Politics Today

[arthur]

I must say Arthur it’s not like you to make statements like this. You normally post with a lot of research to back up your viewpoint. Australian food is definitely at the very least on a par with what I ate for the first 48 years of my life, and in my view far superior, especially the fruit and veg. The wines not bad either

Hello AP and thank you for your kind observation. I merely base my comments on the fact that for this particular trade deal, certain Australian food and animal welfare standards were lower than the EU's and this caused some consternation to UK livestock farmers. This was never intended to be a comment on the general level of quality of Australian food which I imagine is delicious. More information here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57268681

 

[Grecian2K]

I met him at the local food bank
Could see he didn't give a w@nk
He said "Hi, I'm Lee,
"Vote for me.
"Why can't you see
"YOU can live on 30p

"Why can't you act like common people
"And dine like common people
"Not on expenses like PROPER people
"Like ME
"Your local MP"

 

[arthur]

Jesus H Christ, at least if you're going to take that kinda swipe at all but 3 of the posters on this thread, fess up that you're the polar opposite and that you're a sniggering vacuum of a europhobe/Francophile etc etc etc

Look on the bright side Spanks - we may be bitter but we aren't Remoaners. One day soon he'll be able to post a riposte without a gratuitous insult in it....

 

[arthur]

Nice to see that having escaped the tyranny of the EU, we need no longer fear the prospect of any foreign interference in our affairs...

US congress delegation to fly to London as Northern Ireland protocol concerns grow

Exclusive: Influential representatives likely to underline Biden’s commitment to defend Good Friday agreement

www.theguardian.com

 

[angelic upstart]

The wastage is very much the point. Those stupid economists who are supposedly advising Spaff to spaff £££ weakens the currency, and the economy.

Nationally, maybe. But for the average upstart on the street. They go to work for someone who makes money. The wider currency malaise and economy isn't the first thing on their mind. Even if it's directly affecting them, they can't change it. So they need to change what they can change and do it accordingly.

 

[angelic upstart]

A very perceptive (imho) article from a leading Tory thinker - encapsulates what I've been trying to say for months. The Tories are at serious risk of being doomed. Behind a paywall alas, but here are some highlights:

So how sensible is a polarising strategy, antagonising the “metropolitan elite” and concentrating on new seats at the expense of existing areas of strength?

Here are three obvious problems with it. First, it ignores the importance of what political scientists call “negative partisanship”. This is the observation, originally made in a 2015 paper by Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster, that voters are driven to a larger extent by dislike of parties than support for them, and elections are settled by the balance of dislike.

The political rhetoric and composition of the government, being led almost entirely by its right wing, risks widespread anti-Tory tactical voting. Residual Labour dislike of the Liberal Democrats is fading, as is Liberal Democrat fear of Labour. They are almost openly in alliance. Eccentrically, the Tories have been pointing this out, something that will only encourage it. A situation in which voters are primarily motivated by voting against the Conservatives is very dangerous for the Tories.

The second problem is a more long-term one. The country is becoming more urban, more diverse and more liberal. In the long term there isn’t much future in travelling in the opposite direction. Yet this appears to be the Tory plan.
.....if the policy of levelling up is successful it will, by its own logic, simply create metropolitan elites in more places. Levelling up will thus either fail or make other towns and cities politically more like London.

A third problem is that a political strategy of trying to replace your old voters with new ones makes it hard for a party to keep its ideological bearings. It is perfectly obvious that the government is confused about what it stands for. This is because it is confused about who it stands for.

The prime minister and the chancellor believe in different fiscal policies, the government believes in low taxes but is raising taxes, the party believes in free trade but is presiding over vast increases in trade barriers for Britain. It is a free-market party that has fallen out with the leadership of big business. It is a Conservative Party but isn’t sure how seriously it takes the rule of law. Or treaties. Or standards in public life.

One reason Boris Johnson’s position on Ukraine has stood out and impressed people is that it seemed to reflect what he really thought and his party believed. But on domestic matters it has become increasingly hard to predict what the government’s response will be to any public event or policy challenge, because it is hard to work out where it is coming from.

The logic of trying to base the Conservative Party on uniting the Leave vote was very strong. I understand why in 2019 it was impossible to do much else. But it is deeply flawed as a long-term plan — in fact, even as a short-term plan.

At the next election, under pressure from a failing economy, seeking support after almost a decade and a half in power, the Conservatives could find that their new voters are unimpressed while their existing voters are dismayed. A combination that could produce calamity.

Boris Johnson’s Tories have lost their bearings

Daniel Finkelstein: Prioritising the red wall worked in 2019 but has left the government looking incoherent and at odds with much of the country

www.thetimes.co.uk

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned. Very interesting, and in my opinion very true.

I genuinely can't see the strategy the Republicans in the US, are going working here. The UK is too mixed, too liberal and not interested in religion for any of it to work.

 

[angelic upstart]

Surprised there's not been pages and pages about the latest fines at number 10. Only the mere thought of one politician breaking COVID rules the other day had about 10 pages

 

[DB9]

Surprised there's not been pages and pages about the latest fines at number 10. Only the mere thought of one politician breaking COVID rules the other day had about 10 pages

Yep but as the DM & MoS would say about these latest fines "Don't you know there's a war on?" Starmer's possible fine is "Different" Interesting note is that the one workplace that has had the most Covid fines in the UK is the place where those Covid rules were made.

 

[angelic upstart]

Interesting note is that the one workplace that has had the most Covid fines in the UK is the place where those Covid rules were made.

I find it funny that they're literally laughing in our faces in every way and people still make excuses for them.

Then again, a brief look at my avatar tells me everything I need to know about myself....

 

[arthur]

Nice to see that having escaped the tyranny of the EU, we need no longer fear the prospect of any foreign interference in our affairs...

US congress delegation to fly to London as Northern Ireland protocol concerns grow

Exclusive: Influential representatives likely to underline Biden’s commitment to defend Good Friday agreement

www.theguardian.com

Truss said she had told Šefčovič the protocol was “the greatest obstacle” to forming a new Northern Ireland executive after last week’s elections. There are no further plans for the pair to speak.

Er, no. The greatest obstacle to forming a new Northern Ireland executive is the Democratic Unionist Party. Can't someone point this out to her?