Westministers : Saving the Union

[RedToothBrush]

Apparently we need a tunnel. Just like we needed the £53 million failed Garden Bridge.

Nice little earner for anyone involved.

Starmer's failing to win over right wing voters while alienating left/centre voters.

I've never been angrier politically but I also don't have anyone to vote for. I probably still would vote labour if Starmer tried to make any concessions to the left or the young, but he kind of... isn't.

You'd think whoever could harness the rage against the tories (which is everyone under 50 / in a job these days??) could do well. Andy Burnham got a big surge of support recently when he stood up to them. I can't remember the last person I spoke to who wasn't absolutely furious.

@HoneysuckIejasmine

Voting Labour is only about voting AGAINST the Conservatives.

Same here Red. We used to be LD voters but as they have completely lost their marbles, the next choice is usually Labour. I am obviously not going to vote Conservative but I can't summon up much enthusiasm for Labour either, despite thinking Starmer is better than Corbyn.

I need to look properly locally. A few years ago there was a political revolution here and the entire set of previously Conservative councillors were ousted by a local action group, who have been very good. I'm not even sure who is standing this time, must look in to it.

Indeed.

One of my LD councillors is a 'friend'. I tolerate him because of others in the group.

I'd quite happily punch him in the face. He does sort a lot of stuff out when he likes the idea and decides its his pet project. Otherwise he's a sexist arrogant cock with insecurity issues. The Labour lot are bonkers and out of touch with reality but do a good foodbank collection. The Conservatives are just loaded and also have no concept of reality except they do a lot of the boring legwork that no one else wants to do.

I hate the lot of them.

My LA turned Lib Dem at the last election, after being a safe Tory seat for decades.
But this is a majority Remain area.
So easy choice, vote LD to keep the Tories out locally, and LD nationally to try and boost out the incumbent useless Tory MP.
But the last thing I want is a LD Government.

I'd quite happily punch him in the face. He does sort a lot of stuff out when he likes the idea and decides its his pet project. Otherwise he's a sexist arrogant cock with insecurity issues. The Labour lot are bonkers and out of touch with reality but do a good foodbank collection. The Conservatives are just loaded and also have no concept of reality except they do a lot of the boring legwork that no one else wants to do.

I hate the lot of them.

😂

This pretty much epitomises the dire state of U.K. politics.

Yes I think my whole county is Tory now, and we have some absolute peaches of MPs. My village is right on the edge of our constituency, where 3 other constituencies border it. A lot of people don't realise who we belong to and I'm not sure the last time I went to my constituency "town", as it were.

Unfortunately for us it means we're a good place for planners to chuck houses that their leafy, wealthy main residents don't want. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm all for housing, I live in a recent development, but there's an awful lot of green disappearing under a digger at the moment and the area that gets the credit for house building definitely won't see any of the houses or effects of increased population; that'll all by sucked up by the ailing infrastructure of neighbouring borough councils.

I find myself finding it increasingly difficult to decide who to vote for tbh.

I’m in a complete quandary and will prob find the least dodgy Independent, or stand myself on a “fuck the lot of you” platform.

@DGRossetti

www.bbc.co.uk/news/56201463

Brexit: Why Irish freight trade is avoiding Britain

And love the map. It’s so bloody obvious, isn’t it? Another card we don’t hold.

But the last thing I want is a LD Government.

I don't think that's likely!! What I would like to see though is the current incarnation of Tories absolutely smashed, and a coalition government which tries to serve the welfare of all the citizens of the UK. It's always going to be a difficult balancing act. One of the early tasks should be electoral reform.

However, I don't really seen that happening either. Enough English people like what the Tories are doing.

A lengthy article here by Andrew Marr on what Scottish Independence might mean, both for Scotland and the rest of the UK.

A lot of ideas there - I certainly don't think the issue will go away. In local elections this May, as I have already said, I see a Covid vaccination bounce for Johnson in England, I don't see it happening in Scotland - I think Johnson has already blown it there. Brexit won't go away, and nor will the fact that Scotland voted Remain.

I think too, a lot of English voters don't realise how different Scotland already is. E.g. we have seen on these threads Brexiters posting about "British laws" clearly unaware that Scotland has its own legal system.

This is one of those articles that I'd like to come back to in a couple of years to see how well it's weathered.

Grr, had to turn ad-blockers off to read the Daily Hate article but this

"He is understood to have been told last year that ‘around £30,000’ could be charged to the taxpayer. He would have to pay the rest. This is when the discussions on getting Tory donors to pay, possibly via a blind trust, began – according to well-placed sources."

How does doing up a flat cost £30k at all? And that's not all of it

I see more mentions of "Furthermore, friends of Miss Symonds say her close friend, Henry Newman" but I'd assumed he was gay. "Close friend" is usually tabloid speak for nudge nudge, no?

I only opened it as wanted to see the "offensive remarks" but didn't notice what they were from that really long-winded article.

Squid4 Things would be very different if Andy Burnham had been elected leader in the previous leadership contest instead of Jeremy Corbyn. I do like Keir Starmer, but he does lack passion and he hasn't been particularly effective against a government who have made so many errors.

How does doing up a flat cost £30k at all?

If you have expensive tastes ... fabric alone for a single pair of curtains can easily top £2k, wallpaper at £100 a square metre etc.

How does doing up a flat cost £30k at all?

Pugin wallpaper ?

Re the May 7 elections
COVID bounce - maybe
but it will be 5 weeks after the UK starts applying Import controls on food .....

Who to vote for
I'm lucky in that my Labour council are pretty sound and the Tory opposition are wazzocks (even Tory friends say so).

I cannot vote for the LDs while they so hate women.
Ditto the Green party (sadly)
Our local "independents" are actually Corbynites so they are out

I can see turnout being VERY low allowing the Tories to do well
sadly

Re the May 7 elections

You might want to ensure you check that date. If it's being punted officially then dark forces are abroad to steal these elections ...

Sorry, May 6th!

May 7th is the date the Council remote meeting legislation expires - something that has been taking up a LOT Of my time lately

First Thursday in May = Election day, every year in my line of work

How does doing up a flat cost £30k at all? And that's not all of it

Easily if you throw in a kitchen.

Couple of expensive sofas, an expensive armchair or two, designer wallpaper and curtains, fancy dining table and chairs, robust king sized bed (and mattress ), shag carpets ..... : £30 plus thousand easy peasy!

George Osborne's family company wallpaper is up to £300 a roll .....

@prettybird

Couple of expensive sofas, an expensive armchair or two, designer wallpaper and curtains, fancy dining table and chairs, robust king sized bed (and mattress ), shag carpets ..... : £30 plus thousand easy peasy!

Don't people bring stuff with them? I know he has to start again but what about her?

Why bring old stuff when you can get new stuff at the tax payers' expense?

They had to furnish the £1.3 million 4 bed Camberwell house that they purchased - you couldn’t possibly expect them to furnish that 4 bed Downing St flat as well?

@prettybird

Why bring old stuff when you can get new stuff at the tax payers' expense?

Well, quite.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/westminster-news/betting-betfair-on-odds-of-uk-rejoining-eu-7657730

Bookmakers have given their verdict on the likeliness of the UK attempting to rejoin the European Union.

Betfair now believes the odds on the UK re-entering the bloc by 2026 stands at 5/1, as frustrations around the Brexit agreement grow.

By contrast, the firm believes there is a 10/1 chance of Brexit not being reversed by this point, a view reflected in polling on the rejoin movement.

But Betfair argues that the ongoing disputes over the Brexit deal mean it is an issue that will remain on the political radar by the time of the next election.