Westministenders: Before the Fire Alarm of Rome goes off

[RedToothBrush]

I’m going to keep this one very simple.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS 22ND MAY.
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Postal votes start to go out on 23rd May.

Your challenge is to persuade someone to register to vote or to get someone who is considering not to, to get their arse to the polling station.

Go forth and harass. Especially women and the young.

That’s it. No frills OP.

Ashcroft is not a neutral party

Well quite. Interesting to see the difference....

Bigchoc - I'm sure you were impressed by NS's suggestion that all immigrants are welcome in Scotland. -Scotland does need immigration in order to thrive. What they seem to have forgotten is that their main source of immigrants is England! - However that is completely contrary to the stance and vitriol spouted by many SNP supporters with regard to anyone with alternative views to their own.
Although a conservative supporter I certainly don't support Le Penn or any far right movements or have any racial views. We really are not all like that at all but what I would point out is the disgusting views of many SNP supporters who seem unable to have a rational debate and would rather spout vitriol at anyone apposing their nationalist views.

And yet didn't we have a poll on here earlier saying the labour party had a slightly higher rating now than it did under Ed M? So maybe they aren't doing so terribly after all.

And yet didn't we have a poll on here earlier saying the labour party had a slightly higher rating now than it did under Ed M? So maybe they aren't doing so terribly after all.

By a point or so, but yes - the Lib Dems aren't convincing anyone, and Corbyn's drawing in Greens and turbocharging his base. That could lead to the delicious prospect of a 100+ Tory landslide, plus Corbyn staying on because he "beat" Ed in vote share and deserves a second shot at a GE...

So...Corbyn not getting support = disaster. Corbyn gets more support = still disaster.

I find it interesting that so far the labour manifesto seems to have been a surprising success, especially considering that the anti-corbyn narrative means it has everything stacked against it. Polling seems to suggest the policies are popular and it has boosted labour in the polls. However, support for Corbyn himself remains low and there is still this narrative of him being an unmitigated disaster, despite labour polling pretty equivalent to what it was at in 2015 (as far talked about earlier in the thread).

So...Corbyn not getting support = disaster. Corbyn gets more support = still disaster

That's the long and short of it when you've got a leader whose unfavourables exceed Donald Trump's. No need for the eye roll, you know I'm right. Any party with brains would have realized their mistake and pushed him out (like the Tories did IDS) a long time ago.

By a point or so, but yes - the Lib Dems aren't convincing anyone

My understanding of what's happening doesn't tally with that. Its a polarisation. You are either with May or you are against her. People are not necessarily not being convinced by the LDs. Many like what they are hearing from the LDs but have trusts issues there. Or they are going towards Corbyn despite not liking him because the alternative is 'even worse'. Its more a matter of people going into 'survival mode', rather than purely a failure of the LDs. The position they were in post 2015 was very difficult to get back from - third or fourth places are working against them now.

There are also people who are buying into Labour policies with pleasant surprise. I HOPE that gets people to the polls.

That's the long and short of it when you've got a leader whose unfavourables exceed Donald Trump's.

As opposed to a party whose policies mirror Trump's, including attacks on immigrants, healthcare and education. I'm finding a lot of eye rolling very necessary at the moment.

My understanding of what's happening doesn't tally with that. Its a polarisation.

I don't disagree, I mean that the LDs' ratings have fallen back a bit during the campaign, probably shifting over to Corbyn as the only realistic anti-May candidate, like you say.

But still, not being able to win votes in a Brexit based election when you're the largest unambiguously pro-EU party is a failure on the LDs' part, especially given Corbyn's rubbishness.

*I think Lord Owen advocated leaving the EU as a way to stop TTIP.

Flawed reasoning that somehow managed to convince a friend of mine to vote Leave.*

I must admit, when I was considering should I vote Leave, that was the argument that made me pause. Stiglitz raised the same issue.

I really wish the name Social Democrats hadn't already been used. OTOH, maybe an anti-Tory party (for that's what it needs to be) needs a new modern name.

I think it was Ian Dale's predictions that meant Corbyn wouldn't get enough support if there was another leadership challenge as quite a few of the Corbynite MPs would go.

You are either with May or you are against her

Nice work from Nick and Fiona, except they've never actually won an election for her. 'Strong and Stable' worked on repeat in the last totalitarian election won by Crosbie, but over here, you'll have to try a bit harder,mate. Polls are showing a bit of slippage.

It's getting towards a choice between the equitable and humanitarian aspirations of the labour party and some one who has dodgy taste in trousers and authoritarian policies.

A lot of people are waking up to that, despite the One show bourgeois performance art, authoritarianism just isn't British. Not in the land of Monty Python, Mrs Brown's Boys and Boaty Mac Boat face.( was that the last public poll before the referendum?)

Voting brexit doesn't seem rebellious any more, it just seems stupid and a bit embarrassing.

I must be a special SNP snowflake with a better class of friends as I don't know any SNP supporters most of my friends and my family who have spouted vitriol. I have seen them express frustration at Westminster, frustration at Ruth Davidson at her defence of the rape clause, but the closest "vitriol" is "the vote until you boak" advice that was given in advance of the council elections, where, for example, due to the vagaries of the STV system, I had to put UKIP above the Conservatives (I followed Ruth Davidson's explicit advice to vote according to my view on independence, even though the council elections are about local rather than national issues).

I have even voted Conservative in the past in the local elections (even though I strongly dislike Conservative policies) as the lonely Conservative councillor in our ward was actually quite a good local advocate.

This is genuinely vitriolic criticism of Tories - from a famous Welsh Labour politician:

Nye Bevin (founder of the NHS)

HoC during the reading of the NHS Bill, 1946

"That is why no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart

a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me.

So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.

They condemned millions of first-class people to semi-starvation.

Now the Tories are pouring out money in propaganda of all sorts and are hoping by this organised sustained mass suggestion to eradicate from our minds all memory of what we went through."

So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.

The favourite quote of every so-called progressive on Twitter.

Wait a sec, I thought it was only fascists and totalitarians who used that kind of dehumanising language? And in 1946, so close to the horrors of WW2?
Oh, I forgot, it's ok when the "progressives" do it

On taking a long view on current events, that's great, BigChoc. The speech I posted ages ago by Obama on courage references comparisons with JFK's time to now.

The Labour party was formed as a moral imperative. There was no other way of defending the working class, there still isn't, despite its glaring flaws.

My old (late) neighbour walked 30 miles from Aylesbury to Harrow carrying a ladder, to work as a window cleaner during the 1930s depression. No work, no money, no food. I was surprised that the tory induced hardship was prevalent so far south.

We are only 80 years from the working class experiencing actual hunger as a result of tories. And god help us if they haven't done it to the British working class again.

The brexit economy crash will ensure that many more of us suffer, including the the working class.

She hasn't made one single commitment to improve the lot of the vast number of those especially in the mining communities decimated by the last tory demagogue.

I sense a lot of people are catching on to this.

There has been no tangible dividend presented for brexit.

People can't eat racism, Theresa.

Exactly Mrs! Prettybird, I'm sure you and your family and friends and the vast majority of SNP supporters are perfectly reasonable people but I really would implore you to look at Robert Mackenzie's face book page to the post where he is standing on a waterfront and see what types of things many SNP supporters are saying. I recently read an article about Charles Kennedy and how he was mercilessly hounded and bullied during the last election and before his death. Really terrible thing to do to an obviously struggling decent man.

Those hoping for a new Centre Left party may be interested in this tweet from Philip Collins:

twitter.com/PCollinsTimes/status/863062749152247810

DP and I were saying that if there is a new party formed we will need to support it in any way we can - been moaning long enough about Corbyn.

www.politico.eu/article/theresa-mays-manifesto-fixer-ben-gummer/
Theresa May’s manifesto fixer
Intelligence and knowing when to shut up have propelled Ben Gummer into Theresa May’s inner circle.

We have a new face enter the Brexit Battlefield.

Tipped for a promotion after the election.

www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/05/13/the-autocrats-language/
The Autocrat's Language.

Brexit means Brexit anyone?

www.itv.com/news/2017-05-14/patients-at-risk-warn-nursing-leaders-as-staff-numbers-fall/
Nurses threaten summer of protests over pay

The Summer of Discontent?

In a short nine months, Gummer has transitioned from a passionate Remainer, who publicly stated on June 24 last year that he was “feeling sick to the pit of my stomach about the impact [Brexit] will have on jobs across the country,” to a trusted member of May’s inner circle

Interesting.

And this is Ben Gummer's dad, John (now Lord Deben) speaking a lot of sense. I admit, I'm surprised.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-donald-trump-only-happen-moderate-and-sane-people-fell-asleep-former-tory-cabinet-minister-a7473756.html

Is father like son? Or did Ben lose leave of senses post Ref?

Dad Gummer is beef burger man .news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/16/newsid_2913000/2913807.stm