Stop voting for fucking Tories

[SaintK]

So Labour will vote for the new covid laws despite what seems a fairly vocal con backbench rebellion.

I think this is a fairly logical and good line to take.

[I like neeps]

So Labour will vote for the new covid laws despite what seems a fairly vocal con backbench rebellion.

I think this is a fairly logical and good line to take.

You can support plan B AND fight for financial help for people who it is going to cause financial problems for though.

[SaintK]

You can support plan B AND fight for financial help for people who it is going to cause financial problems for though.

Which is the line they have been taking in the House and through statements by other shadow cabinet members, particularly Starmer, Rayner and Reeves

[Rhubarb & Custard]

You can support plan B AND fight for financial help for people who it is going to cause financial problems for though.

Which is the line they have been taking in the House and through statements by other shadow cabinet members, particularly Starmer, Rayner and Reeves

And really Labour cannot set that agenda unless the public vote for them in sufficient numbers, and they didn't. The best Labour can do now is put pressure, mostly commentary only, around things like statutory sick pay, threatening not to support a public health revision though during a pandemic would be puerile in the extreme, they have to go with the medical/scientific advice.

I'm sure some people would be delighted to stick it to BoJo the sad clown, maybe even forcing a defeat on the government, but many more would be disgusted by that sort of pratting about

[SaintK]

You can support plan B AND fight for financial help for people who it is going to cause financial problems for though.

Which is the line they have been taking in the House and through statements by other shadow cabinet members, particularly Starmer, Rayner and Reeves

And really Labour cannot set that agenda unless the public vote for them in sufficient numbers, and they didn't. The best Labour can do now is put pressure, mostly commentary only, around things like statutory sick pay, threatening not to support a public health revision though during a pandemic would be puerile in the extreme, they have to go with the medical/scientific advice.

I'm sure some people would be delighted to stick it to BoJo the sad clown, maybe even forcing a defeat on the government, but many more would be disgusted by that sort of pratting about

Yes, indeed!

[tabascoboy]

That pointless piss and windbag Farage was talking about getting back into politics, presumably to now appeal to Covidiots and other disaffected types. Would be kind of good in a way to take them out of the equation and be an outlet for totally negative politics and letting the grown-ups get on with the real thing.

[fishfoodie]

That pointless piss and windbag Farage was talking about getting back into politics, presumably to now appeal to Covidiots and other disaffected types. Would be kind of good in a way to take them out of the equation and be an outlet for totally negative politics and letting the grown-ups get on with the real thing.

Yeah; because that's exactly how it worked with immigration, & Brexit ......

Or maybe the Tories will react exactly as Cameron; & doubledown, & push even further to the right, to keep any potential defectors.

[tabascoboy]

Well one would hope - lesson learned and marginalise the angry mob but sadly you're probably right. We do seem to have lapsed into a long term immaturity when it comes to politics and letting politicians take advantage of people looking for very easy answers to complex situations.

[Hal Jordan]

That pointless piss and windbag Farage was talking about getting back into politics, presumably to now appeal to Covidiots and other disaffected types. Would be kind of good in a way to take them out of the equation and be an outlet for totally negative politics and letting the grown-ups get on with the real thing.

Yeah; because that's exactly how it worked with immigration, & Brexit ......

Or maybe the Tories will react exactly as Cameron; & doubledown, & push even further to the right, to keep any potential defectors.

Yes, Cameron was a horribly weak PM, lacked the spine to face off the mad wing or the brains to keep them in the tent, went for a half-arsed, ill thought out referendum, then fucked off leaving us up shit creek.

[tabascoboy]

It's a very small thing, just local council by-election but 3 seats: 2 CON losses to Green and LD, 1 CON hold. Need more of this at Parliamentary Election level...

[Happyhooker]

It's a very small thing, just local council by-election but 3 seats: 2 CON losses to Green and LD, 1 CON hold. Need more of this at Parliamentary Election level...

Lab 8points ahead in the most recent poll

[PCPhil]

Sounds like a pleasant chap. Rapist, sex pest ex Minister.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-s ... e-59611761

Parliamentary Standards Watchdog thought there was nothing to se here, move along.

[Happyhooker]

Sounds like a pleasant chap. Rapist, sex pest ex Minister.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-s ... e-59611761

Parliamentary Standards Watchdog thought there was nothing to se here, move along.

Ah, the one may gave the whip back to when she desperately needed votes

[fishfoodie]

They're right when the say a week is a long time in Politics

Who will win the North Shropshire by-election?

A Conservative win in North Shropshire is essentially inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it's worth ignoring.

By Stephen Bush

Owen Paterson’s resignation as the MP for North Shropshire has opened up a by-election in his seat. The by-election is in many ways wholly uninteresting. If you wanted to design an ultra-safe Conservative seat in a laboratory, you’d end up with something a lot like North Shropshire: older than the United Kingdom average by about a decade, relatively few graduates, a large Leave vote, and equally importantly, none of the opposition parties can point even to consistent success in achieving regular second-placed finishes. This is both inhospitable territory for the anti-Tory parties demographically and organisationally. In that respect it is wholly unlike Old Bexley and Sidcup, where the Tories are also preparing for a by-election following the death of James Brokenshire, which is similarly bad terrain for the opposition parties demographically, but where they are better organised.

Paterson’s exit means that any prospect of the by-election becoming a referendum on his conduct is pretty low. The useful comparison point is probably the general election in Beaconsfield in 1997, where the offending Conservative MP, Tim Smith, stood down before the contest and his replacement, Dominic Grieve, was comfortably re-elected. This is in contrast to Tatton, where the Tory MP Neil Hamilton did not stand down and was defeated by an independent candidate, Martin Bell.

...

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/u ... y-election



Do you think he'll like to re-draft this article this week ?

[SaintK]

That pointless piss and windbag Farage was talking about getting back into politics, presumably to now appeal to Covidiots and other disaffected types. Would be kind of good in a way to take them out of the equation and be an outlet for totally negative politics and letting the grown-ups get on with the real thing.

Yeah; because that's exactly how it worked with immigration, & Brexit ......

Or maybe the Tories will react exactly as Cameron; & doubledown, & push even further to the right, to keep any potential defectors.

Yes, Cameron was a horribly weak PM, lacked the spine to face off the mad wing or the brains to keep them in the tent, went for a half-arsed, ill thought out referendum, then fucked off leaving us up shit creek.

Spineless doesn't beginn to cover it!!
Never trust a man with no lips either

[tabascoboy]

Yeah; because that's exactly how it worked with immigration, & Brexit ......

Or maybe the Tories will react exactly as Cameron; & doubledown, & push even further to the right, to keep any potential defectors.

Yes, Cameron was a horribly weak PM, lacked the spine to face off the mad wing or the brains to keep them in the tent, went for a half-arsed, ill thought out referendum, then fucked off leaving us up shit creek.

Spineless doesn't beginn to cover it!!
Never trust a man with no lips either

Oink oink

[GogLais]

They're right when the say a week is a long time in Politics

Who will win the North Shropshire by-election?

A Conservative win in North Shropshire is essentially inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it's worth ignoring.

By Stephen Bush

Owen Paterson’s resignation as the MP for North Shropshire has opened up a by-election in his seat. The by-election is in many ways wholly uninteresting. If you wanted to design an ultra-safe Conservative seat in a laboratory, you’d end up with something a lot like North Shropshire: older than the United Kingdom average by about a decade, relatively few graduates, a large Leave vote, and equally importantly, none of the opposition parties can point even to consistent success in achieving regular second-placed finishes. This is both inhospitable territory for the anti-Tory parties demographically and organisationally. In that respect it is wholly unlike Old Bexley and Sidcup, where the Tories are also preparing for a by-election following the death of James Brokenshire, which is similarly bad terrain for the opposition parties demographically, but where they are better organised.

Paterson’s exit means that any prospect of the by-election becoming a referendum on his conduct is pretty low. The useful comparison point is probably the general election in Beaconsfield in 1997, where the offending Conservative MP, Tim Smith, stood down before the contest and his replacement, Dominic Grieve, was comfortably re-elected. This is in contrast to Tatton, where the Tory MP Neil Hamilton did not stand down and was defeated by an independent candidate, Martin Bell.

...

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/u ... y-election



Do you think he'll like to re-draft this article this week ?

Tory win with a vastly reduced turnout I reckon. Delighted to be wrong.

[fishfoodie]

They're right when the say a week is a long time in Politics

Who will win the North Shropshire by-election?

A Conservative win in North Shropshire is essentially inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it's worth ignoring.

By Stephen Bush

Owen Paterson’s resignation as the MP for North Shropshire has opened up a by-election in his seat. The by-election is in many ways wholly uninteresting. If you wanted to design an ultra-safe Conservative seat in a laboratory, you’d end up with something a lot like North Shropshire: older than the United Kingdom average by about a decade, relatively few graduates, a large Leave vote, and equally importantly, none of the opposition parties can point even to consistent success in achieving regular second-placed finishes. This is both inhospitable territory for the anti-Tory parties demographically and organisationally. In that respect it is wholly unlike Old Bexley and Sidcup, where the Tories are also preparing for a by-election following the death of James Brokenshire, which is similarly bad terrain for the opposition parties demographically, but where they are better organised.

Paterson’s exit means that any prospect of the by-election becoming a referendum on his conduct is pretty low. The useful comparison point is probably the general election in Beaconsfield in 1997, where the offending Conservative MP, Tim Smith, stood down before the contest and his replacement, Dominic Grieve, was comfortably re-elected. This is in contrast to Tatton, where the Tory MP Neil Hamilton did not stand down and was defeated by an independent candidate, Martin Bell.

...

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/u ... y-election



Do you think he'll like to re-draft this article this week ?

Tory win with a vastly reduced turnout I reckon. Delighted to be wrong.

If the Sundays really put the boot in; & have some more ammo from whistleblowers, & Scummings; that might be enough.

[Sandstorm]

It's a very small thing, just local council by-election but 3 seats: 2 CON losses to Green and LD, 1 CON hold. Need more of this at Parliamentary Election level...

Lab 8points ahead in the most recent poll

Anyone but the Sleazy Tories

[fishfoodie]

Nail, meet Hammer

[Rhubarb & Custard]

It's a very small thing, just local council by-election but 3 seats: 2 CON losses to Green and LD, 1 CON hold. Need more of this at Parliamentary Election level...

Lab 8points ahead in the most recent poll

If, and presently it seems a big if, the government can manage 2-3 weeks without shitting the bed a lot of that will slip away and people will return to where they were. And even if it is true a lot of it isn't especially useful, mostly it means there'll be some reduced Tory voter turnout and Labour will in Labour seats by a bigger margin.

If Labour carry that sort of lead over 6-12 months and and can start to set the agenda on what policy is being discussed in public that will prove telling, and we're nowhere close to that even before the pandemic and Brexit still drive the agenda

[tabascoboy]

[petej]

It's a very small thing, just local council by-election but 3 seats: 2 CON losses to Green and LD, 1 CON hold. Need more of this at Parliamentary Election level...

Lab 8points ahead in the most recent poll

If, and presently it seems a big if, the government can manage 2-3 weeks without shitting the bed a lot of that will slip away and people will return to where they were. And even if it is true a lot of it isn't especially useful, mostly it means there'll be some reduced Tory voter turnout and Labour will in Labour seats by a bigger margin.

If Labour carry that sort of lead over 6-12 months and and can start to set the agenda on what policy is being discussed in public that will prove telling, and we're nowhere close to that even before the pandemic and Brexit still drive the agenda

The omicron wave might help the gov. The electorate has been very forgiving around COVID (and pretty much everything) and Johnson has a lot press pals who could* help. Takes a lot to convince me that this isn't just a temporary blip / I don't want to get my hopes up.

*If they turn on him he is toast.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Lab 8points ahead in the most recent poll

If, and presently it seems a big if, the government can manage 2-3 weeks without shitting the bed a lot of that will slip away and people will return to where they were. And even if it is true a lot of it isn't especially useful, mostly it means there'll be some reduced Tory voter turnout and Labour will in Labour seats by a bigger margin.

If Labour carry that sort of lead over 6-12 months and and can start to set the agenda on what policy is being discussed in public that will prove telling, and we're nowhere close to that even before the pandemic and Brexit still drive the agenda

The omicron wave might help the gov. The electorate has been very forgiving around COVID (and pretty much everything) and Johnson has a lot press pals who could* help. Takes a lot to convince me that this isn't just a temporary blip / I don't want to get my hopes up.

*If they turn on him he is toast.

It certainly helps them set the agenda, and even if Starmer could act against that he'd likely conclude in many ways he shouldn't. That said Labour certainly gain from the handling (mishandling?) and the blame attached to it which would be thrown at any government. Tricky to strip out the various factors and consider them individually

[ASMO]

This actually me me laugh out loud

[Insane_Homer]

[Hal Jordan]

It's a good thing he's asking he's questions because he never answers one.

[GogLais]

Is starter for ten some sort of hint?

[fishfoodie]

I know !

It's "Oaf in a Boat"; isn't it ?

Hmmm, that's a punt ,,,,

[GogLais]

I know !

It's "Oaf in a Boat"; isn't it ?

Hmmm, that's a punt ,,,,

Scruff with a cuff? I’ll keep trying.

[Wyndham Upalot]

I know !

It's "Oaf in a Boat"; isn't it ?

Hmmm, that's a punt ,,,,

Scruff with a cuff? I’ll keep trying.

His 'oversized' right arm reminded me of Quagmire.

[tabascoboy]

This actually me me laugh out loud

"Mince pie and a wank" astutely sums up my Christmas. Every Christmas ever. Except for the mince pie bit

[Margin__Walker]

Government comms on point as usual

[SaintK]

Government comms on point as usual

The cynic in me says that the pre recorded clip last night was to keep all the other shit engulfing the blonde slug off the front pages of today's papers

[fishfoodie]

The dead cat wasn't sufficiently rank; so he'll keep adding cats.

The irony is he's going to depend on Labour votes to keep the deflections coming; but he'll just end up pissing off more of the anti-lockdown loons who put him in power.

[I like neeps]

[Hal Jordan]

Well, it's worked to keep the parties off the front pages.

We're out of lateral flow tests for online ordering. Booster bookings site crashed.

Worst. Government. Ever.

[Sandstorm]

So sick of whingy, Nazi references! Sometimes I wish they'd won the fucking war!

[JM2K6]

So sick of whingy, Nazi references! Sometimes I wish they'd won the fucking war!

Out of idle curiosity, how often would you say you find yourself wishing the Nazis had won?

[Paddington Bear]

'If the Nazis had won there would be no facile historical comparisons made by politicians'