UK Politics

[djnotts]

Accepting this person into the Labour Party, while excluding Diane A., never mind as an MP, is the final straw. I cannot vote for Starmer.

[francovendee]

Accepting this person into the Labour Party, while excluding Diane A., never mind as an MP, is the final straw. I cannot vote for Starmer.

Spot on, her treatment is shameful. She's apologised and still excluded.
I'm coming around to the view that whilst a Labour government will make a change from a Tory one it's not going to change much.

Surely it's time Starmer showed some better judgement.
Maybe the best out come at a GE would be a hung parliament.

[Psamathe]

Seems to sum it up well

Starmer gets a good PMQ that lasts a few hours and Labour suffer dissapointed supporters questioning their real values - that lasts until after next election day. PM has to make a lot of very important decisions yet Starmer seems to be regularly making bad decisions 9eg Gaza, Elphick, etc.)

Ian

[gbnz]

She probably has a desire to pay additional mortgage payments, ensuring better pay potential by going to the employer/contractor offering better terms. Seems perfectly reasonable, as the mortgage issues if she loses her job in a few months, could be horrific (Nb. Not sure what pay off's mp's get if made redundant).

Apparently she’ll get roughly £20k for losing her seat in Parliament plus some winding down costs. She’s guaranteed to loose her seat now, so that’s money in the bank, and I wonder how much she’ll get paid if she betrays trust put into her by Labour …

Whatever, I hope that Starmer can gain advantage from her defection; perhaps more will follow her steps across the floor.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66612463

So £16k in reality, as she won't be able to claim Universal Credit or any other welfare. The few £000's over her £16k is worthless, suppose if she spends it, she could face claims that she has gone out of her way to get rid of her savings and thus not be eligible for welfare

[Psamathe]

I thought the Guardian gave a good summary of chameleon Sunak

...When he became Tory leader; he was the antidote to Liz Truss; competence and fiscal responsibility. For a while last year he was the motorists’ champion and net zero realist. He has dabbled a bit with being anti-woke. Last autumn, for several weeks, he made a sustained and serious attempt to claim he would be the change candidate at the election (a move that failed because it was wholly implausible). More recently he has been the person “sticking to the plan”. And today he is going to present himself as the leader best able to keep people “safe and secure” in a dangerous world.

Ian

[Jdsk]

Rob Ford: "Local elections: The Big Preview":
https://swingometer.substack.com/p/loca ... ig-preview

Parts 2 and 3:
https://swingometer.substack.com/p/loca ... dium=email
https://swingometer.substack.com/p/loca ... dium=email

And the first instalment of his analysis after we know the results:
https://swingometer.substack.com/p/anal ... dium=email

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Elphicke N has joined the Labor Party and will sit as a Labour MP.

I’m wondering why she has done that? Is she a career politician, is Dover a swing seat that will likely go Labour at the next election, have recent constituency boundary changes had an influence?

It's quite unlike Poulter's decision. Nothing in her statements or record suggested this. She supported Truss just 18 months ago.

The constituency is redefined at the the next election, and Electoral Calculus has Labour at 92% chance of winning:
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcg ... and%20Deal

PS: Her being accepted is going down very badly within some parts of the Labour movement.

"Natalie Elphicke explains why she switched to Labour.":
https://twitter.com/RosieisaHolt/status ... 8399188392

Jonathan

[reohn2]

To state the bleedin' obvious,this country is being run by an eletist bunch of complete nutters who border of fascism,some of them fully fledged iron swastika wearing examples!
And TBH I cannot see Labour,even a great,radical,Labour government(which I don't think a Starmer led Labour government will be),making a dent in their first term in the mess the Tories are about to leave the country in,which will give the Tories time to reorganise and reassess,their fear based strategy and possibly get in again,and so the cycle will continue....

The whole of UK politics needs a complete and radical change that capitalism in it's worst form has imposed on it these past 40 years,along with a rejoining of the EU in an ever increasing dangerous world,if anyone still believes Brexit is working for the UK is deluded or totally blinkered choosing only to believe what they choose to,rather than reality.
Will these things come to pass?
I very much doubt it.

The UK has dug itself a huge hole that will take some getting out of,I believe things will get far worse before they get better and that's if they ever do get better for the ordinary working wo/man!

[Stradageek]

To state the bleedin' obvious,this country is being run by an eletist bunch of complete nutters who border of fascism,some of them fully fledged iron swastika wearing examples!
And TBH I cannot see Labour,even a great,radical,Labour government(which I don't think a Starmer led Labour government will be),making a dent in their first term in the mess the Tories are about to leave the country in,which will give the Tories time to reorganise and reassess,their fear based strategy and possibly get in again,and so the cycle will continue....

The whole of UK politics needs a complete and radical change that capitalism in it's worst form has imposed on it these past 40 years,along with a rejoining of the EU in an ever increasing dangerous world,if anyone still believes Brexit is working for the UK is deluded or totally blinkered choosing only to believe what they choose to,rather than reality.
Will these things come to pass?
I very much doubt it.

The UK has dug itself a huge hole that will take some getting out of,I believe things will get far worse before they get better and that's if they ever do get better for the ordinary working wo/man!

Naomi Klein is right with you on this - just finished reading 'No is not enough'. The book at least lets you know you're not alone

[reohn2]

I don't think I need read Naomi Klien's take on the why,the how and the end result of unbridled corporate capitalism in the UK ,as it would only make me more depressed than I am already already on the state of this once great nation,I've witnessed it and it's cancerous growth throughout my lifetime.
Evil is now in full control......

[Jdsk]

"Solicitor general to appeal over case of climate activist who held sign on jurors’ rights":
https://www.theguardian.com/law/article ... ral-appeal

This looks unwise.

Jonathan

[reohn2]

"Solicitor general to appeal over case of climate activist who held sign on jurors’ rights":
https://www.theguardian.com/law/article ... ral-appeal

This looks unwise.

Jonathan

Agreed!
How can anyone be prosecuted for informing people of their rights, it goes to show what this terrible government is attempting to do to people's rights in 2024,the sooner these fascists are out on their ear the better!

[tim-b]

UK politics is broken.

Repetitive talk of "Broken Britain" isn't based on the facts but is used by politicians to attack the other side(s). This undermining leads to a lack of confidence and investment and ironically becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Make no mistake, all parties use the tactic, but is this really the best that Starmer has to offer?
"But know this. What is broken can be repaired. What is ruined can be rebuilt. Wounds do heal. And ultimately that project - their project - will crash against the spirit of working people in this country. They are the source of my hope."
https://theconversation.com/britain-is- ... ink-229826

[Jdsk]

UK politics is broken.

Repetitive talk of "Broken Britain" isn't based on the facts but is used by politicians to attack the other side(s). This undermining leads to a lack of confidence and investment and ironically becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Make no mistake, all parties use the tactic, but is this really the best that Starmer has to offer?
"But know this. What is broken can be repaired. What is ruined can be rebuilt. Wounds do heal. And ultimately that project - their project - will crash against the spirit of working people in this country. They are the source of my hope."
https://theconversation.com/britain-is- ... ink-229826

The linked article doesn't include that from Starmer.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1791015735546020310

And a bit more at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-69016719

Jonathan