Stop voting for fucking Tories

[Paddington Bear]

Good a place as any to mention today's by-election in Batley. Looks like the Tories will take it fairly comfortably, not least because Galloway has hived off Muslim voters from Labour in the seat. Suspect this will be the starting gun for another Labour civil war over direction, personality and Palestine. Boris really is the definition of a lucky general.

[JM2K6]

Good a place as any to mention today's by-election in Batley. Looks like the Tories will take it fairly comfortably, not least because Galloway has hived off Muslim voters from Labour in the seat. Suspect this will be the starting gun for another Labour civil war over direction, personality and Palestine. Boris really is the definition of a lucky general.

Somewhat burying the lede there - it's been a disgraceful affair by both Galloway and the Tories. Dog-whistle fuckheads.

[Insane_Homer]

The trouble with unelected bureaucrats

[Paddington Bear]

Good a place as any to mention today's by-election in Batley. Looks like the Tories will take it fairly comfortably, not least because Galloway has hived off Muslim voters from Labour in the seat. Suspect this will be the starting gun for another Labour civil war over direction, personality and Palestine. Boris really is the definition of a lucky general.

Somewhat burying the lede there - it's been a disgraceful affair by both Galloway and the Tories. Dog-whistle fuckheads.

No doubt with Galloway - must say I haven't followed the Tory campaign at all, what have they been doing?
Labour's poster with Boris and Modi would certainly fall into the dog-whistle category as well.

[JM2K6]

Good a place as any to mention today's by-election in Batley. Looks like the Tories will take it fairly comfortably, not least because Galloway has hived off Muslim voters from Labour in the seat. Suspect this will be the starting gun for another Labour civil war over direction, personality and Palestine. Boris really is the definition of a lucky general.

Somewhat burying the lede there - it's been a disgraceful affair by both Galloway and the Tories. Dog-whistle fuckheads.

No doubt with Galloway - must say I haven't followed the Tory campaign at all, what have they been doing?
Labour's poster with Boris and Modi would certainly fall into the dog-whistle category as well.

Actually, that's my bad - I had confused something else here. The Tories can't be easily linked to anything that's been happening.

Think the Boris and Modi leaflet isn't particularly bad - tying him to nationalist arseholes like Modi, Orban, etc makes the point pretty well. Literally inventing stuff and putting out fake Labour leaflets like Galloway, and egging on the abuse of Jo Cox's sister... well...

There's a fair few far right types trying to stir up trouble there too, people like Jayda Fransen & Anne Marie Waters.

The Tory boy will win largely because of the vaccine rollout.

[Paddington Bear]

Somewhat burying the lede there - it's been a disgraceful affair by both Galloway and the Tories. Dog-whistle fuckheads.

No doubt with Galloway - must say I haven't followed the Tory campaign at all, what have they been doing?
Labour's poster with Boris and Modi would certainly fall into the dog-whistle category as well.

Actually, that's my bad - I had confused something else here. The Tories can't be easily linked to anything that's been happening.

Think the Boris and Modi leaflet isn't particularly bad - tying him to nationalist arseholes like Modi, Orban, etc makes the point pretty well. Literally inventing stuff and putting out fake Labour leaflets like Galloway, and egging on the abuse of Jo Cox's sister... well...

There's a fair few far right types trying to stir up trouble there too, people like Jayda Fransen & Anne Marie Waters.

The Tory boy will win largely because of the vaccine rollout.

It's ugly as hell and Galloway whilst not manufacturing it from scratch has certainly exacerbated it. He's a nasty piece of work but understands hot button issues and has a way with words.

The sheer neck of him to go from a Borders gent wrapped in a Union Jack to this campaign in a month is quite something

[Insane_Homer]

[JM2K6]

Oh yeah, I forgot the Tories were keen on the "vote for us if you want money" approach

[Insane_Homer]

Narrative


Hooked

Good a place as any to mention today's by-election in Batley. Looks like the Tories will take it fairly comfortably, not least because Galloway has hived off Muslim voters from Labour in the seat. Suspect this will be the starting gun for another Labour civil war over direction, personality and Palestine. Boris really is the definition of a lucky general.

Reality

[Margin__Walker]

Fieldwork pre Hancock

[Insane_Homer]

[Insane_Homer]

[Hal Jordan]

Oh yeah, I forgot the Tories were keen on the "vote for us if you want money" approach

No cash for the good folk of Batley and Spen, then.

[SaintK]

Proper Tory levelling up in education then?

Government promises to level-up funding in education have resulted in money being shifted away from schools in the most disadvantaged areas and invested in pupils in more prosperous areas of England, according to the official parliamentary spending watchdog.

A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found average per-pupil funding in the most deprived fifth of schools fell in real terms by 1.2% between 2017-18 and 2020-21, while it increased by 2.9% in the least deprived fifth.

It follows the implementation of the government’s new national funding formula in 2018-19 which introduced a minimum level of per pupil funding across England, triggering increased payments to schools in wealthier areas of the country with traditionally lower funding levels and leaving schools in cities with high levels of deprivation worse off.

[Insane_Homer]

No cash for the good folk of Batley and Spen, then.

The "vote for us, we promise we'll maybe stop fucking you over as much", didn't work?

[JM2K6]

Galloway going nuts over it.

[Insane_Homer]

Galloway going nuts over it.

Not so keen now, here he states he'll eat his hat if Labour didn't come 3rd. Somehow I don't think he'll be upholding it.

[Paddington Bear]

Fieldwork pre Hancock

Yup, suspect that this got people staying at home. Remarkable cut through as an issue, have heard it mentioned in all sorts of places.

[I like neeps]

Fieldwork pre Hancock

Yup, suspect that this got people staying at home. Remarkable cut through as an issue, have heard it mentioned in all sorts of places.

I think also Batley and Spen has distinct local factors to this by election with a large number of Muslim voters and an anti George Galloway vote going to labour. Always dangerous in by elections with so much going on to know what's national and what's local. Labour still lost a lot of votes - national trend continues or going to Galloway? In a vote with under half the possible voters participating I think it's almost impossible to satisfy every narrative and really understand it in a neat and meaningful way.

Would've been interesting to see Hartlepool after Hancock. I don't think it'll have much impact as the Cummings lockdown breaches didn't really damage the Tories too much.

[JM2K6]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

[Tichtheid]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

There was a claim on this morning's news that there was a defection from Tory to Labour because of the fear of Galloway winning. It sounds reasonable, to be fair.

edit, Neeps already said that, soz.

[SaintK]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

There was a claim on this morning's news that there was a defection from Tory to Labour because of the fear of Galloway winning. It sounds reasonable, to be fair.

edit, Neeps already said that, soz.

There appears to have been a "Hancock" effect according to thge Tories.

Public anger at Matt Hancock’s breach of social distancing rules with an aide with whom he had started an affair was a factor in the Conservative party’s “disappointing” failure to win the Batley and Spen byelection, the party’s co-chair has conceded.

Amanda Milling was speaking on the morning after Kim Leadbeater took the seat for Labour after she received 13,296 votes, a majority of 323 over the Tory candidate, Ryan Stephenson.

“It was something that came up on the doorstep, I have to be honest about that,” Milling told Sky News after being asked if public anger at the former health secretary’s behaviour had cost the party votes.

[tc27]

I think the salient point is the hard left and Galloway both lost - its pretty much an undiluted good result.

[Lobby]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

Turnout was just over 47.6%, so it appears lots of people were put off voting for anyone by the antics of all the parties. Interesting as well that the Green Party candidate had to pull out before the election because of old tweets. It’s possible that this is what saved the seat for Labour.

[Lobby]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

There was a claim on this morning's news that there was a defection from Tory to Labour because of the fear of Galloway winning. It sounds reasonable, to be fair.

edit, Neeps already said that, soz.

Given that the polling suggested a Tory win, I think it’s a very doubtful claim. If Tories wanted to keep Galway out, the best option for them to do so would be to vote Tory.

Some Tories may have switched to Galloway because he was also pushing hard on Brexit and being anti-trans and other ‘culture war’ issues, but I suspect quite a few simply stayed at home because of the Hancock debacle.

[Lobby]

It’s being rumoured that Galloway may be planning to run in London next, if Labour MP Apsana Begum is convicted of housing fraud later this month. If she is convicted, her Poplar & Limehouse seat will then be up for grabs.

If he does stand, he will likely lose again, but not before he has poisoned the debate in yet another election.

[Insane_Homer]

She's very short.

[tabascoboy]

It’s being rumoured that Galloway may be planning to run in London next, if Labour MP Apsana Begum is convicted of housing fraud later this month. If she is convicted, her Poplar & Limehouse seat will then be up for grabs.

If he does stand, he will likely lose again, but not before he has poisoned the debate in yet another election.

I don't know which is worse, him actually winning a seat or continuing to poison the well by standing in every by-election ad infinitum

[Hal Jordan]

Needs to keep the grift going, following the example of his buddies Farage and Bannon.

[JM2K6]

You can see where the vote splits though. Tories didn't make any gains. Galloway's insanity did, and it looks like the vast majority of it was former Labour voters.

Just amazing to see these arseholes continue to damage democracy for their own reward

There was a claim on this morning's news that there was a defection from Tory to Labour because of the fear of Galloway winning. It sounds reasonable, to be fair.

edit, Neeps already said that, soz.

It doesn't appear to be reflected in the numbers. Labour saw a big drop, Galloway a big rise, Tories a small drop. As mentioned it seems the Tory voters were more likely to just not vote than to vote Labour.

[SaintK]

Who'd have thought it

The solicitor appointed by Boris Johnson to run an independent inquiry into the Greensill lobbying scandal is a former Conservative party member who stood as a council candidate, the Guardian can reveal.
Nigel Boardman, whose appointment prompted concerns that he may be perceived as being too close to the Tories and the government, tried to become a councillor for the party in Islington, London, in 1986.
The disclosure, after weeks of government denials that Boardman is too close to the Tories to conduct an inquiry into conflicts of interest, has prompted calls for the inquiry to be abandoned.

[Tichtheid]

I think the salient point is the hard left and Galloway both lost - its pretty much an undiluted good result.

The Tories lost and the far right in the form of English Democrats lost heavily, that is a good result.

[SaintK]

[SaintK]

Confirmation of what's been circulating around Wesstminster for months now.

The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, and the journalist Sarah Vine have announced their separation after 20 years of marriage and are in the process of getting divorced.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the couple said they remained “close friends” and would continue supporting their two children, but wanted privacy and would not be commenting further.

Blimey, she reminds me of a Russian shot-putter from the 70's

[Wyndham Upalot]

I thought it was a picture of Gove with a make-over Freddie Starr

[tabascoboy]

No great liking for Michael Portillo, but boy he nails it here

[SaintK]

No great liking for Michael Portillo, but boy he nails it here

He does indeed. She's an absolute bitch
I sincerely hope the other rumours are true

[Hal Jordan]

Confirmation of what's been circulating around Wesstminster for months now.

The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, and the journalist Sarah Vine have announced their separation after 20 years of marriage and are in the process of getting divorced.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the couple said they remained “close friends” and would continue supporting their two children, but wanted privacy and would not be commenting further.

Blimey, she reminds me of a Russian shot-putter from the 70's

Do not under any circumstances imagine their sex faces or you yourself will never want to have sex again for fear of closing your eyes during the act and seeing them.

[sturginho]

No great liking for Michael Portillo, but boy he nails it here

He does indeed. She's an absolute bitch
I sincerely hope the other rumours are true

Which rumours?

[sturginho]

Confirmation of what's been circulating around Wesstminster for months now.

The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, and the journalist Sarah Vine have announced their separation after 20 years of marriage and are in the process of getting divorced.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the couple said they remained “close friends” and would continue supporting their two children, but wanted privacy and would not be commenting further.

Blimey, she reminds me of a Russian shot-putter from the 70's

Do not under any circumstances imagine their sex faces or you yourself will never want to have sex again for fear of closing your eyes during the act and seeing them.

One for the wank bank later