General News Thread

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, Tommy G said:

Opinions isn't it. He had a massive majority and has been on the ropes from the start, I've got a horrible feeling he's managed to hand the keys to reform at the next election which doesn't bear thinking about.  

Surely it's the opposite? It gives Labour a fighting chance. The only by election won in his premiership against Reform was because the Labour candidate was a direct leadership opponent. Local elections weren't pretty.  

 

Mandelson wasn't pretty. Other parts of his record are far more defendable than others. 

Edited 22 June by CosbehFox

[Lionator]

16 minutes ago, Tuna said:

Deputy PM I'd guess

Nah I think that’ll be Louise Haigh who is again another very good northern MP. 

[kenny]

2 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Nah I think that’ll be Louise Haigh who is again another very good northern MP. 

Nandy has been sidelined, I suspect she will be more prominant now.

[Spudulike]

4 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Surely it's the opposite? It gives Labour a fighting chance. The only by election won in his premiership against Reform was because the Labour candidate was a direct leadership opponent. Local elections weren't pretty.  

 

Mandelson wasn't pretty. Other parts of his record are far more defendable than others. 

Problem they now have is that Burnham has got a couple of years to mess up before the election. The electorate will have a good look and unless he wins them over rapidly it will be the end of Labour. It will have been better for the party if the new incumbant came in last minute and bullshitted with impossible pledges in the hope of fooling the people again.

[cityfanlee23]

47 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

And to expand on this, a lot of people appear to either fail to grasp or grasp all too well that there are degrees of shit, and that we've barely scratched the surface in terms of how shit things can get, based on people's decision making. 

Exactly this, I’m not sure if it’s wilful ignorance or just poor intellect, but we have millions of people who think “Farage can’t be any worse” 

 

We complain about this country because we love this country and want to see it succeed, but often we forget we are some of the luckiest people on earth to be born in this country. There are quite literally billions of people who live in far worse conditions than here. I won’t for a moment pretend poverty isn’t poverty in this country, it is, but there are hundreds of millions of people out there that would trade their poverty for most of ours in a heartbeat. 
 

When people say “oh x can’t be any worse” let me say, things can get a lot, lot worse for this country, there is a long way down from where we are right now. 
 

Never for a second stop putting pressure on politicians because you believe the worst has already happened. 

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Problem they now have is that Burnham has got a couple of years to mess up before the election. The electorate will have a good look and unless he wins them over rapidly it will be the end of Labour. It will have been better for the party if the new incumbant came in last minute and bullshitted with impossible pledges in the hope of fooling the people again.

This is stated as if it is somehow different to the way the other major parties act at that time. 

 

Or, in some cases, honest execution of their stated policies actually being potentially much worse than lying about them.

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, cityfanlee23 said:

Exactly this, I’m not sure if it’s wilful ignorance or just poor intellect, but we have millions of people who think “Farage can’t be any worse” 

 

We complain about this country because we love this country and want to see it succeed, but often we forget we are some of the luckiest people on earth to be born in this country. There are quite literally billions of people who live in far worse conditions than here. I won’t for a moment pretend poverty isn’t poverty in this country, it is, but there are hundreds of millions of people out there that would trade their poverty for most of ours in a heartbeat. 
 

When people say “oh x can’t be any worse” let me say, things can get a lot, lot worse for this country, there is a long way down from where we are right now. 
 

Never for a second stop putting pressure on politicians because you believe the worst has already happened. 

For me, it's either ignorance or self interest, viz. "Other people's life can get worse so long as mine gets better".

 

And yes, people (for the most part) haven't seen this go really sideways, so they appear to think it can't happen. 

 

Wrong. Dead wrong, maybe. 

[cityfanlee23]

Further to my last comment, one thing that is really pissing me off about many Reform voters, is their complete lack of accountability applied to Nigel Farage simply because he says things they agree with about migrants. 
 

Just because Starmer was a disappointment to you, does not suddenly mean you get to hold Farage to a much weaker standard of ethics or accountability. 
 

Farage in my opinion is the biggest snake oil salesman we’ve seen in this country for generations, Reform voters absolutely hammered Angela Rayner over her tax affairs which was proven (if you believe it) to be a genuine mistake. 
Those same people turn a blind eye, or worse, actively try to make excuses for the fact that Farage: 

1) Is in the Epstein files because the man he hired to be his chief advisor over Brexit (Steve Bannon) was boasting to Epstein via text and email that with Brexit and Farage influencing politics, they could (in a round about way) undermine British politics to make changes to laws they could profit from, crypto was directly mentioned.
 

2) Said he wouldn’t stand to be an MP

 

3) Got gifted £5m from a crypto billionaire and shortly after changed his mind to stand. 

4) Publicly endorsed bitcoin and bought crypto for himself 

 

5) Announced pro crypto policies that both Bannon (and Epstein if he was still alive) and the crypto billionaire that backed him would profit from 

 

6) Suddenly was AGAINST the Bank of England creating its own crypto currency that would have given millions of Brits access to a government backed stablecoin, because it would have weakened bitcoin. 
 

If you replaced “Farage” with “Starmer” in that timeline, Reform voters would want him tried for treachery. 
But because it’s Farage, they think it’s okay. 
 

This attitude of allowing politicians we either like, or support to do whatever they like without being held accountable is the exact reason this leadership in this country right across Westminster is the incompetent mess it is. 

Edited 22 June by cityfanlee23

[Innovindil]

54 minutes ago, kenny said:

Streeting pulls out of the leadership race, if Carns was planning a move it sounds like he isn't making it now.

Not surprising imo. Pretty clear now Burnham is the clear favourite. Message now will be "unity" so they can try and again get the decent jobs. 

 

All while sharpening their knives in private ready for when Burnham inevitably crashes. 

 

Order of the day will undoubtedly be blame the right wing for Starmer's downfall, all while ignoring the pretty clear reasons for such. 

[Lionator]

48 minutes ago, kenny said:

Nandy has been sidelined, I suspect she will be more prominant now.

A bunch of northerners in main cabinet positions would be the best thing he could do. One of the worst things about Starmer’s cabinet is that they’re all posh southerners which only widens the disconnect. 

[bovril]

2 minutes ago, Lionator said:

A bunch of northerners in main cabinet positions would be the best thing he could do. One of the worst things about Starmer’s cabinet is that they’re all posh southerners which only widens the disconnect. 

he's purity testing potential cabinet ministers as we speak by asking them to name their top 3 Joy Division B-sides

[Super_horns]

I think  they all get seen as popular and the one to bring better times for a bit when elected but soon the negativity comes in and questions get asked about them and their future. 
 

[Md9]

Well social media is going to be a no go zone for the next few weeks with all the gobshites like farage and Robinson trying to stir up as much crap as they can 

[Lionator]

10 minutes ago, bovril said:

he's purity testing potential cabinet ministers as we speak by asking them to name their top 3 Joy Division B-sides

Funny I actually saw Burnham at a new order concert once hahaah (in with the plebs I should add).

[sdb]

3 hours ago, String fellow said:

When Boris then later on in 2022 Liz resigned, Sir Keir called for immediate general elections. So what's the difference now? Oh yes, Labour are in power.

Yes, the Tories completely wiped UK politics of any integrity and decency. For well over a decade, we were led by the most selfish and incompetent idiots ever. Poor to see Labour stoop to (some of) the same lows.

[Raj]

6 minutes ago, sdb said:

Yes, the Tories completely wiped UK politics of any integrity and decency. For well over a decade, we were led by the most selfish and incompetent idiots ever. Poor to see Labour stoop to (some of) the same lows.

Nothing Labour do can compare to them Tory arseholes

[Stevosevic]

He’s been a joke. Bye Keir 

[Foxdiamond]

58 minutes ago, Lionator said:

A bunch of northerners in main cabinet positions would be the best thing he could do. One of the worst things about Starmer’s cabinet is that they’re all posh southerners which only widens the disconnect. 

I agree and I'm a southerner though certainly not posh

[Legend_in_blue]

Nothing is going to change.  As if Burnham in charge will change anything. 

 

They're all the same.  All talk, no action.

[Lionator]

8 minutes ago, Legend_in_blue said:

Nothing is going to change.  As if Burnham in charge will change anything. 

 

They're all the same.  All talk, no action.

If they’re ALL BAD, then it shows it’s not the people, it’s the system. 

[Voll Blau]

53 minutes ago, Legend_in_blue said:

Nothing is going to change.  As if Burnham in charge will change anything. 

 

They're all the same.  All talk, no action.

What do you want to change that isn't being changed now?

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Voll Blau said:

What do you want to change that isn't being changed now?

I would like another round of tax rises please.

 

Thankfully Annalise Dodds appears to have confirmed they are incoming.

[Corky]

How many by-elections were called when the Conservative lot defected to Reform?

 

At least the Labou membership (and the Conservatives before that) will choose an elected Labour MP. The electorate voted for a Conservative and then had somebody representing another party.

[CrazyKopCorner]

7 hours ago, st albans fox said:

I’m intrigued as to what post ms rayner will get in burnham’s cabinet? 

Foreign Security nailed on 

[Foxdiamond]

Does the electorate have to look at itself as well as the politicians? An impatient wish for everything to change to their liking in double quick time. This plus a cynicism and thinking anybody that has never had the job must be better.