The UK is about to enter a nightmare much darker than anyone yet realises

Same.

A Lib Dem opposition is my big wish

Hoping 🤞

"Every conservative nightmare will come true" the article says.

Oh dear.
How sad.
Never mind.

All the governments I've lived under have been Tory except Blair/Brown and yeah, that was the good one.

Lol.

The two best governments I've lived under - ones that delivered steady economic growth, stable public finances and sufficiently-funded public services that give a helping hand when needed: Blair's government in the UK, and Helen Clark's government in NZ. Both Labour.

The one single reason for voting Tory is a booming economy generating wealth for all, and the Tories have absolutely failed to provide that single advantage.

The Lib Dems would be a stronger Opposition in every way .

If the Tories were the Opposition all Keir Starmer needs to say at PMQs is

"Pipe down I'm fixing YOUR mess."

It would be incredibly difficult to match the nightmare of the last 8 years

It's ridiculously over the top hubris but there is a kernel of truth that we do need a strong opposition and if the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are fighting to gain the support of the minor parties to become the official opposition that is a problem. As is the official opposition being a similar flavour to the government because that's not an opposition. The Lib Dems might decide to move further right or further left to create blue water between them and Labour. Not sure which is more likely.

Life is not going to suddenly get better, the international situation is dire and we're still suffering the long term effects of Brexit, Covid and the economic crisis. Neither of the main parties have been honest about how hard things will be going forward. In '97 New Labour enacted lots of feel good policies very early on, I can't see that happening this time.

Oh he's a loon?
^
One of those reliably wrong about absolutely everything sorts?^

🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

Seeet Summer Child

Do get back to us re that, in a year.

I really enjoyed this @EdwinH thank you. Hilarious!

The Tory party will tear itself apart, perhaps even finally realising that it can no longer be the home of both Left-wing, high-tax, woke Remainers and Right-wing, low-tax, anti-woke Brexiteers.

Did any one know that there were ahem "left wing woke Remainers" in the Tory party?!!!

Where? Who?

The likely scale of the defeat will be crushing for remaining Tory MPs. Former top ministers will become obscure non-entities overnight. They will lose their ministerial cars and special advisers, and many will become the butt of jokes. Nobody will care what they say or do. Few will even return their calls.

He's a comedy sketch writer parodying the pearl clutchers?

They will lose their ministerial cars!!!!

I've only got as far as "Left Wing Stormtroopers"

Is it supposed to be funny?

Is he pretending?

I don't know who Alistair Heath is but he's a bit histrionic isn't he? He's hit his knickers right in a twist.

They've only got about 8 seats

All good points, but in terms of fiscal policy Labour have committed to following the Conservative's policies.

The Alistair Heath who thought the mini-budget was a good idea? Yeah... Not gonna listen to him.

"In September 2022, Heath welcomed the mini-budget submitted by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, with unbridled enthusiasm.

Heath wrote: "This was the best Budget I have ever heard a British Chancellor deliver, by a massive margin". (From Wikipedia).

On one level, if this had been the situation at any of the previous elections I would be sitting in a happy dream, my-kind-of-people would be chatting about things with nearly-my-kind-of-people. The problem now is that we are facing ww3 and I really don't think labour or libdem have any more of a clue about what is really happening or what is really at stake than the tories do.

Actually even back then I'd have been realistic, that what with civil servants and LA practice and the public/private total lack of moral or commercial understanding and a general lack of competence all round it might not be all heavenly. We need a shake up of how governance is done, really. We need some sort of competence and expertise requirement for ministerial roles, longer appointments so that expertise can build up) and a different way of applying checks and balances, which is more transparent and also more competent (and grown up) than it is now.

The GE process needs to be updated too. A national non binding vote for principles would be interesting - do the people want sufficient government control and taxation to ensure that people in need are treated in a humane way but not so much that enterprise is compromised? Do the people want the NHS to be given back to health staff and taken away from PFI contracts? And for each issue, more information provided about meaning and consequences.

You love it

Exactly. They own whatever shitshow they, enabled by the Telegraph, have delivered onnus over the past 14 years. The article is nothing to do with the government ( they've given up on that) it's about the Tory Party thinking it has a divine right to exist. Which it doesn't.

They weren't ' fiscally conservative' when they were crashing the economy and dropping our financial rating from AAA to AA and increasing the interest rates on our massive borrowing or handing out tons of cash to their mates to provide unusable PPE or allowed industrial scale covid fraud or allowing their latest sidepiece to spend ££££ on gold wallpaper or had the highest taxes in 80 years, money that has seemingly disappeared, as it hasn't been spent on public services.

You say that HauntedBungalow but I understand the best place for a similar vision is at a gathering of Young Conservatives, as many accountnover the years will testify.

Come back Rishi, all is forgiven!

Is anyone else mildly aroused by the thought of Keir in a stormtrooper outfit?