UK Election!

All three of my 18 year olds worked in college or uni in the week, then were at work for the weekend to pay for the cost of living under our Tory government….

Two of them worked in Covid test centres for the NHS as they struggled to recruit.

One bakes all your bread in the local Tesco from 6am every morning – he’s the only baker in store.

One had worked so hard at age 17 that he was able to travel the world, gain a job in NZ due to his work history by age 18, and is now about to start uni with a job at a local hotel…

So, I’m intrigued where this f*****g ‘national service’ will fit in with thier lives and also not cost them taxpayer £££££££££

Matt – I was going to say exactly the same. I’m at that age where my kids are at this stage in their lives and so are most of our mates with their sons and daughters. At 18 every single one of them is at college and spending most of their weekends working in a variety of jobs, mostly local bars and restaurants, but some in care homes. They all work their arses off to fund social lives and travelling.

So this isn’t based on facts though, which are as you described

This anouncement is exclusively to appeal to nasty, bitter right-wing pensioners who think all 18 year olds are layabouts and woke snowflakes, who sit around all day eating smashed avocado on toast and watching Netflix, because they read it in the Daily Mail. Its pathetic!!

Someone said that young people don’t vote Tory anyway, but I’d imagine that most parents with kids of that age will find the way that these hard-working and switched on young adults are being portrayed as pretty bloody insulting, because it has no basis whatsoever in reality

So, I’m intrigued where this f*****g ‘national service’ will fit in with thier lives and also not cost them taxpayer £££££££££

You’re being a bit of a doomster there Matt, they’ll be fine. Who can better cope with unwanted disruption than young people who’ve already had 2+years of their schooling and social life fubared by COVID?

Matt is spot on.

This weekend my 18 year old has been working at the horsey races doing catering and washing up to pay for a holiday before going back to uni after summer.

My 16 year old has worked three days in a row in the local cafe, her motivation is to get money for buying Taylor Swift merch at Murrayfield on Friday

My 14 year old has been doing his DofE bronze, he usually does paper round 6 days per week.

We can afford to subsidise their lives and we do exactly that, but we also encourage them to work to learn the value of money. They don’t need national service to get them of their bums (although I do wish they would put their phones down a little more)

Im willing to bet a lot of money that the average 18 year old makes more of a contribution to society than the average Tory mp..

If nothing else, the average 18 year old is not an absolute xxxt of a human being…

mrbadger wins the internet today.

The Conservatives that I grew up with either would not have, nor do tolerate the multiethnic cabinet.  Remember that tiny electorate who decided  who was PM, but yes the thuggery is hidden now.  There are new tactics working the world over.

+1 for Mr Badger winning the internet

Remember that tiny electorate who decided who was PM, but yes the thuggery is hidden now

And they didn’t vote for Sunak

This is the single stupidest idea I’ve heard from a government, which given the low bar of the last 20 years, is quite an achievement.
The more you unpack it, the stupider it gets. Anyone thats ever worked with volunteers will tell you, theres a level of volunteer commitment where said volunteer starts to provide and receive value, rather than being an overall burden. Someone turning up once every month will never learn enough about whatever it is they’ve volunteered for to be relied upon. They will always need 1:1 supervision.
Then you think about where they are suggesting that the voluntary work will take place. Special Constables, Fire and Rescue, care settings, delivering prescriptions. All skilled, all with responsibility for real-world health, well being and safety, all public services in the teeth of years of Tory imposed funding cuts. What in the actual **** does Rishi! think a once a month commitment to any of these vital services will bring, other than disruption, risk and overhead?
Then! You start to think about the bureaucracy that will need to be behind this. The database full of personal data. The management of PVG checks. Attendance. Rostering. Then you start to see part of what this will be about. Yer Capitas and Mones will be circling this like vultures.

Not that it will happen, of course. Excuse me while I clean the sick up from saying this, but Farage is right. They’ve focus-grouped a bunch of Reform voters and are just trying to minimise the Reform threat by working their way down the list of authoritarian, crypto-fascist nonsense they spout. It’ll be the return of corporal punishment in schools by the end of the week.

Anyone thats ever worked with volunteers will tell you, theres a level of volunteer commitment where said volunteer starts to provide and receive value, rather than being an overall burden.

It’s probably better to think of it as community service.

It’s a proposed punishment for the crime of not being the Tories’ core voter block.

“It’s a proposed punishment for the crime of not being the Tories’ core voter block”

Community Service for the crime of being young does sound about it.

The newsagents podcast made an important observation.

This isn’t just going to piss off the 18yr olds  it is also going to annoy the hell out of their parents too who are likely in the 35-50 yr old category. Who they need to be able to win.

In other news, apparently an U9s football team in a seat the Tories lost in a by election were asked to provide kids and parents for a photo op with Sunak… had to be cancelled as no-one wanted to be seen with him.

Campaign going well then.

Retained/On Call Firefighters are trained to the same level as Whole Time Firefighters. How are these volunteers going to fit that in with the time they’ll be forced to spend at station? Nonsense.

It’s not a thought through policy. It’s been done on the back of a fag packet to stop the gammon vote bleeding away to Reform and make the losses less bad. Unfortunately for them, it’s mainly pissed off everyone else.

By all accounts Sunak has surrounded himself with yes men and no-one is able or prepared to say to him ‘this is a bad idea’ which is of course why we have a snap GE.

If this is the quality of ideas they’ve got left in them,  the next 6 weeks could be very entertaining.

Basic training for fire fighters is 13 weeks.

65 days I guess?

So nearly 3 years to complete at 1 weekend a month.

it will also cost a lot more as the instructors will need to be paid weekend overtime rates.

What an absolute load of nonsense.

As soon as any of this is looked at, it just falls apart.

I think it’s a madder idea than Rwanda.

I’m getting bored now. Rishi Sunak’s national service policy was a good laugh but it’s been done to death.

It has been two days since it was announced, I’m starting to get impatient for the next laugh – what the **** is he doing? Has he taken the Bank Holiday weekend off? I keep looking for news updates.

There is less than 6 weeks until the next general election and all that Rishi Sunak has managed to announce so far is one policy. I am not sure how much time he thinks should be spent discussing what he obviously thinks is a brilliant idea.

I had been really enjoying the general election campaign but its starting to get a bit dull now.

“It has been two days since it was announced, I’m starting to get impatient for the next laugh – what the **** is he doing? Has he taken the Bank Holiday weekend off? I keep looking for news updates.”

Once he emerges from whatever ‘spoons he’s been focus-grouping in, it’ll be corporal punishment in schools. Absolute red meat for the headbangers he seems to be courting.

Listen, keeping up this elite level of incompetence is tough, even with the amount of experience this group of Tories has in the bag.

The wee guy will have been in Zoom meetings with Californian real estate people all day today. Back to normal tomorrow. For certain value of normal.

I’m getting bored now. Rishi Sunak’s national service policy was a good laugh but it’s been done to death.

Absolutely this, it’s a non policy which will never happen an designed to get people frothing over nonsense rather the damage they’ve done in the last 14 years.

This dropped through the letterbox today. It actually has a conservative logo on it, which is a first. It’s normally devoid of branding.

I was out the front of the house at the time and it was delivered by a demoralised looking guy in a hi-viz bearing the name of some delivery company or other. I’d assumed it was a takeaway menu that he casually screwed up and rammed into my letterbox, so I said hello.

The party clearly have no volunteers to deliver their election shite (or none that’ll show their faces around here), so they’re getting agency workers, no doubt  on minimum wage, to do it for them

This is the single stupidest idea I’ve heard from a government, which given the low bar of the last 20 years, is quite an achievement.

I fear these judgements should be left until after the election result. The Tories have a history of winning against all logic. It is a dead cat strategy – look at how much time is being spent discussing this, rather than the legacy of the past 14 years.

For me the response should have been “and what voluntary work (or indeed anything) have you ever done that wasn’t for your own benefit?” – and left it at that.

There is still plenty of time for things to go wrong in removing the Conservatives from power.

Absolutely this, it’s a non policy which will never happen an designed to get people frothing over nonsense rather the damage they’ve done in the last 14 years.

Well it’s bloody worked, national service was first discussed on page 17 – and nobody has made a novel comment about it since page 19! 😂

Zoom meetings with Californian real estate people

nah, plenty of time to hop on a private jet & inspect them in person!

Have done 2 canvassing sessions in jenrick’s constituency of Newark today.

There is a distinct aversion to him, his policies and the tories; it had been rumoured but hearing it on the doorstep makes it very real.

The seat is ripe to flip to Labour; jenrick, Reform and the independent candidate (who is independent of the local jndependent group) are likely to share the ‘traditional’ tory vote between them; Greens and LDs are relatively minor considerations.

This would overturn a majority of 20,000+ and would see the back of a right wing poster boy.

I’ll be doing at least 1 session a day for the next 38 days.

is a dead cat strategy – look at how much time is being spent discussing this

Yup, one of the criticisms of Labour /starmer is that people don’t what they stand for

And while labour need to be setting out what their plan is, we’re discussing this bobbins

Playing a blinder latest

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/leaked-email-blames-tory-mps-general-election-2024-gz508ncd9

Leaked email blames Tory MPs for poor start to election campaign
CCHQ recalls message which accused politicians refusing to knock on doors. In some areas dwindling funds are a worry

In the seat of Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, staff said there was an issue with “MP co-operation with CCHQ”

Conservative ministers and MPs have failed to “get behind” campaigning and have refused to knock on doors, a leaked memo from Tory headquarters sent days into the general election campaign has revealed.

Conservative staff accused MPs of focusing too much on ministerial business in a document accidentally emailed to party MPs by a senior campaigning figure at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ).

The message had two attachments. One was a constituency breakdown with what appeared to be sanitised comments. The other had the unvarnished thoughts of Conservative staff. The email was later recalled.

Best of Times
Our flagship newsletter featuring our top stories and analysis, delivered every morning.
Sign up with one click
The “key theme” identified in the document was that candidates had failed to “get behind” the campaign, with some on holiday or refusing to knock on doors.

In one case the memo disclosed personal health information about a candidate’s spouse.

ADVERTISEMENT

One MP accused CCHQ of “rank incompetence” in sending out the comments. Another said: “Great way to start a campaign, piss everyone in marginal seats off in the first week.”

Rishi Sunak has had a difficult start to Conservative campaigning. He announced the election in the midst of a downpour in Downing Street and has encountered several hiccups on a UK-wide tour.

Rishi Sunak has faced criticism over his performance at the start of the election campaign

His trip included a visit to the Titanic Quarter, Belfast, which invited “sinking ship” comparisons with his party’s fortunes, and one to a brewery in Wales where he made a footballing gaffe about the Euros.

The memo singled out constituencies believed to be part of the 80/20 strategy used by CCHQ which piles resources into the 80 most marginal seats and the top 20 the party believes it could gain.

In several cases dwindling funding was flagged as an issue. In Bury North in Greater Manchester, the seat held by James Daly, deputy chairman of the party, it was said there were “low funds, circa £2k, met with donors but so far no donations”.

In Thurrock, Essex, where Dame Jackie Doyle-Price is the MP, it was noted that money raised so far has been spent and “few donors [are] available”.

There are “few donors available” in Dame Jackie Doyle-Price’s seat
ROB STOTHARD/GETTY IMAGES
In Plymouth Moor View, the seat of Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, staff said there was a issue with “MP co-operation with CCHQ” and “funding issues — currently £2k in bank” and support had been offered. The Times reported last week that Mercer had written a memo over his frustration with Rishi Sunak’s domination of campaigning.

The West Country seats such of Frome and East Somerset and Glastonbury and Somerton were said to “urgently need” a chunk of funding.

Rebecca Pow, the nature minister, was accused by campaigning staff of spending too much time on ministerial business.

Under the heading for her Taunton and Wellington seat, the memo read: “MP still focusing too much on ‘ministerial business’ and noncommittal on time she will spend in the seat now and during the campaign.”

Sarah Atherton, the MP for Wrexham, was accused of “refusing to engage” in the note, which said: “Wants to cancel this week’s campaigning sessions and stop CM [campaign manager] from running pre-scheduled campaigning sessions over weekend.”

The Conservative Party said: “As you would expect a huge number of reports and emails are compiled and sent daily. The email was sent in error and immediately recalled. Those who received it have been contacted with an apology.”

It is understood that some of the information related to concerns before the announcement of the general election.

In one case in Cramlington and Killingworth, the new Northumberland/Tyne & Wear seat where Ian Levy, the Tory MP, is the candidate, the document said he had “used his 80/20 week to attend a wedding”.

“Lack of co-operation” was noted for Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, in Wycombe

He said: “It’s right that the party are keeping track of what candidates are up to. We want to win to stop a Labour government getting in. I did attend a wedding of a close family friend last week but I was also out pounding the streets, delivering leaflets and talking to voters.”

Staff appeared to blame Paul Howell, the outgoing MP, for performance in the new seat of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, Co Durham, writing: “It is where it is for a reason. MP/candidate will not knock on a door.”

In Cheadle, Greater Manchester, where Mary Robinson is the MP, it was said: “Candidate/MP away for 7 days on holiday.”

“Lack of co-operation” was also noted for Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He said: “I have agreed with successive party chairmen that I would be exempt from the 80/20 programme for good reasons which I do not wish to divulge.”

gauss1777 Free Member
For me the response should have been “and what voluntary work (or indeed anything) have you ever done that wasn’t for your own benefit?” – and left it at that.

I remember that Eddie Mair asked David Cameron that same question during the 2010 election campaign, back when the Tories were banging on about the Big Society and voluntary work replacing as much of the public sector as possible. David Cameron very nearly stammered his way to claiming that being an MP was equivalent to carrying out voluntary work, but very rapidly rolled back on that when he realised what he was nearly saying.

He still won that election though.

And some more…

Outging Tory MP endorses reform MP to take her seat

https://x.com/theousherwood/status/1795115481356968349?t=fViZudS3PEzqyz6Ab6ChPQ&s=19

Outging Tory MP endorses reform MP to take her seat

https://x.com/theousherwood/status/1795115481356968349?t=fViZudS3PEzqyz6Ab6ChPQ&s=19

…and moments later has just been suspended from the Torys

This also is nuts

There was all the talk that Reform would struggle to field enough candidates, but with tory donors reluctant to fund unknown candidates especially in unfavourable seats, it’s the tories who are in trouble. Assuming they do fill, all the seats (and more tories don’t step down) the candidates they do get will be ‘interesting’

I believe the total no of candidates the Tories need to find is actually 160

If anyone did fancy being a Tory MP candidate, just for the lols, you probably stand a reasonable chance

Ian Dunt on the subject of Tory candidate selection:

But in a contest like this, with the tide turning against your party, there’s really very little incentive to stand in the middle of Manchester with a blue rosette having people call you a **** for a month and a half. They’ll find someone, I guess, but by Christ they’ll need to be very weird.

If they have money to spend, it would be much better going to increasing range of secondary, further and higher education. It could and should support family centres, youth social work, criminal justice and existing youth programmes. Fix and invest in what is already there, don’t pretend to invent something new just to satisfy a tiny group of Tory voters.

Is franksinatra standing? He gets my vote

‘We force people to do things all the time’ (yahoo.com)

Says James Cleverly (possibly the most inappropriately named MP in British political history).

As my aged Dad pointed out, the idea of compulsory volunteering is something a bit special, even by Tory standards.

Remarkable

Well apparently Rishi is still banging on about this military service thing today whilst pretending to kick a football around. What is this infatuation with football?

Ooh let me think….you can go to Afghanistan or pick crops in Norfolk.

Next week…benefit claimants  have to go to Rwanda as their dole money will go further.

@slowoldman It’s a transparent and transparently failing attempt to show he has a connection with The People.