NPR

Lobby wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 11:27 am

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:32 am So that's 3 now, right? 2 candidates and one of Sunak's police protection detail.

Rancid self-interest is at the core of the Tory party.

4 now. The Gambling Commission are also investigating the Tory's director of campaigning Tony Lee, who is married Laura Saunders, the other candidate under investigation. Probably explains why Lee took a leave of absence from the Tory's yesterday.

So that's 2 candidates, the Tory's campaigns director and one of Sunak's police protection officers.

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 12:56 pm Every response to anything he says in tonight's debate should be "I wouldn't bet on it!"

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 12:56 pm Every response to anything he says in tonight's debate should be "I wouldn't bet on it!"

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:57 am I missed this one a couple of days ago. Nice people...but regarding the candidate vetting. Reform paid a Tory donor owned company to vet the candidates and they are now suing that company for not doing so.
So it's not the calibre of candidates they attract but the vetting

A Reform UK candidate tweeted derogatory comments about the IQ of ethnic minorities, it has emerged.

Edward Oakenfull, Reform UK's candidate for Derbyshire Dales, made the offensive posts on X last year, referring to the IQ of sub-Saharan Africans.

The Conservative Party said he posted a "number of Islamophobic and racist comments".

Mr Oakenfull has told the BBC his comments were "taken out of context", adding he has since deleted his X account because it was being used by others to carry out a political "hit job".

The Reform UK website says Mr Oakenfull is a 56-year-old property developer and investor who lives in Denby, near Belper, Derbyshire.

On the website, he said he had "been despairing at how our country has been run for decades and, for the love of my community and country, decided that I needed to make a stand".

He tweeted the comments about sub-Saharan Africans "diluting" the UK's IQ in July last year.

Then in November, he tweeted: "Nothing good will come from importing yet more Muslims", and the following month, said the BBC chairman's ethnicity was "another reason to cancel" the licence fee.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgxxjzn738go

Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate being looked into by the Gambling Commission over an election timing bet, has just released a statement through her solicitor.
She says she's co-operating with the Gambling Commission and also considering legal action against the BBC.
"Ms Saunders will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission and has nothing further to add," the statement says.
"It is inappropriate to conduct any investigation of this kind via the media, and doing so risks jeopardising the work of the Gambling Commission and the integrity of its investigation.
Quote Message
The publication of the BBC's story is premature and is a clear infringement of Ms Saunders' privacy rights. She is considering legal action against the BBC and any other publishers who infringe her privacy rights."

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 6:03 pm For balance Labour's Clacton candidate is going around saying that he's standing for every black and brown person in the UK.

Somehow, I don't think that's a winning strategy in a a 95%+ white constituency that's quite likely to provide Farage with his first parliamentary electoral win. Not that Labour were likely to win there anyway, but surely you want to make as good a showing as possible if you put someone up to stand.

C69 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 8:32 pm Sunak is going to be eviscerated by the public.
Starmer given a tame ride

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 6:21 pm How come the Cop gets arrested & presumably questioned under caution, & all the rest get to pretend like it's all a big misunderstanding ?

Is this just the latest example of the Met being the Tories bitch ?

"The Avatar was now completely out of control. Furious that the only applause was for the audience questions. Furious that there was not more gratitude for him. Furious that no matter how patronising and condescending he became, no one warmed to him or believed a word he said. At one point he was even laughed at....." [John Crace]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... in-friends

“How can we say with certainty that tinned food, car emissions, radio waves, food additives, mercury fillings or any other manmade influence isn’t causing an increase in gender dysphoria?

“Looking in basic biological evolutionary terms, as a rule of thumb, a species normally evolves to reproduce more rather than less. Which in my overly simplified mind would indicate that gender dysphoria is a man-made condition, not an evolutionary one.”

C69 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:01 pm Dear fuck I forgot Fiona Bruce is on QT.
Useless establishment Tory lacky

_Os_ wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 6:07 am STOP THE BETS!

This scandal has potential to get massive. Could be a full on gambling ring. Doesn't even matter if they broke the law now. They're almost literally playing a game with the UK's future, which directly feeds into a general view of them. It looks corrupt, which feeds into another view of them. Lack of ethics, feeds into another view. It's everything rolled into one. But it gets worse ... easy for people to understand in the UK lots of people punt on stuff like the grand national, the small amounts also make it easier to understand.

We now know how the bookies picked it up, the increase in volume was crazy (gambling ring!). Didn't make sense how one guy who wasn't betting much at all could be caught (gambling ring!). The question now is how many people are involved (gambling ring!).

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:23 am
I had a look at the Guido website yesterday for a laugh. He's desperately trying to claim that the Tory betters have done nothing wrong and that the real scandal is Labour lefties at the Gambling Commission trying to interfere in the election.

Raggs wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:31 pm Looks like I'm voting green then. Almost 1000 people took part in a poll to try and find the most likely to beat the Tories, green won 53% of first choice votes (with Labour and lib dem each getting about 20%). After eliminating lib dem, green went to 66% using second choice voting.

Hope it helps!

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:23 am is Labour lefties at the Gambling Commission trying to interfere in the election.

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:34 am

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:23 am
I had a look at the Guido website yesterday for a laugh. He's desperately trying to claim that the Tory betters have done nothing wrong and that the real scandal is Labour lefties at the Gambling Commission trying to interfere in the election.

I went to have a look on that recommendation, however the site demanded that I disable my add blocker in order to read even the front page.

I would for most, but not for that site

_Os_ wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 7:16 am I'm becoming a bit of a fan of Reform loony candidates. Some of the most crazy shit I've ever heard/read. Another one wades in ...

“How can we say with certainty that tinned food, car emissions, radio waves, food additives, mercury fillings or any other manmade influence isn’t causing an increase in gender dysphoria?

“Looking in basic biological evolutionary terms, as a rule of thumb, a species normally evolves to reproduce more rather than less. Which in my overly simplified mind would indicate that gender dysphoria is a man-made condition, not an evolutionary one.”

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 9:15 am

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:34 am

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:23 am
I had a look at the Guido website yesterday for a laugh. He's desperately trying to claim that the Tory betters have done nothing wrong and that the real scandal is Labour lefties at the Gambling Commission trying to interfere in the election.

I went to have a look on that recommendation, however the site demanded that I disable my add blocker in order to read even the front page.

I would for most, but not for that site

To give you an insight into the depth of Guido's analysis:

"It’s curious to note that everyone investigated so far is a Tory or works for a Tory. Do Labour MPs not bet on the election date? For the Gambling Commission to act so politically is high risk for a public body, who are supposed to maintain studious neutrality during election purdah"

He appears to have forgotten that Labour MPs won't have been privy to the date of the election before Sunak announced it, unlike the various NO. 10 insiders now being investigated.

He goes on to try and suggest that its suspicious that one of the Commissioners previously worked for the CPS for a couple of years over 12 years ago when Starmer was its head and that this shows the GC is biased. Even some of his batshit readers aren't swallowing this particular line.

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:14 am

C69 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:01 pm Dear fuck I forgot Fiona Bruce is on QT.
Useless establishment Tory lacky

Torygraph readers are being told this morning, "The BBC has given up any pretence at impartiality"


On another note I had to get a new battery put in my car by the RAC yesterday, I've not done badly with that car, the only money I've spent on the thing in the 16 years I've had it is brake pads, tyres and batteries etc, oh and a new exhaust about five or six years ago.
However, the warranty on the battery was 7 days out after four years. The guy tried to get it through on the guarantee but the system on his laptop was set up in such a way as to make that impossible to do, no discretion.

I don't really have a problem with that but later last night I started thinking about what happens under a private health care insurance scheme for health treatment and how some people might let an insurance payment slip just that one week because of other commitments - "I'll make it up once the new washing machine is paid for". Sod's law dictates that is when you're going to need healthcare.

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:35 am

Raggs wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:31 pm Looks like I'm voting green then. Almost 1000 people took part in a poll to try and find the most likely to beat the Tories, green won 53% of first choice votes (with Labour and lib dem each getting about 20%). After eliminating lib dem, green went to 66% using second choice voting.

Hope it helps!

The Getvoting website includes seat by seat recommendations for tactical voting with the reasons behind them, along with data on how many constituents could vote tactically.

GetVoting.org's recommendations are based on multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) polling. Their recommendations include voting Labour in 370 seats, Lib Dem in 69, Green in three, SNP in seven, Plaid Cymru in two, and to “vote with your heart” in 181.

You can check their recommendations for your constituency here:

https://www.getvoting.org/tactical-voting/

PM suggests curbs on finance or driving licences for 18-year-olds who refuse service during challenging Question Time leaders’ special


Rishi Sunak floats sanctions on young people for refusing national service

Rishi Sunak has indicated that young people might face restrictions on access to finance or driving licences if they refuse to do national service, as he faced a TV quizzing from voters.

Asked during a BBC Question Time special what sanctions people could face for declining to take part in the Conservative policy of compulsory national service for all 18-year-olds, the prime minister pointed to “driving licences, or the access to finance, all sorts of other things”.

Questioned on whether this could mean denying young people bank cards, he replied: “There’s lot of different models around Europe.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... al-service

Raggs wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 10:14 am

Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 8:35 am

Raggs wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:31 pm Looks like I'm voting green then. Almost 1000 people took part in a poll to try and find the most likely to beat the Tories, green won 53% of first choice votes (with Labour and lib dem each getting about 20%). After eliminating lib dem, green went to 66% using second choice voting.

Hope it helps!

The Getvoting website includes seat by seat recommendations for tactical voting with the reasons behind them, along with data on how many constituents could vote tactically.

GetVoting.org's recommendations are based on multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) polling. Their recommendations include voting Labour in 370 seats, Lib Dem in 69, Green in three, SNP in seven, Plaid Cymru in two, and to “vote with your heart” in 181.

You can check their recommendations for your constituency here:

https://www.getvoting.org/tactical-voting/

I realise that their data comes from a proper polling company, but I tend to think that polls lose accuracy one you get to the regions. 42000 surveyed is good for a countrywide judgement, but it breaks down to an average of just 67 voters per constituency. Out of that 20 or so said they'd vote tactically.

The east wight primary vote wouldn't contain any reform or Tory voters, but was almost 1000 people. If those thousand actually follow through with the tactical vote (and I suspect most will), that's a fair old chunk of votes, when there's around 57k voters.

Especially as there's people like me who didn't vote in the poll but will be following the result.

Especially especially when about 51% of the vote is expected to go to Tory or reform.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2024 10:15 am So this is sounding less and less like "giving young people a new opportunity to contribute to society" and more like a punishment for those least likely to be voting Tory.

PM suggests curbs on finance or driving licences for 18-year-olds who refuse service during challenging Question Time leaders’ special


Rishi Sunak floats sanctions on young people for refusing national service

Rishi Sunak has indicated that young people might face restrictions on access to finance or driving licences if they refuse to do national service, as he faced a TV quizzing from voters.

Asked during a BBC Question Time special what sanctions people could face for declining to take part in the Conservative policy of compulsory national service for all 18-year-olds, the prime minister pointed to “driving licences, or the access to finance, all sorts of other things”.

Questioned on whether this could mean denying young people bank cards, he replied: “There’s lot of different models around Europe.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... al-service