Off Topic General Election 4/7/24 - News, Views, Results…..

Surely the Tories have got to go. But what comes next ? Better or worse ?

 

The Tories have given up on it. Their aim imo is to box Labour in financially, só that they will only be in for one term.

 

1st question - who will be the next leader of the Tories once Richi quits or is sacked……

 

@lardiman this gives you plenty of notice to sort out your photo ID for the polling booth

 

Or the same’ish shower of self promoting pocket lining ****e bags - it’s a worry !

 

Get ready for nasty, negative, personal electioneering.
It's going to be Sunak v Starmer - certainly from the Conservative side. A Presidential race.

It would be better for the Country if the Opposition Parties resist the temptation to descend to that level.
But I don't suppose they will.
Prepare to be monumentally unedified.

 

Some good points on the radio this morning from a Labour spokesman;

Rishi Sunak is promoting his Party as having a strong plan that he is sticking to, and that his plan is working.
Why then has he called a General Election now instead of October? And blind-sided most of his own MP's by doing so.

Because he knows people will not feel any benefits of his plans.
Even if the Bank of England cuts interest rates twice during the Summer, each cut will probably only be 0.25%.
And historically the mortgage Banks are always slow to pass on those rate cuts.
They will certainly not be passed on the very next day, as some gullible folk might expect.

Also, the Chancellor now knows he has no scope for an Autumn tax cut giveaway.
Not with £10bn to find for the victims of the Infected Blood scandal.

And thirdly, I suspect Sunak has been privately briefed that the Government is highly unlikely to get any migrant flights away to Rwanda any time soon.
Their flawed Bill probably still has more holes in it than as Swiss Cheese - something that Suella and others have long since pointed out.
So Sunak has decided to cut his losses and go for a GE now, with a view to damage limitation.

A Labour Government with a majority of 30 seats will have less scope do do everything it wants than a Government with a 70 seat majority.
Or maybe over 100 seats.
That's about the best the outgoing PM can hope for.
He knows the Game is up.
Even if the Conservatives end up with the largest number of MP's on July 5th (but short of a majority) no other Party will get into bed with them.
Certainly not the Lib Dems, who learned a stinging lesson after 2010.
They'll join up in Coalition with Labour, if the combined numbers do make a majority.

Things are not getting better for millions of voters. Nor are they likely to for many a long month.
And that's why we're going to the polls on July 4th.
Rishi's claims to be sticking to a plan ring pretty hollow.

 

We get the politicians we deserve. If we wanted honest ones we'd elect them.

 

Rishi Sunak announces there will be no migrant flights to Rwanda before the General Election

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-69052507

"A con from start to finish" say the Opposition.

 

Got to find one first

 

Turnout will be interesting in this Election.
Summer elections usually produce relatively high turnouts.
However, I fear this time around it may be less than 50%.
If that turns out to be true it will be a damning verdict on the trust of the People in our present Politics.

I'm thinking of going for a postal vote, but I don't know if just anyone can choose that method.
If no photo ID is required then I may take advantage of that loophole before it gets closed.
Not sure yet though, as I am opposed to photo ID voting on principle, and principles should not really be circumvented by loopholes.

 

It will be interesting to see whether Reform UK sticks to what it has promised to do...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-69052837

I imagine the Conservatives are lobbying them intensely behind the scenes to try and persuade them to selectively back off.
Or even to join forces.
Can't see that happening myself. It would render everything Reform UK is and stands for meaningless.
And many Reform UK followers might switch to the even more radical Reclaim Party instead.

 

And none after. So that’s dead then.

Even as a supporter of forced deportations to a third country, this feels like a con. The Tories were never prepared to do what needed to be done to make this work, which was to leave the ECHR or even to just do what we’re perfectly entitled to do and simply ignore their rulings if they were contrary to UK law.

 

One thing that last night's Question Time made pretty clear, is that Labour's priority over the next six weeks is not to rock the boat.

Audience members got frustrated because Bridget Phillipson would not actually give a straight answer to any question.
But in truth, why should she.
Straight answers will alienate potential voters as well as attract others. And Labour doesn't know which straight answers will alienate more than they might attract. But that seems to be a chance they do not need to take.

Because something else that came across fairly clearly is that - for all their frustration with Labour's vagueness - a huge proportion of the electorate are simply sick and tired of the current Government, and greet their electioneering with cynical laughter.

This GE is Labour's to lose.
And with that in mind I don't really blame them for not being bold and radical in the things they are currently saying.

 

Relief all round for Tory backbench private Landlords

The 2019 manifesto promise to ban no fault evictions will not pass into Law before the General Election.
Today being the last day of the current Parliament.

Now come on you lot, be thankful to your leader and get behind him

 

"Energy Bills Tumble" hoots The Times

The Cap is being reduced by 7% in July, taking the average bill from £1,690 to £1,568 per year.
About £10 per month cheaper?
Hardly tumbling.

 

Bum notes # 1

Rishi Sunak asking some Welsh voters if they would be watching the Football this summer
Wales didn't qualify.

 

The bloke is a complete clown - he should never have been Prime Minister and it’s hard to imagine anyone in that role who would give the Tories less chance of winning the election. He appeals to about 0.5% of the electorate.

 

Announcing the GE while standing in the pouring rain without a coat or umbrella was funny.