Dunge

Also that the crime is considered worth the punishment.

Mr. Beige

The most compelling thing that she didn’t do it is that she doesn’t look the sort. The most compelling thing that she did do it is all the evidence.

Funny how well he predicted Russia’s actions. I wonder whether he put a bet on the date of the invasion.

It can just imagine them laughing and saying “you’ve got to haven’t you?”

"All we ever talk about is fear rather than solutions." He added: "We spend too much time hyperventilating about the problem rather than thinking practically and logically what we can do.” Mr Farage branded the Labour and Tory net zero policies "nonsense", claiming £30bn a year could be saved by dropping their climate pledges. I mean that’s straight up contradicting himself in two paragraphs.

Was probably better than talking about the football last night.

With regard to the question of “What should they (JSO) do instead?” - It’s a legitimate question and not an obvious one as if there was an obvious answer then people would already be doing it. However, I’d offer two thoughts: 1. Nothing. As in sitting at home and doing absolutely nothing would be better than attacking Stonehenge because all they’ve done is toxify their message. 2. It’s not like people don’t know anymore. Irrespective of their response to it, everyone knows the concept of climate change. Yet JSO’s stunts are still along the lines of bringing the topic to the public’s attention. Tactically this is completely the wrong stage. Everyone knows the idea by now. Some accept the theory and argue/demand that we should do something. Some don’t and convince themselves that humans have no control over it anyway. Neither of these groups needs any time - one’s the converted, the other’s to be ignored. The group to focus on is a third group of practical people faced with a theoretical argument, people who can’t be doing with debates but instead value strategy and leadership. So provide that. Live new technology. Demonstrate and highlight how to move forward with a green economy. Show it to be a good thing, worth working towards. Expend your energy here instead of pandering to those who can’t accept man made climate change.

Stonehenge. Attacking an ancient site that’s used in modern times for worship of the sun. The symbolism is so ironic. Feels like they’re only one step away from attacking the Wanlip Whopper.

I kept an eye out in Barrow today. Didn’t really notice many placards but the ones I did see were Labour. I got canvassed by the Labour candidate for Barrow the other month actually. Left a decent enough impression.

I’d be surprised if the Greens didn’t get 1, and a second in Bristol seems believable. I’d say the YouGov result seems most likely at this point.

They don’t care about economics. They believe the country will sort itself out if you just give it the chance, just like it always has before. They think Nigel “Tell-it-like-it-is” Farage will save them from immigration, the woke and the green leftist communists who want to control every aspect of their lives.

If I may: The idea is that we replace our participation in the ECHR with a “British Bill of Rights”, which would - in theory - allow us to cherry pick the best parts of it whilst removing the undesirable parts. Want to keep holiday rights and maternity pay? They go into the British Bill of Rights. Want to remove those pesky laws of which human rights lawyers increasingly advise migrants so that they can penetrate the bureaucracy? They’re out. How about those laws that stop the police from slapping Just Stop Oil protesters? That’s a grey area but we can discuss. Either way, it’s open for discussion now. What an opportunity. If you’re picking up a hint of sarcasm in the above then you’re right but that’s what it’s about in terms of what parties like Reform are selling, and if you ignore the possibility of it being the thin end of the wedge and being all about reducing migration then you can understand the argument. (As long as you don’t follow the logic too far after the headline statements.)

To me he is forever Rory Bremner going “Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you.”

I’m voting for them because they look like they’ll run the country competently. I don’t care for inspiration - I don’t need it. I don’t care for conviction politicians - it means they won’t listen. If we want ceremony we have the royals; anyone who goes into politics for adulation shouldn’t be in politics. I have no desire for personalities right now. Give me someone who’ll keep the country running while we live our lives in it.

The trick is sometimes to properly spend time discussing an issue with them and letting them show their ignorance or hatred. Too often in interviews these days we have journalists who are focused on what they’re saying or sticking to an agenda and not just discussing details with someone. You don’t even have to raise your voice.

I’m trying to think of some reasons to still vote Conservative. Frankly it’s pretty sparse since Liz Truss did a number on both party and economy, but here are some possibilities that I personally would find attractive (I appreciate some of these others here will strongly disagree with some): - It’s kind of a vote against Reform UK, who I really do not want to see becoming the new right wing of British politics. - They do not intend to lower the voting age to 16. - I believe Sunak would stand at the forefront of AI development. - We would stay at a political arm’s length from the EU. - If I was in a constituency of a moderate Conservative MP who I liked and believed could help shape the party in the future.

The format was horrible, set up for click bait and viral shares instead of meaningful discussion and debate. I don’t even blame Etchingham, it’s the producers who should shoulder the blame. That said, Starmer clearly struggled with it more than Sunak. Lie though it was, it took Starmer ages to properly refute the whole £2k tax point, I assume after being informed by an aide during the commercial break. Sunak spoke with far more purpose, his problem was that a lot of his material doesn’t wash anymore. The most interesting question of the night to me was the one about what the parties could offer young people. Sunak basically answered “National Service”, to exasperated laughter around the room. I can kind of see the logic of why they plumped for that as a bold gamble of a policy, but it really felt like a millstone around Sunak’s neck last night. Even so, Starmer’s response to it remains woolly. He’s never proclaimed it something that Labour wouldn’t do, only that it hasn’t been thought out properly and that the military aren’t convinced. Frankly it’s at the point now where I’m wondering whether some journalist is going to outright ask Starmer whether he would rule it out.

I thought the talk with Tice afterwards showed the value of a longer interview on a specific subject. After getting past his headline statements on climate change the discussion continued and it was increasingly demonstrable that he hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.

Rather suggests that instead of wooing Reform UK voters, the Conservatives are actually legitimising Reform UK instead.

Particularly in your list of “Top 5 Tories”. I agree with Ben though - I want the extremists out and the moderates to remain. I don’t see Mordaunt as dangerous at all but Braverman is. She and Truss would top my list by some distance.

It’s still baffling how she got into that final 2 to be put to the membership though. She is straight up not intelligent enough to be an MP and her fellow MPs must have known that. I knew it and I’m not even a party member.

I have to disagree with some of the recent comments here. 2019 was about keeping Corbyn out almost as much if not as much as Brexit. I still believe the left don’t appreciate the strength of feeling against him.

Ed Milliband just looked a bit odd in the end, in the way that he and Rishi Sunak both look like they should be inventing crazy contraptions with a dog called Gromit. Plus people were concerned that he’d get in on a Labour/SNP ticket.

Bluff. Call. I’d be surprised if it was as high as 10% in reality.