Off Topic Politics Thread

[ImpSaint]

(Actually, I can’t be arsed.)

Its pretty simple. People need to get real. Reform are polling No1 and have been No2 or better for a while now. Whether people on here (or not here) like it or not they are "public interest" and while the left and the right want to say the BBC is the Labour/Tory propaganda mouthpiece (different dependent on what side they are on) they are not a government propaganda machine.

They are not mandated to divvy the coverage based on seats. It is a public interest matter. If Lib Dems were polling 30% they would have someone on every day. And even if they did divvy it out people would still see something else and say it isn't fair.

At the end of the day Reform don't need the BBC airtime. Their audience is online and new media and growing. Most people seeing them on the BBC are left wing students shouting at their screens or the blue rinse retired tories that will still vote blue when they merge with the Lib Dems.

 

[Puck]

So watch GB News then. Novara and more left wing publications / media outlets very often one of the panel and on there it is just a right leaner and a left leaner. TBH Aaron Bastani has impressed me a lot.

One person who tends to always find me agreeing with him or at least understanding his point on some things I don't agree on is Matthew Torbitt, former Labour advisor.

Then there's Labour activist Chris Worrell who is a good sport, not for me but takes on all comers and makes sure his point is made.

And of course Barry Gardiner is on there all the f***ing time because he would show up at your wedding as soon as the camera came out.

There are lots of proper left wing (from far left through to centrist left) that are 1:1 with the right wing panelist. Just don't watch Matthew Goodwin or Rees Mogg because both of those are rubbish and Matt Goodwin is such a smug tw*t. But Matthew Torbitt put him in his place once when I was watching. lol

I don't watch GB News but I agree on Aaron Bastani, he's excellent. He's not far off Communist so I don't often agree with him but he's pretty reasonable and doesn't typically present himself as morally superior to people who disagree with him, which is quite rare on the far left.

 

[Shandy_top_89]

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[Ian Thumwood]

Talking of the Left, i heard that Perry McMillan was on Radio Solant today. Remember him from Ugly Inside days.

 

[ImpSaint]

I mean anyone who believes the bit in bold is just as delusional as anything else.

Its daytime TV! Most "reform voters" are at work! Working class folks. The main audience for these midday programs are retirees and students.

Yes Reform should be covered but they still only represent 5 constituencies and the 4th largest number of councils. They shouldn't get a free pass over the literal opposition and if they are that is undue promotion.

Tell that to Starmer who last night announced to his MPs that Reform are the opposition! And with the polling and local election result, maybe why they are rushing on with the "Brexit" stuff because maybe re-opening the Brexit debate and hoping the remain increasing % (if it is) is the best weapon to defeat Reform rather than slide downward for the next 4 years? i.e. "Vote Labour or get no deal Brexit" Who knows, maybe that will work.

Polling comes into it a bit, but should not override the actual results of the general election from just under a year ago, 4 years out from the next one too and a lot can happen in that time.
Farage may well be the next PM, but he also might not.

ignoring that the BBC is not tied to politcal scores. It is supposed to be the state public broadcaster unbiased providing programming in the public interest. This obsession with ratios based on MPs is way off the mark of what the BBC is supposed to do. This idea of it being weighted based on MPs is an urban myth:

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End of the day reform is the side story. This is a Labour story. They have a majority. It is theirs to lose yet they seem intent on continuing the modern way of ignoring the public and ruling via technocracy. 4 years is a long way off but they have only been in a year and they are already being attacked from within. The Labour left is openly criticising. Flip flop Owen Jones is even writing in the Guardian about it. Kier Starmer is briefing against his own chancellor ahead of u-turning policies that are hurting them so she is either a dead woman walking or will be a lame duck kept in position.

It is Labours to lose. Rally the troops and take the fight to reform. Tories are done for. Lib Dems never mattered anyway.

 

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Its daytime TV! Most "reform voters" are at work! Working class folks. The main audience for these midday programs are retirees and students.



Tell that to Starmer who last night announced to his MPs that Reform are the opposition! And with the polling and local election result, maybe why they are rushing on with the "Brexit" stuff because maybe re-opening the Brexit debate and hoping the remain increasing % (if it is) is the best weapon to defeat Reform rather than slide downward for the next 4 years? i.e. "Vote Labour or get no deal Brexit" Who knows, maybe that will work.




ignoring that the BBC is not tied to politcal scores. It is supposed to be the state public broadcaster unbiased providing programming in the public interest. This obsession with ratios based on MPs is way off the mark of what the BBC is supposed to do. This idea of it being weighted based on MPs is an urban myth:

You must log in or register to see images

End of the day reform is the side story. This is a Labour story. They have a majority. It is theirs to lose yet they seem intent on continuing the modern way of ignoring the public and ruling via technocracy. 4 years is a long way off but they have only been in a year and they are already being attacked from within. The Labour left is openly criticising. Flip flop Owen Jones is even writing in the Guardian about it. Kier Starmer is briefing against his own chancellor ahead of u-turning policies that are hurting them so she is either a dead woman walking or will be a lame duck kept in position.

It is Labours to lose. Rally the troops and take the fight to reform. Tories are done for. Lib Dems never mattered anyway.

Weird mischaracterisation of British politics here. At what point in history did the electorate directly influence the government of the day? In fact, the truth is that right now is the first time in history that anyone has remotely expected governments to rule by national poll. When Thatcher brought in poll tax, it took militant action, not incessant tweeting, to make the government change their stance.


Governments are elected to govern. This mollycoddling of the electorate will never work out. Most people don’t have a ****ing clue.

 

[ImpSaint]

Weird mischaracterisation of British politics here. At what point in history did the electorate directly influence the government of the day? In fact, the truth is that right now is the first time in history that anyone has remotely expected governments to rule by national poll. When Thatcher brought in poll tax, it took militant action, not incessant tweeting, to make the government change their stance.


Governments are elected to govern. This mollycoddling of the electorate will never work out. Most people don’t have a ****ing clue.

Of course that is how things seem but most definitely in this era of more and more "transparency" government are more and more saying whatever it takes to get the gig and then not doing any of it once in. A lot worse than previous times (IMO) and of course then stating that any threat to their hegemony are lying to them. par for the course.

Thats how I see it anyway. You used to get a decent % of the manifesto put into the process with some not but it seems now not to be so at all. After all we've passed 6 months and not had a 2nd referendum on Brexit seems he decide he'd just start the process and do it without a vote anyway and after 14 years of hearing non stop about "Tory austerity" we are now in "Labour austerity" mode.

2 sides of the same coin with different lies up front. And yes no doubt Farage's lot will do the same. Maybe the Rupert Lowe party of 1 will save us from all 3.

 

[Archers Road]

But of course they need to do some episodes with someone from Reform. They're the fourth (?) biggest party, and the quickest growing. If they didn't invite someone from Reform every now and again, then that wouldn't be impartial, whether we like that or not.

They’ve become the fastest growing party in part because of the free publicity, coupled with very little actual scrutiny, Farage has benefited from for years. The U.K. media, including the BBC, have helped create this monster.

And in all these years, why has no journalist seemingly bothered to ask, Where is the money coming from to fund Farage’s various political projects?

 

[Le Tissier's Laces]

They’ve become the fastest growing party in part because of the free publicity, coupled with very little actual scrutiny, Farage has benefited from for years. The U.K. media, including the BBC, have helped create this monster.

And in all these years, why has no journalist seemingly bothered to ask, Where is the money coming from to fund Farage’s various political projects?

I mean, they have...

https://www.ft.com/content/b133a72a-902a-40fc-aa53-76a7c2833cc3
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...eform-uk-raises-donations-nigel-farage-return
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/02/28/...r-is-now-bankrolling-nigel-farages-reform-uk/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...s-reform-uk-winning-wallets-as-well-as-votes/
https://apnews.com/article/elon-mus...-uk-donation-6eb3ea7806b31275a52d71919d6fc35f
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/69620/who-funds-reform

There's a narrative that Reform is somehow the fault of the media/is never challenged/has dark money/isn't scrutinised properly - which is basically what it is. A narrative. That if repeated enough times becomes a "truth".

It's not really the case though.

 

[Archers Road]

I mean, they have...

https://www.ft.com/content/b133a72a-902a-40fc-aa53-76a7c2833cc3
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...eform-uk-raises-donations-nigel-farage-return
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/02/28/...r-is-now-bankrolling-nigel-farages-reform-uk/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...s-reform-uk-winning-wallets-as-well-as-votes/
https://apnews.com/article/elon-mus...-uk-donation-6eb3ea7806b31275a52d71919d6fc35f
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/69620/who-funds-reform

There's a narrative that Reform is somehow the fault of the media/is never challenged/has dark money/isn't scrutinised properly - which is basically what it is. A narrative. That if repeated enough times becomes a "truth".

It's not really the case though.

Okay, it's a fair cop guv. I'd seen that Prospect article before, will take some time to read the others.
The FT is behind a pay wall as ever btw.

 

[Le Tissier's Laces]

Okay, it's a fair cop guv. I'd seen that Prospect article before, will take some time to read the others.
The FT is behind a pay wall as ever btw.

I'm sure there's plenty more, but that was 30 seconds worth of looking (well, asking Grok, but you know what I mean).

 

[thereisonlyoneno7]

I mean, they have...

https://www.ft.com/content/b133a72a-902a-40fc-aa53-76a7c2833cc3
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...eform-uk-raises-donations-nigel-farage-return
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/02/28/...r-is-now-bankrolling-nigel-farages-reform-uk/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...s-reform-uk-winning-wallets-as-well-as-votes/
https://apnews.com/article/elon-mus...-uk-donation-6eb3ea7806b31275a52d71919d6fc35f
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/69620/who-funds-reform

There's a narrative that Reform is somehow the fault of the media/is never challenged/has dark money/isn't scrutinised properly - which is basically what it is. A narrative. That if repeated enough times becomes a "truth".

It's not really the case though.

The whole narrative that the media created Reform is sort of true, but the Wild West media of social media, where untruths become truths just because as you said it is repeated enough times.

 

[Le Tissier's Laces]

The whole narrative that the media created Reform is sort of true, but the Wild West media of social media, where untruths become truths just because as you said it is repeated enough times.

Ah yeah, I don't count social media as media. The whole thing of Twitter being a 'news app' makes me laugh.

 

[Le Tissier's Laces]

The whole narrative that the media created Reform is sort of true, but the Wild West media of social media, where untruths become truths just because as you said it is repeated enough times.

And don't get me started on "citizen journalists"

 

[thereisonlyoneno7]

And don't get me started on "citizen journalists"

But you are all so dumb and I am the clever one as real people tell me these things

 

[Puck]

Its daytime TV! Most "reform voters" are at work! Working class folks. The main audience for these midday programs are retirees and students.

I don't know. There's a lot of people out of work in this country. Mind you, most of them probably aren't watching lunchtime political TV shows.

End of the day reform is the side story. This is a Labour story. They have a majority. It is theirs to lose yet they seem intent on continuing the modern way of ignoring the public and ruling via technocracy. 4 years is a long way off but they have only been in a year and they are already being attacked from within. The Labour left is openly criticising. Flip flop Owen Jones is even writing in the Guardian about it. Kier Starmer is briefing against his own chancellor ahead of u-turning policies that are hurting them so she is either a dead woman walking or will be a lame duck kept in position.
It is Labours to lose. Rally the troops and take the fight to reform. Tories are done for. Lib Dems never mattered anyway.

Also interesting to see today's story about Angela Rayner wanting more tax rises. I wonder who leaked that?

 

[- Doing The Lambert Walk]

Surprising from ol' Rupes...

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[LincolnSaint]

And don't get me started on "citizen journalists"

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[StJabbo1]

HIGNFY
At a hastily-arranged interview with the media, Keir Starmer vehemently denies that he’s trying to compete with the populist approach of Nigel Farage.

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[Ian Thumwood]

Channel Four News have regularly taken Reform / Ukip/ Farage to task.