Rishi! Sunak!

Greggs for breakfast Tomorrow then? 😃

Seriously though, Sunak is morphing into Blair when he really, really concentrates, but it always slips and that smug, smarmy smirk appears again

Crossing the threads a bit here but this is spot on

https://twitter.com/ShaunLintern/status/1676123772229763073

Thats brilliant! And pretty much sums it up

But then what did Sunak expect when he makes a knuckle-dragging neanderthal like 30p Lee the deputy chairman of the party. He knew what he was getting when he indulged the like of him and National Front throwback Gullis

https://twitter.com/stevemaythe1st/status/1675819250395611136?s=20

He knew what he was getting when he indulged the like of him and National Front throwback Gullis

And yet PMs just keep making the same mistake. Indulge the hard right headbangers and previous PM's loyal followers and then appear all surprised when those same people turn on them a few months later.

It's like owning a pet leopard and then being surprised when it mauls you.

Gullis is nothing more than a football hooligan in a suit. I still believe that he was supposed to walk into court but somehow walked into Parliament. Just a thick racist gammon. The absolute last person anyone (let alone the PM) should be thinking about appeasing.

He isn't indulging them, he isn't held hostage by them,  FFS, he is one of them. To believe that he is powerless at the head of the party is just not a true representation of what we see, they are part of the tory party strategy. His sharp suits, cuban heels and fake smile is not even convincing, how anyone can see what he is implementing and then somehow convince themselves that he is somehow a prisoner to someone else's agenda is beyond me.

He isn’t indulging them, he isn’t held hostage by them, FFS, he is one of them. To believe that he is powerless at the head of the party is just not a true representation of what we see, they are part of the tory party strategy. His sharp suits, cuban heels and fake smile is not even convincing, how anyone can see what he is implementing and then somehow convince themselves that he is somehow a prisoner to someone else’s agenda is beyond me.

Yup, I totally agree. I have no idea why so many people on here feel Rishi Sunak is some sort of leftie liberal Tory and a prisoner to the Thatcherite wing of the party.

Apart from maybe because he wears sharp suits, has neat haircuts, and is boring. It's perhaps the John Major effect.

He isn’t indulging them, he isn’t held hostage by them,  FFS, he is one of them

Indeed. But he keeps going with them as they become ever more and more extreme. David Cameron wasn't good for much, but he did get it right when he referred to this lot as those who 'wouldn't take yes for an answer'.

Whatever he gives them, they demand more as the tail wags the dog and they drag the whole party further and further to the right. If you follow their ferocious anti-immigration rhetoric to its logical conclusion then Rishi and Suella could well find themselves with a one way ticket to Rwanda

Gullis is nothing more than a football hooligan in a suit.

And yet he won a majority in his seat and was elected to Parliament as a result.

You get the politicians you deserve.

Almost no one had heard of Gullis before he became an MP less than four years ago. And it is all but certain that he will loose his seat in a few months time.

Almost no one had heard of Gullis before he became an MP less than four years ago. And it is all but certain that he will loose his seat in a few months time.

He should never have been anywhere near being elected to parliament.

Ok, so he will lose his seat.

He will have been an elected member of the UK parliament for 4-5 years. That is a stain on the UK electorate and that of Stoke in particular.

Stains fade and wash out over time, but they hang around a lot longer than you would like.

That is a stain on the UK electorate and that of Stoke in particular.

Only in your opinion. But you have a long standing contempt for the UK electorate Danny, which is possibly one thing which you share with the Tories.

Quite why foreign electorates might be 'stain free' you have never explained, only your intense dislike for the UK electorate.

Almost no one had heard of Gullis before he became an MP less than four years ago. And it is all but certain that he will loose his seat in a few months time.

The problem is that there's just not enough slots on GBNews for these culture war clowns if they all lose their seats

Anyone who voted for Gullis needs to have a cold hard look at what they did and reconsider come the next election. If they still vote for him, they deserve derision. I suspect without the vague optimistic tailwind of “Get Brexit Done”, he’ll fail to win again. All this “stop foreigners looking after your old folk” nonsense the New Cons are proposing is too specific to have the same effect on voters. I hope.

I'd imagine the voters of Stoke will get rid of him purely so they can leave their house without being doorstepped by a reporter and a camera crew shoving a microphone in their face

Since famously becoming the most Brexity place in the country and then voting Gullis in, every time anything happens, all the newsrooms say 'lets go and see what the knuckle-dragging racists and assorted half-wits think' and despatch a crew straight to Stoke 😂

There is only question to ask of Sunak.

Q. WTF would a billionaire do a very high pressure job for £150k a year?
A. To make sure he and his super rich mates get to keep more of their money and syphon as much wealth as possible from the UK.

I think he's actually more corrupt than De Pfeffel.

Greggs for breakfast Tomorrow then? 😃

Breakfast? Pfft, breakfast is for softie southerners. Up north, us genuine salt of the earth northerners call it "morn-gnaw".

I'm not too bothered about the people who voted for Gullis anyway. If we assume they aren't racist morons then we arrive at the theory that they voted to make themselves poorer to get back at elitists* like me.

So, I'm sure they're happy with their choices and will vote for Gullis (and further erosion of their standard of living) again - just to doubly piss me off.

🤪

*If I'm elitist then so is about 75% of the population, so not much of an elite, then.

🤭

I see Rishi has found an excuse to dodge PMQ's again.

A good article on the 'New Conservatives' including reference to my own (****ing useless Brexiteer, Boris cheerleading) MP who is, of course, a member. We'll all remember that as he defends his majority of 100 votes next year.

Last to speak was the permanently angry James Daly. He’s yet to find an issue on which he doesn’t want to pick a fight. It was all the Blob. The establishment. The Guardian. Another Tory MP who thinks Labour is in power. All he had ever wanted was to be helpful. And the best service he could offer Sunak right now was to spark another civil war. It’s what the party needed. He loved the Conservatives so much he’d do anything to make sure they were never elected again.

https://twitter.com/johnsouthworth/status/1676132080755912705?s=20

I’m not too bothered about the people who voted for Gullis anyway.

That's not obvious by what you post on the political threads Danny.

*If I’m elitist then so is about 75% of the population, so not much of an elite, then.

Wtf are you on about?

liz truss back in the game ? as Sunaks popularity sinks further !

https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1677269896516780032

I've just had our first general election leaflets through from the labour party to go out delivering. They're getting on an election footing already

The word doing the rounds in Westminster is that apparently Rishi fancies going for a general election early next year as he knows that theres no way he's going to hit any of his 5 targets, but the long-term economic forecasts are so catastrophically grim for next year that going early, before it gets really, really bad might save a few seats

general election early next year as he knows that theres no way he’s going to hit any of his 5 targets, but the long-term economic forecasts are so catastrophically grim that going early, before it gets really, really bad might save a few seats

Tories employing some sort of damage limitation strategy... Shame they don't have a strategy for governing and improving the country, but that's to be expected I suppose.

Interesting graph above, Tories almost reached parity with the Lib dems late 2022.  19% vs 16%?

That's one thing that still flummoxes me.... people seemingly still have it ingrained into thier psyche that they have to vote red or blue or its a wasted vote, which literally perpetuates the two party FPTP system.

Plenty of seats where a vote for Labour is a wasted vote at a general election as well. FPTP for you.

In my constituency all votes are wasted as the same Tory MP has won for the last 25 years.  His low point was 97 where he still got 50% with a 11K majority even then and you remember 97 don't you.  Last election he got 64% and before that 66%.

Quite easy to get disillusioned with any chance for change when sat where I am.  Yes I could move to give my vote a better chance but that is not actually going to change where I live now is it.  At least more locally the people are not such ****ers as the local council vote was Green + Independent which again is proof that a different voting system would bring very different results.

A. To make sure he and his super rich mates get to keep more of their money and syphon as much wealth as possible from the UK.

I disagree. When you have that much money the amount you pay in tax etc is negligible. Besides, being corrupt to that degree is hard work.

I think it's much more likely that he's doing it because he can. Another box ticked off and his picture on the wall. He's got no skin in the game. That's the only reason Johnson did it - he has absolutely zero interest in his constituency or constituents.

Sunak is (or was until he became prime minister) quite popular in Richmond and was to most accounts a fairly capable MP.

Of course he was popular in Richmond (or did you mean Harrogate?), he was funnelling all that leveling up money into Tory strongholds from those pesky plebs.

No, Harrogate has a Tory MP who just does what the party tells him to do.

Frankly it would be nice if some money was funnelled our way. Look at the south east which is getting yet another tube line, the new Dartford tunnel, the Elizabeth line, huge amounts spent on cycling infrastructure, a ULEZ, full rail electrification, all the new EV chargers. Meanwhile our local school closed last month and then last week three coachloads of kids from surrounding schools arrived to use their playing fields…

I’ll also get grumpy about the non-stop building of copy-n-paste housing developments with zero additional infrastructure or facilities yet prices unaffordable to anyone local.

If you live in the SE - and I’m guessing from your comment that you do - you honestly have no idea how good you have it when it comes to spending from central government.

And, finally, wouldn’t you expect your MP to cut dirty deals to a degree in order to benefit their constituents? We elect local MPs, not parties or presidents.

Look at the south east which is getting yet another tube line, the new Dartford tunnel, the Elizabeth line, huge amounts spent on cycling infrastructure, a ULEZ, full rail electrification, all the new EV chargers. Meanwhile our local school closed last month and then last week three coachloads of kids from surrounding schools arrived to use their playing fields…

London and the SE have a bit less than 30% of the population of the whole UK. Bakerloo Line extension is cancelled. Lower Thames Crossing is 0% guaranteed (amd BTW is designed to accelerate freight between Europe and the UK outside the SE). ULEZ is a local government thing and there are ULEZes outside the SE - elect the right council and you can have it too. The London ULEZ isn't stopping you having one. EV chargers are local governmemt too. And my local London council is shutting schools - thanks to Brexit (voted for by English people outside London, basically) there aren't enough kids to fill them. And none of those schools have playing fields!

It's been confirmed that visa/entry requirenents have been relaxed for roofers, tilers, carpenters, plasterers and 'people in the fishing industry' as these are deemed to be critical shortages.
Employer sponsorship still required.
A wider relaxation covering building trades more generally was proposed but not adopted - yet.
Home office was invited by BBC to comment but, unsurprisingly and predictably, no-one was available.
Yet more joined up thinking - or not: fingers in ears, la la la, nothing to see here.
Another example of the rank stupidity of brexit and what happens when a nation deliberately makes itself unattractive and hostile to skilled migrants.
Source: BBC report.
My mystic meg prediction is the scheme will fail.

Educated people won't vote for us is a hell of an admission

Here is the article the headline comes from:

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2F2023%2F07%2F17%2Funiversity-elite-overproduction-has-shifted-uk-to-left%2F

gaslighting nonsense.

From critical race theory (which says white people are all racist) to radical gender ideology (which threatens the safety of women and children) to extreme climate catastrophism (which seeks to impoverish our nation):

gaslighting nonsense.

Downright lies, I think.

Jesus was reading that thinking this journon is a proper moron ..and then I got to the end and found out it's a Tory MP..ok nothing to see here, all is normal 😆😆😆

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/next-general-election-date-rishi-sunak-b2377958.html

Recounting his experience of advising John Major on the timing of the 1997 election, the Tory peer said he now believed an earlier election would have made the defeat "less severe".

"The hope was that something might turn up. Instead voters simply became more irritated,"

I reckon a lot of voters might become even more irritated if they have to wait another 10 months before the next general election.

The difference between now and 1997 imo is that in 1997 voters were simply tired of the Tories. Unlike now the Tories weren't at each others throats and staggering from one self-inflicted disaster to the next.

Unlike now the Tories weren’t at each others throats and staggering from one self-inflicted disaster to the next.

Ah, the 'Back to Basics' era of family values, punctuated by a succession of Tory 'sleaze' scandals, 'Cash for Questions' and other corrupt practices such as the fallout from Matrix Churchill affair and Aitken flogging arms to the Saudis. At each others' throats? I vaguely remember the then Prime Minister describing his anti-EU colleagues as 'bastards'.

They even had financial meltdown in the form of 'Black Wednesday'.

be interesting to see what happens in the by elections

https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1681052936363732994?t=BcnC8Dfqf1awmpbBdtfvRQ&s=19

Turnout will be key, a lot of tories staying home is my prediction

but then im always amazed that anyone votes for them

Uxbridge they are running an ok campaign based around the UZEA to try and get everyone else to stay home as well/enrage a few to come out.
Speaking of byelections.
Has the recall petition been triggered for Pincher yet?
I assume mad nad still is not resigning immediately.

At each others’ throats? I vaguely remember the then Prime Minister describing his anti-EU colleagues as ‘bastards’.

They weren't at each others throats to the extent that they are currently imo, no Tory MPs were forcing by-elections and the Tories didn't have 3 different leaders in the space of one year.

John Major describing colleagues as bastards was 4 years before the general election. By the time the general election came in 1997 the Tory Party wasn't in the crisis it currently is.

The main driver in that general election appeared to be the desire for change. The Tories were fairly united in their sleaze and the economy was trundling along.

They still managed to experience a massive defeat though. Other than that likilihood I can't see much similarities between now and then.

Aitken flogging arms to the Saudis

And trying to cover it up claiming he was on holiday, but got found out by his wife's penny pinching as she asked the hotel to be charged just for one person for a couple of days when he'd popped out to do the deal.  Grifters gonna grift!

Word is that Ben Wallace’s hint the other day was spot on and Rishi is about to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic in a desperate bid to try and stem the losses.

the fact that Cleverly had to publicly state that he wants to keep the foreign secretary gig, tells you they know a reshuffle is coming

I predict even more culture warriors to the fore (I really hope Im wrong)

I predict even more culture warriors to the fore (I really hope I'm wrong)

Seeing how badly that is failing with the electorate you would think that some boring basic level of competence might help slow the slide.  But as its the tories here, I agree with your prediction

Anyone competent in the tories is hiding on the back benches or organising their escape from politics.