All perfectly reasonable.
Unlike most of his party right now.
So what's going to happen in London in a few weeks?
polling companies have a big lead for Kahn
but labour apparently very worried by response on the ground U suppose turnout will be key
Labours lead in the London Mayoral polls is pretty much exactly what it is nationally, so I guess its going to be the benchmark. Anything less than a thumping great victory for Khan and the Tories will think they got off lightly.
Up here in Manchester the Tories have thrown in the towel already. Andy Burnham got 67% of the vote last time, so I don't think they hold out much hope at the moment. At present they don't even have a candidate as he's done one to Reform.
I suspect this might well be a recurring theme in the 'Red Wall' seats
Anything less than a thumping great victory for Khan and the Tories will think they got off lightly.
The Tories are doing their absolute best to scupper Khan. Changed the voting to FPTP. Winding up the anti-Muslim rhetoric - or at least not acting on third party hate speech. The vile Suzie Hall has been talking total bollocks about ULEZ and spreading disinformation about TfL, low traffic neighbourhoods and other culture war crap.
It'll be a huge blow to London if the Tories win it.
Khan's lead in the opinion polls has grown significantly in the last six months. Last September his lead over the Tories was in single figures.
The big difference in London compared to nationally is how much lower Reform UK is polling - about half of what they are nationally. 2% in the last Savanta poll!
The other surprising fact is how close the LibDems and Greens are, when you consider that unlike the LibDems the Greens have never controlled any London boroughs nor had a London MP. The LibDems could end up fourth.
There is no way Suzie Hall can get elected. She is batshit mental even by current Tory party standards.
what has the country come to when you’re agreeing with someone when 40 years ago you would have ignored.
Damien Green is presently on Any Questions on Radio 4. He refers to himself as a 'One Nation' Tory, but listen to his opinions and he's just voiced strong support for the Rwanda policy, and is one of those demonising people with mental health conditions as slackers, for example. Theres nothing centre ground about that and he's apparently meant to be one of the 'liberal' wing.
That tells you how far we've come that someone who calls himself a 'One Nation' Tory is parroting lines that pre-2016 would have been the exclusive reserve of Farage and UKIP.
The far right headbangers takeover over the Tory party is now complete
I see that the government has spent the weekend showing its in touch with the concerns of most voters and stressing our shared experiences...
Jeremy Hunt defends '£100k isn't a huge salary' comments
The chancellor told Sky's Trevor Phillips on Sunday: "If you've got a mortgage and if you've got childcare costs, it doesn't go as far as you might think."
He's not wrong - when you've made the company you keep several million, £100k suddenly is buttons.
The chancellor told Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday: “If you’ve got a mortgage and if you’ve got childcare costs, it doesn’t go as far as you might think.”
Later adding:
"That's why we all need these grifting gigs on GB News and to fiddle the **** out of our expenses..."
The chancellor told Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday: “If you’ve got a mortgage and if you’ve got childcare costs, it doesn’t go as far as you might think.”
And who's fault is that Jeremy?
Nice to see that Rishi and Cleverley have put a lid on the 'small boats crisis'.
https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/22/latest-statement-in-response-to-small-boat-crossings/
But wait!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51wqg3x8wno
No doubt this will be nothing to do with them.
And who’s fault is that Jeremy?
I saw that yesterday and immediately thought how refreshing it was to see a tory chancellor admitting their own failure. It's a interesting political strategy but I doubt it will get the response he thinks.
Further small boat reporting....
BBC News - Say one thing, do another? The government’s record rise in net migration
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68626430
I'm hearing some ridiculous expectations of interest rates from the Tory advert papers - get ready for 3%.
Yeah not this year. Idiots. You lot took us there. And now we can be thankful you might cut them at some point to higher than where they were?
I can allow them the fact that 100,000 is probably not much in some situations - but then what if you're on 15k or 20k? What does that say about they way the economy is organised?
Doesn't matter because BoE *independence* and everything - 'it's their fault.'
Economy is a wreck. Serving those with assets.
I heard some of my 'friends' call Starmer a communist the other day. That's a new one. I think he's done everything he can to make himself look like Dave Cameron but it still ain't washing with some work-shy well heeled Tories.
Everything is back to front.
Everything is back to front.
The phone in on Five Live this morning had no shortage of people coming on to say how hard life is when you're struggling on £100,000+ a year. These people are totally detatched from the reality of what life is like for the majority of voters.
I remember last year there was a bloke who was mocked for moaning on Question Time that he could barely make ends meet on 'average earnings'. Turns out that he was on £85,000 a year and thats what he thought 'average earnings' were
It goes some way to explaining, when you listen to these sorts of people, why theres a hardcore of 20% of voters who will only ever vote Tory
The MP for betting companies has decided not to wait for the inevitable recall petition success.
So his byelection might now happen on local election day.
At last something vaguely positive from the current UK government - pressure on the United States to stop blocking United Nations resolutions calling for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"The US faced a difficult choice, especially since its closest ally the UK was not prepared to abstain. David Cameron, the foreign secretary, could no longer hide his fury at Israel’s prevarication over the supply of aid."
Obviously, like Israel, the Biden administration will play down the significance of the UN vote, despite spending months determined to stop any meaningful UN resolution, but the UK isn't having it.
"Biden’s diplomats also surprisingly claim the resolution is non-binding – a judgment not shared by the British, who say it should be implemented immediately. It serves to underline how little the US is in control of events."
Despite ever growing global isolation Israel will in all likelihood ignore this UN resolution but Cameron has already signalled that the current UK government will consider a ban on export licences to Israel, and presumably further sanctions could be imposed, along with other countries.
On this tragic international issue at least I am starting to have more faith in David Cameron than in David Lammy.
Is that the same David Lammy that's been calling for UK law to be changed to allow Israeli politicians to be charged with war crimes? When he led an opposition day motion debate in the Commons, Labour MPs backed the call, Conservative MPs did not. And, of course, it was Cameron that introduced those legal protections in the first place.
So the new Susan Hall attack add on Kahn, full on American style; grainy b&w images, American voice over, maximum hyperbole, they even tried to splice in footage of people running from gunfire on the NY subway
Im not sure that we are prepared for the MAGAfication of the Conservatives/reform party
The 100% focus on culture wars is going to divide us like never before
So the new Susan Hall attack add on Kahn, full on American style; grainy b&w images, American voice over, maximum hyperbole, they even tried to splice in footage of people running from gunfire on the NY subway
People have added community notes to the post on Twitter advising of this. It's horrific - stuff like "since Khan [i] seized control [/i] of London..."
Yes, in those democratic elections which you've since tried to rig to better favour the Tories...
The depth of my absolute hatred for these lying scum is beyond my ability to express in words.
So the new Susan Hall attack add on Kahn
I am curious where that came from.
The tories seem to have retweeted/linked to it but it isnt marked up as an official ad.
Given the US scenes in it might be from one of their billionaires astroturf organisations which after wrecking their political system have decided to branch out.
Is that the same David Lammy that’s.....
How many David Lammys do you know?
Yes that's right, I am starting to have more faith in David Cameron as foreign secretary over the issue of Palestine than the foreign secretary in waiting, David Lammy.
We will know soon enough whether I am underestimating Lammy over the issue - the situation in Gaza won't be resolved by the time Lammy becomes foreign secretary. I sincerely hope that I am.
Comrade Ernesto - If you're going to start banging on about your confidence in Dave, do you have an opinion on the man who cosied up to Bejing and was subsequently very highly paid for that, now being (still inexplicably) an invisible Foreign Secretary as the espionage of the Chinese government and their interference in UK democracy is revealed?
Another great move by Rishi there, showing his clueless political instincts. He must surely have known this was in the pipeline?
Yes that’s right, I am starting to have more faith in David Cameron as foreign secretary over the issue of Palestine than the foreign secretary in waiting, David Lammy.
Cameron is actually doing not-a-bad-job as FS, he seems to be taking the job fairly seriously and other countries seem to accept him as a serious person which is considerably more than they did with the last three (James Cleverly, Liz Truss, Dominic "gosh I didn't know about the English Channel" Raab).
Still, I'm sure he'll do anything possible to show up the rest of the Cabinet for their incompetence.
Comrade Ernesto – If you’re going to start banging on about your confidence in Dave, do you have an opinion on.....
LOL! How did the remark "At last something vaguely positive from the current UK government – pressure on the United States" become "banging on"???
And my opinion of Austerity Dave? Extremely low. I have never quite understood why Cameron has always been one of the least critised Tory politicians on STW. I have always considered him to a particularly unpleasant Tory whose government was responsible for a great deal of misery. Certainly no better than Rishi Sunak who you ridicule on a daily basis. I guess it is probably down to Cameron's presentation style, and not much more.
I have never quite understood why Cameron has always been one of the least critised Tory politician on STW.
Everything's relative, innit? Just look what's followed him. Its been a downward trajectory ever since, until we've ended up with Rishi.
Personally I think history will judge him more harshly than all the clowns that followed him as they all owe their position to him. He was respnsible for the most mind-bendingly stupid policy decision any UK government has ever made and as it all went tits up he just disapeared off whistling a jaunty tune, leaving chaos in his wake. IMHO all the political carnage that has followed can all be laid at his door. Brexit is entirely his fault due to his arrogance and complacency. The fact that the public realm is in tatters is all down to him and Osbourne
He's an awful lot to answer for and the fact that he's now Foreign Secretary 'Lord' Dave is an insult to us all and only someone as politically clueless as Rishi Sunak could have thought that was a good idea
The lil fella is up in front of the liason committee today and he's being his usual tetchy self and exhibiting his standard 'how dare you ask me questions' attitude
Not worth starting it's own thread for, so I'll add it into the generic Tory loon/mildly amusing Sunak thread.
It does show just how inept AND utterly ruthless the Tories are though and this will be their MO heading into the GE.
You might remember this lady, the Tory Mayoral candidate that had that amazing picture in the papers when she announced her candidacy.
Well, it just gets better.
And madder.
Worth resding it all, it's not just about khan causing carnage on the New York subway(😉)...
It's also about him sending balaclava'd up ULEZ Nazis after your granny. The Tories really are trying to go full MAGA.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw05l5p6d7o
That Tory attack ad on Khan is absolutely unhinged! who the hell signed that off?
A good idea though, to draw attention to the massive increase in crime in the country you've been running for 14 years, after you cut 20,000 front lne police officers. Well done to all involved.
the Tory Mayoral candidate that had that amazing picture in the papers when she announced her candidacy.
She was not happy with them choosing the picture that made her look the most unhinged. But they clearly had the measure of her from the off. It's remarkable that THIS is who they chose to fight the most important regional election in England.
Indeed. My “at last something vaguely positive” instantly became me banging on about my confidence in Cameron. 🤣
It occurred to me after it was too late to edit it that my post (previous page) saying that he wasn't doing a bad job as Foreign Secretary could be interpreted the same way.
But it's all relative to the three absolute morons doing the job before him.
It’s remarkable that THIS is who they chose to fight the most important regional election in England.
They're not really doing very well at any of the regional elections. At the moment they don't even have a candidate in Greater Manchester and I doubt they'll get many volounteers to get their arse handed to them by Andy Burnham
I'll quote some of that article for those that won't click on it because it's utterly amazing to read.
It's like a draft idea for the movie, V for Vendetta crossed with 28 Days Later and a little bit of Fallout 3, written by someone heavily influenced by LSD and MAGA.
So today in London apparently:
The video also warned of "squads of Ulez-enforcers dressed in black, faces covered with masks, terrorising communities at the beck and call of their Labour mayor master, who has implemented a tax on driving, forcing people to stay inside or go underground".
"Gripped by the tendrils of rising crime" it continued, "London citizens stay inside"."The streets are quiet."
Oooohhhhhhhh!
I pray for those STWers in London today, I hope they make it home past the ULEZ death squads and the riots on the tube.
Thanks for that link Poops, it's made my day. I am genuinely struggling to believe that it is true, but I can't imagine the BBC coming up with a made up story like that.
I particularly liked:
"Gripped by the tendrils of rising crime" it continued, "London citizens stay inside".
"The streets are quiet."
Straight out of Daily Mash shirley?
^^ It's a mad old world. I suppose it's always worth reminding ourselves that even in these odd times, we won the lottery of life being born in this country compared to most of the planets population.
That being said, I can't wait for boring politics to be the norm again, hopefully with accompanying functional government. 😁
watched 5 minutes of Sunak getting questioned about his change on the net zero plans.
He said he didn't want people to be forced to make the changes, he even mentioned "changing your diet".
Little shitbag.
Damn, my wife is down there today. Hope she survives the death squads.
I don't know what they're basing their assertion on that 'London is the most dangerous city in the world'.
Thats going to come as quite a shock to the inhabitents of Gaza, Donetsk, Tijuana or Aleppo
By any metric, this is absolutely mental!
https://twitter.com/Conservatives/status/1772321715713982730?s=20
martinhutch
Full Member
Damn, my wife is down there today. Hope she survives the death squads.
It's the zombies she needs to watch out for mate, these ones can shift.
Likely evolutionary zombie behaviour from running away from the ULEZ Enforcer squads whilst they were still alive. Great for the cardio.