Buce Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 Now we have the first female Defence Secretary, is there any truth in the rumour that the Army will be armed with pepper spray and a sharp tongue? Just asking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alf Bentley Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 55 minutes ago, Buce said: I find it interesting that Williamson is enthusiastic about a police investigation, while May wants it swept under the carpet. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/02/gavin-williamson-police-urged-to-launch-criminal-inquiry Jonathan Aitken was enthusiastic about clearing his name to the extent that he sued for libel. Evidence proved him to be a liar. He lost that case and a subsequent case concluded that his dishonesty amounted to criminality. This sacking potentially ruins Williamson's career and reputation. If he knows he's innocent - and that a guilty party is still in a position of influence - he'll surely do all he can to prove his innocence? He's been publicly and explicitly accused of not cooperating with an important security investigation, and implicitly accused of leaking official secrets. Maybe there wouldn't be enough evidence to sue for libel. But he still has the options of taking all his evidence to the police, or of simply going public with everything that wouldn't be harmful to national security: e.g. giving details of his cooperation with the investigation, confirming/denying the suggestion that he contacted the journalist who published the leak and saying what was discussed, if it wasn't what is alleged. Limiting his response to saying "I didn't touch him, ref!" would be a bit lame and lacking in credibility given the seriousness of the issue and of the consequences for him. I wouldn't see May as implicitly trustworthy, either. But what would be her reasons for doing this? She could have an ulterior motive, if she thought he was conspiring to get her removed before she wanted to go - or if she wanted to warn others off. But would she need to fabricate groundless but serious, potentially criminal accusations against him - and to sack him the day before local elections, further damaging her party's reputation? Very reckless & high-risk, if so. As PM, she could have just done a mini-reshuffle. May will want to draw a line under this for party political reasons - hardly good publicity for the Tories if media coverage drags on of her govt leaking sensitive security info. Similarly, it's the interests of opposition parties for media coverage to be as extensive as possible. Neither of them can control that, though - if there's enough evidence for police to investigate and charge anyone, they'll presumably do so. I'll be interested to see what, if anything, Williamson does next if he's innocent. I imagine the journalist will say nothing to protect his sources. But if he had a different source, he could presumably exonerate Williamson without exposing anyone else? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 Not getting 2/1 anymore on the BP winning this. Also second favourites behind Labour to win the Peterborough by-election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 Turnout tonight could be shocking, I just went to my polling station and was the only one in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 22 hours ago, Wymeswold fox said: Which one is Ant and which one is Dec? I get them mixed up. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajthefox Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/02/police-officer-london-lost-control-streets-knife-crime-cuts Interesting (short) opinion piece from a Met officer about the effect of cuts. Mentions knife crime too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urban.spaceman Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 Genuinely not sure whether I can be bothered to go out and vote today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buce Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 4 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said: Genuinely not sure whether I can be bothered to go out and vote today. You should, even if you mark it 'none of the above'. People gave their lives so you might have that right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urban.spaceman Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 1 minute ago, Buce said: You should, even if you mark it 'none of the above'. People gave their lives so you might have that right. I know. Its just. Ugh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymsey Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said: Genuinely not sure whether I can be bothered to go out and vote today. Have genuinely forgot about it until you just mentioned it. Got the polling card details on the side, but not sure whether there's any point in going with not knowing who the actual local candidates are. Edited 2 May 2019 by Wymeswold fox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urban.spaceman Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Wymeswold fox said: Have genuinely forgot about it until you just mentioned it. Got the polling card details on the side, but not sure whether there's any point in going despite now knowing who the actual local candidates are. Just been down. Wasn’t busy. Still didn’t know who to vote for as I went into the booth. Ended up just putting a big cross against the Conservatives to make sure they definitely don’t get in. Edited 2 May 2019 by urban.spaceman 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr The Singh Posted 2 May 2019 Share Posted 2 May 2019 3 hours ago, urban.spaceman said: Just been down. Wasn’t busy. Still didn’t know who to vote for as I went into the booth. Ended up just putting a big cross against the Conservatives to make sure they definitely don’t get in. Voted BNP......as a sympathy vote 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 Tories and Labour losing councillors all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ithuriel Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 38 minutes ago, MattP said: Tories and Labour losing councillors all over the place. They'll probably ignore it though, thinking that people are sheep and will just vote for them in a general election anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark 'expert' Lawrenson Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 Conservatives a shambles and yet Labour are struggling when they should be riding high and it’s largely due to Corbyn, a terrible opposition leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryn Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 1 hour ago, MattP said: Tories and Labour losing councillors all over the place. To the Lib Dems, Greens and Independents. UKIP have lost councillors. **** Brexit. Time for a second referendum. Brexiteers only don't want it because they know it will be emphatically rejected. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_w Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 12 hours ago, Buce said: You should, even if you mark it 'none of the above'. People gave their lives so you might have that right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 19 minutes ago, Bryn said: To the Lib Dems, Greens and Independents. UKIP have lost councillors. **** Brexit. Time for a second referendum. Brexiteers only don't want it because they know it will be emphatically rejected. That's extremely simplistic and I'm sure you know it, you'll need to wait for the European elections to get a better and more wide ranging analysis as that's the whole country voting and it won't be a 29% turnout. You can't count UKIP in any analysis now as even I wouldn't vote for them with the direction they have taken. The Tories have lost most of the 2015 councillors they gained from the Lib Dems and they aren't going to back a second referendum as most of their voters are leavers, Labour have had their worst results in Hartlepool, Sunderland, Stoke, Bolsover and Ashfield - pretty much all leave voting ex-mining areas, if anything this pribably justifies the position the leadership has taken. I really don't see how you can make a case for these results leading to either party increasing a desire for a second referendum, if anything it's the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanSP Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 Am I right in thinking Rees-Mogg has lost his seat in Bath and Somerset? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, StanSP said: Am I right in thinking Rees-Mogg has lost his seat in Bath and Somerset? No, these are council elections, the Conservatives have lost control of the council. Bath is a seperate seat at a General Election and Jacob Rees-Mogg holds the seat in that just for North East Somerset. Edited 3 May 2019 by MattP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kopfkino Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 Would be interesting to know the figures for spoilt ballots. Worked it out for H&B and it was about 9% of turnout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokes Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 I wasn’t able to vote, unfortunately life commitments didn’t enable me to do so. I would have spoilt my ballot, like I did at the last general election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buce Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 Just now, Strokes said: I wasn’t able to vote, unfortunately life commitments didn’t enable me to do so. I would have spoilt my ballot, like I did at the last general election. I never expected you'd vote Tory... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattP Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 17 minutes ago, Kopfkino said: Would be interesting to know the figures for spoilt ballots. Worked it out for H&B and it was about 9% of turnout. Lots of people were posting spoilt ballots on Facebook and Twitter yesterday, it will certainly be higher than usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 3 May 2019 Share Posted 3 May 2019 The Lib Dems actually being seen as a "type" of alternative has to be good for poltics but what I like most is the massive increase in independents. That's the way I'd like to see politics going. Vote for the person and their beliefs not for the party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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