Electoral fallout after Manchester...

[Badweekjustgotworse]

First off, my heart is breaking for all those who were murdered last night and the families who've lost loved ones. There is evil in this world and that anyone could target a concert with such a huge number of children is beyond my comphrension

What will the political fallout be though? It can't be random that it happened so close to the election and must've in part been planned to destabilise our political system and process. How this is responded to be May and Corbyn will tell be telling. Obviously campaigning has been suspended for the meantime but when it swings back into action how much manipulation of people's fears about terrorism are going to be feed back into the campaigns? Will May try to take advantage of Corbyn's perceived lack of leadership and reticence to resort to hardline policies?

It's possibly more to do with the 4 year anniversary of the vile murder of Lee Rigby than the election.

The attack itself may or may not have had anything to do with the election in terms of timing. We don't know now and may never know.

But the fact is that it has happened in the middle of an election campaign, and will surely have an impact on that campaign in some way or another. Because that is the nature of politics. Even here. Especially here.

I really don't think this is the right thread for today.

ChardonnaysPrettySister Poster does mean Jo Moore, a Labour SpAd to a Minister who thought 9/11 would be a "good day to buy bad news".

• "bury"

Oh oh course!

Sorry, that makes more sense.
But then, political campaigning is suspended today.

Of course it's aimed at the election.
But too early for this conversation.

Never mind the election, I can't help wondering whether any politician will think 'this is a good day to bury bad news' like someone so infamously did after 9/11, IIRC.

Of course she said she had 'made a mistake', not that she'd quite deliberately done something underhand while confident of never being found out.

And as for trying to say the conservatives will try and take political advantage... Words fail me.

I saw conservatives in america trying to take advantage of it within minutes of it making the news. Of course they will. And the more right wing you get the nastier the conversation will be.

No political party would want to be seen making political capital out of this. However, it also is politics and the parties should respond to it - this terrorism is not a series of random events and they should present their ideas for dealing with it (not today though) as it is an ongoing concern. The fact that Corbyn failed to condemn the IRA and has links with other terrorist organisations is relevant.

I think the tories in this country will try very hard not to be seen to make political capital out of it.

It doesn't work anyway, look at France. Macron in over le pen despite the bataclan

Bluntness100's response perfectly illustrates what I meant by the Sun and their ilk exploiting this. I'm no Corbyn fan and would probably vote Tory before I'd vote Labour (I won't vote for either), but this smear campaign is low. Corbyn along with many others negotiated with the IRA, contributing to finally bringing peace to Northern Ireland. By comparison, Maria Gatland, a serving Tory MP, was actually an ACTIVE member of the IRA. Double standards, much?

And in any case, yesterday's attack is highly unlikely to have anything to do with Northern Ireland. Trying to gain political traction in this way is despicable and disrespectful to the victims (although predictable and to be expected of SUN readers).

Undoubtedly it will play into the strong and stable rhetoric of Theresa May. Ironically the forensic lab at Chorley, which would previously have investigated these attacks, was closed during May's stint as home secretary and has since been demolished.

www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/lancashire-lab-that-helped-snare-harold-shipman-and-rose-west-to-be-demolished-1-7264988

February I think your right more people will vote for May, as the will be worried about uncertainty. Personally I think the elections should be postponed until a later date

No legitimate party will try and steer this to their advantage because it would be despicable and also ridiculous.

So atm there is nothing to be seen re a party trying to use that attack to boost their votes.
But someone mentioned France. Have a look at what is happening there today. Because that attack has been used already to attack the current president (from not saying anything quickly enough to pointing out that one of his first measure is about xxx when there are more important issues to tackle such as terrorism etc etc).

The same will happen here (albeit a but later I'm sure).

The best answer IMO has been the one of people living in Manchester who have opened their doors, have transported people for free (taxis etc) and so on. Maybe this is what we should all be concentrating on. As well as reminding our politicians about it.

i think its naive to say this discussion is for another day

No it's not naive it's called showing quiet respect please try to.

I think that the timing is coincidental but I also think that Corbyn will struggle to convince voters that he can lead a country that's under attack from fundamentalists. I also agree with pp that it's naive to believe that party strategists of all colours won't today be considering the impact on their parties of this disgraceful event. That's what they're paid to do.

The people of Manchester were phenomenal. What a response. Free taxis, offers of sofa beds and cups of tea. Brilliant.

I think its naive to say that these discussions are for another day.

It really really isn't! although you would think that as you started the ill timed thread

And in any case, yesterday's attack is highly unlikely to have anything to do with Northern Ireland

Terrorism for me is always abhorrent and should never be condoned, I won't apologise for that view. I don't care if it's in France, Belgium, Northern Ireland, or Manchester, it is never ever ok in my view.

Gatland has never hidden her past and why she left the Ira in 1972 and in fact she wrote articles and books about it after she left and went into hiding in London. 45 years ago. She is also not attempting to be our next prime minister and her links are far from current. She also does publicly condemn it.

No legitimate party will try and steer this to their advantage because it would be despicable and also ridiculous.

Fully expect UKIP to come out with something hugely offensive in the next few hours then...

But more seriously, no legitimate party will openly try to steer this to their advantage, but I think we would be crushingly naive as an electorate, not to realise that behind closed doors that all political parties will be trying to spin this to their advantage, especially in the run up to a GE, whether "it's fighting terrorism needs closer links to Europe" or "fighting terrorism needs strong immigration policies."

And we, as an electorate, cannot afford be be crushingly naive anymore. And the responsibility is on us, as members of the public to make sure we are not being naive, rather than hoping politicians will be noble, or relying on biased news sources.

itsawonderfulworld she is not an MP, a councillor in Croydon. Briefly involved in her youth and she "denounced their activities over 30 years ago" - Corbyn supports current terrorist groups in Palestine.

It's interesting that the right-wing wants to peddle the story that Jeremy Corbyn is pro-IRA.

I wonder where they made up heard this story?

Could it be the same place the Murdoch's Sky News interviewer did?

I don't think there is any argument over the fact that Jeremy Corbyn was an IRA sympathiser

you are mistaken, then.

Do they even know if it was a lone nut or a part of a terrorist cell?

It's despicable to imply that one party will take advantage of the situation.

As for Corbyn and the IRA, he's not denying that he was friendly with them and sympathised so perhaps it isn't all a right wing conspiracy.