General British politics discussion thread

Water John

Good read on Angela Rayner, harrowing background. Love how she triggers so many. Really like her for respecting Michael Gove's ability.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2024/mar/23/angela-rayner-roots-rough-edges-ready-for-power

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121930514#Comment_121930514

You'd wanna wonder if she has her eyes on the top job. She seems like she could be a great potential PM but also, nothing erodes your principles and energy than the biggest job in town. her manner and background is quite the tonic in Westminster and you couldn't find a more contrastng politician to Sunak at the top level than Raynor. And the way she drives Conservatives and right leaning figures bananas is box office alone.

Timberrrrrrrr

Scott Benton resigns so another by election coming for Sunak.

https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1772274328375095306?t=vksIBBXnraPFsbCI8fzs3w&s=19

breezy1985

Surely at this stage they should just be allowed leave seats vacant until the GE.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937704#Comment_121937704

If the Tories don't move a writ within 3 months, the Speaker is likely to accept an opposition writ to move. Unless the GE is within 3 months, they're going to have the by-election

We have an actual time limit here now after FF refused to call multiple outstanding ones during the end of the 2007-11 Government.

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937704#Comment_121937704

So leave his constituents without representation in parliment for up to 9 months?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937945#Comment_121937945

What exactly would really happen in 9 months to make this such a disaster.

They are going to be without representation for over 3 months anyway so what's the major difference. And don't MPs get banned for periods of time too and life goes on.

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937649#Comment_121937649

Love the profile of the constituency in Wikipedia:

Tourism is a major industry in the area, and while Blackpool has been less affected by the decline in domestic holidaymaking than some resorts, there are nonetheless some run-down areas which were once rather more glamorous. Traditionally seaside seats were very safe for the Conservative Party, but for some time it seemed unlikely that the party would win it back. However, they were able to do so in 2019 when they finally achieved a sizeable majority with many gains in northern England.

I remember reading before that there are 120 seaside constituencies and 100 of them voted for Brexit. Blackpool itself voted 67% in favour of Brexit. And so it was no surprise that the election and the party that was going to deliver Brexit, i.e. the 2019 Conservatives, won the seat.

Because of course, they were going to stop all the Brits going on holidays to the sun, and force them instead to holiday at home in the sodden north-western corner of the country and make Blackpool great again ...

retalivity

I remember being in Blackpool as a kid and it depressed me, before I even had an idea of what depression was. I'd shudder to think what its like now...

Timberrrrrrrr

In shirt, It's a shìthole

Was there recently for a 50th and while the main front is policed and kept somewhat clean you go 2 or 3 streets further in and it's like the village of the damned, every 2nd house is a BnB or a "hotel".

Lots of drink and drug issues along with pretty high unemployment due to the majority of work being seasonal.

Patser

I don't think I ever expected to see any political party this side of the Atlantic - in any country - sink so low as to the Tory Party attack ad below.

Tearing your own Capital's standing apart, scare tactics of the highest order while possibly reducing tourists numbers, all while being the Party in power for last 13 years but trying to pass blame.

Also worth noting that this is the 'edited and improved' version as the original ad used footage from a gun attack in New York. It really is dismal and desperate.

https://twitter.com/IanDunt/status/1772388267620466981

PommieBast

I fully expect the GE to involve deep-fakes. Shame went out the window years ago.

breezy1985

That is shockingly bad.

They straight up saying Khan is controlling the gang sin London. He should sue them for defamation.

They have basically turned into those sad social media posters who just copy and paste American rhetoric and think it will make sense in Europe. Christ even the voiceover sounds American.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121939854#Comment_121939854

At this stage it's a question of when not if; there's gonna be some dreadful moment where someone's career, maybe even their lives, is obliterated by a deep fake. Feels like the only thing holding them back is the technology isn't quite right yet.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940006#Comment_121940006

Once more, it's all the Tories have left. Warmed-up American populism and a doubling-down into paranoia or bigotry. So many little ways they could conceivably claw back their popularity, yet at each turn just spin further away from the centre and vague sobriety.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940095#Comment_121940095

Chris Patten made the point last week that trying to appeal to the racists and bigots is actually destroying the Conservative Party, not boosting it. The further they lurch to the right, the less popular they become (it's incredible that nobody in the party or in the right wing press has even made the connection yet).

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940346#Comment_121940346

Could you imagine being a Tory member having to listen to the slagging they must be getting in work or down the local these days.

Reminds me of the sense of shame you would see on previously vociferous Fianna Fail voters during the crash.

People will go through the stages of grief first trying to convince themselves that the opposition are worse, then trying to claim they are voting for their local Tory who was always good locally and eventually will just hold their hands up and say they can't do it anymore.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937945#Comment_121937945

Given the state of politicians in the UK at the moment, it's hardly a punishment to leave them 'unrepresented' when the Tory Party seem to be trying to extract as much wealth for themselves and their crony's as possible in the dying days of this parliament. The interests of actual citizens have not been represented by the current Tory government for the past 13 years.

But yeah, democracy requires elections even if they're inconvenient

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940346#Comment_121940346

I do increasingly wonder if the more incensed right-of-centre has become utterly trapped in an online echo chamber, myopic and convinced that its little outrage circle is the true and only path. It'd explain why the modern Tories are so laser-focused on "anti woke" and god knows you browse this site and there are individuals who cannot deflect themselves from any topic that isn't read as somehow the fault of Big Woke.

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940455#Comment_121940455

"The interests of actual citizens have not been represented by the current Tory government for the past 13 years."

I absolutely agree with that.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940505#Comment_121940505

The racists and bigots and anti-woke types are perpetually miserable and unhappy about everything. Trying to chase their vote to the exclusion of everyone else seems a disastrous strategy. The Conservatives could end up totally annihilated at the election if they keep going down this route.

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940505#Comment_121940505

There were some recent pieces in the FT about this, one pointing out that GB News is watched by 65% of Conservative party members and basically no-one else. The columnist went as far as calling it lobbying on the cheap.

Nody

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigns after being charged with historical sex offences

Police confirmed a 61-year-old man has been charged and will appear in court later this month

4th leader since 2021… Showing once again the stability of DUP.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953520#Comment_121953520

A party dominated by hateful and regressive views only can select leaders who are driven by hateful and regressive views. It is unsurprising that they tend to be terrible people

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953520#Comment_121953520

Poots shouldn't count. He didn't even last half a Lettuce length of time

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953540#Comment_121953540

Ah now be fair Donaldson used to be in UUP until he fell out with Trimble.

Then again he fell out over Good Friday and he was twice campaign manager for Enoch Powell.

Water John

Quite the irony, that he resigns on Good Friday.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954368#Comment_121954368

After suffering the Good Friday Arraignment

Itssoeasy

https://twitter.com/bethrigby/status/1774164876128088318?s=61

Well this won’t be great reading for the Tories. Labour in an opinion poll for the times would have 468 seats after the next election. Sunak’s seat is in trouble on those numbers. 15,000 voters polled which imo gives a the poll a bit of weight to it.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/30/labour-membership-falls-by-23000-over-gaza-and-green-policies

Labour membership in decline which isn't a huge surprise given their position on the ongoing carnage in Gaza.

Big donations will fill the void I'm sure and it's pretty unlikely any of the big backing unions will disaffiliate, although Unite are losing significant numbers in their membership too, so maybe they won't be as quick to put their hand in their pocket. They've given 4 million since 2021 supposedly.

Tom Mann Centuria

https://twitter.com/OborneTweets/status/1774173954774597717?t=OcMKQ8XQ30ZFRNpOUrFJGw&s=19

In days gone by I'd have no doubt Cameron would go, but there is no level current government ministers won't stoop to hang on to power.