Stop voting for fucking Tories

[Hal Jordan]

30p suspended

Reform might be getting their first MP, just as UKIPdud either Carswell.

[tabascoboy]

Glad to be wrong about saying they'd do nothing but remains to see how this plays out, whether he does go to Reform, gets deselected by his local party or after some cooling off period is quietly welcomed back. Will take much much than this to convince me it's any more than an attempt at damage limitation rather than any true "moral" stance.

EDIT and suspended apparently for refusing to apologise, not for what he actually said...

[C69]

Glad to be wrong about saying they'd do nothing but remains to see how this plays out, whether he does go to Reform, gets deselected by his local party or after some cooling off period is quietly welcomed back. Will take much much than this to convince me it's any more than an attempt at damage limitation rather than any true "moral" stance.

EDIT and suspended apparently for refusing to apologise, not for what he actually said...

Surely the EHRC will now.actually act on this?
I am emailing them tomorrow.

[fishfoodie]

Glad to be wrong about saying they'd do nothing but remains to see how this plays out, whether he does go to Reform, gets deselected by his local party or after some cooling off period is quietly welcomed back. Will take much much than this to convince me it's any more than an attempt at damage limitation rather than any true "moral" stance.

EDIT and suspended apparently for refusing to apologise, not for what he actually said...

Well Lettuce Truss just attended the Nuremberg rallies in the US, & even gave a little speech herself, so I think morals are optional

[Hal Jordan]

Truss is literally an ambition machine. She's changed her political stripes to whatever she thinks can get her ahead to the point where she started as a leftist anti-monarchist and has now ended up gorging on wingnuttery like a porn star throating the pizza delivery boy

[_Os_]

This is another landmine the Tories are leaving for Labour. A report on the agri sector which isn't being released, the key part being:

But at a series of meetings that year, officials raised concerns about the financial analysis and the scheme as a whole, and concluded it would be better not to publish them. Various reasons were given, with one official saying it was “a case of waiting for the political situation to settle”. Another said: “[it is] important we make sure ministers are happy with what we put out into the public environment – sensitivities around that.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nts-scheme

In other words the report is being buried until after the GE. This is happening because a report that was supposed to show how it would be possible to run viable upland/hill farm businesses once the Basic Payment Scheme (which is EU derived) is fully replaced by Environmental Land Management, instead showed there is literally no way to run a viable upland farm once the UK has taken back control. In England entire rural communities will die.

The new scheme focuses on the environment and not production. Upland farms have poorer quality land, the farmers themselves are the poorest, and often tenants not landowners which makes changes to land use to get ELM payments after the production based BPS system is phased out more difficult. The Guardian article doesn't go into this much, but the new system is massively tilted towards the Tory voting south of England which has higher quality lowland land where it's possible for a wildflower meadow or whatever to exist, over the north of England which has poorer quality land and is less Tory voting.

The article focuses only on England, agri support is fully devolved. All the new schemes are more environment focused but there's a lot of variation, Wales/Scotland/NI all look more production focused than what's happening in England. In NI it's political too, Catholic farmers tend to be poorer tenant hill farmers and SF is now the largest party, they're not going to pay wealthy Protestant landowners not to farm without paying struggling Catholic non-landowners. Easy to see how once all the new payment structures are fully in place some English farmers are going to end up disadvantaged compared to Welsh/Scottish/NI farmers.

English farmers are starting to protest about their post-Brexit situation, there's polling which shows Labour now has a majority in rural English constituencies.

I reckon this is going to be poorly reported (most people aren't interested) but become a major election battleground, it's turning Tory rural safe seats into contestable seats. Labour now has a thin polling lead in those seats.

Sunak has spoken at a Welsh farmer street protest, blaming Welsh Labour and saying Wales is "Labour's laboratory". When the Tories themselves have driven what's literally called the Environmental Land Management payment system in England as a replacement for the EU payment system. It's an example of how conspiracy theories (in this case climate change, forcing people to eat bugs etc), allows those with the actual power to evade responsibility. Sunak suddenly isn't to blame it's net zero, just like how the EU used to be blamed. This is Trumpian style politics, the leader going into the street protest, raging against everything he is part of himself. Obvious too that the Tories in opposition will blame Labour for ELM when it collapses farming businesses.

Sunak joined in the protest, along with Andrew RT Davies the Welsh Conservatives leader, telling those assembled with their tractors that they had been “treated as Labour’s laboratory”. Speaking to Wyn Jones, he said the new subsidies scheme was “absolutely not right, the impact it will have on your jobs, your livelihoods, your incomes and food production around the country. It’s simply wrong.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ng-protest

[Hal Jordan]

Net zero is the new EU, a convenient Aunt Sally to hang any and all ills upon, and is easy fodder to stir up people.

Unlike Brexit, climate change is going to prison shame everyone whether or not we "believe" in it, but just like Brexit, arseholes everywhere will use Net Zero to grift and climb the greasy pole.

[I like neeps]

Truss is literally an ambition machine. She's changed her political stripes to whatever she thinks can get her ahead to the point where she started as a leftist anti-monarchist and has now ended up gorging on wingnuttery like a porn star throating the pizza delivery boy

She also has no other career open to her considering she's a total joke figure. No business is going to pay her for an opinion as other PMs do after office. Being a paid shill by US lobbyists speaking to the Daily Telegraph and empty conference rooms has all she has.

[shaggy]

Net zero is the new EU, a convenient Aunt Sally to hang any and all ills upon, and is easy fodder to stir up people.

Unlike Brexit, climate change is going to prison shame everyone whether or not we "believe" in it, but just like Brexit, arseholes everywhere will use Net Zero to grift and climb the greasy pole.

Would be nice to see honesty from all sides on this topic. It is going to be expensive for all of us, we cannot dodge that, and expecting the transition to zero carbon to not create additional taxes is fanciful. All whilst many see the UK as a small emitter it is a very hard sell when you see coal mines still being built.

[C69]

MCB and a number of former Tory Ministers and MPs pressing for an investigation into the Tory Party over its racism and extremist Islamophobia.
Hopefully the EHRC take this seriously.
Dowden was a disgrace on LK this morning. I think his inability to call out racism and hate speech was a disgrace. Of a Labour MP had used such language as Braverman and Anderson then the coverage would be ten fold and the outrage from the Press absolute.
There seems to be a Taxonomy of acceptable racism towards certain groups.

[dpedin]

MCB and a number of former Tory Ministers and MPs pressing for an investigation into the Tory Party over its racism and extremist Islamophobia.
Hopefully the EHRC take this seriously.
Dowden was a disgrace on LK this morning. I think his inability to call out racism and hate speech was a disgrace. Of a Labour MP had used such language as Braverman and Anderson then the coverage would be ten fold and the outrage from the Press absolute.
There seems to be a Taxonomy of acceptable racism towards certain groups.

Sunak, Dowden, et al al tying themselves in knots tying to avoid repeating or using the word 'islamophobia' - absolutely hilarious but also very sad. Apparently words are important but they won't repeat what those words are. Apparently a lot of Tory MPs are 'sympathetic' to the views expressed by 30p and are angry he has had the whip taken away. Their true colors are beginning to shine through - you would probably struggle to get a rizla paper between the Tories - Reform - EDL now! More importantly Sunakl will now have to defend why he appointed 30p, known to have slightly dodgy views, to Co Chair of the party plus the 'words' of Braverman, Truss, et al. The Tories seem to have inherited the Labour Party death wish and are self immolating in font of our eyes ... again.

[SaintK]

MCB and a number of former Tory Ministers and MPs pressing for an investigation into the Tory Party over its racism and extremist Islamophobia.
Hopefully the EHRC take this seriously.
Dowden was a disgrace on LK this morning. I think his inability to call out racism and hate speech was a disgrace. Of a Labour MP had used such language as Braverman and Anderson then the coverage would be ten fold and the outrage from the Press absolute.
There seems to be a Taxonomy of acceptable racism towards certain groups.

Sunak, Dowden, et al al tying themselves in knots tying to avoid repeating or using the word 'islamophobia' - absolutely hilarious but also very sad. Apparently words are important but they won't repeat what those words are. Apparently a lot of Tory MPs are 'sympathetic' to the views expressed by 30p and are angry he has had the whip taken away. Their true colors are beginning to shine through - you would probably struggle to get a rizla paper between the Tories - Reform - EDL now! More importantly Sunakl will now have to defend why he appointed 30p, known to have slightly dodgy views, to Co Chair of the party plus the 'words' of Braverman, Truss, et al. The Tories seem to have inherited the Labour Party death wish and are self immolating in font of our eyes ... again.

Don't forget some of 30p's other friends

[salanya]

Tory MP just said on BBC politics show that she'd have Lee Anderson back if he apologises.

If it takes 3 days to apologise, perhaps it's not very sincere...

Then she has a go about Labour in Rochdale, where Labour did act. Pretty dense.

[_Os_]

MCB and a number of former Tory Ministers and MPs pressing for an investigation into the Tory Party over its racism and extremist Islamophobia.
Hopefully the EHRC take this seriously.
Dowden was a disgrace on LK this morning. I think his inability to call out racism and hate speech was a disgrace. Of a Labour MP had used such language as Braverman and Anderson then the coverage would be ten fold and the outrage from the Press absolute.
There seems to be a Taxonomy of acceptable racism towards certain groups.

Sunak, Dowden, et al al tying themselves in knots tying to avoid repeating or using the word 'islamophobia' - absolutely hilarious but also very sad. Apparently words are important but they won't repeat what those words are. Apparently a lot of Tory MPs are 'sympathetic' to the views expressed by 30p and are angry he has had the whip taken away. Their true colors are beginning to shine through - you would probably struggle to get a rizla paper between the Tories - Reform - EDL now! More importantly Sunakl will now have to defend why he appointed 30p, known to have slightly dodgy views, to Co Chair of the party plus the 'words' of Braverman, Truss, et al. The Tories seem to have inherited the Labour Party death wish and are self immolating in font of our eyes ... again.

They should avoid campaigning on immigration, the issue exposes them as extreme and weak at the same time, which is an accurate summary they should be avoiding. Anything to do with Muslims (Israel-Palestine, Islamophobia), risks quickly becoming an immigration issue once the far right get their claws in, they would be better off avoiding that too. Lots of their supporters/members/reps do not understand this and seem intent on banging on about immigration until election day, even as their poll numbers nose dive.

The remaining Tory "moderates" (not really moderate) like Sunak and Cameron, know Truss/Braverman/Patel/Rees-Mogg/Farage and the rest want to destroy the Tory party and replace it with something far right. It's more advanced than anything the far left managed in Labour. In the past Sunak would've defeated the far right by giving the Tory base something (more for pensioners, more NIMBYism) combined with tax cuts, then using the election win to assert control. Basically the UK's growth is shovelled into consumption by the Tory base, to keep the Tories in power. But now there's no growth and nothing to bribe anyone with. The austerity of "moderates" like Cameron is coming back to bite them, it was supposed to cut debt and grow the economy, it did the opposite. The failure of their austerity economic model is linked to their radicalisation.

The evidence of the last time the Tories were in opposition, is that they lose all moderation become more populist and move to the right. They're only moderated by controlling the economy.

[dpedin]

Anderson refusing to back down and keeps digging his own hole on GBabiesNews, although he has slightly changed what he is saying now. This is beginning to look like a concerted effort to challenge the Head Boys position and leadership.It also looks like Anderson is going to Reform and is holding on to try and mess the waters for Sunak and to try and drag a few more of his right wing, racist MP headbangers with him. My suspicion is he is being funded by Marshal/Legatum and Tice to kick up a stink for the Tories. I wouldnt be surprised to find out Truss and Braverman are also benefitting from their funding too. The Squatter should have acted quickly and decisively at the weekend and just got rid of Anderson and also declare that Islamophobia is not tolerated in his party - by trying to placate the right wing in his party and excuse his words he has basically given them the nod to continue with their divisive behaviours. Sinking ship full of shits!

[SaintK]

Tieing themselves in knots. Probably best to call it what it is rather than this embarrassing shitshow!

this morning on LBC Michael Tomlinson, the illegal immigration minister, was cut off after repeatedly refusing to answer this question.

Tomlinson was being interviewed by Nick Ferrari who started by asking why Anderson had to have the whip suspended. Because what he said was wrong, Tomlinson replied. Ferrari repeatedly asked why Anderson’s comment was wrong, and Tomlinson just kept replying: “What he said was wrong.”

Ferrari then tried a different tack, and asked if the comment was Islamphobic. But he did not have any more joy with that either, because Tomlinson just replied: “What he said was wrong.”

After two more times, and getting the same answer again, an exasperated Ferrari, who said he was “normally a very polite man”, told listeners:

I have to curtail the interview. I’m grateful for your time but enough already. Michael Tomlinson is a minister of state for illegal migration unable to answer a question.

[_Os_]

Tory MP Paul Scully is now claiming there's no go areas of London and Birmingham and Muslims are to blame. There was a Tory MP on Sky News this morning saying this was wrong and he had lived in Tower Hamlets.

These people are seriously going to spend at least a week in an election year occupied with anti-Muslim fear. Anyone who agrees with them will ask how they allowed it and why they have no solution beyond "this must be addressed". Can't see "we're extreme but also weak and useless" firing up many voters. They keep doing this because they're convinced there's a silent Tory majority they need to agree with and can win their votes without taking any action agreeing is enough, very silent when Labour have a 20+ point polling lead. In the 2019 GE 25% of Muslims voted Tory (now polling in the single digits) and 20% of racial minorities voted Tory (I've seen no recent polling). Keep this up and they're going to spend years in opposition explaining how they're not some variety of bigot just to be electorally viable, 20% of the UK is not white and even without immigration this will increase to 30%, I can't see "don't worry we're only Islamophobic" convincing many people.

My suspicion is their rivers of blood speech on a weekly basis strategy, is doing huge electoral damage to them long term. It's probably handing Labour a 20% head start for a generation.

“The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/f ... and-london

[tabascoboy]

Tory MP Paul Scully is now claiming there's no go areas of London and Birmingham and Muslims are to blame. There was a Tory MP on Sky News this morning saying this was wrong and he had lived in Tower Hamlets.

These people are seriously going to spend at least a week in an election year occupied with anti-Muslim fear. Anyone who agrees with them will ask how they allowed it and why they have no solution beyond "this must be addressed". Can't see "we're extreme but also weak and useless" firing up many voters. They keep doing this because they're convinced there's a silent Tory majority they need to agree with and can win their votes without taking any action agreeing is enough, very silent when Labour have a 20+ point polling lead. In the 2019 GE 25% of Muslims voted Tory (now polling in the single digits) and 20% of racial minorities voted Tory (I've seen no recent polling). Keep this up and they're going to spend years in opposition explaining how they're not some variety of bigot just to be electorally viable, 20% of the UK is not white and even without immigration this will increase to 30%, I can't see "don't worry we're only Islamophobic" convincing many people.

My suspicion is their rivers of blood speech on a weekly basis strategy, is doing huge electoral damage to them long term. It's probably handing Labour a 20% head start for a generation.

“The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/f ... and-london

Godwin's Law is getting ever harder to avoid in discussion now. Find and focus upon a distinct group of people as the problem - the increasing tendency here and now is to broaden a genuine issue ( minority of violent extremists ) and conflate it with a larger group - (even those Tory voters) connected only by their religion. I'm sure it will work out really well for them...

[Tichtheid]

Tory MP Paul Scully is now claiming there's no go areas of London and Birmingham and Muslims are to blame. There was a Tory MP on Sky News this morning saying this was wrong and he had lived in Tower Hamlets.

These people are seriously going to spend at least a week in an election year occupied with anti-Muslim fear. Anyone who agrees with them will ask how they allowed it and why they have no solution beyond "this must be addressed". Can't see "we're extreme but also weak and useless" firing up many voters. They keep doing this because they're convinced there's a silent Tory majority they need to agree with and can win their votes without taking any action agreeing is enough, very silent when Labour have a 20+ point polling lead. In the 2019 GE 25% of Muslims voted Tory (now polling in the single digits) and 20% of racial minorities voted Tory (I've seen no recent polling). Keep this up and they're going to spend years in opposition explaining how they're not some variety of bigot just to be electorally viable, 20% of the UK is not white and even without immigration this will increase to 30%, I can't see "don't worry we're only Islamophobic" convincing many people.

My suspicion is their rivers of blood speech on a weekly basis strategy, is doing huge electoral damage to them long term. It's probably handing Labour a 20% head start for a generation.

“The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/f ... and-london

My daughter has lived in Tower Hamlets for several years, there are problems there but is down to drugs and poverty.

I saw that the Tory mouth piece the Telegraph are pushing this agenda, saying there is a backlash in the Red Wall seats against the "ousting" of Anderson

[Raggs]

Which one is the satirical comedian, which is the tory MP.

[SaintK]

Tory MP Paul Scully is now claiming there's no go areas of London and Birmingham and Muslims are to blame. There was a Tory MP on Sky News this morning saying this was wrong and he had lived in Tower Hamlets.

These people are seriously going to spend at least a week in an election year occupied with anti-Muslim fear. Anyone who agrees with them will ask how they allowed it and why they have no solution beyond "this must be addressed". Can't see "we're extreme but also weak and useless" firing up many voters. They keep doing this because they're convinced there's a silent Tory majority they need to agree with and can win their votes without taking any action agreeing is enough, very silent when Labour have a 20+ point polling lead. In the 2019 GE 25% of Muslims voted Tory (now polling in the single digits) and 20% of racial minorities voted Tory (I've seen no recent polling). Keep this up and they're going to spend years in opposition explaining how they're not some variety of bigot just to be electorally viable, 20% of the UK is not white and even without immigration this will increase to 30%, I can't see "don't worry we're only Islamophobic" convincing many people.

My suspicion is their rivers of blood speech on a weekly basis strategy, is doing huge electoral damage to them long term. It's probably handing Labour a 20% head start for a generation.

“The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/f ... and-london

They really are all getting caught up in it.
Scully is usually half sensible and reasonable in his utterances. But not this time!!!!

[fishfoodie]

Tory MP Paul Scully is now claiming there's no go areas of London and Birmingham and Muslims are to blame. There was a Tory MP on Sky News this morning saying this was wrong and he had lived in Tower Hamlets.

These people are seriously going to spend at least a week in an election year occupied with anti-Muslim fear. Anyone who agrees with them will ask how they allowed it and why they have no solution beyond "this must be addressed". Can't see "we're extreme but also weak and useless" firing up many voters. They keep doing this because they're convinced there's a silent Tory majority they need to agree with and can win their votes without taking any action agreeing is enough, very silent when Labour have a 20+ point polling lead. In the 2019 GE 25% of Muslims voted Tory (now polling in the single digits) and 20% of racial minorities voted Tory (I've seen no recent polling). Keep this up and they're going to spend years in opposition explaining how they're not some variety of bigot just to be electorally viable, 20% of the UK is not white and even without immigration this will increase to 30%, I can't see "don't worry we're only Islamophobic" convincing many people.

My suspicion is their rivers of blood speech on a weekly basis strategy, is doing huge electoral damage to them long term. It's probably handing Labour a 20% head start for a generation.

“The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/f ... and-london

They really are all getting caught up in it.
Scully is usually half sensible and reasonable in his utterances. But not this time!!!!

He's now done a half-arses retraction, so at least they're getting better at the time it takes them to reverse ferret.

There still remains the deafening silence around the comments from Truss & Braverman, & how they get to be bigots on an International stage, & get away with it.

Sunak is the least able Politician I think I've ever seen; he isn't fit to run a village council.

[tabascoboy]

He's now done a half-arses retraction, so at least they're getting better at the time it takes them to reverse ferret.

There still remains the deafening silence around the comments from Truss & Braverman, & how they get to be bigots on an International stage, & get away with it.

Sunak is the least able Politician I think I've ever seen; he isn't fit to run a village council.

Braverman probably gets away with it because (in their eyes) she wasn't attacking an individual as Anderson clearly did - and we know they even then took their sweet time before the groundswell of public opinion to shift their stance on that one. Firstly it was only about a lack of an apology when pressed before they cottoned on to how dubious that sounded.

[_Os_]

I'm sure it will work out really well for them...

I saw that the Tory mouth piece the Telegraph are pushing this agenda, saying there is a backlash in the Red Wall seats against the "ousting" of Anderson

They really are all getting caught up in it.

It looks like they're running a dual campaign. All their paid targeted ads have Sunak mostly focused on tax cuts and the economy and "don't trust Labour". In the media there's a collection of MPs doing something entirely different, hard to tell how orchestrated it is, but the core group are opposed to Sunak. Tories generally see value in Anderson being the manservant that does the dirty work, it has been revealed he was going to get a £10k raise for his party job before he quit over Rwanda, they value his contributions.

If we read them as two separate campaigns. One official and run by Sunak from Downing Street which has all the funding, and the other the rantings of morons who are either MPs given airtime or right wing owned media. Then it seems the idea of a "silent Tory majority" and "Red Wall voters" are getting them into some trouble, which the official campaign probably understands but the moron campaign does not. Polling is quite accurate, there's no basis for thinking there's a Tory majority. The Red Wall voting thing is a bit more interesting, it originally meant constituencies in the North of England which are more strongly Labour than their demographics (education, employment, age, race, religion, etc) suggest, that difference doesn't exist now. Red Wall voter in the popular imagination has become basically a white/racist/working class/North of England, which isn't how it was originally used by pollsters, Anderson has been described on the BBC as "the Red Wall made flesh".

Possible a moron Tory MP who isn't interested in polls and doesn't have a team of campaign nerds advising them, and isn't interested in listening to Sunak because they want to replace him, could decide "to win this we have to get the silent Tory voters, which means Red Wall voters, which means racists, to agree with what we're saying".

The "silent majority" stuff is even coming from the more moderate Tories. Random Tory backbenchers saying Labour/Starmer are unpopular and a landslide is impossible, Tory journos like Andrew Neil saying similar. Polling and byelections show this is delusional. But these people are in the same bubble as Braverman/Jenrick/Anderson/Truss, maybe morons hear this and believe it, then decide racism/bigotry/whatever is the answer.

[_Os_]

There still remains the deafening silence around the comments from Truss & Braverman, & how they get to be bigots on an International stage, & get away with it.

Sunak is the least able Politician I think I've ever seen; he isn't fit to run a village council.

Sunak has lost control. Every day in an election year matters. A week long news cycle is 2%-5% of the entire media time. If he had control this mess wouldn't be their message. Instead last night Braverman was banging on about "hate marches" and intimates Anderson's suspension was hysteria.

If this is what the Tory election campaign looks like they're heading to really shit result. Starmer will likely bring it up at PMQs, another day where it's in the news, tick tock.

We need to urgently focus now on the big problem: how to tackle Islamist extremism in the UK.
The hysteria in response to those calling out the crisis is one of the reasons why we’re not making progress.
Language does matter but it’s time for resolute government action: 1/2
1. Fixing Prevent as Sir William Shawcross recommends. I started this work. It needs to be completed.
2. ⁠Passing a law that empowers ministers to take action against hateful marches
3. ⁠Properly holding the Police to account so they uphold the law without fear or favour. 2/2

[_Os_]

A random Tory councillor has phoned the James O'Brien show and accused Dawn Butler of anti-Semitism without any evidence (I'm sure it's a coincidence he accused a well known black female Labour politician). When O'Brien pointed out there needed to be evidence and lawyers are listening, he accused Diane Abbott without evidence (again I'm sure it's a coincidence he accused a well known black female politician), didn't seem to know Abbott lost the whip for this. He then accused O'Brien himself of having "contempt for Jews" without evidence.

A moron election campaign.

EDIT:
Turns out the random Tory councillor has form, very similar attacks were made against a Labour candidate (who is Jewish) in his council. Sounds like a thug.
https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news ... hertsmere/

[_Os_]

Looks like Butler is taking the Tory councillor from Borehamwood to court. More news generated entirely of the Tory's own making which isn't helping them.

This is car crash viewing, hard to look away.

[salanya]

It always had its issues, but PMQs is really becoming unwatchable.

A lot of shouting, slights and accusations, but no accountability and definitely no answers.

What is the point of it....

[tabascoboy]

It always had its issues, but PMQs is really becoming unwatchable.

A lot of shouting, slights and accusations, but no accountability and definitely no answers.

What is the point of it....

And Hoyle apparently to chastened by the shenanigans of the last week to do anything today, as if a hidden someone's meaningfully pointing secateurs at his groin and looks like he's given up totally.

[Sandstorm]

It always had its issues, but PMQs is really becoming unwatchable.

A lot of shouting, slights and accusations, but no accountability and definitely no answers.

What is the point of it....

Agreed. I watched today and in the first 25 minutes the House asked about 24 different questions! Rushi just read out some platitudes about "We are looking into that ans doing a good job on HS2..." every time. Totally stupid forum these days.

[SaintK]

It always had its issues, but PMQs is really becoming unwatchable.

A lot of shouting, slights and accusations, but no accountability and definitely no answers.

What is the point of it....

it was dreadful

[SaintK]

Which group of loonies actually advise the Head Boy on what message to deliver?

[sturginho]

It's quite astonishing how bad he is at politics

[tabascoboy]

A chastening warning about a possible fate for the NHS if the nutjobs get their way and sell it off to American interests ( as has been mooted by certain Tories). Could we be completely certain that any sell-off would be stringently regulated and protected against outcomes like this?

When private equity destroys your hospital

Writing for The American Prospect, Maureen Tcacik details a national scandal: the collapse of PE-backed hospital chain Steward Health, a company that bought and looted hospitals up and down the country, starving them of everything from heart valves to prescription paper, ripping off suppliers, doctors and nurses, and callously exposing patients to deadly risk

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/28/5000 ... rnel-house

[tabascoboy]

Michael Gove investigated by Commons standards watchdog

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has been placed under investigation by Parliament's standards watchdog. The probe relates to Mr Gove's register of financial interests, according to the Standards Commissioner's website. There are no further details about the investigation, with these kept confidential until it concludes.

However, last week the Guardian reported Mr Gove had failed to register VIP hospitality at a football match with Conservative donor David Meller. In August 2021, he was entertained at a Queens Park Rangers match with the businessman, according to the newspaper. Mr Meller's company, Meller Designs, was awarded six contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitiser worth £164m after a referral from Mr Gove, who was then Cabinet Office minister, in 2020.

The standards commissioner is not thought to be investigating the contracts, just whether he registered the hospitality correctly.

A spokesperson for Mr Gove told The Guardian he "apologises for any oversight".

"He has written to the relevant parliamentary authorities to inform them of a potential omission from the register of members' financial interests regarding two complimentary tickets he received from Queens Park Rangers Football Club to a match in August 2021," the spokesperson said.

Under the MPs' code of conduct, they must register gifts, benefits and hospitality over the value of £300. Individuals under investigation are not allowed to discuss the allegations against them. Asked about the probe in an interview with BBC Radio 2, Mr Gove said he was "bursting to say more about it" but was not able to because of Commons rules. While he declined to comment on the standards commissioner's investigation, he said all PPE contracts were awarded by civil servants "against an objective set of criteria".

"No minister was involved in awarding PPE contracts," he added.

Meanwhile, the commissioner has also opened an investigation into independent MP Andrew Bridgen. It means seven MPs are currently under investigation.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the House of Commons Code of Conduct and registers of interests.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68435262

[SaintK]

Salting the earth prior to losing the election! Utter cunts the lot of them!

[C69]

Salting the earth prior to losing the election! Utter cunts the lot of them!

lol. lets be fair its great politics.

[fishfoodie]

Well at least the Head boy's missus will be paying tax for the first time in her life.

There are plenty of other fat cats that can be put on diets; I think the charitable status of all those public schools should be going bye-bye for a start. If Eton is going to inflict the scrots on the Country they do, they can't expect the taxpayer to subsidize them.

I think there should be a bounty for Civil servants who recoup money looted in the Great PPE ripoff.

[I like neeps]

Well at least the Head boy's missus will be paying tax for the first time in her life.

There are plenty of other fat cats that can be put on diets; I think the charitable status of all those public schools should be going bye-bye for a start. If Eton is going to inflict the scrots on the Country they do, they can't expect the taxpayer to subsidize them.

I think there should be a bounty for Civil servants who recoup money looted in the Great PPE ripoff.

Not for long, they'll be in San Fran next year anyway.

Also, this is why the "can't let the Tories steal your policies" schtick is dumb. They'll get no poll bounce from this, they can't say you're fiscally incompetent as they're copying your policies . And you just say "we're glad the Tories are preparing for a labour government by enacting our policies" in a hauty retort on the Sunday morning politics shows.

[C69]

I suspect Reform will beat the Tories in Rochdale.
It would be hilarious