General Election 2024

[alanchiz]

3 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Local Reform candidate loves the word Winchester. 

"I'll make sure Winchester people in Winchester are Winchestering all they can in Winchester...Winchester"

Is this him?

[JNLister]

2 hours ago, garynysmon said:

10 days after a fellow Tory Senedd Member loses her cabinet post for dodgy petrol claims - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddjd8p41ko - yet another has been caught down William Hill https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clkkyx9rxzzo. 

Oh yeah, they've also withdrawn support for their candidate in arguably their most winnable seat in Wales. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6pp25ynj05o

 

This one just happens to be Senedd Member for the same area as the MP (Sunak's aide) who kicked this all off. Amazingly this was the third betting scandal of the night, overshadowing a Cabinet member (the Scottish Secretary) admitting they stuck £20 on a July election back in the spring (suggesting they didn't have inside info), which pushed out news coverage of a Labour candidate being suspended when it turned out he'd bet on himself losing the election.

[Jazzy G]

15 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Local Reform candidate loves the word Winchester. 

"I'll make sure Winchester people in Winchester are Winchestering all they can in Winchester...Winchester"

Maybe he's hoping for a pint while it all blows over? 

[Sphinx]

On 6/24/2024 at 8:04 PM, FLips said:

BBC Panorama interview with Adrian Ramsey of the Green Party was quite frankly a disaster from both sides. The party's pie in the sky manifesto was picked apart limb from limb in a lot of good points, especially in regards to it being financially unattainable despite some of it being necessary.
Adrian Ramsey was like a lamb being slaughtered at points.

Nick Robinson though couldn't help himself and for every good argument to be made, he threw a nice slice of scaremongering in. "Rapists are saying they're women and being sent to women's prisons" and "you want it so someone who fancies doing some cocaine or ketamine can just buy it legally".

It was a struggle to be honest as someone who was likely going to vote Green, to have their manifesto essentially outed as being bollocks, their leader give not really any good rebuttals or satisfying answers, and even with the Greens against the ropes still have yet another election host try and billy big bollocks them with stupid fear provoking questions.

I think Nick Robinson came across as someone who's behind the times. Their manifesto might not be perfect, but we need bold moves like the ones proposed and other parties don't come close to the work that needs doing.

It might seem fiscally unviable at the moment, but society and politics needs to move in the direction they've proposed for the sake of life on Earth, and some of the proposals might become more viable when politics, society, and business catches up. If we just believe it can't be done, nothing will ever change and we're fucked.

I'd rather vote a party that falls short when looking to make positive changes to bring equality and making the drastic changes needed to tackle the climate crisis, than vote a party that's going to be business as usual and we're even more fucked down the road. Look at the direction we're heading across the continent.

 

[hallicks]

9 minutes ago, Sphinx said:

I think Nick Robinson came across as someone who's behind the times. Their manifesto might not be perfect, but we need bold moves like the ones proposed and other parties don't come close to the work that needs doing.

It might seem fiscally unviable at the moment, but society and politics needs to move in the direction they've proposed for the sake of life on Earth, and some of the proposals might become more viable when politics, society, and business catches up. If we just believe it can't be done, nothing will ever change and we're fucked.

I'd rather vote a party that falls short when looking to make positive changes to bring equality and making the drastic changes needed to tackle the climate crisis, than vote a party that's going to be business as usual and we're even more fucked down the road. Look at the direction we're heading across the continent.

 

Indeed, when the planets’s burning and it’s just Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg left living in their underground bunkers, nobody’s going to be there, sagely nodding that it was a good job the UK stuck to their fiscal rules. There is no “we can’t afford X.” UK governments can afford whatever they want because of how the currency works. £X billion for furlough? Great. £X million to house all the homeless people during the pandemic? Sure, why not.  Just tack it on. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Whinging at the “cost” of things is right wing economics 101. 

[FLips]

1 hour ago, Sphinx said:

I think Nick Robinson came across as someone who's behind the times. Their manifesto might not be perfect, but we need bold moves like the ones proposed and other parties don't come close to the work that needs doing.

It might seem fiscally unviable at the moment, but society and politics needs to move in the direction they've proposed for the sake of life on Earth, and some of the proposals might become more viable when politics, society, and business catches up. If we just believe it can't be done, nothing will ever change and we're fucked.

I'd rather vote a party that falls short when looking to make positive changes to bring equality and making the drastic changes needed to tackle the climate crisis, than vote a party that's going to be business as usual and we're even more fucked down the road. Look at the direction we're heading across the continent.

 

It’s less about their policies or intentions, I’ve been clear I think in this thread I agree with a lot of the Green Party’s ideals and they’re a possible choice for me at the election. The issue is the leadership should know these big ideas are going to be challenged and have done the research or have answers to the most obvious of questions. The one about scrapping all petrol and diesel cars for example, he had no idea the cost involved and had no answers for “so you’re asking everyone who has spent a fortune on a car to just hand it over for scrap?” in a way that would satisfy anyone with a car.

Similarly the one about legalising drugs he gave no examples of how it works when there are loads now, or showed any confidence it would work.

The Green Party isn’t the issue, but it needs leadership that don’t actually come across like daydreaming students. Carla Denyer is fairly ok but Adrian is a wet blanket.

[JNLister]

My wife got me a present:

[Dead Mike]

2 hours ago, hallicks said:

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Whinging at the “cost” of things is right wing economics 101. 

Is it? Kwasi Kwarteng did precisely this in his 'mini-budget' with the intention of unfunded tax cuts. The markets responded accordingly and it ended up shafting people royally. 

It's fine for fringe parties like the Greens & Reform to announce policies like this as they know they'll never have to enact them or face the consequences. 

Edited June 26 by Dead Mike

[hallicks]

48 minutes ago, Dead Mike said:

Is it? Kwasi Kwarteng did precisely this in his 'mini-budget' with the intention of unfunded tax cuts. The markets responded accordingly and it ended up shafting people royally. 

In terms of how right wingers respond when you suggest nationalising infrastructure, or working faster towards net zero, yes it is. 

51 minutes ago, Dead Mike said:

It's fine for fringe parties like the Greens & Reform to announce policies like this as they know they'll never have to enact them or face the consequences. 

Yes, we should just put the grown ups in charge, I was being silly. 

[Chest Rockwell]

There is a massive dishonesty in the way the discussion with fringe parties is approached and how they position themselves that opens them up to that line of discussion.

Why does anyone pretend that it's at all relevant to discuss what they would do if they swept in with a majority next week? What's the point in a manifesto that makes any assumptions based on that being at all possible? 

They don't need detailed and costed policies on everything and shouldn't waste their time pretending they do. They need:

1) a broad statement of intent - i.e what the party stands for

2) a long term vision for the country that is vague

3) a strategy for growth of the party which is detailed

4)a well thought out flagship policy or two and a proper plan about how they intend to use what limited influence they have in Westminster to attempt to get those through, and how that will prove their ability to affect change, and grow the party and it's credibility over the long term.

It takes a strong and honest enough leadership that can control the narrative and demonstrate the realistic opportunity for change we have in a time of political upheaval. 

How are they not sitting on and quoting all the evidence of their achievements via grass roots activism to demonstrate credibility and genuine points of difference? What is the point is cosplaying as a main party politician?

Sorely disappointed by all the options available to me in this election.

[SuperBacon]

The election is 9 days away and honestly I can't remember the last one that has had so little...I don't know if coverage is the right word, but it definitely seems a bit low key this time.

Even the other day I was reminded of something at work about it and had to mentally go "Oh yeah the election is a week or so away" 

Maybe it's because it was a short window, or maybe I have read less of the coverage this time around, or maybe it's just me and how I feel towards them all now.

Will still stay up for most of it (TORIES GET BATTERED EVERYWHERE THEY GOOOOOOOOO) but its not the same.

[FLips]

Labour to meet with JK Rowling to discuss Trans issues was the final straw for Labour with me. They have a win lined up on a silver platter and they're still making idiotic decisions like that. Who cares what JK Rowling thinks about anything.

It's still between Lib Dems and Green for me, though now Manifesto season has came and went and we're in debate season it's coming more down to not just the policies but the presentation and Green are losing me ever so slightly with that. I don't agree with Lib Dem's approach of treating Election season like a fortnight in Butlins (thought I appreciate the reasoning) but Daisy Cooper and Ed Davey really impress me when they speak.

[Devon Malcolm]

5 minutes ago, FLips said:

Labour to meet with JK Rowling to discuss Trans issues was the final straw for Labour with me. They have a win lined up on a silver platter and they're still making idiotic decisions like that. Who cares what JK Rowling thinks about anything.

Calling it now. Labour will make Rosie Duffield Health Secretary and things will be worse for trans people under Labour than they have been under the Tories.

Simply put - by all means vote Labour but don't call yourself a trans ally.

[FLips]

3 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Calling it now. Labour will make Rosie Duffield Health Secretary and things will be worse for trans people under Labour than they have been under the Tories.

Simply put - by all means vote Labour but don't call yourself a trans ally.

I don't envy the poor folk currently awaiting an election that could end up being Labour with a strong Reform presence.

[Merzbow]

I've likely already said that I was voting Labour just because of my MP who's usually a very outspoken Socialist but even she's radio silent on this likely because it's election season and she won on very few votes and doesn't want to rock the boat, won't be getting mine this time.