Paid Members Carbomb Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, Jazzy G said: This could be interesting if anything comes from it. Several Reform candidates appear to be non-existent.   Wait a second - surely we'd know, as he'd have been present when they announced the results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 1 minute ago, Carbomb said: Wait a second - surely we'd know, as he'd have been present when they announced the results? One no showed claiming to have pneumonia. Not sure of the other's reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 it seems bonkers, and I think likely untrue, but one of those things you kind of want to be true just for how mad it is. I don't think the photo is AI-generated, so much as it's just edited to within an inch of its life (possibly with the help of AI). His Twitter account was only created in June, and he seems to have no prior online presence. The photo he posted when claiming to have pneumonia was from a GP surgery in Gloucestershire, despite him running in Brixton. Though it's just as likely that it's a candidate who's never set foot in their constituency, that's par for the course - and as for the lack of photos of him out campaigning, I don't know how keen I'd be on doorstepping in Brixton with a Reform rosette on either. There's something shady going on, but I don't think it's non-existent candidates so much as randoms being picked to inflate the numbers, and hiding behind phony photos and/or pseudonyms, running in seats they knew they had no chance of winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuperBacon Posted July 8 Author Members Share Posted July 8 8 minutes ago, BomberPat said: I don't know how keen I'd be on doorstepping in Brixton with a Reform rosette on either This would be like the opening scene to Die Hard 3 with Willis and the sandwich board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, Jazzy G said: This could be interesting if anything comes from it. Several Reform candidates appear to be non-existent.    Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 He looks like a bad waxwork of Elon Musk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 apparently Private Eye confirmed that he's real, but the photo is AI because "he didn't have a photo in the Reform coloured tie". Definitely think it's a case of paper candidates in unwinnable constituencies, but such a weird way of going about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 It appears the Reform story is half-true. It seems the suspicious candidates are real people but some of them have no connection to the constituency, have never been there (not even for the count) and simply allowed themselves to be nominated by Reform members in the area who'd never met them. It's just a way to get extra votes to add to the national total which you cite when touting your success/decrying the electoral system. The guy in this example appears to be genuine but the photo (from campaign literature) is a AI generated because they wanted him to be wearing a Reform-colour tie and decided it was quicker than actually asking him to wear one and be photographed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted July 8 Paid Members Share Posted July 8 Nice stat: it's the first time since 1653 that the majority of people in the Commons have not been MPs before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted July 9 Paid Members Share Posted July 9 Say what you want about him looking like a strangler but Wes Streeting just had a pretty good interview/press conference on BBC News. Obviously seeing will be believing, and maybe it’s being free from the shackles of a Tory government for the first time in 14 years, but there’s been such a great feeling of optimism the last few days as cabinet members have been named and interviewed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathrey Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 The fact that at least a handful of the people appointed actually have some experience in the areas in which they've been appointed is certainly promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BigJag Posted July 9 Paid Members Share Posted July 9 There's a few in there that have been piss takers in the past. I think Milburn is a huge fan of privatising the NHS and played a role in previous labour governments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted July 9 Paid Members Share Posted July 9 Estimate of who "won" in every council ward based on crossreferencing the total figures in the constituency and recent council elections:https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fiK0Q/3/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted July 9 Paid Members Share Posted July 9 Watched a fair bit of all the House of Commons/Lords stuff today including picking the House Speaker. All leaders of the parties take turns making a speech and honestly a lot of it was incredibly positive, even the Tories. A lot of good things to say about the speaker and the new Labour government, and the new mix of parties in the commons. That except Nigel Farage who took his time to belittle the previous speaker (John Berckow is it? He only referred to him as “the little man before you”) for trying to undo the Brexit referendum to the massive groans of everyone else in the room. It’s early doors but the openness of the new Labour party and the approachability they’re at least projecting is a warm welcome. It feels like stuff might actually get done but we’ll see. Wes Streeting had a meeting with the Junior Doctors which by the BBC’s account and the Junior Doc rep’s account went really positively. Sorting that out early doors could be a huge boost and an even bigger fuck you to the outgoing Tory party.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted July 10 Paid Members Share Posted July 10  Is this a thing that goes on? Do parties just put down the names of people to stand and then they never campaign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.