UK Election!

“See you mate, you’re a right ****.”

” he’s had chances to ditch Rayner”

Lol!  he tried but failed spectacularly. She’s one tough cookie and hopefully will keep labour real (see Diane Abbott situation). Starmer isn’t her puppet as the Cons would have voters believe but he has underestimated her before – hopefully he will keep her onside as she has a lot to give.

The main problem we’ve had with the Tory Party (well… one of them, at least) is that since Boris took over he got rid of anyone with anything between their ears, then surrounded himself with thick-as-mince Brexiteer nodding dogs that wouldn’t threaten him. All so he literally got to act like a dictator (hence the proroguing of parliament etc). Truss then Rishi has been more of the same

Much as those on the left like to accuse Starmer of purges, Diane Abbot will still be MP for Hackney, Rayner will still be deputy PM and there’s a front bench of people who are there on merit and look like they could probably locate their own arse, unlike the Tory cabinets of recent vintage

I totally agree with you @winston that people underestimate Angela Rayner at their peril. I think Starmer has learnt that lesson. The Tories are all absolutely terrified of her! She’s everything they’re not. Here’s hoping she has a big influence on policy

Speaking of thick as mince brexiteers….

Andrea Jenkyns has been arguing with her one time friend and Russian stooge Aaron Banks about why she won’t defect to Reform

Oh and she’s also one of our Tory MPs, Andrea Jenkyns, Marco Longhi, Brendan Clarke-Smith and Karl McCartney, each receive £5,000 for backing far right Reclaim’s key pledges…. That surely means they must lose the whip?

Meanwhile

Sunak cancelling all media interviews today trying to figure out how he can quit as PM? , but because he’s locked in as candidate for his constituency he can’t even announce he will stand down as an MP after the GE otherwise his MPs will be even more furious!

It’s possible we could have the odious dick Holden or even Cameron as caretaker PM by this time next week?

“Cameron as caretaker PM”

I’d actually put money on that, mad as it sounds.

For those forumites of a certain age, remember Dallas?

You could have a whole Bobby Ewing in the shower moment here.

I think Cameron as caretaker PM and caretaker LOTO is a possibility.

Bottle of scotch and a metaphorical revolver time for Sunak

https://x.com/mcgregormt/status/1799516879993639375?t=CR4RvnKP72XNu0jglmlkxQ&s=19

Also remarkable story about Gavin Williamson- he struck a deal with the Reform candidate in his constituency who has just announced he’s standing down to join the tories, God knows what kompromat he must have on the guy!

There’s an implosion imminent

ratherbeintobago
Full Member
I think Cameron as caretaker PM and caretaker LOTO is a possibility.

Literally, “back to square one.”

I think Cameron as caretaker PM

I don’t think he’s allowed in the House of Commons, so couldn’t do PMQT.

Gavin Williamson to lead the Tories into the election?

strong and stable

Have v the wheels ever fallen off like this in an election campaign before?

Have v the wheels ever fallen off like this in an election campaign before?

Theresa Mays implosion was pretty spectacular

“Have v the wheels ever fallen off like this in an election campaign before?”

No,previous prime ministers have been deluded,  BUT competent!

I have a friend who did a complete career  change and moved into a care role. Not sure what it is exactly but it seems to involve helping people with autism, severe learning disabilities etc integrate into everyday society. She takes them shopping etc.

Since taking the job she’s switched to voting Tory “because of all the benefits these people get” and she’s sure the Tories will cut back on them.

She works with these people, has more insight than most as to all the struggles they have and actively wants to make things harder for them? Christ, that’s bleak. Dark.

kimbers
Full Member
Have v the wheels ever fallen off like this in an election campaign before?

The thing is, relatively speaking, it’s pretty easy to organise a *competent* election campaign… Even if you lose it because sometimes you just can’t win.

Now compare that task to running a whole country… I think it’s fair to say we still don’t really know the turmoil Number 10 has been in for years and probably won’t really know it all till a good few books have been written by insiders after the Tories are removed.

I think there is going to be some truly terrible revelations to come about how criminally badly the country has been governed.

That’s the thing, isn’t it? No matter how much many of us lack enthusiasm for a Starmer-led Lab government, and no matter how much Lab is constrained by the financial position, at least the shadow front bench (with the exception of that wee nyaff Streeting) come across as grown ups, and competent government will improve matters.

On Call me Dave…

I don’t think he’s allowed in the House of Commons, so couldn’t do PMQT.

Isn’t the convention that a lord wishing to be PM has to resign from the Lords and a government MP resigns so he can have a run for election in a (safe) seat in the Commons? I think he should go for it.

I don’t think he’s allowed in the House of Commons, so couldn’t do PMQT.

I think only the King is not allowed into the House of Commons, hence the nonsensical drama when Black Rod has the door slammed in his face.

Although I don’t think that prime minister’s questions is an indispensable part of government. Certainly lords have previously served as prime ministers, I think the last one was Alec Douglas-Home.

I think there’s a big difference between substantive and interim PM (and the PMQs issue doesn’t apply for the time being as Parliament has been dissolved). The convention is that since 1902 no PM has sat in the Lords, but if the wee man commits political seppuku then they’ll need someone to hold the fort, and frankly they’re a bit short of grown-ups.

Certainly would be possible for Cameron to be LOTO from the Lords, AFAIK

Excellent article in the Times about the dday farce and how Starmer (and Lammy) pout manouvered sunak

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/infighting-on-the-beaches-behind-the-scenes-of-the-d-day-debacle-6rlvt8nr6

If the Tories are going to have a leader in the Lords I really think nobody could do zero detail focus, grasping opportunism without scruple at every opportunity, and maximum dark comedy potential like Baron Frost could.

Oops

https://x.com/jamesrbuk/status/1799532965849883091?t=znvu-2OoZZFxxLPspX7wPg&s=19

For the first time I really don’t know who I should vote for.

As for domestic policy, economy etc, the two main parties are not very far apart so for me that is nothing to choose.

My vote is for a party that can come up with sensible foreign policy but most parties are in the “pocket of influencers” (that’s the lobbyists for me). They support war in Israel-Palestine and/or Ukraine-Russia or both.

The current world economy is actually greatly affected by the wars but most just refuse to acknowledge it.  If the war is not stopped then no matter what policy there is nothing will change and the economy will just worsen.

Tories & Labour both support wars (they say that without blinking), although soften their stance after realising they “talked too much” and may affect their votes and support.

Reform party is feeling the Ukraine-Russia war fatigue but oppose to protesters protesting on Israel-Palestine war.  Farage is having too many pints I think.

Jeremy Corbyn and George Galloway are more consistent with their views of opposing all the wars but they are not around my way, otherwise I would vote for either one of them.

Helping Ukraine defend itself isn’t supporting war.

Starmer (and Lammy) pout manouvered sunak

We will know soon enough but I consider Lammy to be potentially quite dangerous for the next Labour government. IMO he is a gaffe-prone loose cannonball. I am not sure what the idea behind making him Foreign Secretary is.

I think only the King is not allowed into the House of Commons, hence the nonsensical drama when Black Rod has the door slammed in his face.

Correct, Lords are allowed in but cannot ‘serve’ (I think that means be an MP and therefore may not participate in debates in the HoC chamber)  So defeats the object. But, there are other chambers such as Westminster Hall, not sure if the same applies there – they can hold sessions in all sorts of places and effectively have questions to the PM somewhere else outside of the normal* way of doing things if they wanted. What happens now is changeable, as it has been in the past.

Although I don’t think that prime minister’s questions is an indispensable part of government. Certainly lords have previously served as prime ministers, I think the last one was Alec Douglas-Home.

He resigned his peerage to be PM, last genuine Lord as PM was early 1900’s (IANAE, just googled that)

* PMQs itself is modern; you could always ask questions of the PM and then for organisational convenience they moved to end of each day, then to 2x15min sessions per week (that was early 60’s) and then Blair moved to 1×30. So moving it to another chamber to accomodate a Lord as PM would hardly be chucking away hundereds of years of convention, more like 25.

It’s become a key part of the weekly life of Parliament but really little business is done there and the knock about braying nature is getting worse. It also links to the increasingly presidential nature of the PM, really the works should be at the various key office questions – Treasury, Home Sec, etc. but when they can’t find anyone half statesmanlike to fill these roles that also becomes a farce.

Jeremy Corbyn and George Galloway are more consistent with their views of

… supporting Putins Russia, Colonel Gadaffi, Sadaam Hussain, the mad clerics in Iran and all  it’s associated terrorist proxies

FTFY

Theresa Mays implosion was pretty spectacular

In legend yes.

However in reality the increase in votes compared to the previous election was pretty impressive. As opposed to looking at Johnson for example. His “vote winning” isnt that great when you look at numbers vs percentages.

Certainly lords have previously served as prime ministers, I think the last one was Alec Douglas-Home.

For less than a month with him before he gave up his title and won a byelection. The fancy footwork to allow this to go through shows it wasnt really acceptable at that point for a lord to be pm.

I think it is safe to say that the 1910 punchup between the liberal mps and the lords handed power decisively to the HoC and after that it was effectively a requirement to be an mp.

supporting Putins Russia, Colonel Gadaffi, Sadaam Hussain, the mad clerics in Iran and all it’s associated terrorist proxies

FTFY

Yeah I read that in the Daily Mail too. What’s wrong with chewkw FFS?

Maybe he’s been reading stuff by Peter Osborne?💡

Edit : Click on the link, it works fine.

Jeremy Corbyn was right about Putin from the start

For less than a month with him before he gave up his title and won a byelection.

How long does David Cameron need to be Prime Minister for?

kimbers
Full Member
Excellent article in the Times about the dday farce and how Starmer (and Lammy) pout manouvered sunak

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/infighting-on-the-beaches-behind-the-scenes-of-the-d-day-debacle-6rlvt8nr6

That was an excellent read. Would actually make quite a compelling TV one off drama, “How the Election was Lost” or whatever.

I’m heartened to see Labour being politically savvy and the description of how Sunak was outplayed is a good example of how doing the right thing is also the politically intelligent thing to do as well.

Further down the article it touches on the debates and as I said, Rayner had to go after Mordaunt over the tax fib. Rayner was told to act more statesman like before the debate but I just don’t see how that is viable when you are in a pit of vipers.

“Suspended social media campaigning because there is no money”

Donors not doning because they can see there will be no return on their investment.

With all the money that’s been funneled to cronies etc., there’s plenty of money out there ready for when the opportunity presents itself – watch out 2029 ish.

@ernielynch 26 days?

She works with these people, has more insight than most as to all the struggles they have and actively wants to make things harder for them? Christ, that’s bleak. Dark.

There was a TV interview with an elderly couple who were on their way to the food bank in their deprived & run-down town centre who were saying how much they were looking forward to voting Tory cos they (the Tories) have “always supported the food bank”.

And since this couple relied on the food bank, they saw it as the Tories looking after them. 🤯

Literally turkeys voting for Christmas. Most people are too stupid to be allowed to vote.

How long does David Cameron need to be Prime Minister for?

Leaving aside what **** Sunak does next which might mean its a few weeks I would say the same rule applies for leader of the opposition.

So unless its a temporary post whilst a leadership election is held I would expect it to be a case of standing for byelection immediately.

Weird thing about Sunak blobbing from Normandy is that even more disrespectfully the Orange Shitgibbon alledgedly* suggested dead US combatants were losers for fighting and then dying. Yet in the heavily militaristic US voting base it apparently did him no real harm. 🤷

I’m absolutely loving this Tory implosion though.

* https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/10/04/donald-trump-call-troops-suckers-losers/

@crazy-legs

Sounds a lot like Stockholm syndrome.

Mad stuff. I might post an anecdote tomorrow if I can be bothered about a Reform voting friend/ neighbour and his recent (bizarre, on his part) interaction with the NHS.