Westminstenders: The end of tribalism

[RedToothBrush]

There are signs that traditional party alignment might well have broken.

The Tories have split, labour are pretending they have not.

The pattern so far seems to be closely following the EU. This favours a Tory majority.

A long way to go.

Well he's certainly not at the Albert Hall. Boris is there with Carrie.

Sorry - are you trying to say attending a concert is somehow better than going out and talking to flood victims and seeing the damage?

Yes I know it's a remembrance concert - but there is an actual crisis going on in parts of the country right now.

I'm sure he'll be at the cenotaph tomorrow.

Seeing Boris at a concert with his fancy woman, whilst parts of Yorkshire are under water - and after it has been announced that there is no national emergency - just drives home that Boris does not give a fuck about the north.

Sorry - are you trying to say attending a concert is somehow better than going out and talking to flood victims and seeing the damage? I don't like BJ at all. He's an arsehole. But Jeremy needs votes

B.J needs votes from the north...

Remembrance Sunday is tomorrow, not today.

Odd to have a dig at Corbyn for visiting flood victims on an ordinary Saturday (I think some of you really just can't help yourselves).

It is important to attend Remembrance Sunday

There's no such thing as Remembrance Saturday, so if Corbyn visited the flood areas today, he's doing the right thing,
so long as he is on time tomorrow

I don't like BJ at all. He's an arsehole. But Jeremy needs votes

By being up in the Norh he's at least showing them that he actually gives a shit and if there were seats in jeopardy there hes done himself a favour by being there when our prime minister isnt and weres Farridge? Corbyn calls it a National Emergency and it is, the Tories have deliberately underfunded flood defences in the North, this happened under Cameron and he was warned that this would happen, but the Tories give no fucks about the North until election time

Even if he didnt need the votes it doesnt suprise me that he is there, he was at Grenfell the next day talking to victims giving people hugs and it wasnt about the cameras as far as I could tell at the time

Your quote from my post is what I actually said: that generalising about French people being racist is offensive and insulting.

I don't get offended at people being unable to read my mind. I tend to come back and clarify when I think I've been unclear, because I'm aware of the limitations of this mode of communication.

I am offended at someone who doesn't know me from Eve insinuating that I'm racist, on the grounds that I suggested it was insulting to ascribe the behaviour of a handful of journalists to the theory that many French people are racist.

Bref. I'll leave it at that.

If I was going to be cynical I'd say that if Jeremy needs votes then visiting flood-hit areas where people are angry about lack of funding for flood defences was a smart move.

In fact although I don't have much time for him generally I don't doubt that his sympathy for flood victims is completely genuine.

Was it the year before Corbyn was critised for not being at some remembrance meal in aid of the veterans yet he was the only one who stayed behind to actually talk to and spend time with them, yet Cameron had fucked off as soon as the wreaths had been laid

I wonder what the media will dislike about Corbyn's cenotaph appearance tomorrow? IIRC last year they had some incomprehensible beef about his perfect ordinary coat.

I have never posted on these threads before but I just wanted to bring to your attention a news piece in the Times about the Lib Dems and Aimee Challoner.
A spokesman for the Lib Dems states that GC women do not align with their values it doesn't seem a particularly sensible move to me

This is the really important chart comparing countries since the World Financial Crisis

- the change in real wages,
i.e. after inflation is taken into account

Austerity has been a disaster for ordinary UK workers

This is a major cause of voter anger and it probably swung the referendum

Only Greece shows the same decline in real wages

All the other countries except Portugal show a substantial increase in real wages

Looks like Corbyn’s coat will be the least of anyone’s worries tomorrow ...

Tom Harper
@TomJHarper
Breaking - 9 Russian businessmen who gave money to the Conservative party are named in a secret intelligence report on the threats posed to UK democracy which was suppressed last week by Downing Street. See tomorrow’s Sunday Times story with
@cazjwheeler

I am offended at someone who doesn't know me from Eve insinuating that I'm racist, on the grounds that I suggested it was insulting to ascribe the behaviour of a handful of journalists to the theory that many French people are racist.

Many French people are racist, whether that’s a factor in this instance is a moot point.

I didn’t actually insinuate you were racist, I simply questioned your perspective because I don’t know you.

checking by

Spoke to mum who lives in one of the targeted West Midlands seats.

Has voted Tory most of her life but says Boris is a disgrace and a liar. She doesn't know who to vote for but it definitely won't be Tory (or Brexit party).

I have some hope...!

who wants to become an MP Ten years ago after we managed through community activism to change a development I was asked to stand for Conservative Councillor . Nobody asked me about my political views. Now actually I think getting the good of the community done is actually what we need in local politics but It does explain why so many pigs get through the process.

it wasnt about the cameras as far as I could tell at the time Oh give up

omg I live a normal life for a day and we are on p.11 of a new thread...

I think todays DTel had a pic of BoZo with a mop 'pretending' to lend a hand in the flood clear ups. Poor sods, I dont know what is worse: losing your business/home to flood water or having that prat turn up (actually I do, and I wouldnt have given him broom room).

Oh give up

Oh get rekt boomer

Sorry if this has already been posted:
IOPC have 'shelved' the report into Arcuri/Johnson allegations until after the election.

The scandal over Boris Johnson’s friendship with technology entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri was reignited on Saturday after the Observer revealed that the independent police watchdog has delayed its announcement on whether the PM should face an investigation into possible criminal misconduct until after the election.

Sources close to the IOPC investigation said the watchdog was on the verge of announcing its decision on whether it was proceeding with a criminal investigation.

Critics point out that if the IOPC’s decision had been not to investigate there would be no problem announcing that before purdah began.

Anyone got Gina Miller's number?

Ten years ago after we managed through community activism to change a development I was asked to stand for Conservative Councillor . Nobody asked me about my political views.
During the local elections last year or several thousand as it's felt similar happened to me. I do wonder if I was the malicious type I could have infiltrated but my I sadly can't hold my distaste in public as well as I can online

Tomorrow's Sunday Times: Report leaked - Tories & Russians Donors - "Threat to Democracy"

Tom Harper@TomJHarper

Breaking - 9 Russian businessmen who gave money to the Conservative party
are named in a secret intelligence report on the threats posed to UK democracy
which was suppressed last week by Downing Street.

See tomorrow’s Sunday Times story with @cazjwheeler

^ Oligarchs and other wealthy Tory donors were included in the report on illicit Russian activities in Britain^
by the cross-party intelligence & security select committee (ISC), whose publication was blocked last week by No10.

Some Russian donors are personally close to the prime minister,
including Alexander Temerko, who had close links to the Kremlin’s defence industry,
and who has spoken warmly of his “friend” Boris Johnson.

He has donated over £1.2m to the Tories over the past 7 years.

MPs on the intelligence committee were also briefed on concerns regarding Alexander Lebedev, the former KGB spy who was allowed to buy the London Evening Standard newspaper.
Alexander’s son Evgeny has hosted prime minister Boris Johnson at his Italian estate near Perugia

When he was foreign secretary, Johnson travelled to the Lebedev’s Italian estate in April 2018
- apparently without the close protection police officers that normally accompany senior ministers of state.
He was photographed by tourists at the local airport looking worse for wear.

It is not known whether the Russian Tory donors are mentioned in main ISC report, or the classified annex.
Britain’s intel agencies are understood to be “furious” at the failure to publish as all necessary steps to protect national security have been taken.

Alsohuman - I borrowed your post and put it onto the AIBU thread - that was cheeky of me.

I'm feeling that so many important pieces of news are posted in this one place and they need to be shared with those that will never read or be aware of this stuff.

We have a chance of educating on the fence people that way, I think. I hope so anyway.

Britain does not face a binary choice. After Johnson’s purge, the Tory benches will be full of hard-faced hacks determined to impose Brexit, whatever the cost. Momentum will ensure the next batch of Labour MPs will contain more incontinent cranks than any country deserves... If, however, enough Lib Dems, Greens and nationalists win, they can act as a blocking minority that will limit Johnson or Corbyn’s worst excesses

The problem I have is that the LDs seem to be extreme too with revoke with no referendum and all this self-ID toxicity. However, many of their high profile candidates do seem OK.

I don’t really like any of the parties so I’m minded to vote for candidate over political party, which probably means I won’t vote for my sitting MP as she’s as loyal as they come. The whips could tell her to vote for the extermination of everyone north of Northampton and she’d obey them.