General election/politics

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

General election/politics

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I salute you, SC

As you say, there are very few lights at the end of the tunnel in this whole process

But if you have found one, a proper one, that works for you, then that's great

christ · Futures level

Coup Droit wrote:
At least give the projected potential one a chance - you may possibly be wrong

Nope. I repeat:

Every single modern senior Conservative, Labour or Liberal politician appears to this cynic to be untrustworthy.

... and if some of the minority/ single issue/ independent politicians appear trustworthy they are the generally people with policies with which I disagree intensely (or in fact no policy at all about things that bother me, like war, famine, plague and pestilence)

I may be wrong, but I am not prepared to vote based on that forlorn hope.

To take an example: I am struggling with a system that considers Ms Mordaunt to be a viable candidate because she could carry a sword for a couple of hours.

The system is irreparably broken, and the electorate takes a huge share of the blame for this fact - continuing to vote for the "least worst" option perpetuates the ongoing mess; particularly when the average voter chooses their "least-worst" option by dreaming of rainbows and unicorns, and choosing to believe politicians that peddle policies that are transparently obviously either lies or non-achievable "aspirations". Fast forward a few years: I predict confidently that whichever government gets in this year will be being pilloried for being useless/ mendacious/ hopeless/ fractured/ <pick any other non-complimentary adjective> - the electorate will be complaining bitterly about the chaos that the country is in, how it is all the government's fault, and we need a new broom. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is one definition of madness.

It appears to me that the Conservative Party is actually comprised of three or more different idealogical groupings (the Labour Party similarly). I don't care about the also rans, but they may well have the same issue, if examined closely. If these separate idealogical groups were spun off as individual parties then we would have electoral chaos, but the result would pretty much have to be a coalition of some sort - this may work, as the different idealogical groups woiuld then be forced to work together to get anything done. Of course they may not work together, but then we are no worse off than we are now.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I see your point, christ, but there are so many things with the current government that I absolutely cannot forgive and would feel a traitor to the following generations if I voted for them, that I am happy to vote for a party that removes them, even if I do not hold with everything about that new party

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
Ian Acheson, a senior Tory advisor has quit today over the D-Day fiasco yesterday.

The final paragraph of his resignation letter reads:

"It was an act of either colossal stupidity or cynical calculation. While I still embrace a conservative philosophy, I am no longer willing to have it outsourced to a bunch of mendacious, incompetent and disreputable clowns.

Ouch.

I hope ITV's transmission of D-Day 80 at the Royal Albert Hall is rubbing salt deep into the wound inflicted by Sunak's ill-judged, brainless, egregious & ultimately inexplicable decision to snub the French D-Day commemoration on Thursday.

christ · Futures level

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Could anyone with even half a brain possibly vote for this Neanderthal?

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
Did anyone else watch the leaders' debate ?

Putting politics aside, I thought the format and moderation were awful. Limiting the answers to 45 secs led to both sides just trying to tick off their soundbites and didn't allow them time to give any real answers. And the moderator just allowed them to talk over each other.

It was not a good spectacle and I learnt nothing.

Have to say that the format of the leaders 'debate' was so much better than the last one. A 20 min 1-on-1 interview followed by a Q&A with the audience. Congratulations to Sky on at least getting this right. It is definitely the way to go in the election debates.

I think Starmer will be the happier. Both had some uncomfortable moments but Starmer had a simpler objective.

Sunak had to land some serious blows if he was going to change the course of the campaign, but he failed to do so. All Starmer had to do was to avoid making a big gaff and in that he was successful.

indiana · Tennis legend

I see that The Right Honourable Craig Williams MP, Sunak's Parliamentary Private Secretary, placed a £100 bet on there being a July election 3 days before Sunak announced the date.

He says he put a flutter on the election date some weeks ago and this has resulted in some routine enquiries LOL

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

In some polls, Reform now ahead of the Tories.

Heaven help us.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
I see that The Right Honourable Craig Williams MP, Sunak's Parliamentary Private Secretary, placed a £100 bet on there being a July election 3 days before Sunak announced the date.

He says he put a flutter on the election date some weeks ago and this has resulted in some routine enquiries LOL

The Tories can't put one foot in front of the other without shooting themselves in it, thus staggering from one clanger to another. Who's going to be the next to do what? disbelief

indiana · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
In some polls, Reform now ahead of the Tories.

Heaven help us.

Indeed. No doubt more due to the ongping staggering incompetence of the Tories but still their progress is very unwelcome.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
indiana wrote:
I see that The Right Honourable Craig Williams MP, Sunak's Parliamentary Private Secretary, placed a £100 bet on there being a July election 3 days before Sunak announced the date.

He says he put a flutter on the election date some weeks ago and this has resulted in some routine enquiries LOL
The Tories can't put one foot in front of the other without shooting themselves in it, thus staggering from one clanger to another. Who's going to be the next to do what?

Is this the next one?

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Oh dear. That Mr Farage has dropped himself in it again.

He was asked on TV yesterday morning why 41 of his approved candidates for the GE were facebook 'friends' of a known fascist and Nazi sympathiser. His response was:

"Reform paid a vetting company £144k to carry out candidate checks. Not a single piece of work was delivered. Colin Bloom has links to the Tory party and has very serious questions to answer. Lawyers have been instructed and we do not rule out police action."

Turns out, Colin Bloom runs a website called vetting.com This is NOT a vetting company. It is an online platform where you purchase a license so that you can perform your OWN vetting using that platform.

Farage is a dangerous liar and with Clacton currently polling an almost equal three way fight between Labour, Tory and Reform, it is absolutely ripe for some tactical voting from Lib Dem and Green supporters. Sadly no dolphin is running this time.

Of course the biggest irony of all is that the Reform 'contract' says they are going to save £50bn by 'cutting out waste' and here they are spaffing £144k on a company that is currently dormant according to Companies House and that doesn't even do what they were paid to do.

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Wednesday 19th of June 2024 08:42:31 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
Oh dear. That Mr Farage has dropped himself in it again.

He was asked on TV yesterday morning why 41 of his approved candidates for the GE were facebook 'friends' of a known fascist and Nazi sympathiser. His response was:

"Reform paid a vetting company £144k to carry out candidate checks. Not a single piece of work was delivered. Colin Bloom has links to the Tory party and has very serious questions to answer. Lawyers have been instructed and we do not rule out police action."
Turns out, Colin Bloom runs a website called vetting.com This is NOT a vetting company. It is an online platform where you purchase a license so that you can perform your OWN vetting using that platform.
Farage is a dangerous lair and with Clacton currently polling an almost equal three way fight between Labour, Tory and Reform, it is absolutely ripe for some tactical voting from Lib Dem and Green supporters. Sadly no dolphin is running this time.

Putting aside the other comments (yes, he is a liar and dangerous!), Clacton isnt that close, is it - Farage is a long way in front if the latest Electoral Calculus update is to be believed - not even all Lib Dem or Green voters going Labour could catch up that gap as it stands...

Party	2019 Votes	2019 Share	Pred Votes
CON	34,120	71.9%	25.3%
LAB	7,406	15.6%	27.6%
LIB	2,954	6.2%	4.4%
OTH	1,632	3.4%	1.2%
Green	1,347	2.8%	2.4%
Reform	0	0.0%	39.0%

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Wednesday 19th of June 2024 08:29:51 AM