Boris Johnson may well have broken Britain, but the one very small consolation is that he's right royally fed the parliamentary Conservative party as well. Who is there to shuffle into the cabinet...? They just need to call an election and f off.
whatever happens can lawrence fox lose his deposit please.
Doesn't seem to feature on the news much. Granted it's only important when the results are read, but usually there's some vox pops/ exit polling/comment around this time.
Not allowed exit polls intil polling stations close
Doesn’t seem to feature on the news much. Granted it’s only important when the results are read, but usually there’s some vox pops/ exit polling/comment around this time.
Yeah, I thought there were 3 'bye' elections occuring today, unless I'm confused...and pretty relevant ones too...?
Not that long now.
Even if he loses three by-elections in one day it’s not going to change much, as I don’t think that anyone doesn’t recognise that they’ve lost the next GE barring a disaster.
they cant report on them until the polls close
the best the government can do is try & generate culture war clickbait in the client press eg
to ensure that their base are enraged enough to come out & vote
I predict even more culture warriors to the fore (I really hope Im wrong)
I can see some proper loons ending up with ministerial roles, as they’re all that’s left
Cates is the prime example, I suspect she may be on her way up!
I reckon my MP, James Daly, is prime for a job, given that he’s 2019 intake and a full on Brexiteer headbanger.
John Crace described him as ‘permanently angry about something’. It’s normally immigration, but he’s usually outraged about some culture war issue or another, the mekon-headed cockwomble
Since Johnson purged anyone who is not an utter crook or moron, what good can a reshuffle possibly do?
That horse-faced bint Cates sounding off to all and sundry is possibly an indication that she is in line for a big job. God help us.
We are, still, the laughing stock of europe.
they cant report on them until the polls close
They can.
The only restriction is around people saying who they voted for. So generally interview them going in rather than out.
It does seem to be more quiet in terms of reporting than the last couple of byelections.
Might be a long post, I apologise but a few topics to cover
Fox got 2.3% of the vote and lost his deposit. After all that bluster (Reclaim were even tweeting that if things went to plan he could be the next Prime Minister) hopefully he'll now find a stone to crawl under. Sadly I think he'll linger; terrifyingly I might even have a fiver on him being PM one day. If BoJo, Trump, and Arnie can do it......
SKS - while I understand (and even agree with) the sentiment of being honest about what we need, when the game is getting this lot out I can't avoid thinking his tactic on Brexit/Rejoin of 'Don't scare the horses' remains the right one.
Uxbridge / ULEZ. Proof again that we're just selfish:
"Air quality and climate change is really important.
"We know! Something must be done about it!
"That's going to require some effort and sacrifice on your part though....
"Is it? **** that!
- and also I don't understand why Sadiq Khan is carrying the can on a policy a certain Alex de Pfeffel created.
Tactical Voting; Somerton and Selby seem to be indicating that the public get it even without needing to be corralled in that direction.
Lastly - a potential reshuffle. Aside from the 'who's left to give a job to' question, ACOBA is supposed to prevent a Minister from then taking a job in the same sector that may then lead to influencing Gov for 2 years. If this clownshow has another 6-12 months to run, who wants an impossible job for that time followed by then not being able to work in that sector afterwards? How big is the ministerial pension? Does he only offer the jobs to those folk he hates but won't be able to resist them? Or those that don't care about ACOBA anyway - there is a certain recent form in this. Or maybe (careful what you 'wish' for) maybe he puts people in roles that they no idea about so that when they get voted out they can still go back to former industries. It's only the country that suffers, after all.....
There are approx 250 Tory MPs with majorities less than Selby and Ainsty.
The Uxbridge backlash against the ULEZ is infuriating.
There are approx 250 Tory MPs with majorities less than Selby and Ainsty
who hopefully will be having an uncomfortable breakfast right now, followed by a day thinking about future careers.
Wouldn't surprise me if we see more rats jumping from the sinking 'Good Ship Tory' in the next few weeks. If they know they'll likely be losing their seats at the next election they'll probably be wanting to brush up their Linkedin profile ahead of time.
surely thr megalolz are that Johnson ran away but he might have actually hung on to Uxbridge 😂
be interesting to see where Sunak goes with his reshuffle
be interesting to see where Sunak goes with his reshuffle
I expect they’ll fully mobilise against the ‘green crap’ as they now know it works with the climate-change-denying gammons, try to tar Labour with the same brush as Just Stop Oil (which they’re doing already) and tie it all in with their nasty, reactionary, anti-immigrant culture war agenda
I think we’ll see some proper loons promoted today. It’s literally all they’ve got left
So, is Uxbridge full of ULEZ hating pensioners for the conservatives to retain the seat ?
So, is Uxbridge full of ULEZ hating pensioners for the conservatives to retain the seat ?
All the councils that are taking the ULEZ to judicial review in an attempt to get it thrown out are Tory councils.
They are also the ones who have done the least to support active travel, EV charging installation, bus priority etc.
They're the ones that either didn't install, or installed then almost instantly removed, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
Basically they're all car-dependent dinosaurs bleating on about how bike lanes cause congestion and other assorted shit but now, faced with another measure to try and reduce London's chronic air pollution issues are resorting to defending "hard done by drivers" and calling it a Khan tax on the motorist. So yes, it's very much a "look at the Labour Mayor nicking all your money!" rather than a "look at how shit we are as Tories for giving you no other option but to drive everywhere!"
So, is Uxbridge full of ULEZ hating pensioners for the conservatives to retain the seat ?
I would imagine there are a large number of owners of petrol/diesel-guzzling 4x4 ****panzers, who regard it as their god-given right to drive absolutely everywhere, without having to pay to do so
The Uxbridge backlash against the ULEZ is infuriating.
Especially as it was a Tory Govt demand as a part of the Transport for London budget...
I wonder how many folk in Uxbridge who voted Tory will use ULEZ as their rational but will never actually pay the ULEZ charge if/when it comes in because they either don't drive, have newer vehicles or will never go in anyway?
Thanks for the explanation - I had to look up where abouts Uxbridge was and can see it right on the edge.
One person certain to be gone in todays reshuffle if Theresa Coffey as Environment Secretary (apparently this is common knowledge in Whitehall already).
I reckon its safe to assume she'll now be replaced by the most vocal climate-change-denier in the Tory party (there plenty to choose from there) and they'll double down on that anti-environmental libertarian agenda, grant more North Sea drilling licenses, resurrect fracking proposals etc
Whats utterly depressing, though unsurprising, is how many people are prepared to vote for that
The Uxbridge backlash against the ULEZ is infuriating
So, is Uxbridge full of ULEZ hating pensioners for the conservatives to retain the seat ?
I would imagine there are a large number of owners of petrol/diesel-guzzling 4×4 ****panzers, who regard it as their god-given right to drive absolutely everywhere, without having to pay to do so
I'm not familiar with Uxbridge, but if its anything like Bromley (where i live) there will be many normal families and older people who are now having to get rid of perfectly good cars due to this new tax. Anyone who thinks the only impact is to to price 'gas guzzling 4x4s' off the roads has their head up their arse.
Whilst i agree in principle with ULEZ, it has been rushed through without proper consultation or consideration of those not able to just buy a new car. The better way would have been to delay a couple of years and give people 2-3 years notice this is happening.
If this costs labour at the next general election it serves them right - as this is not a policy to support ordinary working people.
Basically they’re all car-dependent dinosaurs bleating on about how bike lanes cause congestion and other assorted shit but now, faced with another measure to try and reduce London’s chronic air pollution issues are resorting to defending “hard done by drivers” and calling it a Khan tax on the motorist.
Let them breathe benzene rings.
The problem is that it affects everyone else too. But that is an added bonus for the reactionary gammons.
So, is Uxbridge full of ULEZ hating pensioners for the conservatives to retain the seat ?
https://twitter.com/jeffgrim71/status/1682275009610252289
If this costs labour at the next general election it serves them right – as this is not a policy to support ordinary working people.
But, as with the Clean Air Zone in Manchester, the local government have to do this to meet air quality standards that have been imposed on them by the Tory Government
All this is is a blamestorming exercise, which the Tories are very good at
Anyone who thinks the only impact is to to price ‘gas guzzling 4x4s’ off the roads has their head up their arse.
Yup, it includes vehicles that comply with low emissions requirements, just not "ultra" low.
I don't know what the scrappage rate is in London but if left alone it is a problem that would resolve itself. The last lingering vehicles that don't comply will be vehicles that are barely used, maybe once a week to the supermarket, so not a significant contribution to pollution.
Surely scrapping old cars is just wasteful. Improving their emissions must be possible
The Uxbridge backlash against the ULEZ is infuriating.
Got a mate who lives in Uxbridge and it's a lot more than just ULEZ, Sadiq Khan has been blamed for everything from the rise of knife crime to road works especially in the right-wing parts of London inside the M25.
If this costs labour at the next general election it serves them right – as this is not a policy to support ordinary working people.
It's very very hard for folks when their mortgage is becoming unaffordable, electricity and gas is becoming unaffordable, food prices are going up relentlessly and childcare is taking the rest of their wages. and now on top of that they need to sell a perfectly good car and buy a new one, along with everyone else, so prices will be skewed
Fun times.
re. Uxbridge (bearing in mind our company head office is in South Ruislip), the ULEZ expansion is viewed as being something that would greatly affect peoples wallets: fines for driving the car you own, can't afford to replace the car with a horrifically expensive EV that damages roads, carparks, kills baby Robbins etc and by the way their not really that green at all and their batteries explode and catch fire dontchaknow cos I read it in the papers and oh yes pollution is bad but what about the cost of living?
Its basic politics: A sound, rational environmental policy coming up against emotional counter-arguments that has (just) managed to trump a national trend at the polls. The interesting thing will be what happens at the general election next year where the local issues/arguments get overtaken by national ones?
Is this the same constituency that voted against the expansion of Heathrow for environmental reasons, but oppose ULEZ?
No, they opposed Heathrow because it would have made their houses more noisy. They greenwashed it to make it look like they cared for the environment but all they were really concerned about was the house prices.
Whilst i agree in principle with ULEZ, it has been rushed through without proper consultation or consideration of those not able to just buy a new car. The better way would have been to delay a couple of years and give people 2-3 years notice this is happening.
No it hasn't, the expansion was always on the cards and has been endlessly consulted on. In fact the expansion of it now was a [b]specific condition[/b] of Tory funding to TfL, it was in a letter from Grant Shapps to Sadiq Khan that said "we'll give you this money but TfL needs to be more self-funding, please bring forward the expansion of ULEZ". It was specific Tory caveat in exchange for funding. Do it NOW, not next year.
If the Tory council there had actually spent the last 10 years or so putting in place alternatives, rolling out LTNs, introducing parking levies, better bus services etc, people there wouldn't be so car-dependent.
I would imagine there are a large number of owners of petrol/diesel-guzzling 4×4 ****panzers
No, it’s full of people driving old diesel cars and vans. A Mercedes AMG 6.4 is Ulez compliant. A 2005 Mini Cooper is not. We’ve just upgraded as we live three miles outside and travel into the new zone all the time. Many won’t have the resources to do so.
I assume the LBC listening pensioners above don't listen between 10am - 4pm and until recently didn't turn back on until 7pm?
The vast majority of it's daytime listening certainly isn't aimed at the swivel eyed, racist nut jobs.
Sadiq Khan has been blamed for everything...
Exactly this. Tory areas effected by ULEZ are strongly motivated to vote against Khan, because he is seen to focus on (favour if you like) areas of London were the others they love othering live.
No it hasn’t, the expansion was always on the cards and has been endlessly consulted on.
This as well. There was a political consensus on the need for ULEZ for London. Conveniently forgotten by Conservative politicians and the media alike when it can be used to squeeze Labour. Expect a lot more of this for both the London Mayoral elections and the General Election.
It is absolute classic Tory britain though isn't it- have westminster force the Labour mayor of London to introduce an unpopular policy, and then win a by-election off the back of that. And then act like your 500 vote victory is a dazzling success
I also think they will pivot to full on anti "green lunacy", but, based on their frankly heroic and pacey tempo of missteps, it will almost certainly bite them in the ass:
"The oddly named Hurricane Swampy today devastated Spalding, in the Tory heartland of South Holland and The Deepings .
To the tune of the Dambusters, the local MP, Sir John Henry Hayes CBE, said 'The massive death toll and flooding and utter destruction is disappointing but 32C and cat 5 hurricanes are completely normal for this part of the plucky, Great British UK. In February. And don't forget it's the fault of those ULEZ hugging, remoaners.
Just look at our new trade deal with Gibraltar! Go on. Look at that. Instead'.
In response, the government has promised financial support (based on savings in other areas of Spalding) .But Sir John said 'it's not really necessary as I'm already as rich as a Nazi and I dont live there.'"
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...Slow morning.
It shows just how utterly ****ed they are that they lose two by-elections with absolutely huge swings away from them, then try to spin hanging on to one by the width of a gnats bawhair as some huge victory?
Yeah... right!
Rishi can turn up with his stupid fixed grin and try and make it look like anything other than an utter disaster but absolutely nobody is buying that shit
I expect we'll now have another slew of Tory MPs saying they'll be standing down at the next election because they all know whats coming
Apparently their one phyrric victory proves "Labour's incompetence in government", according to the chairman of the tory party. Yet another Tory that's forgotten they're still the government, for now.
it has been rushed through without proper consultation or consideration of those not able to just buy a new car. The better way would have been to delay a couple of years and give people 2-3 years notice this is happening.
It was announced in March 22 with a year and a half implementation. And it's hardly as if it wasn't predicted before that.
I'm also in Bromley but spent quite a few years living in Uxbridge in the 00s. It was a solidly safe tory seat going back to 1885 except for a bit of post-war Labour, even in the landslide 1997 GE they had a bigger majority than now.
Where I am there's endless FUD thrown around about ULEZ. If you've got a petrol car that's under 17 years old or a diesel under 8 (and some older than that) you're fine. The vast majority you see driving about will be compliant. For those that aren't, suitable cars are abundant and cheap for people that need to drive about.