** The General Election Thread **

[pwa]

Nettles tend to thrive in corners where a lot of organic material (compost, grass clippings, manure) has been dumped in the past. You don't normally find a lot of it in woodland. I too tolerate a small patch in my garden.

[Vorpal]

I have raspberries at the bottom of my garden. I don't mind brambles, as we like the berries. We also leave some nettles to grow. We put them in herbal teas, and the bunnies like the young plants.

[Mick F]

how do we encourage this wonderful flora to grow back without the curse of brambles, nettles etc? I know they're natural too, but they don't half make walking miserable!
(and I don't see any in the pictures above from Cornwall)

I go round our woodland every couple or so years with the brushcutter.

Some years back, I "cordoned off" strips using string to delineate it maybe 25yds long by 5yds wide and sprayed Roundup on the brambles, nettles and bracken. As each strip died, I moved my string and did another section. Within a couple of years, it was all dead.

Now have wild flowers, even more foxgloves than before, even more bluebells than before, grasses, and general flora. Meanwhile, I've cut through all the ivy climbing up the trees, and it's all dying and held back.

Woodland needs maintaining.

[Polisman]

Latest Yougov poll puts Tories only 9 points ahead (down two), it seems the boy on the floor scandal is making its mark.. Hung parliament the most likely outcome now. Didn't Boris say he would resign if they didn't get a working majority?

Next job, shelf stacker? Either that or petty thief (mobile phones, will steal to order Sir!)

[pwa]

Woodland needs maintaining.

Woodland that happens to be your garden needs maintaining. There is also a place for wild, unmaintained woodland exactly as nature makes it. Brambles and nettles are restricted in wild woodland by lack of light and not by Roundup.

Do leave some ivy Mick. The flowers (little round things) are one of the few sources of nectar for bees when the summer flowers have gone but the bees are still active. If it were my garden I would be controlling ivy too, not allowing it to expand in the crowns of trees I value. But I would let it go part way up so that there is always quite a bit for the bees.

A woodland without a few dead trees is a garden, not a wild place. I can appreciate both.

[pwa]

Latest Yougov poll puts Tories only 9 points ahead (down two), it seems the boy on the floor scandal is making its mark.. Hung parliament the most likely outcome now. Didn't Boris say he would resign if they didn't get a working majority?

Next job, shelf stacker? Either that or petty thief (mobile phones, will steal to order Sir!)

Is that the poll with the Tories unchanged at 43% and labour up 1 to 34%? If so, it looks more like Labour gaining a touch at the expense of the waning Lib Dems. The Tories seem to have plateaued.

[Polisman]

Latest Yougov poll puts Tories only 9 points ahead (down two), it seems the boy on the floor scandal is making its mark.. Hung parliament the most likely outcome now. Didn't Boris say he would resign if they didn't get a working majority?

Next job, shelf stacker? Either that or petty thief (mobile phones, will steal to order Sir!)

Is that the poll with the Tories unchanged at 43% and labour up 1 to 34%? If so, it looks more like Labour gaining a touch at the expense of the waning Lib Dems. The Tories seem to have plateaued.

It's a slim 9 point lead. Which most professional commentators say makes any result too close to call one way or the other. In the 2017 election May had a 12 point lead with a day to go, and what a disaster befell her. My prediction: hung parliament, poor showing for the LibDems and probably Labour /SNP coalition to keep the Tories out of power. What's yours?

[pwa]

Latest Yougov poll puts Tories only 9 points ahead (down two), it seems the boy on the floor scandal is making its mark.. Hung parliament the most likely outcome now. Didn't Boris say he would resign if they didn't get a working majority?

Next job, shelf stacker? Either that or petty thief (mobile phones, will steal to order Sir!)

Is that the poll with the Tories unchanged at 43% and labour up 1 to 34%? If so, it looks more like Labour gaining a touch at the expense of the waning Lib Dems. The Tories seem to have plateaued.

It's a slim 9 point lead. Which most professional commentators say makes any result too close to call one way or the other. In the 2017 election May had a 12 point lead with a day to go, and what a disaster befell her. My prediction: hung parliament, poor showing for the LibDems and probably Labour /SNP coalition to keep the Tories out of power. What's yours?

Labour will benefit from tactical voting, people holding their noses to keep the Tories out. I think your predicted outcome is certainly possible. My gut feeling is that a Conservative majority is still the most likely outcome, but it is not in the bag.

[Polisman]

Fwiw I think the Tories have made two massive blunders in this campaign. First Get Brexit Done. I think as an issue people are sick to death of it and its slipped so far into the murk of 'it'll take forever' as to become a half forgotten issue, something almost surreal for the electorate. To prioritise it as major campaign vote winner, was in my opinion myopic. There's so much more at stake, than Brexit. The NHS for one.

Secondly, Boris was always going to be a massive gamble. And he's proved to be as inept (if not more) than May on camera and on the stump. He is clearly not PM material and everyone can see the emperor has no clothes now.

For these, and several other reasons (lack of trust, obvious deceitful campaign, cowardly leader) I think this election is a busted flush for the Tories. With only a very slim 9 point lead, a hung parliament and a Labour /SNP coalition are looking more likely, hour by hour. Many people I come into contact with have stated they will vote tactically to keep Boris out of power.

Unfortunately Boris has got what he wished for: a personality led campaign, and of the two, he is the most uncomfortable, egregious and untrustworthy. I think people will vote Labour with their nose pegged, and the Tory spin doctors will only have themselves to blame.

[francovendee]

Fwiw I think the Tories have made two massive blunders in this campaign. First Get Brexit Done. I think as an issue people are sick to death of it and its slipped so far into the murk of 'it'll take forever' as to become a half forgotten issue, something almost surreal for the electorate. To prioritise it as major campaign vote winner, was in my opinion myopic. There's so much more at stake, than Brexit. The NHS for one.

Secondly, Boris was always going to be a massive gamble. And he's proved to be as inept (if not more) than May on camera and on the stump. He is clearly not PM material and everyone can see the emperor has no clothes now.

For these, and several other reasons (lack of trust, obvious deceitful campaign, cowardly leader) I think this election is a busted flush for the Tories. With only a very slim 9 point lead, a hung parliament and a Labour /SNP coalition are looking more likely, hour by hour. Many people I come into contact with have stated they will vote tactically to keep Boris out of power.

Unfortunately Boris has got what he wished for: a personality led campaign, and of the two, he is the most uncomfortable, egregious and untrustworthy. I think people will vote Labour with their nose pegged, and the Tory spin doctors will only have themselves to blame.

I think the opposite will happen and Boris will get a small majority, I've heard so many people say, 'I know he lies but I like him'!!!
I just wish that the public focused more on the policies of the two main parties and not the personalities of the two leaders.

[pwa]

Fwiw I think the Tories have made two massive blunders in this campaign. First Get Brexit Done. I think as an issue people are sick to death of it and its slipped so far into the murk of 'it'll take forever' as to become a half forgotten issue, something almost surreal for the electorate. To prioritise it as major campaign vote winner, was in my opinion myopic. There's so much more at stake, than Brexit. The NHS for one.

Secondly, Boris was always going to be a massive gamble. And he's proved to be as inept (if not more) than May on camera and on the stump. He is clearly not PM material and everyone can see the emperor has no clothes now.

For these, and several other reasons (lack of trust, obvious deceitful campaign, cowardly leader) I think this election is a busted flush for the Tories. With only a very slim 9 point lead, a hung parliament and a Labour /SNP coalition are looking more likely, hour by hour. Many people I come into contact with have stated they will vote tactically to keep Boris out of power.

Unfortunately Boris has got what he wished for: a personality led campaign, and of the two, he is the most uncomfortable, egregious and untrustworthy. I think people will vote Labour with their nose pegged, and the Tory spin doctors will only have themselves to blame.

My own political leanings are not quite the same as yours but a lot of what you are saying makes sense to me. I want to get the initial phase of Brexit done and I think a lot of people do so I think the Tories had to go with that. But Boris is dire. For the reasons you outline. So is Corbyn though. I said so the day he became Labour leader and not for one moment have I doubted that. I was told at the time that old Labour supporters like me were no longer needed because a new wave of younger supporters enthused by Corbyn would replace us and sweep him to victory. Well it looks like he is coming a poor second again and will need minor parties to get him over the line. Even though the opponent is as rubbish as Boris.

[Cugel]

You lads! Predicting the future is a very difficult thing to do even with the most simple of systems. Trying to do so with something as complex as political systems (especially when they're in a heavy churn) is pointless.

Worse - it gets you into the habit of wishful thunking, which is a very bad habit indeed. No telling what you'll do or believe to try and make a wishful thunk come true. Observe a Leave voter, for example. You can do so in this forum. Alarming, they are!

Cugel

[mercalia]

Latest Yougov poll puts Tories only 9 points ahead (down two), it seems the boy on the floor scandal is making its mark.. Hung parliament the most likely outcome now. Didn't Boris say he would resign if they didn't get a working majority?

Next job, shelf stacker? Either that or petty thief (mobile phones, will steal to order Sir!)

nah thats too good a job for him. Maybe work at Mcdonalds sweeping up and putting the left food containers in the bins?

I am still puzzled why some Labour voters rate Brexit more important than getting a serious Labour govt that could remake the lives of many? They aint the libdems who want to revoke article 50, period.

[Mick F]

My prediction: hung parliament, poor showing for the LibDems and probably Labour /SNP coalition to keep the Tories out of power. What's yours?

From your lips to God's ears.

It's my dearest wish - politically speaking - to have the Tories out of government.

[mercalia]

My prediction: hung parliament, poor showing for the LibDems and probably Labour /SNP coalition to keep the Tories out of power. What's yours?

From your lips to God's ears.

It's my dearest wish - politically speaking - to have the Tories out of government.

nah a Labour majority of 10