Brexit Arms: the discussion continues....

[XingMing]

I'm not promising to be the resident landlady, and I can't even hope to moderate the discussion or offer up great memes etc because I don't know how, but here's opening the next iteration....

First drink is on the house.

Really glad you are back, Epic. Hope the RL stuff calms down for you soon and that your meme-ability is restored.

Holy moly, Walkingdeadfangirl, finally had a chance to watch the clip of Jezbollah losing it . The interviewer was just doing his job but for Corbs, it was clearly like pressing on a very angry bruise. He really doesn't like being questioned, does he? All those occasions he blanked journalists in the street, the time he accused ITV's Libby Weiner of harassment in 2016 because she dared to ask him the perfectly legitimate question of whether he wanted an early election - they weren't one-offs.

Looking forward to the debate tomorrow now. Double popcorn 🍿 all round...

Microwave popcorn is good enough? Salted or sweet?

Evening, Xing, it may have to be both!

In terms of debatability, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were evenly matched. Both deadly dull and neither on them quick on their feet. Boris, love him or loathe him, is in a different league. The nearest to him in terms of quick wit is John McDonnell surprisingly.

Thanks for posting that video Walkingdeadfangirl

Guru-Murthy displays crap journalistic standards, trotting out the same old goady question then refusing to listen to the serious explanation it requires. Don't blame Jezza for getting irate at all, this shit is too important to play games with.

Good to see you again Epic!

Was talking to someone about new young voters, they reckoned the 18-21 yr olds are going to swing the vote left. New young voters always have an effect, but it's never much, they are always massively outnumbered everyone else in the 22+ age group.

In the debate tomorrow, Boris needs to repeatedly ask Corbyn if he will support the new deal he wants to negotiate... or not. We need to know that answer.

Re tomorrow's debate - salted popcorn for me please, and a selection of draught ales to wash it down! I'm looking forward to it. Hope there aren't too many advert breaks.

Walking I think that would be a mistake as all process. Better to go for the jugular and ask what the point of a Remain vs Remain Ref would be.

Kinda scunnered we can't have "I don't agree with Jo" and "I don't agree with Nicola either" all evening.

I suppose I could have some peanuts during the debate...that won't contravene the no-sugar part of my pre-xmas diet (even though they're about a 1000 calories each the delicious little sods!)

I can't trust myself with popcorn. It would all get thrown at the telly and have to be hoovered up in the morning - messy.

Kinda scunnered we can't have "I don't agree with Jo" and "I don't agree with Nicola either" all evening.

I think it'll be a better debate without the "noise" of the LibDems & SNP, only the two main parties to focus on.

Impressed with your pre-Xmas diet Arse - I bought a pack of chilli-coated peanuts in readiness for Xmas last week. And ate them all the next day. Zero will-power!

You are right howabout better to hammer home the point of Remain vs Remain and 2 more referendums. Also friends with terrorists seems to be a very sore spot for him.

Maybe he could bring up the whole scandal of him 'showing his mates a naked Diane Abbot? 🤣

Epic, delighted you have popped in for a quick pint.

I will be tuning in to ITV tomorrow night which will be all the better for a couple of non attendees. Boris needs to nail this one - may the force be with him.

Limer I keep buying stuff for the xmas shelf and ds keeps eating it! He loves those chilli peanuts but I can't eat them - they make my mouth sore.

My diet's boring me to death...if Jezza does badly tomorrow I might have to use that as an excuse to bin it! And if he does well...I'll bin it in celebration!

Maybe he could bring up the whole scandal of him 'showing his mates a naked Diane Abbot?**

Which happened when Jezza was married to Wife No. 1, of course. However, probably best if Boris doesn't. His chequered past is more chequered than Jezza's chequered past. Between the pair of them, this could end up derailing the serious part of the debate for a long, long time....

Hurrah for Epic return 🎉
Hope stuff is picking up irl 💐

Lol'd yesterday at Veruca Salt & William Wallace losing their court case (politicians always seem to be scurrying off to court nowadays 🙄)

Will try & watch debate tonight - it's BJ's to lose at the moment, praying he doesn't fuck it up spectacularly...!

#PrayForBoris
🙏🕯

The kettle's on; the coffee is brewed, and a restocked selection of fruit, herb, exotic and builders' teabags is available.

The various party leaders did not cover themselves with glory at the CBI conference yesterday, according to the Times. Boris' little jokes fell flat and when he reached the end of his slot, he asked the CBI president, if he should stop: 'Soon as you can, Prime Minister' was the rather chilly reply.

JC's acknowledgement of the plans to raise corporation taxes, force outside ownership structures, and nationalisation, while no secret, were never going to appeal. 'Labour will get the economy moving'... "Offshore" suggested Quentin Letts. The old one about turkeys not voting for Christmas applies here.

Jo Swinson was simply dismissed as a Vision On presenter. YouGov polling apparently shows her popularity falling the more recognised she becomes, and her ratings are below the LibDems in general.

Also from the YouGov "favourability" tracker, JC is at -42%, BJ at only -6%; canvassers are shocked by Corbyn's unpopularity on the door steps.

Today’s cartoon.

Morning, all! A nice builders brew please, Landlady?

I'm near to shedding a tear for the CBI who will have to choose between Brexit Boris or Comrade Corbyn who will - or so said Carolyn Fairburn - "crack the very foundations of commerce". Suddenly, Boris's decision to put off cutting corporation tax and keep it at the existing 19% so as to "put £6bn into the NHS instead" looks altogether more tolerable to big business than Jezza's promise not to raise corporation tax "above 28%".

In the meantime, here's Exeter University's analysis of all polls. Other poll on polls are available, of course.

It looks like Veruca is doing a grand job.



Gah, paste fail again. Did I mention I'm a technophobe?

Conservatives averaging 41%
Labour averaging 29%
LibDems drifting down to 15%
Brexit drifting down to 7%
SNP and Greens holding steady

I reckon upsetting the CBI yesterday will go down very well with Boris' target voters #classicDom.

I am struggling to see where the nuance to be debated is and we're caught on to House reruns so may have to give it a miss.

Finest builders brew for me please.

Labour will be the major beneficiary if the LibDem vote gets more squeezed. I suspect Corbyn's racy past might be a vote winner against Jo's po faced hypocrisy so if he wanted to take a risk all strategy maybe time to dust off the photo album. Liberalism is after all about rewarding hard work (and therefore by extension punishing the shirkers hence Osborne enablers) whereas socialism is about looking after everyone whether you think they deserve it or not. Paradoxically I think this is also Boris' and JRM's appeal - they don't pretend they got there on merit and therefore deserve the spoils. (DC was far more privileged than either but spent his whole time pretending to be just like the plebs)

You are all lovely! Thanks so much!

Shhh, with the PDA’s though, Mumsnet Lore, is that the arms is full of evil, bile spewing nasty punters who are ‘orrible to everyone . Don’t give them yet more evidence to the contrary, it’ll blow their tiny minds!

Led by Donkeys exposing Boris's involvement in potential NHS sell-off.

A very very strong cuppa for me please comrade Xing. I need it!

I will try to keep up with everything going on! I will enjoy hearing about your various snacks during the debates, mine will be virtual popcorn, as also on a diet. Restricted time eating, which means I can only be a fat bastard between 12 and 6pm. I will raise a glass of water to the victor though, quietly shitting it that Boris is going to fuck this up, I mean the man’s a giant clown, but compared to the other lot and their barmy policies he is looking positively statesman like! I agree with PP’s that it’s now his to lose!

C’mon Boris, time to take down corbyn like you take down tiny children on the rugby pitch.
Don’t lose it now fella. ‘Nooooo Jeremy Corbyn 🎶’ please.

To address another earlier point about young voters, all the new young voters I know are going Tory. I always preface that with ‘anecdotal’ obviously and I have addressed it before, but it appears they are not loving corbyn at all and don’t believe in his sweetie shop giveaway.

One of the peers in my DD’s group is a politics student, and a huge vocal advocate for brexit and voting Tory. Many are apparently now quietly agreeing with his points, when previously they used to roll their eyes and hide his posts. I have no doubt there will be a strong labour student showing at the polls, there always is, but I do question if it will be quite the vote sweep they are banking on.