UK Election!

It has barely moved the dial in all honesty, so on we go.

Just as I pointed out early last week – 99.9% of us didn’t care either way.

I really can’t believe people are saying Starmer is right to be courting BNP voters.

That’s not exactly what he’s doing, but I think his strategy, as I’ve said, is to say as little as possible so as to not alienating anyone and therefore maximise votes simply by being not the current Tories. And it’s working quite well.

So what if he ‘courts’ right wing votes?  What’s he giving them except waffle in exchange for a vote?  We’ll see what happens after the election.

I really can’t believe people are saying Starmer is right to be courting BNP voters.

What matters is winning elections. You can’t do anything without winning elections.

And once the election has been won it is important not to lose the following election, so it is imperative that you don’t do anything which might cause you to lose the following election.

So what if he ‘courts’ right wing votes?  What’s he giving them except waffle in exchange for a vote?  We’ll see what happens after the election.

It’s just not cricket for Labour voters, we need Labour to only focus on winning votes from 20% of the population and only provide soundbites that are bestowing pure left wing policies that we used to have back in the, er, you know, when labour were in power, but not Blair 😂

So what if he ‘courts’ right wing votes?

You don’t see a problem with Labour claiming that the current Tory government has allowed too many immigrants in and that they will bring the numbers down?

Is Nigel Farage allowed to say that as well?

So what if he ‘courts’ right wing votes?  What’s he giving them except waffle in exchange for a vote?  We’ll see what happens after the election.

Because lying to the electorate is not OK.  Even racist knuckle draggers. It’s what leads to populists sweeping in because they are ‘different’.

If Starmer is lying just to get their votes, what exactly do you think is going to happen in 5 years time when a Tory party that has decided to continue the strategy of out-racisting Reform comes into power with 100+ majority?

Either he’s telling the truth in which case he’s going to pursue policies which will damage the UK or he’s lying in which case people will remember and there will be consequences in 5 years time.

Remember in the leadership election when Starmer was saying all the stuff we liked and then one by one he turned around and said, ‘Actually, we’re doing the opposite of what I said’ and now many of us **** hate him because he lied to us.

Same thing is going to happen with the electorate if he blatantly lies to them.

You don’t see a problem with Labour claiming that the current Tory government has allowed too many immigrants in and that they will bring the numbers?

Maybe, maybe not. What do you think the problem is with it?

Is Nigel Farage allowed to say that as well?

It’s quite interesting comparing what the same people are saying on this thread and the ‘Why are people so against immigration?’ thread.

So Kemi Badanoch has been tracked down by Team Rishi from wherever she was hiding and told to get out on the airwaves

So she’s done so by addressing that burning issue, foremost in the concerns of all voters at the moment…

*checks notes*

…. ‘Gender Recognition’

Because lying to the electorate is not OK. Even racist knuckle draggers. It’s what leads to populists sweeping in because they are ‘different’.

Racist knuckle draggers have been lied to their whole lives anyway. It is why they hold their views of superiority despite the abundant evidence to the contrary that they are not some kind of physical master race.

If Starmer is lying just to get their votes, what exactly do you think is going to happen in 5 years time when a Tory party that has decided to continue the strategy of out-racisting Reform comes into power with 100+ majority?

I was thinking this the other day. How does a newly elected government change the rules to make it a ten year parliament…?

😉

‘Gender Recognition’

It was inevitable. But it’s still depressing.

So she’s done so by addressing that burning issue,

She didn’t even address it.

She couldn’t even define what they were actually proposing to do or why it was happening a few weeks before a GE.

It’s terrifying to think that in just over a months time she’ll be the leader of the Tory party.

Incredible really as she seems to have the towering intellect of Truss, be even tetchier than Rishi and have a similar relationship with the truth to Boris. Maybe all these attributes are why the Tory members love her so much?

She didn’t even address it.

Precisely. And, of course, she wouldn’t, would she?

It’s not about actual policy it’s signalling and signalling to people who don’t want to actually think about something – they just don’t like it.

That’s the audience, that’s the demographic. It is the inevitable endgame of playing up to populism.

If you’re not going to answer questions at least try and be charming while doing it. She manages to make me want to throw the radio out onto the M3 in seconds.

The (former, I guess) Minister for Women and Equalities dismissing questions on whether it’s ok to appear on podcasts where the host jokes about raping labour politicians as ‘trivial’ was another low point.

But as observed…another trap set for SKS that I’m sure he’ll stumble into.

No party has ever “won” an election in the UK in the last 50 years, it’s always a case of waiting for the in power party to lose one. You simply have to trot out some vague message that you’ll make things better, a couple of not too radical policies maybe and not give the currently in power party any ammunition to use against you.

Badenoch’s arrogance and tetchiness when asked for such unimportant things as the details of a policy she is wheeling out or the record of her government…would make for an interesting party leader

Mishal Husain: Is it appropriate for any Tory candidate(Liz Truss) to appear on a podcast associated with Carl Benjamin.. who joked about not even raping Jess Phillips

Kemi Badenoch: "I don't think those comments are appropriate… I think this is trivial & unserious" #r4today pic.twitter.com/IneIn2VXlj

— Haggis_UK ?? ?? (@Haggis_UK) June 3, 2024

She didn’t even address it.

She couldn’t even define what they were actually proposing to do or why it was happening a few weeks before a GE.

I was in the car and Nick Ferrari mentioned she was coming on to discuss it – glad I switched off at that point, saved me shouting at the radio.

It looks like with a bit of tactical voting, the delightful Kemi Badanoch might not be the next Tory leader after all. Ed Davey has said the Lib Dems are not prioritising the seat, which would seem to be a tacit nod

She’s so monumentally arrogant, she’d provide a perfect  ‘Portillo Moment’

To go against everything I’ve been saying, even I would vote for whoever had the best chance of giving Badenoch her P45.

In the most part people are sucked into culture war arguments because their lives are a bit shit.

The solution isn’t just to fight the culture war from the other side, it is to resolve the huge economic inequality that we are now experiencing, to give people some job security, affordable housing and hope that they can improve their lives. If people have that then the culture war talking points just don’t matter so much, the seeds of the war fall on rocky ground.

The culture war is the “dead cat” to cover for the failed neoliberal policies and the excuse to continue those trickle up economic policies. Not making fundamental changes to the way the economy is operated for the benefit of the many instead of the few will always allow the culture war to burn and to be stoked into flames at every election cycle.

Looks like they’ve got the other intellectual big guns on the case as well as Kemi

Only Conservatives will legislate to recognise the reality of biological sex and protect women and girls spaces ? pic.twitter.com/5imMBWNWMi

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) June 3, 2024

Now that anti-trans has popped up, we must have a full house of culture war rhetoric by now. We’ve done cyclists, immigrants, and the feckless youth, who else is left?

Also, the juxtaposition of that Mail headline and photo is making me feel really quite ill. And Liz Truss didn’t seem quite so keen on women’s safety when she was sharing a platform the other day with a guy who joked about raping Jess Phillips.

The (former, I guess) Minister for Women and Equalities dismissing questions on whether it’s ok to appear on podcasts where the host jokes about raping labour politicians as ‘trivial’ was another low point.

She still holds the equalities brief alongside business secretary. So she can eff up two important areas instead of just one.

I only meant former as they’re all technically holding pencil copies of their Ministerial P45s for the time being.

As noted above; looks likely she’ll be getting a full version of it in a few week’s time, and then maybe also one for the main job too.

@theotherjonv – I see what you mean now and I really hope so too. Would be better for the country if she was gone from parliament

I have a personal theory that a government needs a serious opposition to be effective, it would be awful if she became the leader of the Tories should they lose and become the opposition.

it would be awful if she became the leader of the Tories should they lose and become the opposition.

Nah, it’ll be hilarious. It’ll guarantee at least two terms for labour, probably three as it set them back years.

When Rishi appointed Kemi as Equalities Minister  I’d assumed it was some kind of joke.

Is there any record anywhere that she’s even so much as acknowledged that she is Equalities Minister? Do you think she even knows?

As for who’s next leader, I’ve still not cashed out my bet at 9/1 on Cruella and if Kemi loses her seat then I reckon that’s nailed on

The culture war is the “dead cat” to cover for the failed neoliberal policies and the excuse to continue those trickle up economic policies. Not making fundamental changes to the way the economy is operated for the benefit of the many instead of the few will always allow the culture war to burn and to be stoked into flames at every election cycle.

Great words and certainly these sort of observations are scant around here.

Bit of a squinty-eyed guess as interest rates start to get cut (after a bit of minor  market excitement bump) we will then likely head into a bigger recession without some big state boost.

So she’s done so by addressing that burning issue, foremost in the concerns of all voters at the moment…

*checks notes*

…. ‘Gender Recognition’

Apparently this is the reason my dad wants to vote Reform.

It may not be my mums mental faculties we should be worried about

What’s he giving them except waffle in exchange for a vote?

Nothing good will come of bullshitting racists with dog whistles.

Oh look, it’s nuclear weapons day at the election. I wish they’d announce it in advance so we know to turn the news off and avoid the guardian website. Someone tell me when they’ve moved on to something important. 🙄

frogface to make an announcement at 5pm

wheres he going to stand?

Clacton, apparently.

Not sure what they’ve done to deserve it though.

kimbers
Full Member
frogface to make an announcement at 5pm

Ooh! Im guessing the bung finally cleared at the bank!

Ian Dunt is always worth reading and he’s bang on about Badanoch

“There’s never the slightest thought for how to fix something. Never a hint of a practical plan for the future. There is just the division.”

Badenoch’s carnival of poison and hate

+1 Binners

The right or wrong side of these issues does not lie with one tribe or the other. It’s about whether you are trying to alleviate or worsen them. That is the true binary. That is the one that matters.

Policy similarities and differences aside, that encapsulates the situation. When you cast your vote and make a judgement on whether you are able or unable to vote for Labour, make decisions aligned to your own interests and conscience but please think on that statement as you do.

another watery moment

Comedy gold from the LibDems doing a Steve Bray ??? pic.twitter.com/fbrMdfv265

— Chirps (@ChirpyChet) June 3, 2024

? NEW: Rishi Sunak has been photobombed by the Lib Dems on a boat behind him

Lib Dem source to @StephSpyro: "This is just another small boat Rishi Sunak can’t deal with."

Sunak's team attempted to move him on but it was too latepic.twitter.com/gkcJdtJ7pR

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 3, 2024

Bombs to the ‘left’ of me and single sex toilets to the right.

What a truly terrible campaign so far.

It’s a shit show of mashed up daily mailerism with liberals ignoring every single possible progressive solution ‘cos it’s not pragmatic or the market will sort it.

Honestly would just prefer it if Starmer and Sunak battled it out in a Thunderdome environment.