The UK Politics & Brexit Thread

[DSM10000]

Don't forget beard trimming.

Plus imolation of ear hair!

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Plus imolation of ear hair!

Obviously I won't suggest that anyone's asking chaps if they'd also "like something for the weekend?"

Which has a different meaning these days.

 

[DSM10000]

Obviously I won't suggest that anyone's asking chaps if they'd also "like something for the weekend?"

Which has a different meaning these days.

Colombian marching powder?

 

[John N]

Unfortunately,, Starmer's working on this.

Give Sir Keir Starmer KC a couple of years and we'll have transformed the employment situation, altered the economy, and tightened the employment taxes, bringing the UK Economy back down to the level of Italy and Greece.

And in doing so, not only will Labour have solved the illegal migration issue, but also they'll have decreased legal migration from the EU, China and the Rest of the World

They may not have built many homes - Labour usually doesn't - but with outward migration at record levels, it should become easier to buy a home again.

FTFY!

 

[st13phil]

"I am not particularly impressed by what I have seen of the workings of the inquiry so far, and I cannot share the warm words that I have heard earlier today. The inquiry’s conduct so far seems to have lacked something, both in seriousness and in real intellectual curiosity about the pandemic."

I think this comment from Lord Frost in the House yesterday after the publication of the first interim report of the ongoing Covid-19 Inquiry is worth a read as it pretty accurately sums up much that is wrong about such inquiries (imo, of course):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2024-09-03/debates/42A05971-118A-4877-A8ED-7D1AEC54F5F2/Covid-19Inquiry#contribution-B1D6ED44-77BD-444E-B145-C7C8952BDDD5

Please don't turn this into a re-hash of the interminable debates around the response to the pandemic at the time as that will undoubtedly get this thread closed. Instead, please keep any comment and or debate to the narrow topic of the effectiveness (or otherwise) of such Public Inquiries.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Colombian marching powder?

Other cash based transactions are also possible.

 

[st13phil]

"It is one of the most widely-repeated ideas in political analysis that elections are won from the centre. It isn’t really true, but it isn’t a silly idea and it’s interesting to understand why so many people believe it and the reasons it’s wrong." Good article explaining the origin of the idea and why it's (nearly always) wrong for one of the UK's main political parties:

It isn’t true that elections are always won from the centre

Last week, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt argued that the Tories shouldn’t pitch to the right in response to Nigel Farage and Reform, because ‘elections are always won from the centre ground.’ It is one of the most widely-repeated ideas in political analysis that elections are won from the centre...

www.spectator.co.uk

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

"It is one of the most widely-repeated ideas in political analysis that elections are won from the centre. It isn’t really true, but it isn’t a silly idea and it’s interesting to understand why so many people believe it and the reasons it’s wrong." Good article explaining the origin of the idea and why it's (nearly always) wrong for one of the UK's main political parties:

It isn’t true that elections are always won from the centre

Last week, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt argued that the Tories shouldn’t pitch to the right in response to Nigel Farage and Reform, because ‘elections are always won from the centre ground.’ It is one of the most widely-repeated ideas in political analysis that elections are won from the centre...

www.spectator.co.uk

He wanders around the reasons for the argument and then jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Elections ARE won from the centre

BUT politics is never two dimernsionally right-left.

See Brexit push back against a Federal Europe.

See Nationalism and the global resentment of increased migration and the "dilution" of national character. It's independent of Right Left.

There are times (1979) when union disputes have caused chaos and financial loss for everyone, including traditional left wing voters.

See Collective bargaining: bus drivers, nurses and doctors think one party will give them more money. Doctors tend to be "right wing," but two doctors trousering £180k a year between them know that they'll get more moneyfrom Labour than from the Tories, even though they admit that Labour can't organise an upgrade of Our Hopeless NHS.

The Military vote also matters. At the right time Macmillan, Thatcher and Blair all benefited from the support because of military support. (Count the men, their spouses, and all the allied industries. Invent a good foreign war and voters will support the incumbent party.

Regions. Ignore the North, the Scots and the South West, and a Government will get kicked out, nothing to do with Right Left.

And good looking leaders matter. Sorry, Gordon and Rishi, but you were outgunned by Blair and Farage. We all know that voter who admits that "she" voted for Blair, Farage, Obama, or Macron. (Seriously Priti Patel: you didn't really think you were a plausible leader, did you?)

 

[GrahamT]

Conservative leadership contest round 1

Patel goes in the first round .

Jenrick: 28
Badenoch: 22
Cleverly: 21
Tugendhat: 17
Stride: 16
Patel: 14

Either of the top two and it's a shoo in for a Starmer second term .

 

[Tonye]

Who are ya

 

[Tonye]

Can't really see a second term, especially now, and after what's coming in October.

 

[John N]

Can't really see a second term, especially now, and after what's coming in October.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

With a 400 seat majority, a strong economy, and a junior membership application to the EU, we’re looking at 14 years of KS and the Sunshine Band.

Cleverley or Badenoch as new leader? After the migration election? I will eat my hat.

 

[AMGeed]

Either of the top two and it's a shoo in for a Starmer second term .

Corbyn and Rayner are waiting for the right moment, and Starmer will be unemployed.
They, and the unions will be running the Labour party, not U Turn Kia.
Starmer wont see the end of his first term such is his ineffectiveness

 

[AMGeed]

With a 400 seat majority, a strong economy, and a junior membership application to the EU, we’re looking at 14 years of KS and the Sunshine Band.

Cleverley or Badenoch as new leader? After the migration election? I will eat my hat.

The economy was strong before Flip flop took over.
I'll hold off on seeing if it continues or bursts.
As for 14 more years of Labour, no way if the last 6 weeks are anything to go by.
I'm waiting for Labour to implode. It's going to happen.
There's a lot of dissent in the party over the Winter fuel allowance being withdrawn. Not enough to lose next Tuesday's vote, but enough to send a message not all of Labour are happy.

 

[Darrell]

There's a lot of dissent in the party over the Winter fuel allowance being withdrawn. Not enough to lose next Tuesday's vote, but enough to send a message not all of Labour are happy.

Aren’t they trying to pull back on that with the raise in pensions?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Corbyn and Rayner are waiting for the right moment, and Starmer will be unemployed.
They, and the unions will be running the Labour party, not U Turn Kia.
Starmer wont see the end of his first term such is his ineffectiveness

Do you really think the 400 will slide in behind Angela?

 

[AMGeed]

Aren’t they trying to pull back on that with the raise in pensions?

The raise in pensions is a given already with the triple lock .
All it means is the pensioner will only be around £100 +/- better off after the fuel discount removal, before the 10% rise in gas/electricity in October.
So even with the annual triple lock guarantee, most will be worse off unless they can claim an additional benefit like pension credit.
I wonder what else this crappy government has in store for us in the October budget!
(A rise in fuel duty?)
( Pay per mile costing more than the annual road fund licence?)
(Another Labour raid on pension funds?)
(Raising the pension age to 68 earlier?)
(Stealing the profit you make on selling a house raising the % of CGT?)
(Lowering the rate on which you pay CGT?)
(Raising the % rate of IHT?)

They'd steal the bus passes and free prescriptions for over 65's if possible too.
Rotten to the core!

 

[GrahamT]

The raise in pensions is a given already with the triple lock .
All it means is the pensioner will only be around £100 +/- better off after the fuel discount removal, before the 10% rise in gas/electricity in October.
So even with the annual triple lock guarantee, most will be worse off unless they can claim an additional benefit like pension credit.
I wonder what else this crappy government has in store for us in the October budget!
(A rise in fuel duty?)
( Pay per mile costing more than the annual road fund licence?)
(Another Labour raid on pension funds?)
(Raising the pension age to 68 earlier?)
(Stealing the profit you make on selling a house raising the % of CGT?)
(Lowering the rate on which you pay CGT?)
(Raising the % rate of IHT?)

They'd steal the bus passes and free prescriptions for over 65's if possible too.
Rotten to the core!

More Tory hypocricy .

 

[mattc]

More Tory hypocricy .

View attachment 160752

Depends what qualifies as "rich" surely.... Rather than just shaft them all like Labour.