Westminstenders: Local Elections Madness

[RedToothBrush]

This week has gone from banging your head against the wall to wanting to bang your head through it.

Labour have voted to support a 2nd ref as their EU election campaign strategy. Only for Corbyn to ignore it. And a row has broken out.

Change UK seem well on track to make everyone else look professional and to look as 'liberal elite' as humanly possible in a real life reverse paraody of themselves.

The Brexit Party is going from strength to strength with the most wtf candidates imaginable and Farage is happy cos his mate is coming to tea with the Queen.

The Liberal Democrats have decided that anti semitism is OK in an effort to keep Labour seats.

And the Conservatives. Where to start? Probably with the Tory Leadership Election infighting which looks suspiciously as if its now breached national security.

As for Brexit. No one really wants to talk about it. Local elections are next week. May is now apparently supporting the Malthouse Compromise. Be warned, it is difficult to see it as anything but a Trojan Horse for No Deal. Not that everyone has worked this out yet. But until we have the blood bath of the local elections over and done with on Thursday, don't expect much to happen.

Then expect the Tories to lose their minds...

Father of murdered child demands Brexit Party candidate Claire Fox_ disavow her support for IRA bombing_ of Warrington

She is a Brexit Party candidate in Warrington, chosen by Farage ... and she supported the IRA bombing there that murdered 2 children just before Mothers Day

The worst of the hard right & the hard left joined in populism
Apparently, Fox has now swung from far left to being a far right libertarian - iirc, she tried to become a Tory councillor a few years ago.

https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-party-candidate-claire-fox-told-to-disavow-ira-bombing-comments-11707877

The North West MEP hopeful was a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party which defended the IRA's Warrington attack.
....
Colin Parry, the father of Tim, is now urging Ms Fox to disown the group's stance and claimed voters would be "absolutely disgusted by these comments".
....
Dan Price .... one of Change UK's candidates in the North West, said:
"Since Fox's candidacy was announced and her history has surfaced, I've been approached by lots of people in Warrington who are furious she could soon be representing them.

Going to the dentist is a lot more expensive in Scotland.

James Chapman
‏*@jameschappers*

Strong rumour in @UKLabour circles tonight that the excellent @Keir_Starmer is on the brink of resigning over Brexit policy and joining the future of British politics, @TheIndGroup

Not sure what to make of that. Suspect it will be denied.

For those considering a Labour vote .....
4 years before becoming leader, Corbyn publicly endorsed vicious anti-semitic conspiracy theories

Rafael Behr@rafaelbehr

Publisher reissues old book that mines and endorses explicit and unambiguous antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Asks Corbyn to write the foreword.

Corbyn: "Great tome", "brilliant", "correct and prescient."

Jeremy Corbyn endorsed book about Jews controlling banks and the press

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/corbyn-endorsed-book-about-jews-controlling-banks-and-the-press-x6nd73jrq

Jeremy Corbyn wrote the foreword to a book which argued that banks and the press were controlled by Jews.

In 2011 he agreed to endorse a new edition of JA Hobson’s 1902 book Imperialism: A Study,
four years before he was catapulted from backbench obscurity to the Labour leadership.

In his foreword Mr Corbynn_ said the work was a “great tome”, praising Hobson’s “brilliant, and very controversial at the time” analysis of the “pressures” behind western, and in particular British, imperialism at the turn of the 20th century.

Pensioners and more deprived voters will lose out the most if the NHS sinks.

Only some pensioners. Theresa May isn't likely to lose out, nor are the smug south east Tories that swung the Leave vote.

I would be interested to see if Starmer does jump ship. At the moment planning to vote LD in the EU elections, but if Change UK gathers decent momentum, might have to think again.

I wonder what tomorrow's elections will bring?

Mistigri
it does my head in when people refuse to vote Lib Dem or Green because they are too "woke"

I am definitely gender critical, but I agree with you as far as this goes.

Tactical voting is incredibly important.
Fight one battle at a time, people!
Or you will end up losing wrt the EU.

Choose pro European parties for Europe.

Fight the other fight in its own arena and in its own time. Don't take on every issue at once.

Is it just me or are there a lot of American bridge dwellers on this site recently? I know a few regular posters on this thread are in USA, but I keep seeing the slang in goady posts...I guess they could be from anywhere just using US lang.

Sorry to all having troubles with NHS. All we can hope for is a GE and some change .

When I heard the news about Labour sticking to PV as very last resort, I thought “that’s the end for them”. Good.

@LonelyTiredandLow - agree with you.
@borntobequiet , I would've held my nose very tightly and voted Labour (hate Corbyn, hate local MP view on a local green issue, Labour voter all my long life), if I thought it had a clear view on Brexit that I could tolerate.

They are insane and we are doomed. What bit of the backstop is not negotiable and no technology based arrangements for it exist do they not understand ?

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/exclusive-cabinet-leavers-demands-to-speed-up-stalled-brexit-process-blocked-by-theresa-may_uk_5cc87b7ae4b07c9a4cea28cc
Senior figures say backbenchers have signalled they could switch to backing May’s deal if the controversial Irish backstop was removed.
It could then be passed through the Commons in separate legislation that could make clear MPs’ demands for either a time limit or its replacement with alternative technology-based arrangements for the border on the island of Ireland, giving the PM fresh ammunition to renegotiate Britain’s Brexit deal with the EU.

Tactical voting is all right...but working out who to vote for is not easy for some of us where we live

Another fairy books a trip to Dignitas.

I detest the woke-ness of the LDs and Greens, but will hold my nose and vote for them tactically (and have voted LD in the locals as it's about local issues which the LDs are good at here) if it keeps Brexit parties at bay.

I am waiting to be guided by the Remain Vote website as to how to maximise my remain vote in the NW pocket of monstrosity!

I despair at these MPs wittering on about the backstop. Even if the WA was up for amendment (which it's currently not), the one bit which is totally and utterly non-negotiable is the bloody backstop.

Honestly, they really must've come down in the last shower if they think there's any chance of that happening. Don't they read what's coming out of Europe. Fucking hell. We really are doomed.

Me too @NoWordForFluffy . Also NW, as you know , and we have right horrors on the EU ballot here.

Me too, NoWordForFluffy, I can't believe so-called educated people have missed the point that the WA isn't up for further negotiation or changes. They can't just whip out the backstop! Why are they wasting their time over these futile discussions?? I keep hearing Tusk intoning 'Do not waste this time', yet that is exactly what they're doing!! I despair, truly.

It's not just you LonelyTiredandLow. Came across one recently. Delightful.

Glad it's not just me! Think I may have woken up on the wrong side of bed at 4am this morning . Day off MN needed I think.

Harry Cole@mrharrycole
Writing has been on the wall for ages over May’s customs fudge surrender. Cabinet frogs boiled in a pan and had a chance to replace her weeks ago but failed to move. Members will remember that come a leadership vote.

Daily Mail suggesting deal with Labour that includes custom union on the cards...

... We shall see.

BCF good to see that Colin has asked the question. He is a good man and well respected in the town still.

The story about Claire Fox's views made the local BBC news last night too, before Colin Parry's comments. It suggests the story is gathering pace. The BBC said that Brexit Party said she had changed her views since but there seems to be a lack of sincerity to it.

I checked the local Warrington paper to a few days ago to see if they had picked up the story. They hadn't but there was an election story which had over 80 comments with a substantial number about her. They were NOT happy. The below the line comments have generally always been kippish, but there has been a particular distaste for Corbyn and his IRA connection so I did wonder what the reaction might be. There was a considerable amount of anger.

I see they have just in the last 15mins published a story on the controversy itself this morning.

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/17609626.brexit-candidate-says-she-has-greatest-sympathy-but-fails-to-apologise-for-views-on-ira-attacks-on-warrington/
Brexit candidate says she has 'greatest sympathy' but fails to apologise for views on IRA attacks on Warrington

So far there's been one comment. It will be interesting to see what reaction the article gets.

I know that a lot of older people who have lived in the area a long time do read the paper a lot still.

I don't really know how far that anger extends past Warrington, but I know that there were strong feelings about the subject still in some of the surrounding towns with close links to Warrington (particularly the Rugby League Towns) for many years.

I don't know.

I'm glad the story is very much out and being talked about though.

And let's hope it puts people off voting for her. Vile woman.

Polly Toynbee in today's Guardian was saying how the supposedly Brexit supporting Labour areas in the North are now changing their minds ... I think we saw this effect with the recent by-election in Wales-a Remain Labour candidate won, in what was a Leave area.

I'm not sure you can infer that from the Newport West by-election results - the turn-out was quite low:

In the 2017 GE, the Labour MP for Newport West received 22,723 votes (52.3% of the vote).

In the 2019 by-election, the Labour candidate/MP received 9,308 votes (39.6% of the vote, down 12.7%)

The Conservative candidate received 7,357 votes (31.3%, down 8%)

The UKIP candidate came third with 2,023 votes (8.6% of the vote - up from 1,100 votes in 2017).

The Brexit Party didn't have a candidate (pre-launch).

Reading all the agonising over who to vote for in England/Wales, I'm thankful to be in Scotland where there's a clear choice for Remain voters. I think there will be a massive SNP vote again, definitely 3 MEPs (lovely Alyn Smith at the top of the list), maybe 4, but I'm worried about the 6th place slot as I've read in various places that it's a multi-way race including Brexit party. Would love to see zero Brex/Con/UKIP MEPs for our region. Maybe prettybird has some more info?

You can't infer terribly much from by elections or local elections either Clavinova, but I will predict 100% that if Brexit parties do well in any forthcoming elections you Leavers will be screaming your heads off about it.

It was a little like the by election back in Sleaford and North Hykeham, Lincolnshire in 2016 when the Tory stood down. Farage and Chums hoped to make a breakthrough. The Press screamed their heads off about Labour being pushed into 4th place, which it was. But this was a traditional Tory stronghold - pig with a blue rosette territory. The real story which the Press missed (and Theresa May too) was that UKIP, LibDems and Labour all trailed badly. The winner got 53% of the vote, UKIP 13.5% (this was going to be their big break through remember in Leaver Central), Lib Dems 11% and Labour 10%.

But as I said, the media was so busy screaming its anti Labour stuff in a place where Labour never wins, that they missed the first sign of UKIP's collapse.

No the Brexit party isn't standing in the Local elections, because they messed up basically. It's not as though they have been called at the last minute.

I ought to say, that I pointed out on one of these threads that the story of that election was that UKIP had collapsed. This was despite Farage's presence to try to drum up support.

No - I've read the same, that the "last" (6th) place could go any way - including a 4th SNP MEP (which personally I think unlikely)

I'd actually rather a Conservative than either of the Leave parties . But hopefully their vote will be split and they'll not meet the threshold, even under "last man standing". Unfortunately, I don't think the LibDems will recover enough, so it's really whether Labour or Greens get enough for 2 MEPs or whether the SNP gets a monumental vote to get them their 4th MEP (but it's going to be tough enough to get 3, which is their formal target).

The lovely Alyn Smith is going to be having a street rally for Europe in my neighbourhood on 11 May before going off to do some campaigning on the doorsteps.