NPR

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 11:09 am

dpedin wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 10:38 am There is no such thing as a 'supermajority' in the UK, we only have majorities, and it is just the desperate Tories flaying around looking for anything they can throw at Labour! If there was such a thing then surely that is exactly what Johnson had with his c80 seat majority last time around and he managed to piss that against the wall in extra quick time! All this crap about giving Starmer a blank cheque is just scare mongering from the last remnants of a decaying Tory Party - Project Fear.

Tories now in middle of a tightening pincer movement - Reform on far right and Labour from the middle. They have lost both the racist, Brexit supporting, right wing numbnuts to Farage and the more moderate, middle/middle right, middle England, middle income conservatives with a small c to Labour. No-one apart from the hard core 'Ive always voted Tory and won't change' have deserted them and they alone are no where near enough to rescue the Head Boy from oblivion.

Farage and his right wing backers have played a blinder and completely disabled the Tory Party. This is Farage's last chance to achieve what he wants, to take over the remnants of the right wing of the Tory Party and create a right wing UK version of the populist Republican Party here in the UK. His big money US based backers are going all in on this one.

Reform will win a few seats but that isn't really their long term aim, its just a foothold for what they really want, which is to take over the remains of the Tory Party and become the main opposition and fight the next election as such. Key to this is Farage winning his seat and becoming an MP, at the 8th time. They fully expect the Tory Party as we know it will crumble after their defeat and a number of remaining right wing Tory MPs will defect to Reform to create a 'new' Party with Farage at its head. All the other parties need to align and vote to keep Farage out, even Labour supporters should vote Tory!!!!

So much good sense....until the last sentence.

I know - I gulped when I typed it but keeping Farage out of the HoC is the single most important thing in the Clacton election and for the country as a whole. If he gets in then a number of other Tory MPs will coalesce around him once the Tory Party implodes and Reform will grow their voice and create a lot of hassle supported by their right wing mates who own the press. If he fails to get elected then he is off to the US with his tail between his scrawny legs and as quickly as he can book a flight. I honestly believe it is that important, the folk in Clacton must vote for whoever will beat him even if it is a Tory twat.

dpedin wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 1:33 pmI honestly believe it is that important, the folk in Clacton must vote for whoever will beat him even if it is a Tory twat.

100%

https://x.com/JonathanPieNews/status/18 ... d7J5A&s=19

Nail. Head.

epwc wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:20 pm

dpedin wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 1:33 pmI honestly believe it is that important, the folk in Clacton must vote for whoever will beat him even if it is a Tory twat.

100%

To add my mother in law (life long labour supporter) hates Keir Starmer so much she's considering voting Reform, the mind boggles.

I like neeps wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 9:52 am The Red Wall the obvious realignment. The Tory red wall voters are the ones who have switched to Reform. Older, brexiteer, and an asset owner. The Tories captured them to get Brexit done and not being Corbyn. Labour isn't going to win them back either.

Where it becomes nonsense, is when they start acting as if there's a broad realignment and everyone that voted Tory in 2019 wants a government that is interventionist both in the economy and socially to the point of being authoritarian. Quite a lot of those who talked about "realignment" are polite fascists, they had an expensive education and they're aware enough to be clever about how they say things. They even used the term "social nationalists" for a bit (I wonder why they declined to use "national socialists"). All they did was slot the 2019 election result into how they saw politics anyway. It has been a disaster for the Tories, hence the polling.

The reality is the Tories added 300k votes in 2019 compared to 2017. Not much at all. In 2019 the Lib Dems had the strongest growth in terms of votes but didn't convert it into seats, they added 1.4m votes. Lib Dem/Tory swing voters that had been backing the Tories were angry enough with Brexit to start voting against the Tories. In terms of votes Tory 2019 losses were only just covered by the gains, and those gains came from those they conned on the unicorns and sunlit uplands. 2019 actually gave the Tories a huge problem of two constituencies without much shared common interest between them. The danger for them was voters in the South of England would become alienated from them and voters in the North of England would decide they had not done enough for them. The big problem for the Tories is the larger group of voters in the South of England they've lost to the Lib Dems and even directly to Labour, they cannot win again without those voters. They've made a massive mistake focusing on the smaller group of voters interested in Reform.

Reform and the return of Farage are an outcome of the Tories banging on about immigration, because of the "realignment" they think exists. They don't understand immigration is about the structure of the economy, that's why they've failed to cut net migration numbers. It's really easy for them to be outbid by any party to their right offering basically more Rwanda Schemes that cannot work. Those who were convinced by the Rwanda Scheme couldn't be told it wouldn't work, they had to see it fail, then they quietly forget they supported it and back the next chocolate teapot. Easy pickings for Farage. No matter how authoritarian the Tories have been it has made no difference to immigration, they've implemented every policy demanded by Farage: hostile environment/Brexit/Australian points based immigration system/Rwanda Scheme.

Labour has a shot with any older voter if the Tories are collapsing the NHS, which like the economy is higher up the priority list than immigration. Oh ...

I know it's only a facebook poll, but the community facebook group for me (well, I guess it's 2 constituencies now) had over 500 votes, with reform leading around 46% to labours 34%. Christ I hope that doesn't happen.

Tories were polling around 3-4% if I recall correctly. That doesn't surprise me.

Since Reform have been seen as just a nuisance protest party, have the plans on their manifesto been subject to the same kind of financial scrutiny for budgetary balance as the Tories and Labour? Can't see how tax cuts for everyone is supposedly going to be funded, unless complete defunding and sell off of the NHS and slashing public spending/benefits to a minimum is part of the "plan" (and I use the term loosely).

Since it's hard to argue with their support on the dog whistle aspects of their existence, seems like the best counter is to attack them on their airy-fairy economics and the mythical "growth" that's supposed to happen and like Brexit lead us to a land of milk and honey. Should the predicted merger of Reform and the rightmost reaches of the Tory party happen, best to start getting some hefty punches in first I'd have thought. While on the one hand the Tories haemorrhage support day-by-day is good for Labour the apparent submission of the more centrist Tories is hard to fathom.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:50 pm Since Reform have been seen as just a nuisance protest party, have the plans on their manifesto been subject to the same kind of financial scrutiny for budgetary balance as the Tories and Labour? Can't see how tax cuts for everyone is supposedly going to be funded, unless complete defunding and sell off of the NHS and slashing public spending/benefits to a minimum is part of the "plan" (and I use the term loosely).

Since it's hard to argue with their support on the dog whistle aspects of their existence, seems like the best counter is to attack them on their airy-fairy economics and the mythical "growth" that's supposed to happen and like Brexit lead us to a land of milk and honey. Should the predicted merger of Reform and the rightmost reaches of the Tory party happen, best to start getting some hefty punches in first I'd have thought. While on the one hand the Tories haemorrhage support day-by-day is good for Labour the apparent submission of the more centrist Tories is hard to fathom.

Just been looking at that actually. They've lined up about £140bn of spending over the 5 years, they're going to get most of it by cuts etc. Dropping net zero and subsidies to energy companies, getting 1m+ people back into work somehow, slashing gov departments, quangos etc for a cool £50bn...

https://www.reformparty.uk/funding-of-reform-uk-plans

Saving £5bn on transport and utilities apparently. And saving £5bn on immigration somehow or another. And stopping bank interest on QE reserves for a big chunk. With very little clue of finance, that strikes me as the sort of thing that someone would have already done if it wasn't a dreadful idea?

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:50 pm Since Reform have been seen as just a nuisance protest party, have the plans on their manifesto been subject to the same kind of financial scrutiny for budgetary balance as the Tories and Labour? Can't see how tax cuts for everyone is supposedly going to be funded, unless complete defunding and sell off of the NHS and slashing public spending/benefits to a minimum is part of the "plan" (and I use the term loosely).

Since it's hard to argue with their support on the dog whistle aspects of their existence, seems like the best counter is to attack them on their airy-fairy economics and the mythical "growth" that's supposed to happen and like Brexit lead us to a land of milk and honey. Should the predicted merger of Reform and the rightmost reaches of the Tory party happen, best to start getting some hefty punches in first I'd have thought. While on the one hand the Tories haemorrhage support day-by-day is good for Labour the apparent submission of the more centrist Tories is hard to fathom.

They're irrational so cannot be reasoned with. Good news is it's max about 20%-30% of the UK electorate and probably more like 10%-20%. Bad news is a link up with the Tories adds the Tory tribal voters to that % which brings it back into the 20%-30% range. To be competitive in a general election 35% is needed, they would be in striking distance.

PM Farage would be a bigger disaster than we've yet seen. Truss economics with Big Dog populism. He's wrong on everything, and hops from one populist position to another on everything he's wrong about (at one time or another he advocated for every different Brexit outcome). Will not work as PM.

_Os_ wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 5:13 pm

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:50 pm Since Reform have been seen as just a nuisance protest party, have the plans on their manifesto been subject to the same kind of financial scrutiny for budgetary balance as the Tories and Labour? Can't see how tax cuts for everyone is supposedly going to be funded, unless complete defunding and sell off of the NHS and slashing public spending/benefits to a minimum is part of the "plan" (and I use the term loosely).

Since it's hard to argue with their support on the dog whistle aspects of their existence, seems like the best counter is to attack them on their airy-fairy economics and the mythical "growth" that's supposed to happen and like Brexit lead us to a land of milk and honey. Should the predicted merger of Reform and the rightmost reaches of the Tory party happen, best to start getting some hefty punches in first I'd have thought. While on the one hand the Tories haemorrhage support day-by-day is good for Labour the apparent submission of the more centrist Tories is hard to fathom.

They're irrational so cannot be reasoned with. Good news is it's max about 20%-30% of the UK electorate and probably more like 10%-20%. Bad news is a link up with the Tories adds the Tory tribal voters to that % which brings it back into the 20%-30% range. To be competitive in a general election 35% is needed, they would be in striking distance.

PM Farage would be a bigger disaster than we've yet seen. Truss economics with Big Dog populism. He's wrong on everything, and hops from one populist position to another on everything he's wrong about (at one time or another he advocated for every different Brexit outcome). Will not work as PM.

While they can't (or at least shouldn't) win more than a handful of seats if the Tories get their act together, for me the danger is more of a post election Reform in all but name Tory opposition party since 2024 - 2029 is going to be a a major headache for whoever is in charge and just made for a Populist upsurge to take advantage.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 5:21 pm

_Os_ wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 5:13 pm

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:50 pm Since Reform have been seen as just a nuisance protest party, have the plans on their manifesto been subject to the same kind of financial scrutiny for budgetary balance as the Tories and Labour? Can't see how tax cuts for everyone is supposedly going to be funded, unless complete defunding and sell off of the NHS and slashing public spending/benefits to a minimum is part of the "plan" (and I use the term loosely).

Since it's hard to argue with their support on the dog whistle aspects of their existence, seems like the best counter is to attack them on their airy-fairy economics and the mythical "growth" that's supposed to happen and like Brexit lead us to a land of milk and honey. Should the predicted merger of Reform and the rightmost reaches of the Tory party happen, best to start getting some hefty punches in first I'd have thought. While on the one hand the Tories haemorrhage support day-by-day is good for Labour the apparent submission of the more centrist Tories is hard to fathom.

They're irrational so cannot be reasoned with. Good news is it's max about 20%-30% of the UK electorate and probably more like 10%-20%. Bad news is a link up with the Tories adds the Tory tribal voters to that % which brings it back into the 20%-30% range. To be competitive in a general election 35% is needed, they would be in striking distance.

PM Farage would be a bigger disaster than we've yet seen. Truss economics with Big Dog populism. He's wrong on everything, and hops from one populist position to another on everything he's wrong about (at one time or another he advocated for every different Brexit outcome). Will not work as PM.

While they can't (or at least shouldn't) win more than a handful of seats if the Tories get their act together, for me the danger is more of a post election Reform in all but name Tory opposition party since 2024 - 2029 is going to be a a major headache for whoever is in charge and just made for a Populist upsurge to take advantage.

The big mitigating factor is that there'll be a Labour government voted in by different people that voted in the Tories. The government sets the agenda, hard to underestimate how much the debate could change if Labour want it to. The Tories lent heavily into immigration and it has cost them, because that brings Farage in. If Labour decides to be about more concrete issues it'll be harder for the likes of Farage, he can't claim to be a better technocrat like he can offer a better Brexit or bigger Rwanda Scheme or some other unquantifiable.

They would need Labour to not just fail, but be bad at politics too. That's the only way they can win enough of the centre from the loony right.

Looks more likely a technocratic Labour just makes enough things a little bit better and that's enough to last for multiple terms because expectations are that low. Things under discussion like water quality, aren't typical in a developed country, limited improvements may be enough.

TB63 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 4:21 pm https://x.com/JonathanPieNews/status/18 ... d7J5A&s=19

Nail. Head.

For those like me, who don't like blind links to that festering pus hole of Elon's, there's a youtube clip...

Have we all had the CCHQ letter from Rishi telling us how great he and the Tories are and how Labour will ruin us? Well that's me convinced

Jesus H Christ.
The survation data is dire for the Tories.
Reform and tactical voting see them with less than 75 MPs


I call bullshit

Just been to an area I know fairly well. Upper middle class/upper class, used to be Lib Dem/Tory but has moved towards Labour over the years. About every fifth house had a Labour garden stake or poster in the window or both. Never seen anything like it in the UK before, you could almost smell the desperation in the air to get rid of the Tories, all reserve about public political displays abandoned.

Didn't they used to call this kind of doom-mongering "Project Fear"?

Meanwhile, in an article for the Telegraph, former Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick says he "shares the frustrations" of traditional Tory voters defecting to Reform UK, but warns that a vote for Nigel Farage's party would lead to a Labour "elective dictatorship".

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:39 am Didn't they used to call this kind of doom-mongering "Project Fear"?

Meanwhile, in an article for the Telegraph, former Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick says he "shares the frustrations" of traditional Tory voters defecting to Reform UK, but warns that a vote for Nigel Farage's party would lead to a Labour "elective dictatorship".

Yet when Boris had a big majority, it was recognition that the Tories had a mandate to push on.
Lol

[quote=_Os_ post_id=357324 time=1718386490
The big mitigating factor is that there'll be a Labour government voted in by different people that voted in the Tories. The government sets the agenda, hard to underestimate how much the debate could change if Labour want it to. The Tories lent heavily into immigration and it has cost them, because that brings Farage in. If Labour decides to be about more concrete issues it'll be harder for the likes of Farage, he can't claim to be a better technocrat like he can offer a better Brexit or bigger Rwanda Scheme or some other unquantifiable.

They would need Labour to not just fail, but be bad at politics too. That's the only way they can win enough of the centre from the loony right.

Looks more likely a technocratic Labour just makes enough things a little bit better and that's enough to last for multiple terms because expectations are that low. Things under discussion like water quality, aren't typical in a developed country, limited improvements may be enough.
[/quote]

I'm sorry Os but it's fantastical to assume that when Labour win a super majority the Farage's of this world and the media who make a story of every thing he does will pick up their ball and go on. Immigration weaponisation will continue - aided and abbeted by Sir Keir taking tough.

And expectations being low but things getting worse and anger being high doesn't make for a continued run in government. Expectations being high and things getting better - that does.

Nadine Dorris has just said that the Tories’’ polling is down to voters’ anger at the party getting rid of Johnson

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:10 am Nadine Dorris has just said that the Tories’’ polling is down to voters’ anger at the party getting rid of Johnson

Deluded bint

Can Johnson put Party and Country before self for just one time in his life and just shag her so she shuts up, please?

Is it a job requirement in the UK, to be a cretin, to be fisherman ?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

In 2019, a flotilla of boats set sail from a Cornish fishing port campaigning for Brexit and "taking back control" of British waters. Four years after the agreement was ratified, fishermen in Devon and Cornwall feel they have been let down and say they have lost trust in politicians ahead of the general election.

There is a mini frenzy in the skies as a trawler unloads its catch on the quayside in Newlyn.

But it is fair to say the same does not extend to fishermen when asked about the election.

"I don’t think it matters who I vote for - they're all lying," said fisherman Dave Toy.

He said it was not what he voted for and as a result he did not see any point in voting in the general election.

Dave obviously has conveniently forgotten that all the major Parties recommended Remain !, & that only the frog faced cunt, was promising them nirvana !

Fisherman Graham Nicholas said life post-Brexit had been difficult.

He said he was angry with the Conservatives but he did not believe any of the major parties would provide the help needed by the industry.

"We were stitched up by the Conservatives [but] I don't think Labour would have done any better for us," he said.

"The main two parties I haven't got any time for at all."

Again Graham is missing the fact that Labour weren't in Government, & had no control over the negotiations, or just how hard a Brexit was planned.

And finally.

Fish exporter Ian Perkes, in Brixham, Devon, said he voted for Brexit but was not told of the changes it would involve.

He said his business had suffered due to the extra costs incurred by paperwork needed to export fish to the EU.

Speaking of the Leave campaign's pledges, he said: "Well we’ve obviously realised now that they didn’t have a clue.

"I’m giving Boris Johnson the benefit of the doubt – I’m assuming he wasn't aware of all these costs, of all the complications, which have got no better.

"They’ve actually got worse because the costs have gone up."

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 10:26 am Is it a job requirement in the UK, to be a cretin, to be fisherman ?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

In 2019, a flotilla of boats set sail from a Cornish fishing port campaigning for Brexit and "taking back control" of British waters. Four years after the agreement was ratified, fishermen in Devon and Cornwall feel they have been let down and say they have lost trust in politicians ahead of the general election.

There is a mini frenzy in the skies as a trawler unloads its catch on the quayside in Newlyn.

But it is fair to say the same does not extend to fishermen when asked about the election.

"I don’t think it matters who I vote for - they're all lying," said fisherman Dave Toy.

He said it was not what he voted for and as a result he did not see any point in voting in the general election.

Dave obviously has conveniently forgotten that all the major Parties recommended Remain !, & that only the frog faced cunt, was promising them nirvana !

Fisherman Graham Nicholas said life post-Brexit had been difficult.

He said he was angry with the Conservatives but he did not believe any of the major parties would provide the help needed by the industry.

"We were stitched up by the Conservatives [but] I don't think Labour would have done any better for us," he said.

"The main two parties I haven't got any time for at all."

Again Graham is missing the fact that Labour weren't in Government, & had no control over the negotiations, or just how hard a Brexit was planned.

And finally.

Fish exporter Ian Perkes, in Brixham, Devon, said he voted for Brexit but was not told of the changes it would involve.

He said his business had suffered due to the extra costs incurred by paperwork needed to export fish to the EU.

Speaking of the Leave campaign's pledges, he said: "Well we’ve obviously realised now that they didn’t have a clue.

"I’m giving Boris Johnson the benefit of the doubt – I’m assuming he wasn't aware of all these costs, of all the complications, which have got no better.

"They’ve actually got worse because the costs have gone up."

The most difficult thing for these deluded twats is admitting they were lied to and they were stupid enough to listen to all the Brexit shite! Instead they try and rationalize away their own stupidity by blaming others, making excuses or saying it would have been the same result no matter who was involved. Cognitive dissonance means these folk cant see the facts and figures and reason with others, going deeper and deeper into the wormhole is easier and stops them having to confront their own stupidity. They are egged on by the likes of Farage, Hannah et al who say the Tories let them down and didnt implement a 'proper Brexit' and those bastard Europeans fecked them over, whatever the feck that means. Unfortunately a sizable chunk of Brexit supporters will never admit they were duped and will adopt positions like those expressed above and even deny themselves the right to correct their own mistakes by exercising their democratic right and voting.

Or to put it another way - Never play chess with a pigeon!

C69 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 9:01 am

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:10 am Nadine Dorris has just said that the Tories’’ polling is down to voters’ anger at the party getting rid of Johnson

Deluded bint

There is probably a fair bit in that

Yes its obvious that Johnson plus 'Get Brexit done' stitched together a coalition that's no available to Sunak or any other Tory leader.

The problem is this electoral coalition is much weaker now (middle class voters much more likely to vote Labour as it is not being lead by a tankie fruitcake). Secondly I think Johnson would be as much trouble as Sunak over immigration so Reform would still be a thing.

But Johnsons nature always made it invetible his goverment would blow up in his face.

You don’t have to love Boris to see he has excellent political instincts. He would not have made half the blunders that Sunak has

Slick wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 11:27 am

C69 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 9:01 am

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:10 am Nadine Dorris has just said that the Tories’’ polling is down to voters’ anger at the party getting rid of Johnson

Deluded bint

There is probably a fair bit in that

I agree, Dorris is indeed deluded.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 5:04 pm You don’t have to love Boris to see he has excellent political instincts. He would not have made half the blunders that Sunak has

I fear you may be confusing his ability to charm with bullshit & being an effective campaigner, with the ability to be an effective politician. His ignominious reigns as foreign secretary and as pm show his massive limitations and his complete inability to do the job properly. Let's not forget how he was mired in controversy after controversy, most of it entirely self inflicted, just like Sunak.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:38 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 5:04 pm You don’t have to love Boris to see he has excellent political instincts. He would not have made half the blunders that Sunak has

I fear you may be confusing his ability to charm with bullshit & being an effective campaigner, with the ability to be an effective politician. His ignominious reigns as foreign secretary and as pm show his massive limitations and his complete inability to do the job properly. Let's not forget how he was mired in controversy after controversy, most of it entirely self inflicted, just like Sunak.

I haven’t at all - which is why I was talking about how he’d probably be running a better election campaign than Sunak rather than saying he’d have been doing a better job as PM

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 7:21 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:38 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 5:04 pm You don’t have to love Boris to see he has excellent political instincts. He would not have made half the blunders that Sunak has

I fear you may be confusing his ability to charm with bullshit & being an effective campaigner, with the ability to be an effective politician. His ignominious reigns as foreign secretary and as pm show his massive limitations and his complete inability to do the job properly. Let's not forget how he was mired in controversy after controversy, most of it entirely self inflicted, just like Sunak.

I haven’t at all - which is why I was talking about how he’d probably be running a better election campaign than Sunak rather than saying he’d have been doing a better job as PM

We're a very, very long away from the last campaign !

His personal polling is only slightly better than the Head Boy & Truss; & that's just because no-one has mentioned Party-Gate in the last year. If he set out on the campaign trail, the gloves would come off, & he'd be getting egged more that the other fucker.

Johnson's too fucking lazy in any case. He's spoofed his way to being Prime Minister, he'll now slide in an alcoholic life of talking head speech circuit skirt chasing with as little effort as possible.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:59 pm Johnson's too fucking lazy in any case. He's spoofed his way to being Prime Minister, he'll now slide in an alcoholic life of talking head speech circuit skirt chasing with as little effort as possible.

Nice retirement if you ask me.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 10:00 pm

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:59 pm Johnson's too fucking lazy in any case. He's spoofed his way to being Prime Minister, he'll now slide in an alcoholic life of talking head speech circuit skirt chasing with as little effort as possible.

Nice retirement if you ask me.

Still has the commissions for a couple of books in his back pocket, & hasn't written them !

.. at what point does someone call these what they were; BRIBES !!!

Another wrong 'un from the "party that speaks for the people" revealed...vetting clearly an alien concept for them

Reform UK candidate resigns over 'unacceptable' blog posts

Reform UK’s parliamentary candidate in Kemi Badenoch’s constituency has resigned from the party after it emerged he previously urged people to vote for the BNP. Grant StClair-Armstrong, who is standing in North West Essex, also used a blog to post jokes using racial slurs and made a joke about “female hormones”, according to the Times. He told BBC News he had “never supported the BNP” and “bitterly” regretted the comments.

Mr StClair-Armstrong will still appear on the ballot paper as the Reform UK candidate because the deadline for nominations has passed. But if he is elected he would stand as an independent.

The Times reported that, in 2010, the candidate had written: “I could weep now, every time I pick up a British newspaper and read the latest about the state of the UK. No doubt, Enoch Powell would be doing the same if he was alive. My solution … vote BNP!”

Mr StClair-Armstrong told BBC News he posted the comment some time between 2004 and 2007 and he was an “angry man” at the time.

“I have never supported the BNP. I think they are a disgusting organisation,” he said.

Asked whether he had chosen to resign, he said the party had forced him to.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have stepped down. I would have let the people decide,” he said.

According to the Times, on a blog he called the “Joli Triste” Mr StClair-Armstrong wrote about the Scottish politician, Kenny MacAskill, wishing serious illness on them.

On the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, he wrote: “The simple solution is to extradite Blair ... [and] the odious Alistair Campbell to a country that routinely indulges in torture and execution”.

Speaking on Sunday, he said: “I bitterly regret all of those comments made many years ago and I am just sorry that some people deemed it necessary to hunt for them when I am not the person I was then.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he did not find Mr StClair-Armstrong's acceptable, but stressed he "was never a member of the BNP".

Mr Farage said the party had put a process in place for vetting candidates, but the calling of a snap election had cut this short.

A spokesperson for Reform UK said: “Mr St Clair-Armstrong has tendered his resignation as a member of Reform UK due to the revelation of unacceptable historic social media comments and we have accepted his resignation.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw880334dgyo

Cannot see how Labour are possibly going to be able to keep all of their promises on tax. Seems doubtful they’ll last a year in government without breaking at least one big one

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:34 am Cannot see how Labour are possibly going to be able to keep all of their promises on tax. Seems doubtful they’ll last a year in government without breaking at least one big one

True, especially if we do get a bit more ambition in their plans.

But then again, how is any party/government going to improve healthcare, education, transport, the environment and economic growth without increasing taxes in some ways?

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:21 am Another wrong 'un from the "party that speaks for the people" revealed...vetting clearly an alien concept for them

Tbf, even if they were inclined to do so, which I suspect they're not, Reform are barely a party and certainly don't have the resources to actually vet the number of candidates required in the time available since the election was called.

At the outset Tice was saying they would need and welcome the media's help in doing the vetting for them, which is a somewhat cunning way of getting out ahead of the fact that you have some unelectably nasty pieces of shit standing.

He told BBC News he had “never supported the BNP”

My solution … vote BNP!

Looks like he was just misunderstood...

salanya wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:44 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:34 am Cannot see how Labour are possibly going to be able to keep all of their promises on tax. Seems doubtful they’ll last a year in government without breaking at least one big one

True, especially if we do get a bit more ambition in their plans.

But then again, how is any party/government going to improve healthcare, education, transport, the environment and economic growth without increasing taxes in some ways?

I thought that they were not going to increase taxes on VAT, income taxand CGT on primary residences.
Still loads of scope.
Err possibly

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:34 am Cannot see how Labour are possibly going to be able to keep all of their promises on tax. Seems doubtful they’ll last a year in government without breaking at least one big one

Where are the austerity savings?
Record tax burden and continued borrowing. The continued raping of public services has done nothing to dampen either, where the fuck has it all been going?
No money for public services, but magic money tree appears for all the failed inane vanity projects and bullshit promises (40 hospitals anyone? 28/25 or is it 6 new warships and subs from shapps)

There's more than enough considering the record-high tax burden foisted on us by the Tory scum.
A thorough review of the Tory plundering of said coffers for them and their chums, might unearth a few pennies. some £131 billion worth of dodgy wasteful projects, duff deals and crony contracts since 2019
NHS money actually being spent on the NHS and not handed to private companies.
There are Billions to be clawed back from COVID fraud, Dido handouts alone should be interesting.
There are Billions to be clawed back from Tax avoidance by the rich - HMRC no longer turning a blind eye - at least 42 billion!
Change to non-dom + £5 billion
The school will be covered by the posh kids VAT increase windfall.
Canceling a few of those fat cat contracts Rishi's been handing out to his FIL.
Freeports bollix
Levelling up bollix
Rwanda bollix
helicopters and jets

and if they're going to break one, it will be the 25% corp tax which is the lowest of the G7.

Not withstanding, and in keeping with tradition, the lying Tory scum would renege on any and all tax pledges by 6 July, so there's that!