MAGA is here to stay – politicalbetting.com
MAGA is here to stay – politicalbetting.com
I don’t mind admitting it when I get wrong. and this YouGov America poll contradicts my view that MAGA would fade due to the consequences of the Iran war.
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And is that a first?
Guardian in Makerfield. Actually in Hindley, too.
The Bickershaw industrial scale fly tipping would have been a national scandal had it happened anywhere near a media person's home.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/31/labour-have-lost-their-way-voters-in-makerfield-say-its-time-for-a-change
My prediction in the PB prediction competition was predicated on the expectation that the answers to these questions would be no and yes respectively.
In rural Oxfordshire.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2025/nov/19/drone-footage-mountain-fly-tipped-waste-kidlington-oxfordshire-video
It's just that it's been taken over by the crazies.
I've never trusted slogans.
Taxpayers to fund clear-up of huge illegal waste dumps
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2expk404vo
Three of the worst illegal rubbish dumps in England are set to be cleaned up at the taxpayers' expense as part of a national waste crime action plan launched by the government.
Huge tips in Wigan, Sheffield and Lancashire - together containing 48,000 tonnes of waste - have been earmarked for clearance by the Environment Agency. A 20,000-tonne site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, is already being cleared at a cost of more than £9m.
Normally, the cost of clearing illegal sites on private land is met by the landowner.
The plan has been welcomed by locals near the tips but villagers near one of the so-called supersites uncovered by a recent BBC investigation are angry that site is not being cleared.
'Forgotten about'
The three sites identified for clearance include a notorious dump in Bickershaw, near Wigan, which caught fire last summer, forcing schools nearby to close..
Given how long such things take, if Burnham does become PM, he will probably get the opportunity to take credit for clearing it up.
https://x.com/JohnRentoul/status/2061001676421513448
In reality it's just a political brand, which seems to be replacing the GOP.
The Royals have no duty to clean up, and from all evidence, aren't in the slightest bit interested in so doing.
Arrest following investigation into 18-thousand tonnes illegal waste dump in Wigan
https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-05-20/man-arrested-following-investigation-into-25-tonne-illegal-waste-dump-in-wigan
A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into large-scale, illegal dumping of waste at multiple sites across England.
Officers from West Midlands Police arrested a 58-year-old male from the Birmingham area on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.
The suspect has now been released on conditional bail pending further investigation..
Perhaps they'll get around to the money laundering barbers/vape shops/mini marts next year ?
So maybe the reason theat the Republicans are becoming more MAGA is people voting with thier feet and moving to the middle.
Equally given time and the age profile of the two parties with Republicans 52, Democrats 47 and Independents 45, it could just be Republicans losing older members and recruiting fewer young ones.
The Republicans becoming more a party of old die hards who are dying quicker ,while the young are less politically motivated or ideological.
If true that points towards; "It's the Economy Stupid!"
Peter.
For now, at least.
It will turn on two things.
The performance of Restore. And turnout. A high turnout may be good for Burnham given the GOTV advantage.
Another point. Pensioners/ postal voters turnout. But, here, unlike many other places, voting Labour is more ingrained and automatic amongst the older generations.
We'll see a high level of churn in both directions as the article suggests.
I'd still be surprised if Burnham doesn't win. But I'm a lot less sure than before we started. Mainly because it was a straight Reform/Labour fight then.
51% of Harvard Republicans support MAGA and 44% of them define themselves as MAGA.
https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/51st-edition-fall-2025
So you'd need something like, "Make America Great Britain As It Should Have Been Nearly Three Hundred Years Ago."
Article detailing arrest dated 21st May. The same day the writ was moved.
Spooky.
The more interesting question isn’t whether MAGA survives Trump, but whether the Democrats can rediscover the political centre before the Republicans rediscover theirs.
Fan chaos Rangers George Square title party ‘riot’ clean-up bill soars to over £90k
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/7421984/rangers-fans-george-square-cost-council-riot-party/
What's not to like?
Are the Ukrainian post office deeply involved in military logistics? I know that when I last bought something from a Ukrainian maker on Etsy they said delivery could be delayed due to disruption to the postal service, so the Russians do seem to think that attacking the Ukrainian postal service will help to win the war. I'm no expert in the winning of wars, but I'm not seeing it myself.
The Conservatives will survive. They always do, but I see them subsumed by Reform with Reform taking the brand name.They won't be Butskellist Tories, but the name lives on. Badenoch is half way there as we speak.
Lawyer approved....
"Oh yes, I remember - I was Cleopatra!"
Could someone please produce a ground plan of the place so we can test the likelihood of her statement?
https://x.com/madeinbrumpod/status/2061004934699507812?s=61
https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/b833c111-1cf1-4c22-afbf-1f4dc9763314
Asked gpt to do the same thing and it looked like it had done a better job, but then fell over when it tried to make it into html. AGI any day now...
Is there an exception in EPA 1990 or something?
This must be seriously obscure.
So it's not so much that there is no duty to clean it up, more that the Duchy can't be made to do so.
Talking of polls and swing voters, this bit of research into the local elections is interesting and I think, free access (just give an email and put ‘None’ into the company box). It’s a mega poll of how voters switched behaviour between the 2024 GE and 2026 locals, and at the bottom there’s a drop down where you can select individual councils or even individual wards to see how voters moved. There isn’t much detail about confidence limits so I’d assume the data at Ward level is highly flaky, but for your council it should produce something better.
https://convergent-opinion.com/local-elections-2026
Bit since 10,000 tons of waste is still sitting in a big heap on their piece of land, I do not see how they can walk away just like that.
""Wait, it's just personal rivalry and selfish ambition?"
"Always has been."
(See also: Keir/Andy/Wes, Boris/Dave, Boris/Theresa, Robert/Kemi, Nigel and the establishment, Zak and the world, almost every local government defection...)
However, the estate does not have to inherit any liabilities associated with the property."
Source BBC.
Duchy tried to gift the land to the Council but it isn't worth the c.£5m cost.
If Andrew has appeared inviolable in the past, it is because of pressure and influence from the institution of the monarchy and HM the late Queen personally, not because of the law.
That morphed on to Liberal Democrats.
Post 2029 whether Reform will or not it will morph
RCG
Reform and Conservative Group.
Very few current Tory MPs will survive, especially in Essex
Also don't forget that Trump, though now identified as a conservative, began as a Democrat (because they dominated politics in New York, where his real estate business couldn't have survived without political favours and tax breaks at the state and local level), was briefly in the Reform Party, then transitioned to Independent, then back to Democrat for George Bush's Presidency and most of Obama's.
He has tacked to the populist right partly because Obama insulted him at a dinner but mostly because the white working class turned out to be the most gullible section of the electorate, but he obviously feels no affinity for them, or interest in how to make their lives better. They are just easiest to con.
The French, this is a regular occurence be it a industrial action, New Year (the annual set fire to as many cars as possible festival), a football match, etc. Lots of people get arrested but punishments are far less severe. Lots of shrugging and it happens again and again...
Shop fitters, glaziers and bus shelter manufacteurs must make a killing in France.
See also Faragism without Nigel.
It's that lead amongst over 55's (who vote) for Burnham that convinces me he'll win.
Reform will need to maximise turnout amongst youngish men. Which requires a huge GOTV for plenty of habitual non voters.
Thatcherism is the only one in my lifetime.
https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2026/05/31/ukraines-ramped-up-drone-power-is-transforming-its-fortunes-against-russia/
This Financial Times article (bought by the Irish Times to republish) is interesting. Suggests there are some in Moscow hoping for an end to the war on the current front lines.
Last year Ukraine would certainly have accepted, but by the time Putin decides to do so, might Ukraine decide they sufficiently have the upper hand that they might be able to push Russia out?
It's why 'wait until he goes and go back to normal' is not a viable strategy.
It will be terrible for Farage though.
I just hope Russia does not manage to increase it's own drone capability to catch up anytime soon - they are not totally stupid, and will be working on it I'm sure, but hopefully it takes quite some time. I'd read part of the problem for Ukraine is that it just doesn't have the manpower to fully exploit the weakening of some lines that their current drone advantage is giving them.
Does the British left, in its responses to Blair, see no need to reckon with the facts?
On the best measure British income inequality is at its lowest since 1986; wealth inequality is also low by historical standards.
Britain's problem is stagnation (and a housing shortage)
https://x.com/ecurrnomics/status/2059730476189761731
My criticism is that most of Blair's essay was vapid bilge.
I do wonder if the Trump kids will try to 'lead' it after he eventually dies, but none of them have his level of horrible charisma.