General News Thread

[Trav Le Bleu]

I'm going to put this here and wait for the complaints of wasting tax payers’ money.

 

How many firefighters does it take to rescue a swan from ice? - BBC News

 

https://share.google/GhnkAUHv5Cu4X3Cyn

[kenny]

21 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I'm going to put this here and wait for the complaints of wasting tax payers’ money.

 

How many firefighters does it take to rescue a swan from ice? - BBC News

 

https://share.google/GhnkAUHv5Cu4X3Cyn

Good training if it was ever a person out there. There was a similar story last week about some kids taunting the fire brigade while in the middle of a frozen pond. 

 

They went ahead with the rescue as they wanted the practice.

[Trav Le Bleu]

40 minutes ago, kenny said:

Good training if it was ever a person out there. There was a similar story last week about some kids taunting the fire brigade while in the middle of a frozen pond. 

 

They went ahead with the rescue as they wanted the practice.

My thoughts exactly 

[Zear0]

Jenrick going to reform. 

 

In other news, water is wet. 

[Sampson]

3 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Jenrick going to reform. 

 

In other news, water is wet. 

Really not much of a surprise, he was always cringely just constantly vice-signalling on culture wars to try to out-Farage Farage. Actually could give the Tories a chance to not just be this pretty bizarre attempt to be Reform light and go back to being pro-business economic liberals again instead of constantly trying to one-up Farage in obsessing over culture wars.

Edited 15 January by Sampson

[SkidsFox]

All the failed Tories are joining Reform. Doesn’t seem like much of a vote winner to me, but who knows?

[Alf Bentley]

10 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Jenrick going to reform. 

 

In other news, water is wet. 

 

This is a more interesting one.

 

Firstly, it seems Badenoch has sacked him and withdrawn the Tory whip because he was allegedly plotting to defect, while inflicting maximum damage on the Tories:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/crmdmkg8gymt

I presume she has strong evidence. Cannot imagine that she'd have taken such action without it? Presumably he'll now confirm his defection?

 

Secondly, only a few months ago, many were expecting him to stand against Badenoch and become Tory leader.

She seems to have rallied her troops a bit and Tory poll ratings have crept up a bit (though still well behind Reform), so maybe he no longer fancied his chances of winning?

Hopefully this all helps to split the vote on the Right? Also, I wonder how helpful it will be to Farage to keep stuffing his "new party of change" with high-profile Tories from a Govt still resented by many, whatever they think of Starmer & co?

 

 

Edited 15 January by Alf Bentley

[Tommy G]

2 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

This is a more interesting one.

 

Firstly, it seems Badenoch has sacked him and withdrawn the Tory whip because he was allegedly plotting to defect, while inflicting maximum damage on the Tories:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/crmdmkg8gymt

I presume she has strong evidence. Cannot imagine that she'd have taken such action without it? Presumably he'll now confirm his defection?

 

Secondly, only a few months ago, many were expecting him to stand against Badenoch and become Tory leader.

She seems to have rallied her troops a bit and Tory poll ratings have crept up a bit (though still well behind Reform), so maybe he no longer fancied his chances of winning?

Hopefully this all helps to split the vote on the Right? Also, I wonder how helpful it will be to Farage to keep stuffing his "new party of change" with high-profile Tories from a Govt still resented by many, whatever they think of Starmer & co?

 

 

Her popularity is slowly growing despite a tricky start 

[leicsmac]

I think this all just adds to the idea that the next GE outcome is pure roulette at this point in time, and there's still over three years to go.

[Alf Bentley]

2 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Her popularity is slowly growing despite a tricky start 

 

Yes, I wonder why that is?

- Because she's put in some better parliamentary/speaking performances recently? But I doubt many people notice that?

- Because memories of the Tory Govt are fading a bit, so some Tory voters alienated by the last Govt are returning to the fold?

- Because some voters tempted by Reform are being put off or having second thoughts due to revelations about Farage, Reform policies or Reform in power in some local councils?

 

The slight upward trend in Tory/Badenoch's ratings seems to be mainly Reform switchers returning. Labour's ratings remain low, but they mainly seem to have lost votes to the Greens. Though I'm sure it's not as black and white as that...

[Sampson]

18 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I think this all just adds to the idea that the next GE outcome is pure roulette at this point in time, and there's still over three years to go.

Yeah the world changes so quickly nowadays, if you see just the graph I posted a couple of pages ago how quickly poll number changes nowadays.

 

Plus huge society shifting once-in-a-century events seem to happen almost yearly nowadays. If anything happens in Greenland or Ukraine, another pandemic or another war in Europe, how AI affects the job market, if AI starts to get a bit scary, if Trump/Vance clearly try and obstruct elections in 2028 it might cause his “good friend” Farage to lose support etc.could all cause massive swings in the numbers.

 

We saw how the realisation of what Trump stood for and the beginning of Project 2025 caused massive swings against the pro-Trump candidate in the Canadian and Australian elections last year for example.

 

That being said, I still expect Reform to win, maybe even on only 20% of the vote, because our FPTP system is designed for 2 parties and has completely broken down in this new 5 party system.

Edited 15 January by Sampson

[foxes1988]

16 minutes ago, SkidsFox said:

All the failed Tories are joining Reform. Doesn’t seem like much of a vote winner to me, but who knows?

Think Jenrick will definitely be a more popular defection with reform voters then Zahawi was

[Lionator]

I’ve said before but at the next election, this country deserves a 5 way mess from the Greens on the left through to reform on the right. We need a horrible non majority looking parliament so we can actually get the political reform we need in this country.

 

At the same time, Reform taking on people like Jenrick and Zahawi is terrible optics, failed toffs tainted by the Johnson Covid era and associated with the ‘Boris wave’. Farage has got this badly wrong by accepting them. 

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, Sampson said:

Yeah the world changes so quickly nowadays, if you see just the graph I posted a couple of pages ago how quickly poll number changes nowadays.

 

Plus huge society shifting once-in-a-century events seem to happen almost yearly nowadays. If anything happens in Greenland or Ukraine, another pandemic or another war in Europe, how AI affects the job market, if AI starts to get a bit scary, if Trump/Vance clearly try and obstruct elections in 2028 it might cause his “good friend” Farage to lose support etc.coukd all cause massive swings in the numbers.

 

We saw how the realisation of what Trump stood for and the beginning of Project 2025 caused massive swings against the pro-Trump candidate in the Canadian and Australian elections last year for example.

 

That being said, I still expect Reform to win, maybe even on only 20% of the vote, because our FPTP system is designed for 2 parties and has completely broken down in this new 5 party system.

... what was it that Lenin said about decades happening in weeks?

 

And, I fear, in terms of natural events (that may also have corollaries in a very human response to them) we've seen nothing yet there.

[Innovindil]

11 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I’ve said before but at the next election, this country deserves a 5 way mess from the Greens on the left through to reform on the right. We need a horrible non majority looking parliament so we can actually get the political reform we need in this country.

 

At the same time, Reform taking on people like Jenrick and Zahawi is terrible optics, failed toffs tainted by the Johnson Covid era and associated with the ‘Boris wave’. Farage has got this badly wrong by accepting them. 

You've got to think if labour keep polling as badly as they have been, that they'll move toward changing the first past the post system, while they still can. 

 

Always talked about it when they weren't in power iirc. 

[danny.]

23 hours ago, danny. said:

Anyone else having issues saying this page of the thread cannot be found?

Absolutely gutted that no one got my hilarious and non-nerdy joke.

[Sampson]

8 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

You've got to think if labour keep polling as badly as they have been, that they'll move toward changing the first past the post system, while they still can. 

 

Always talked about it when they weren't in power iirc. 

That’s probably only possible after another election where it’s in their manifesto or referendum though (and we remember the shitshow of the last voting system referendum 15 years ago).

[EnderbyFox]

 

There is always a tweet 

[Innovindil]

4 minutes ago, Sampson said:

That’s probably only possible after another election where it’s in their manifesto or referendum though (and we remember the shitshow of the last voting system referendum 15 years ago).

This might sound stupid but I genuinely don't know, why couldn't they just vote on it with their majority? 

[Robo61]

8 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

This might sound stupid but I genuinely don't know, why couldn't they just vote on it with their majority? 

To get broad agreement on the exact system to implement in his own party would take some time for starters. The Lords would likely not be helpful in getting whatever was agreed through, so would likely run out of time in this parliament. It's also not good optics to change a voting system without having included in the manifesto, a big mistake in my view.

[danny.]

It wouldn't be the first thing Labour tried to introduce that wasn't in their manifesto (Digital IDs, winter fuel allowance, increasing NI, stealth income tax on "working people" etc.)

Edited 15 January by danny.

[kenny]

23 minutes ago, danny. said:

It wouldn't be the first thing Labour tried to introduce that wasn't in their manifesto (Digital IDs, winter fuel allowance, increasing NI, stealth income tax on "working people" etc.)

They could introduce it for a bit then get rid of it again?

[CornwallFox]

Amusing day for politics. Not sure this helps the Tories or reform. 

Can't be good for the Tories to have so many high profile defections. 

Not good for reform to become the Tory party when they claim to represent something different. 

Good day for labour if anything.

[The boy Linacre]

All of this just shows (and it is something we knew anyway but...) they're not interested in representing the people OR their constituency, its just ambition.  IF he should just ship as others have done, he should stand for his seat, his voters or Zahawi's didn't vote Reform, they voted Tory, for many more reasons than just them as individuals.

No wonder so many of us are totally disengaged and disenfranchised from UK politics and politicians AND time only seems to make them worse.

I really only vote for who is least worse, how can that be right but also how sad.

[CornwallFox]

15 minutes ago, The boy Linacre said:

All of this just shows (and it is something we knew anyway but...) they're not interested in representing the people OR their constituency, its just ambition.  IF he should just ship as others have done, he should stand for his seat, his voters or Zahawi's didn't vote Reform, they voted Tory, for many more reasons than just them as individuals.

No wonder so many of us are totally disengaged and disenfranchised from UK politics and politicians AND time only seems to make them worse.

I really only vote for who is least worse, how can that be right but also how sad.

The answer is, of course, the much more democratic system of proportional representation. So everybody's vote gives them a voice. And our representatives have to work more collaboratively if they're going to keep their power.