since 2007 much of the West has seen little or no economic growth. Its as if there is a wider problem going on.
Yes Farage is trying to pull the same trick twice. Sadly too many gullible (and desperate) people may well be fooled again. Look at that complete loon Leon, banned yet again because he cannot comply with simple instructions. He's the biggest Reform promotor on here.
Even Brexit voters think the situation now is worse than it was before. That's shit.
"Vote for me and your life will be better. Is it better now? No? Then vote for me!"
It's tragic how many people fall for it. Again.
Of course its worse now - we had covid and then the energy/inflation shock of the war in Ukraine.
Is Brexit shit / are there any upsides....
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers 2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them 3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens 4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements 5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
So you think having unrestricted numbers of Eastern European Roma wandering around northern towns is an advantage ?
It's not mentioned, feel free to add any Brexit positives that you can think of
Overall the effects of Brexit have been marginal - certainly compared to covid and Ukraine.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
LOL!!
"Taking back control" - au contraire, we have reduced/lost control/influence in a large number of areas from standards to foreign policy "immigration from Eastern Europe" - we have increased immigration from countries further away, more likely to bring dependents and with no reciprocity. "NHS spending" - NHS spending increases were also going to happen due to the UK's aging demographic, the money for that isn't coming from a "Brexit dividend" or saving but from increased borrowing and taxes.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
Ok, i will admit being at the Acropolis looking out over the city on a warm, sunny late October day did momentarily make me feel very Leon-esque and inclined to wax lyrical about the glory of mankind. So i then went to McDonald's to avoid the comparison.
You can't run away from yourself and you always have to factor in yourself to anything. Lots of people have negative feelings about their bodies, will start using an app to try to improve and find things get worse as they inevitably fail to keep to the 'demands' of the app. We all know, I'm sure, someone who is obsessed with exercise, to the point of it being an issue in their lives.
Nick Tenconi is in a spot of bother. (UKIP / Turning Point UK leader), if anyone noticed the minor ripples.
He tried to position UKIP as the UK's "Christian Nationalist Party", but it turns out he's been active on OnlyFans, online hookup fora for threesomes, and making the kind of comments that are not too distant from those made by Andrew Tate. One of his habits is trolling around stirring up the street - a recent one was to turn up at the Lake District Mosque site and call the construction workers "traitors" *.
(For those not watching the scene The Restorationist publishes intellectualised justifications for radical right policies. They have taken action on the basis from their "enemy" Hope Not Hate, so fair play to them for that.)
Ok, i will admit being at the Acropolis looking out over the city on a warm, sunny late October day did momentarily make me feel very Leon-esque and inclined to wax lyrical about the glory of mankind. So i then went to McDonald's to avoid the comparison.
"There are a few reasons why I still think Labour have a chance of winning the next general election is because of that, people will coalesce around who is best placed to defeat Reform."
Labour are in government. That's a big problem. If support could coalesce around someone else (The Greens? The Lib Dems?), then that might be more plausible.
But in Scotland and Wales, Reform will clearly have an uphill task.
I am assuming Labour display a bit of competence between now and 2029 which might be a heroic assumption.
I think there are two sides to that - Labour need to do the competence and the delivery, and the softer type of RefUK type voters need to be extractible from their rabbit holes, if that is where they have burrowed.
As someone still Labour GE VI, this is a pleasing result. MAGAUK were well defeated by tactical voting and, if Labour got squeezed as a result because they were out of it, I'm not tribal about it, so what.
I'm delighted with it. My biggest political concern (by miles) is the surge in far right populism and this result puts a slight dampener on it. Reform were odds on favs to win the seat but were beaten easily. Congrats to Plaid.
Reform still got 36% of the vote in Caerphilly.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
Plaid are the most socialist left wing party there is - anyone voting for them who couldn’t vote for Blair’s Labour, well, that would be ridiculous.
Even Michael Foot and Jeremy Corbyn twice won Caerphilly, it is not redwall. It is a nice to have for Farage but he doesn't need it to become UK PM, if he and Reform win most of the seats Boris won in 2019 then Farage still enters No 10
Wait. We’ve been here before. This is just like we continuously reply to you “but HY - you can’t just add this and this together to get a win!” 🙂
Psephology {counting pebbles} is social science not imperial science. It’s about psychology behind opinions. And at the end of every day, the parties we support and votes we cast is decided by our economic view. And building on that everything I’ve tried to say this morning - yes you can promise based on their economic views, but they have to believe you as credible. 100% there will be Reform to Conservative Party swing as we draw closer the heat of the next Generation Election, simply on voters trusting the Conservative more with their pennies.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
Hows that embrace of Brexit working out for Starmer?
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
Trouble is that, unless you are a bit of a constitutional pointy-head, Brexit was never really a solution to the problems people are experiencing. That's not to deny the problems, but they weren't really about EU membership.
Indeed, in some ways (government finances, replacing people from Europe with people from further afield) it's probably made things worse.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
I think there are Brexit lessons that have not sunk in, just as there are Covid lessons that have not sunk in.
One which I am still not clear on was when the UK took responsibility for food checks at our own borders, and they were never implemented by BoJo and Co, routine checks in the EU had finished, so we were wide open to unfit food to come in, unchecked.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I remember having a fit bit which would apparently let me know if my sleep was good or not. There's probably sone utility there, but all i could think was a device telling me my sleep was overly stressful or something probably wouldn't help me relax.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
Trouble is that, unless you are a bit of a constitutional pointy-head, Brexit was never really a solution to the problems people are experiencing. That's not to deny the problems, but they weren't really about EU membership.
Indeed, in some ways (government finances, replacing people from Europe with people from further afield) it's probably made things worse.
My dissatisfaction was more the direction of the enterprise and the utopian rhetoric not living up to grubby practical reality, but when we still didn't have an agreed plan 2 years in (as reported of May's cabinet) it was obvious the outcome would not work out well.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I am on a 177 day streak for getting my 10k steps and it does drive me to go out and walk around the streets in the dark when I otherwise couldn't be arsed. That is probably a good thing. It also gets me to focus on my calorie burn which is also a good thing.
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
I agree with most of that. My point is more that the Leave v Remain political identity divide forged by Brexit is still salient in our politics. It's the former pool where Farage is fishing and if he wins it will be off the back of a voter coalition looking very similar to Johnson's in 2019.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
Trouble is that, unless you are a bit of a constitutional pointy-head, Brexit was never really a solution to the problems people are experiencing. That's not to deny the problems, but they weren't really about EU membership.
Indeed, in some ways (government finances, replacing people from Europe with people from further afield) it's probably made things worse.
The only reason we had Brexit was because as the SNP at Holyrood blames Westminster for everything it can't solve itself, Governments used to blame the EU for it's own insolvable problems.
So the people who were suffering because of those insolvable problems did as they had been told to do and removed the EU from the equation.
Except the EU wasn't the issue - it was just the convenient excuse and having found that out the country is now punishing everyone in power because they can no longer pin the blame elsewhere..
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I remember having a fit bit which would apparently let me know if my sleep was good or not. There's probably sone utility there, but all i could think was a device telling me my sleep was overly stressful or something probably wouldn't help me relax.
On the other hand, if I've learnt anything from modern crime dramas, they are very useful for figuring out time of death in a murder.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
I agree with most of that. My point is more that the Leave v Remain political identity divide forged by Brexit is still salient in our politics. It's the former pool where Farage is fishing and if he wins it will be off the back of a voter coalition looking very similar to Johnson's in 2019.
It wasn't leave v remain, it was the not doing that well versus the well off and nothing has changed...
The German company that makes the mechanical ladder used in the Louvre heist has used the image to advertise, with the text 'When you need to move fast'
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I am on a 177 day streak for getting my 10k steps and it does drive me to go out and walk around the streets in the dark when I otherwise couldn't be arsed. That is probably a good thing. It also gets me to focus on my calorie burn which is also a good thing.
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
Walking 5 miles a day is quite a small amount, compared to what the human body evolved for. Unless you are ill or very old, this is very sustainable.
The problem comes with people who aren't especially fit, who are suddenly trying to *run* 10K per day. From nothing the week before.. So they knacker their knees (poor running gait, wrong trainers, tarmac etc) and put stress on the rest of their system, while failing to realise they need to build up.
I find it increasingly bizarre that so many on here return to the question of Brexit at every opportunity, even if the links require the most tortuous of reasoning. Anyone who persuades themselves that it is still Brexit that is driving Reform or their voters is deluding themselves. The country has moved on, Brexit is neither the land of milk and honey promised or the disaster predicted. We have so many real and profound problems to address, not only economic (although they are particularly acute) but also cultural and social.
This is true and not true. Brexit as a distinct issue isn't driving Reform voters, it's in the past, however Reform voters were overwhelmingly Leavers (if old enough) and the set of attitudes, preoccupations and concerns (centred around immigration but not only that) which led them to vote for Brexit is pushing them towards Reform now. If (god forbid) Farage wins the next GE it will largely be because he's persuaded most of Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done coalition to come out and vote for him. "You told them what you wanted, they didn't listen, tell them again and this time for real".
Obviously many who voted for Brexit are now voting for Reform but I really don't believe Brexit itself has much to do with it. Their current obsessions are (1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
I agree with most of that. My point is more that the Leave v Remain political identity divide forged by Brexit is still salient in our politics. It's the former pool where Farage is fishing and if he wins it will be off the back of a voter coalition looking very similar to Johnson's in 2019.
It wasn't leave v remain, it was the not doing that well versus the well off and nothing has changed...
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I am on a 177 day streak for getting my 10k steps and it does drive me to go out and walk around the streets in the dark when I otherwise couldn't be arsed. That is probably a good thing. It also gets me to focus on my calorie burn which is also a good thing.
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
I find it surprisingly easy to stick to 2000 calories of food a day. It's the 500 calories of booze which are slowing me down. I'm losing about 5kg a year, which is pretty weak. 10kg down, 10kg to go.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I am on a 177 day streak for getting my 10k steps and it does drive me to go out and walk around the streets in the dark when I otherwise couldn't be arsed. That is probably a good thing. It also gets me to focus on my calorie burn which is also a good thing.
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
I find it surprisingly easy to stick to 2000 calories of food a day. It's the 500 calories of booze which are slowing me down. I'm losing about 5kg a year, which is pretty weak. 10kg down, 10kg to go.
One advantage to slow weight loss, is that you are more likely to keep the gains.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I remember having a fit bit which would apparently let me know if my sleep was good or not. There's probably sone utility there, but all i could think was a device telling me my sleep was overly stressful or something probably wouldn't help me relax.
My Garmain Epix always tells me that I have slept poorly whenever I have had more than one alcoholic drink.
It is quite accurate with this fact, unfortunately.
I can understand this. There is a very strong motivational factor that sits behind fitness technology which I think is actually really quite helpful, but the downside of that is it is very easy to become consumed by Data and fail to listen to your body.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
I am on a 177 day streak for getting my 10k steps and it does drive me to go out and walk around the streets in the dark when I otherwise couldn't be arsed. That is probably a good thing. It also gets me to focus on my calorie burn which is also a good thing.
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
I find it surprisingly easy to stick to 2000 calories of food a day. It's the 500 calories of booze which are slowing me down. I'm losing about 5kg a year, which is pretty weak. 10kg down, 10kg to go.
I think I consume more like 3k calories a day, 500 of which is also booze. If I consistently exceed that in calories burnt my weight edges down, if not it goes up. Working at home with regular access to the snack cupboards is a particular hazard. I do better when I am in court sipping water. I am doing much better than you though. I am down 6kg in only 10 months!
Comments
The failure of truth and trust predates AI, but is exacerbated by it
The UK birthrate is now well below replacement rate, without immigration the UK population would be falling
Robots broke the Internet on Monday, and only humans could fix it.
Robots can't tell truth from fiction. Only (a vanishingly few) humans can do that.
https://www.pmi.spglobal.com/
1) Trade with EU has increased barriers
2) No influence on standards - EU standards are generally recognised globally, so UK manufacturers still comply with them
3) No freedom of movement for UK citizens
4) Impacted by EU tariffs resulting from US tariffs
I'd say above are shit
4) No freedom of movement for EU citizens - good for UK trades, shit for the rest of us, more expensive/worse home repairs and improvements
5) Slightly less impacted by US tariffs ??
Plaid are the most left wing party in mainstream UK politics, Economically Socialist to the left of Corbyn.
I don’t think anyone can win UK general election under FPTP on a “immigration making you poorer and our country a foreign land” election with an economic base as gibberish as Reforms - voters will coalesce around economics closer to themselves in FPTP.
Just look at what Reform promised going into local elections, and their delivery in charge of councils - promise and delivery universes apart, and it’s burning them.
Fascists got in in the 20th Century based on era of Nationalism, with Nationalism Economics. 100% impossible in age of Global Capitalism, they cannot write stand and win on economics that match their rhetoric and promises.
I feel like the process has accelerated and that we've tipped over the edge where there's now too much bullshit for us to cope with.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dam_Busters_(film)
I said that Brexit impacts everything, not that its effects are universally negative (though in the round they very much are, IMO).
It's simple to come up with a very recent example:
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/explainers/explainer-security-action-for-europe-safe/
And of course, on the other side of the fence, I'd argue that the absence of the UK from EU councils has it's own negative effects for the EU.
There is plenty of space for population to increase by a million a year, if you wanted.
Aggressively refusing to build anything has consequences.
You think Reform ever can and currently are delivering on their slash and burn economic platform?
Remember Boris thrashed Corbyn despite Corbyn’s Labour promising all sorts of goodies and even more than Boris. Making a promise is one thing, believed is another. And failing to deliver, the thing that finishes you off.
Most seats at the next general election on current polls will be Labour v Reform not Plaid v Reform or LD v Reform.
While plenty will tactically vote for the latter to beat Reform Farage can only be stopped if enough also tactically vote Labour to beat Reform and overcome that 36% or so for Farage. At the moment the evidence is they aren't willing to do so for Starmer and Reeves led Labour
To an extent we have moved a little in that direction with tighter visa wage requirements for immigration brought in by the Sunak government and allowing new homes to be built on the grey belt brought in by the Starmer government
few Labour seats in affluent
areas.
Most likely result a hung
parliament but with Reform
most seats still after winning the Midlands, East and Leave voting areas of the South as well as redwall Northern and Welsh seats Boris won unless Labour
replace Starmer with Burnham
or maybe Streeting in which case Labour might get most seats
They want a 7 day radio diary.
It’s hard to see how that wouldn’t lead to a massive political realignment.
While I am all for Ferraris For Lawyers, I think we need more spend on Homes For Non-Lawyers.
I would be cautious about drawing too many conclusions. In Wales, and Scotland, there is a non-Labour alternative for the WWC vote if you don't fancy Farage. And clearly they were able to coalesce around the Plaid candidate in Caerphilly. But is that true for voters in County Durham, Nottinghamshire, etc? At the moment, it still looks like a potential wipe for Reform in these old industrial areas in England.
BTW, I note that the Tories managed to hold on to a council seat in Fenland (Cambridgeshire) last night against Reform so it shows that they can still win in some core areas, even now.
In the regions of France I know, more people = more money in the local government kitty. So, strangely, the local politics is all about growth. In Chablis, when you "spoil the view" with an enormous stainless steel industrial facility to make wine, the locals get better roads and more money for the schools.
But what the Leave side did 'promise' - taking back control, controlling immigration from Eastern Europe, spending more on the NHS have been achieved.
Whereas the predictions from the Remain side turned out to various amounts of bollox and lies.
We've got an increasing retired segment who are no longer actively earning/productive but require increasing health, care and pension resources.
Even if you stop the current working population from ever retiring they're still going to require greater health care and be less productive.
So you either progressively increase tax on the working population and/or progressively increase the retirement age or increase working age migration.
An increase in birth rate would take 20 years to make an effect even if you could achieve it.
The alternative is that the working population will leave if they can, Brexit could be viewed as an attempt by the older demographics to prevent the younger working population from emigrating to avoid this issue.
And we are not building.
As happened in Caerffili, which was a Labour seat
So i then went to McDonald's to avoid the comparison.
FPV drones targeting farmers in Donetsk Oblast.
MLRS shelling of Kherson.
The killing of civilians in Pokrovsk by Russian soldiers who had infiltrated the city.
This is terrorism, not war.
It feels like nationalists are likely to be the main repository of these voters in Scotland and Wales. In England, the picture is much more confused. In a lot of parts of the South, that role is conceivably offered by the Lib Dems. In some places, it might even be the Tories. It is much harder to work out what happens in much of the midlands and the north at the moment, and perhaps these regions are more likely to see Reform victories as a result.
https://x.com/rossmccaff/status/1981462386914513327?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q
https://www.newsweek.com/fitness-apps-study-says-they-can-do-more-harm-than-good-10913928
(based on research by a colleague)
"immigration from Eastern Europe" - we have increased immigration from countries further away, more likely to bring dependents and with no reciprocity.
"NHS spending" - NHS spending increases were also going to happen due to the UK's aging demographic, the money for that isn't coming from a "Brexit dividend" or saving but from increased borrowing and taxes.
(1) immigration, especially illegal immigration which they think is much bigger than it actually is, as opposed to legal migration which is vastly bigger than they appreciate.
(2) Frustration that the government in particular but the public sector in general is simply not providing the services that they want, whether that is hospital or GP treatment in a sensible time, education for their kids, care for elderly relatives, decent roads, etc etc.
(3) A widely held perception that Labour has proven to be every bit as "useless" as the Tories in failing to address these problems and that the mainstream parties are simply not listening to people like them. Much of this is because they are being persuaded that there are simplistic and easy solutions when there is not but there is also enough truth in this to scare the mainstream parties.
Farage is using the same techniques and, well, lies, to build up these perceptions as he did Brexit. Its what he does. But unless and until so many people can simply move on from Brexit they will not get an audience from these supporters. This is so self evident even Starmer got it although I see that Reeves is back falling into the trap again.
He tried to position UKIP as the UK's "Christian Nationalist Party", but it turns out he's been active on OnlyFans, online hookup fora for threesomes, and making the kind of comments that are not too distant from those made by Andrew Tate. One of his habits is trolling around stirring up the street - a recent one was to turn up at the Lake District Mosque site and call the construction workers "traitors" *.
This: https://hopenothate.org.uk/2025/10/21/nick-tenconi-from-pornographic-tweets-to-deporting-one-in-seven/
is I think linked to this: https://restorationist.org.uk/serious-allegations-made-against-a-restorationist-editor/
(For those not watching the scene The Restorationist publishes intellectualised justifications for radical right policies. They have taken action on the basis from their "enemy" Hope Not Hate, so fair play to them for that.)
* https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvj0981dvxo
Psephology {counting pebbles} is social science not imperial science. It’s about psychology behind opinions. And at the end of every day, the parties we support and votes we cast is decided by our economic view. And building on that everything I’ve tried to say this morning - yes you can promise based on their economic views, but they have to believe you as credible. 100% there will be Reform to Conservative Party swing as we draw closer the heat of the next Generation Election, simply on voters trusting the Conservative more with their pennies.
This isn’t the same thing as the diet apps but my goodness the metrics that smart watches capture now are both a blessing and a curse.
Think Caerphilly about the answer...
Indeed, in some ways (government finances, replacing people from Europe with people from further afield) it's probably made things worse.
One which I am still not clear on was when the UK took responsibility for food checks at our own borders, and they were never implemented by BoJo and Co, routine checks in the EU had finished, so we were wide open to unfit food to come in, unchecked.
How much unfit food came in?
But it doesn't really stop me from eating too much or drinking too much. Weight loss has been very slow and may have ground to a halt well above a "healthy" weight.
On balance I find the Fitbit a good thing. But anyone who thinks that is the answer, problem solved, is deluding themselves. At the risk of stating the obvious it helps you find a healthier lifestyle, it is not a life style in itself.
So the people who were suffering because of those insolvable problems did as they had been told to do and removed the EU from the equation.
Except the EU wasn't the issue - it was just the convenient excuse and having found that out the country is now punishing everyone in power because they can no longer pin the blame elsewhere..
https://andrewspreviews.substack.com/p/previewing-the-irish-presidential
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyl1412jv5o
PS Oh FFS, Notts County Council are spending £75k putting Union Jacks UP.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdr3npe33do
This is on top of £500k on sticky-plaster repairs to the old Council Building so they can stay there.
The German company that makes the mechanical ladder used in the Louvre heist has used the image to advertise, with the text 'When you need to move fast'
10/10 response, no notes
https://bsky.app/profile/scientits.bsky.social/post/3m3whddpf6k2b
And that French Jewel thieves are absolutely shameless:
the pièce de résistance in all this, for me, was learning how the alleged heisters allegedly got the ladder:
they requested a demonstration from the Paris-based owner, then stole it during the demonstration
https://bsky.app/profile/krystinanellis.com/post/3m3wm5mzjok2y
The problem comes with people who aren't especially fit, who are suddenly trying to *run* 10K per day. From nothing the week before.. So they knacker their knees (poor running gait, wrong trainers, tarmac etc) and put stress on the rest of their system, while failing to realise they need to build up.
It is quite accurate with this fact, unfortunately.