The General Politics Thread v2.0 (AKA the "Labour are Cunts" thread)

[Carbomb]

16 minutes ago, The Gaffer said:

The U.S. elected Trump a second time. I'm not sure this weird Wheel of Time style narrative you're putting on British politics is as fated to play out as well as you think it will. 

Biden was a prime example of that kind of cycle, though. He did the usual centrist thing of tinkering round the edges instead of implementing real change.

Most importantly, though, he failed to do anything about Trump, when he could have put that piece of shit away for good. Same with Starmer. Farage may not be as much of a criminal as Trump, but he's frequently gifted governments the means to knacker him, and they haven't taken them. 

[CavemanLynn]

I don't know what REAL CHANGE people expect. The US has an aging Senate and a malleable Supreme Court; the UK has the incumbent House of Lords and centuries of boys' club handshakes. Fundamental system change simply isn't going to happen.

[BomberPat]

I genuinely think the best thing that can be done for the UK is to fix our libel laws, so news organisations and individuals can't be financially or through the courts bullied out of calling a racist a racist.

Beyond that, real change-wise, I think I'll see the House of Lords abolished in my lifetime. I think the tide of public opinion will increasingly turn against the current Israeli government, and that an even nominally left-of-centre government will start pretending that they were always against what they're doing - obviously that's the least worst option, but I'm trying to be realistic on that front - and hopefully increased regulation on foreign donations to political parties and politicians will start to cut back some of the strength and influence of international far-right movements.

I would love to see far more than that. I would love to see more public ownership, more workers' rights, fewer left-wing politicians scared to say the word, "socialism". I'm trying to be realistic. But I do think we can be better, and eventually we will. I don't find doomerism helps.

Edited July 21 by BomberPat

[westlondonmist]

2 hours ago, Chico Torres said:

And that’s why we will keep getting two sides of the same shit coin with indistinguishable Thatcher/Blair clones until we realize the biggest disaster has already happened, we need it to reach its natural conclusion which is Farage as PM in order to finally end this cycle, expose him and move on rather than being stuck in the same interchangeable right wing gimps with Burnham being the latest avatar. The entire paradigm now is a choice between right wing vs hard right, the Blair era needs to end once and for all.

I think you underestimate what a Reform government means and who and what it will effect. The end of workers rights, an end to equality rights. Rights too many of us take for granted and once they are gone, will they ever be back? Reform already have people believe human rights have allowed immigrants to take away their rights, have people stupid enough to believe diversity and inclusivity in the work place are a bad idea. As a disabled person, with a disabled partner, I truly fucking fear them. 

[Carbomb]

34 minutes ago, CavemanLynn said:

I don't know what REAL CHANGE people expect. The US has an aging Senate and a malleable Supreme Court; the UK has the incumbent House of Lords and centuries of boys' club handshakes. Fundamental system change simply isn't going to happen.

And that's why you have people saying that the only thing that will change anything is some form of cataclysm, a storm to rain it all out, so to speak. As I say, I'm not there yet, but that's why I can understand the thinking of people who do.

In the case of the US, Mamdani, for all his faults, is enacting quite a few fundamental changes. Sure, he's got his faults, and he's getting pelters for it from the usual right-wingers, but he's at least having a go.

14 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

I genuinely think the best thing that can be done for the UK is to fix our libel laws, so news organisations and individuals can't be financially or through the courts bullied out of calling a racist a racist.

Beyond that, real change-wise, I think I'll see the House of Lords abolished in my lifetime. I think the tide of public opinion will increasingly turn against the current Israeli government, and that an even nominally left-of-centre government will start pretending that they were always against what they're doing - obviously that's the least worst option, but I'm trying to be realistic on that front - and hopefully increased regulation on foreign donations to political parties and politicians will start to cut back some of the strength and influence of international far-right movements.

I would love to see far more than that. I would love to see more public ownership, more workers' rights, fewer left-wing politicians scared to say the word, "socialism". I'm trying to be realistic. But I do think we can be better, and eventually we will. I don't find doomerism helps.

That's the thing.

I'm not a purist. I don't expect a socialist utopia, not in my lifetime, and, in any case, real change isn't going to come from the government; it's going to come from grassroots activity from people - I firmly believe that.

But I do expect better from a Labour government. Not persecuting immigrants, trans people, and people who protest genocide, and not supplying a genocidal state with arms is a basic, minimum requirement from them. That shouldn't be a high bar to clear. It wouldn't quite be enough to get me voting Labour again, but it wouldn't be far off.

Oh, and shutting down Twitter, and prosecuting Musk. They should do that.

Edited July 21 by Carbomb
Gerry Creaney

[SuperBacon]

4 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

In the case of the US, Mamdani, for all his faults, is enacting quite a few fundamental changes. Sure, he's got his faults, and he's getting pelters for it from the usual right-wingers, but he's at least having a go.

Isn't that a bit easier though where laws differ state by state?

[Carbomb]

1 minute ago, SuperBacon said:

Isn't that a bit easier though where laws differ state by state?

Probably. But I'm not saying Biden should've attempted full communism.

[Chico Torres]

12 minutes ago, westlondonmist said:

I think you underestimate what a Reform government means and who and what it will effect. The end of workers rights, an end to equality rights. Rights too many of us take for granted and once they are gone, will they ever be back? Reform already have people believe human rights have allowed immigrants to take away their rights, have people stupid enough to believe diversity and inclusivity in the work place are a bad idea. As a disabled person, with a disabled partner, I truly fucking fear them. 

I think it’s clear that it’s not what I would want obviously, but it is what has to happen to finally end the 30 year Blair cycle we have been in and will be in and only when we have hit rock bottom that things will actually change, but I do truly believe that has to happen to break the cycle once and for all. Burnham made it clear what his intentions are by keeping Mahmood as Home Secretary and putting a warmonger as chancellor and maintaining or reshuffling the same old cunts in the positions in the cabinet. Call Farages bluff, end the insular mindset and the immigration (“foreigner”) conversation once and for all.

[JNLister]

How the media works: https://bsky.app/profile/legalclaret.bsky.social/post/3mrashnf6ik2b

[Scratch]

Having had a pretty shit week, the last thing I needed was seeing Farage and his entourage going door-to-door when I was driving to Aldi.

However, being able to wind down my window and shout “wanker” at him whilst he was being filmed has totally turned things around.

Edited July 24 by Scratch

[SuperBacon]

Was this Mrs Scratch?

 

[Jazzy G]

I e joyed the video of the old chap schooling the Reform Canvasser on his doorstep. 

 

I don't know what that video is, but it was the first one on the list when I searched it. 

Edited July 25 by Jazzy G

[Chest Rockwell]

That AI thumbnail can fuck off, but the video was great. 

[Onyx2]

On 7/25/2026 at 10:34 AM, Chest Rockwell said:

That AI thumbnail can fuck off, but the video was great. 

You're going to have to get used to these. YouTubers are continually told how important the thumbnail is, and YT now has a button that says 'make a thumbnail out of this video' and it is frighteningly accurate at understanding the topic, creating decent facsimilies of the presenter(s), and making something that fits the current meta. 

Not everyone will use it but the bar has been lowered significantly. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

1 hour ago, Onyx2 said:

You're going to have to get used to these. YouTubers are continually told how important the thumbnail is, and YT now has a button that says 'make a thumbnail out of this video' and it is frighteningly accurate at understanding the topic, creating decent facsimilies of the presenter(s), and making something that fits the current meta. 

Not everyone will use it but the bar has been lowered significantly. 

It will make a difference to me. If the thumbnail is AI slop, I’m not watching no matter how good the video itself is.