... to say that the Tories are in power indefinitely?

[MrsPeacockInTheLibrary]

I said similar in a political discussion earlier with a friend and they got quite angry and said that was ridiculous.

I had shared some of the reasons I have this opinion: Labour factionalism and infighting (I am a party member and see it entrenched everywhere), Scotland, the split vote on the left, the Tory majority, conservative voting trends in recent years... I just can't see how the Tories will be ousted within at least the next 10-20 years.

I know the old adage about a week in politics... I wish we had more hope of reform in the system, and safe seats did not exist in their current form, but it is what it is.

People wanted a change - new labour.

Voted Labour all my life
Can't vote for them now. They are on the path to self destruction/division.
And Angela Raynor is in for a shock if she thinks the old red wall constituencies give a rubbery fuck about self ID

I will only vote for parties who are not fucking terrified to describe what a woman is. This currently rules out labour, the Lib Dems and the Green party.

@jewel1968

Can you remind me why Blair won after years of Tories. Were people just fed up and wanted a change or was it because Blair looked like a Tory (Tory Lite) or was Labour offering something people wanted/needed.

To my memory it was definitely partly because he was considered a Tory Lite.

@jewel1968

Can you remind me why Blair won after years of Tories. Were people just fed up and wanted a change or was it because Blair looked like a Tory (Tory Lite) or was Labour offering something people wanted/needed.

Majors Govt suffered from allegation of sleaze and of black Monday

Hilarious really when you consider who the Current PM is!

@FreeBritnee

I will only vote for parties who are not fucking terrified to describe what a woman is. This currently rules out labour, the Lib Dems and the Green party.

Yep.

Every time I think of those parties who are pandering to the extreme left I am reminded of this video.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=moWe3rk7LzQ

I do remember the sleeze but I seem to remember it had little impact. Was it mostly Black Monday and the Tory Lite thing.

I live in St Albans and Daisy Cooper (lib dem) is really good, she really seems to care. Why does Angela Rayner get so much hate? I googled her and not much came up.

Full length version for those that want a chuckle in these shitty old times.

m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=514&v=_NdE9CjkvTY&feature=emb_logo

I think a new party would be a sensation. I know absolutely nothing btw but if I was a party leader my policies would be:

1. Children first. Their education, their health, the inequality gap, their socialisation. I would be looking at what we get right when raising girls - 96% of murder is perpertrated by males. Girls and women refrain. What we do to raise girls we do to raise boys.

1. Self ID will not threaten single sex spaces. I would strengthen policy to ensure girls and womens rights are upheld.

1. Proportional representation implemented.

1. A 10% tax on estates after a persons death to cover elderly social care.

1. A universal basic income implemented to completely replace our benefits system.

1. Capital gains tax restructure on a sliding scale

1. A kind of economic model implemented (I have one in mind but don't know what it is called) where you sliding scale economic contribution based on length of wealth accumalation and household expenditure. Base the economy around renewable and climate friendly energy.

1. Re do the NHS in terms of evaluating the fuck out of every clinical intervention to make it cost efficient and value added. Same with CSC. Same with education. Remove business models. Put in social models.

1. Improve media accountability. Every lie they tell. Every mistake they make. Fine them.

10. Re do the political system in terms of who gets in, why they are in that job and what they actually do when in it.

11. Give the nation a message: It is okay to get things wrong. If you admit you got it wrong you won't die. Nobody knows everything, nobody is an oracle. Admitting you are fallible is fine.

I think I'd get so much hate though. Because I have a vagina

A new party might be a great idea.

@jewel1968

Can you remind me why Blair won after years of Tories. Were people just fed up and wanted a change or was it because Blair looked like a Tory (Tory Lite) or was Labour offering something people wanted/needed.

The Tories at the time had been hit by repeated scandals which revealed endemic financial & moral hypocrisy & corruption. They were also tearing themselves apart over Europe, and their main economic policy of keeping the pound in the Exchange Rate Mechanism vs other European currencies had collapsed, destroying their reputation for economic competence.

Labour were seen as a credible, moderate, sensible, modern government in waiting, and Blair was a political superstar whose charisma outshone every other politician in the country by miles. The electorate wanted change, and wanted investment in public services which had been run-down by the Tories for 18 years. Crucially, Blair & Brown convinced Middle England that the economy was safe in their hands, and places like Enfield, a once safe Tory seat represented by Michael Portillo, who was seen as a future Tory leader, went to Labour.

Full disclosure: I was a Labour activist in a very important bellwether marginal seat in the East Midlands in 1997. We won.

Yes, thank god. Last thing we need after this pandemic is Labour further destroying the economy!

@ColorMagicBarbie

Yes, thank god. Last thing we need after this pandemic is Labour further destroying the economy!

When this lot are so competent... 🙄

@Indecisivelurcher
" heard that the boundary changes and other 'tweaks' they quietly put through shoring up safe seats and splitting 'problem areas'. Not sure if that's true."

Any boundary changes are made on the advice of the boundary commission which is funded by the Cabinet Office but is independent of the govt. The splitting comes when constituencies get too populated for one MP to deal with. Boundaries are moved to even out the numbers. As largely populated areas tend to be in cities which usually have Labour MPs, that's why you see talk of Labour seats being split rather than Conserative seats.
There's a different boundary commission for each of the 4 countries and reviews are done every 8 to 12 years.

@FreeBritnee. That's so funny. Is it real or a comedy sketch? Aggressive scent, video of conference with no sound, hissy fits over people whispering. They wouldn't make it through one day in the House of Commons. 😂😂😂

Yes, we need another five years of Boris Johnson and co giving more money to his mates ..

[quote Porridgealert]@FreeBritnee. That's so funny. Is it real or a comedy sketch? Aggressive scent, video of conference with no sound, hissy fits over people whispering. They wouldn't make it through one day in the House of Commons. 😂😂😂[/quote]
I’m afraid it’s real

@PieMistee

Unless the left manages to take more control over the press and social media we are fucked forever more. People seem to like being fucked over and will keep begging for more.

The left takes control of social media? Would you approve of anyone suggesting the right take over social media?

I will only vote for a party that knows what a woman is. At the moment that’s the Tory party. However I don’t trust them either. I can see myself not voting at the next election or defacing my ballot paper.

@FreeBritnee. That's even funnier. 😂😂😂 I don't think any comedy writer could have come up with half those things. Now, no talking or hissing just...👋👋 🤣🤣
Labour and Conservatives should try that!!

@jewel1968

Can you remind me why Blair won after years of Tories. Were people just fed up and wanted a change or was it because Blair looked like a Tory (Tory Lite) or was Labour offering something people wanted/needed.

Actually, all of those things.

Plus the Conservative government had a raft of individuals who were involved in financial irregularities and personal wrongdoings. The sleeze was magnified against a backdrop of financial mismanagement. The recession of the early 1990's was deeper that the Great Recession of 2007 - 2009. People on good salaries, households on two incomes, could not hold it together when interest rates were in double figures, despite the average house price being around £50,000 sometimes less.

Tony Blair came at the right time, the UK was re-emerging and industry seemed to play a larger part. People looked to figures with charisma - from the Spice Girls to Richard Branson for good news stories. When Blair came along he had masses of charisma and centre and centre-right voters gave him their vote.

I'm a floating voter. Have voted Labour and Lib Dem in the recent past.

However, I'm not prepared to vote for either Labour or Lib Dem again until they recognise what a woman is.

I'm not too squeamish to vote Tory.

Thanks all for reminding me of the sleeze etc ... Question - do you think the media played an important part in telling the story and influencing voters. I could be wrong but it feels now that the media props up the Tories regardless of sleaze..