Westminstenders: Manifesto or Bust?

[RedToothBrush]

The Brexit Party aren't doing one.

The Labour Party apparently can't afford theirs.

The Conservatives will just lie anyway.

And the LDs got upstaged by Prince Andrew's resignation from royal duties for being a fuckwit.

3 weeks to go...

Tory plus - at least you know that you are being shafted
Labour plus- not Tory
LibDem plus -not either of them
Green plus- as above
BUT - these are the four reasons I currently plan to spoil my paper

1. Brexit (not enabling that shit)
2. Corbyn (I'm half Jewish, I'm old - not falling for it)
3. Local eco issue that the otherwise decent Labour candidate is on the other side of.
4. Self-ID (not enabling that ill thought out stuff either).

@QueenOfThorns I should clarify that I'm fortunate in my constituency that it's a two-horse race between LD or Lab (and both candidates are generally good), with other parties trailing far behind. So I hope that I can freely choose between either.

BUT - these are the four reasons I currently plan to spoil my paper

Spoken from a place of privilege

Why Small Businesses Should Not Fear Jeremy Corbyn

www.forbes.com/sites/davidprosser/2019/09/27/why-small-businesses-should-not-fear-jeremy-corbyn/#135d312322f9

Been an awful week. Ds has norovirus, then I did, then DH did. I have missed just about everything as I've been trying to catch up and have a MIL visit this week.

I think the following is hugely over optimistic

Lewis Goodall@lewis_goodall
If these polls sustain into next week, can prob only go wrong for govt/recov for Lab is if these things happen, big ifs

- spike in youth turnout
- signif differential in Remainer turnout/leave turnout
-LibD numbers ⬇️ overall but advance in south
-aided by surge in tact voting

BUT

I cavat that by saying I was surprised at what I heard two staunch LDs saying last night. They are committed party members and are considering voting Labour for the first time for tactical reasons.

So I do think a LD squeeze is very much on the cards in places where there isn't strong Tory remain switch.

There is a definite focusing of minds going on now.

Remember the Tories need in excess of +10 in the polls to be sure of a majority. If that drops to 7 or 8 then it will start to look more like a hung parliament.

This is in part down to the Brexit Party not standing in many seats, though I believe most of the pollsters have switched methodology to reflect this now (but this is also why you can't compare polling from prior to Nov with now).

Its interesting to watch but where I do agree with Lewis Goodall is the government do not have control of the agenda and they don't appear to be motivating momentum their way. It does look like a running out of steam.

If things start to slip back, which is what I would expect at this point, then it could start to look quite a bit tighter.

We shall see. At this point I am still expecting a Tory majority as I've not seen anything which made me start to question that wisdom seriously like I did with 2017. But there is a moment now where I can see the tide could turn a little. I think I'll have a better idea at the end of the week tbh.

@TheElementsSong - that’s really lucky for you! I’m lucky too, I need to vote Labour, but I’m inclined that way anyway.

Here’s a picture from my Labour guy’s leaflet that came through the door yesterday. It really warms my heart that this kind woman has given up her time to listen to the old, white-haired guy rabbiting on about his courgettes

@JustAnotherPoster00 , you can have my MS and my underpaid civil service job any fucking time you want.

FWIW Labour have scored well with me this week. Although this is all relative.

There is no point spoiling your ballot paper, nobody cares. May as well stay at home.

If you vote it counts who you vote for and who you vote against. If you don't want to vote for anyone think about who you want to against and do that.

@JustAnotherPoster00 , you can have my MS and my underpaid civil service job any fucking time you want.

I wonder which party is going to fund the NHS and end the public sector pay freeze and a 5% rise in April?

I’m in a remain constituency, it has been Libdem forever until last election when it returned a Labour MP for the first time ever.

Most of my acquaintances will be voting Labour. I’ve seen more vote Labour signs that Lib Dem. Corbyn coming out as neutral has clarified his policy. Including a referendum.

I’m voting Labour

QoT and you know she was bored to tears by the time he started talking about jam

One day I am filled with a fraction of hope that there will be a hung Parliament then the next I am filled with despair. I wonder if the opposition parties (apart from the SNP) regret pushing for or agreeing to an election.

I do not understand spoiling ones vote if you are against a hard brexit or no deal. Especially if you've been prepping in case of one Bellini.

I think we've all said that, off and on, OhYouBadKitten. And it kind of indicates the limits of the Enlightenment.

I'm thinking more and more these days that we are at the edge of the Enlightenment - like the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Spoiling a ballot paper is incredibly self indulgent. And given the current state of the UK, ignorant.

I'm beginning to get quite zen about this GE.

I kicked and screamed. And hoped and fought and struggled. But I'm kind of reaching acceptance, and the removal of attachment.

I'm not going to stop campaigning.

But I'm noticing the beginnings of an emotional detachment.

Me too TheCat, it becomes impossible to maintain the level of outrage.
I'll keep up the local campaigning, even though we are getting abuse on the door step. Then on the 13th I'll sleep and turn off the news for the weekend.

Oh, sad to hear you mention abuse.

DH and myself were just talking about how anger levels have risen.

Really sorry to hear that.

Bundles of love & fellowship to you.

And I think I'll be following your example on the 13th.

You are a 🌟.

You too thecat remember to take time for you in all of this, it's easy to underestimate how exhausting it is.

How do you define abuse? No one bothers in my constituency, but if Dorries' lackeys turned up on my doorstep, or the BXP, I wouldn't hold back.

A torrent of swear words.
I do hope you wouldn't indulge in that. Let's not define abuse by who turns up at your doorstep.

I've just started a thread about a potential severe weather event mid week.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weather/3751625-Tropical-Storm-Sebastien-and-the-UK-Mid-week-weather-warning

One to watch very carefully.

One day I am filled with a fraction of hope that there will be a hung Parliament then the next I am filled with despair. I wonder if the opposition parties (apart from the SNP) regret pushing for or agreeing to an election.

I thought and still think they were very foolish. Except the SNP, who know how to do politics and for whom there is an upside to all of this.

I agree with Lewis Goodall, all the routes to a hung parliament currently appear to be on the back of a unicorn. But I hear what RTB is saying about lack of Tory momentum (the problem is that the other parties also lack momentum, figuratively speaking anyway. Labour have too much momentum in the other sense).

I agree with OhYouBadKitten, you know.

It's not great out there - and it's going to be down to individuals to try and hold the line on acceptable behaviour.