General News Thread

[Bellend Sebastian]

54 minutes ago, Tuna said:

I still remember Kilroy-Silk's party "Veritas"

Ahhahhahhaha! I'd forgotten about that. I nearly said them, but it was more HIM wasn't it?

 

Veritas, truth in Latin, oh Bob, that's brilliant.

 

Tell me your truth, Robert Kilroy-Silk

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

19 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Ahhahhahhaha! I'd forgotten about that. I nearly said them, but it was more HIM wasn't it?

 

Veritas, truth in Latin, oh Bob, that's brilliant.

 

Tell me your truth, Robert Kilroy-Silk

 

 

 

[ajthefox]

20 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Ahhahhahhaha! I'd forgotten about that. I nearly said them, but it was more HIM wasn't it?

 

Veritas, truth in Latin, oh Bob, that's brilliant.

 

Tell me your truth, Robert Kilroy-Silk

 

 

When you think about it, his gameshow really was a metaphor for fiscal policy...

 

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

Surely Noel Edmonds has it in him to start a political party? It just feels sort of inevitable

[Bellend Sebastian]

4 minutes ago, ajthefox said:

When you think about it, his gameshow really was a metaphor for fiscal policy...

 

 

Despite their best intentions, the first bit soon had to be dropped

[Sampson]

Christ, I’d forgotten about Kilroy-Silk and Veritas.
 

In many ways, he was a foreshadowing of today’s social media, reality TV, always-go-one-step-more-outrageous populist politics. 
 

But back then it was still treated as a bit of a fringe joke.

Edited 4 July 2025 by Sampson

[Muzzy_no7]

On 03/07/2025 at 23:28, blabyboy said:

Yeah..be interesting to see if it gets some serious traction and mop up the disaffected left in the same way that Reform has taken the right.

Only reason it’s been set up IMO is to try and take votes, momentum and stop Reform. 

[Jon the Hat]

1 hour ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Only reason it’s been set up IMO is to try and take votes, momentum and stop Reform. 

I think there is a reasonable chance we end up with European style never ending coalition governments, so even if they end up with 20 seats they might hold the balance of power against a Tory Reform coalition.

[ClaphamFox]

5 hours ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Only reason it’s been set up IMO is to try and take votes, momentum and stop Reform. 

Trouble at mill already. Has there ever previously been a split in a party consisting of two people?
 

 

[Sampson]

7 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

I think there is a reasonable chance we end up with European style never ending coalition governments, so even if they end up with 20 seats they might hold the balance of power against a Tory Reform coalition.

Our voting system isn’t really fixed for it though. Most European countries have PR. We have FPTP which was kind of kept because it kept the 2 party system up. Now we’ve become a 5 party system it means a party can get 100% of the power on less than 30% of the vote. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

Just remembered Change UK

[Muzzy_no7]

3 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

Trouble at mill already. Has there ever previously been a split in a party consisting of two people?
 

 

I mean I don’t like either of them but that Zarah is unbearable. 
 

 

[urban.spaceman]

[blabyboy]

Looking forward to when Anderson has to write a letter to remove the whip from himself. 

[st albans fox]

2 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

Bounce back loans taken on companies who had no business to be taking them. 
£70k taken

[st albans fox]

7 hours ago, Sampson said:

Our voting system isn’t really fixed for it though. Most European countries have PR. We have FPTP which was kind of kept because it kept the 2 party system up. Now we’ve become a 5 party system it means a party can get 100% of the power on less than 30% of the vote. 

It’s complicated though

under PR, you could have a party with less than 10% of the electorate having a massive influence on govt policy being a coalition partner 

 

FPTP is supposed to give us stronger govt ……….

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 hours ago, st albans fox said:

It’s complicated though

under PR, you could have a party with less than 10% of the electorate having a massive influence on govt policy being a coalition partner 

 

FPTP is supposed to give us stronger govt ……….

Under a FPTP system it's unlikely the Nazi party would have risen to power.

Edited 5 July 2025 by Trav Le Bleu

[SkidsFox]

Trouble at Mill?

 

What is this - the Spanish inquisition?

 

 

[Sampson]

I get people want to reduce immigration, but this is why you shouldn’t vote for protest parties who aren’t established enough so just scramble around trying to get whoever they can to fill numbers in council elections where they can’t do anything about the things at national and international level you’re protest voting against. Inexperienced teenagers have been put in control of 70% of Leicestershire County Council’s budget.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/05/nigel-farage-reform-uk-teenage-councillors-vital-public-services

 

At Leicestershire county council, the Reform councillor Charles Pugsley, 19, has been made the cabinet member for children and family services.

Pugsley’s elevation has caused particular concern, as has that of Joseph Boam, a 22-year-old who has been made the deputy council leader and handed the adult social care portfolio, despite having previously expressed the view that “depression isn’t real”.

 

Their relative lack of experience has caused unease across the political divide. Deborah Taylor, a Conservative councillor and leader of the opposition who was the previous cabinet member for children and families in Leicestershire, questioned their qualifications to hold roles overseeing services that account for more than 70% of the council’s £616m budget.

Edited 5 July 2025 by Sampson

[st albans fox]

43 minutes ago, Sampson said:

I get people want to reduce immigration, but this is why you shouldn’t vote for protest parties who aren’t established enough so just scramble around trying to get whoever they can to fill numbers in council elections where they can’t do anything about the things at national and international level you’re protest voting against. Inexperienced teenagers have been put in control of 70% of Leicestershire County Council’s budget.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/05/nigel-farage-reform-uk-teenage-councillors-vital-public-services

 

At Leicestershire county council, the Reform councillor Charles Pugsley, 19, has been made the cabinet member for children and family services.

Pugsley’s elevation has caused particular concern, as has that of Joseph Boam, a 22-year-old who has been made the deputy council leader and handed the adult social care portfolio, despite having previously expressed the view that “depression isn’t real”.

 

Their relative lack of experience has caused unease across the political divide. Deborah Taylor, a Conservative councillor and leader of the opposition who was the previous cabinet member for children and families in Leicestershire, questioned their qualifications to hold roles overseeing services that account for more than 70% of the council’s £616m budget.

Is there a reason why they’ve been given ‘control’ of these particular budgets ?

[Jon the Hat]

5 hours ago, Sampson said:

I get people want to reduce immigration, but this is why you shouldn’t vote for protest parties who aren’t established enough so just scramble around trying to get whoever they can to fill numbers in council elections where they can’t do anything about the things at national and international level you’re protest voting against. Inexperienced teenagers have been put in control of 70% of Leicestershire County Council’s budget.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/05/nigel-farage-reform-uk-teenage-councillors-vital-public-services

 

At Leicestershire county council, the Reform councillor Charles Pugsley, 19, has been made the cabinet member for children and family services.

Pugsley’s elevation has caused particular concern, as has that of Joseph Boam, a 22-year-old who has been made the deputy council leader and handed the adult social care portfolio, despite having previously expressed the view that “depression isn’t real”.

 

Their relative lack of experience has caused unease across the political divide. Deborah Taylor, a Conservative councillor and leader of the opposition who was the previous cabinet member for children and families in Leicestershire, questioned their qualifications to hold roles overseeing services that account for more than 70% of the council’s £616m budget.

I would put my money on those actually in charge of the relevant departments to run rings around these young guys.  They might be bright but they will have sod all experience influencing actual policy, especially in an area where the council's responsibilities are set by central government.  Power to the civil servants!

[StanSP]

8 hours ago, st albans fox said:

Is there a reason why they’ve been given ‘control’ of these particular budgets ?

The people that were there before them have been sacked or left the party. And they're the only ones left... 

[st albans fox]

35 minutes ago, StanSP said:

The people that were there before them have been sacked or left the party. And they're the only ones left... 

 So there were reform councillors before in these positions ?   Or are specific responsibilities allocated to certain council seats ?? 
just trying to understand the dynamics 

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

 So there were reform councillors before in these positions ?   Or are specific responsibilities allocated to certain council seats ?? 
just trying to understand the dynamics 

In a couple of cases the intended person for the role has had to resign, but it seems to me that it's part of the whole "let's try something different" movement that is the ethos of Reform.

[Robo61]

12 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Under a FPTP system it's unlikely the Nazi party would have risen to power.

How do you draw that conclusion given they received the largest share of the vote in the 1933 election and so under FPTP would likely have had a majority in their parliament,  thus increasing their power ast that time rather than deminishing it.