Quite. Best defense is a good offense and all that
This again. Outdoors. Politics. Sport. Not always in that order. Labour. Trade Unionist. Trying to do community things. Views entirely my own
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Quite. Best defense is a good offense and all that
Only if you redefine what the word austerity means
I learnt my lesson on leaving in the Corbyn era Ultimately Labour is, and remains, the greatest vehicle for progressive social change the UK has ever seen
The polling suggests Labour are losing far more to left than right (and have far more to lose in that direction)
My hope is that they were busy resetting the no.10 team and this was a holding pattern crouch until conferance. Hope.
You can see it in the constant belief that a wealth tax will fix everything (despite even its proponents saying itll only raise £28bn - which is huge but... half the increase in spending was saw last year which barely touched the sides)
They are gunning for him - just no, sadly, on this. Which feels like a moral failure
Exactly! I can defend controls on immigration etc (hell, you need them! Numbers have been unsustainable, tho for valid reasons) but when the fash turn up you have to hit back
C) is the worst bit
Arguably, but im less sympathetic there
Same - it was the right choice tho needed finessing st the bottom end
I actually felt that bit wasn't too bad in context - it was the foreword that really got me
Indeed. People go 'this isn't a Labour government'when it is, in fact, a very Labour government
Potentially-tho Mothin is, as far as I can tell, very different to the other Gaza independents on LGBT issues
Its the closest Ive come to resigning
Yeah - I think the party is sort of thinking its doing a lot of technical progressive change (and it is) which should be enough for people.... but those values *really* matter
I'll admit I've met Jack once at it appears he has transformed into a tiny mid 18thC hobbit man in my mind. But still.
Ine big danger is Polanski breaks that by being so ideological
Its the anti racism that's the proper red line for most I think
This surely makes her about 3 inches taleld than @jacktindale.bsky.social ?
Yes, its fair to say the membership and furious and letting it be known
My theory is your choices are to increase poverty and remove birth control. And frankly, I don't like either of those, so i'm willing to give this one a go
I think we should both heavily scrutinise Farage for his past record *and* Polanski (and Starmer for that matter) You've never debated anyone like me before etc etc
I mean, I'd want to know if my political leaders believes that sort of nonsense! It rather speaks to their wider personality, doesn't it?
Fine but they're not, you know, interviewing Farage
Yeah, quite. Revealed preferance and all that
This is backed up by the fact that pretty much the same number of women are having kids; they're just having them later and having less of them
When you said you could use your mind to make people's boobs larger... did you believe it or were you lying for publicity? Why should we trust you on anything else? Might be worth mentioning his direct quotes from the article: www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/798...
Yeah, we basically just saw a straight transfer of votes, with some additional turnout bonuses. If that continues, with the left being divided, we'll see some very surpisingly results
Within 2% in Bristol South, 15% in Bristol East.... There is a very good chance Bristol has 2 Reform MPs at the next election
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-BR...
I think the term hypnoboobs may lodge in the public conciousness
I mean if he can I will give him some serious credit.
Reckon it'd satisfy everyone: lefties get to shout about Police brutality and racism, righties a fantastic 'This in England' chant
While we're on broad flag/nationality/England discourse... Can we all get behind the idea that we replace God Save the Queen with This Is England as the national anthem; specifically the last 2 verses and beyond?
If Your Party stands in, say, Bristol Central there is a very good chance Labour can take the seat back.
(and that means all of us on the progressive left: Labour, Lib, Green etc etc. I'm not sure we quite get what the stakes are here - including myself)
As @sianushka.bsky.social has been observing; we hang together, or we all hang apart
Genuinely amazed no broadcast interviewer has just asked him that straight yet
There are differences, of course, but the parties are fishing in the same broad pool of voters. It won't be clear who are the 'correct choice' in each area
Weirdly il not sure that is their message: here its often 'let's work with Labour/be the nice people to their left to hold them to account'
Perhaps - but im not sure itll be the attention you want
Well among other things the largest party to our left is led by a man best known for claiming he can make people's boobs bigger with his mind
From a political perspective those seats are already in danger; Polanski doesn't particularly change the maths there. What he does do is reduce their appeal to a broader electorate and mean that the Greens will have a impact in less seats + less breadth in their coalition
Basically everyone has tried it once. There is a reason most have abandoned it
I think the challenge here is they're all basically appealing to the same urban milieu
As importantly; they're all aiming for the same group of voters and seats... which rather adds to the tension
Taxes that work?
We have progressive tax rates - and a wealth tax wouldn't work (or, at least, it wouldn't raise anything like what you want)
The Conservatives' Chris Philp has asked an Urgent Question on rape gangs. NPCC data indicates that 85% of child rape gang suspects are white. 3.9% of suspects are of Pakistani-origin. Philp's statement only mentioned crimes committed by "Pakistani", "Muslim" and "illegal immigrant" men.
There is no way to really close that without doing unacceptable levels of self harm. I think you can escalate to sanctions on gaza - but ultiamtely nothing will be good enough for many
This is a very good piece from @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk and gets to the heart of why Labour's present strategy is actively counterproductive. It's a very tempting approach but entirely misunderstands the issue
it's partly that inability to communicate his inner self tho - isn't it?
I’ve written today for @thetimes.com on how our shortening attention spans are damaging our politics. Another slightly doomery column
Yeah, quite. There are a few (John Denham, Sadiq etc) who don't have it. But its there - and clearly present in the govt
Who knows - but yes?
Supposed to be making a big announcement at 2
Its the classic left discomfort with it that, mo matter how you try, comes across
Feels like the flag debate has been kicking around my whole life and it still boils down to: Civic institutions should fly the flag routinely. Sporting occasions and national events, sure get it out. Year round flag on your house, bit weird, trashy. Doing it to "intimidate the forrins", obvs bad
Closes down the width of the Green's appeal, pulls for the same pool as your party. Far less seats at risk - and a far easier politican to attack leading them
Tbh i think this is likely good news for both Labour and Lib Dem.
He was, but the wider greens weren't
Hes a better choice *if* Your Party doesn't get its act together or they can ally
FPTP is a challenge for them anyway; but they didn't actually beat Labour by that many in Bristol/Brighton and if Your party takes, say, 30% of their vote (polling suggests it'd be more like 50%) they'd lose
He's going to struggle to hold that line
I'd count yourselves lucky
Magic money tree
Local Government funding has also increased (from memory) by about 7.8% in real terms. Could it be higher? Sure, tho there are costs there. But it's not austerity unless you are entirely redefining the word.
They have been gathering a rather large amounts of military firepower near Venuzuela recently
Yeah, this is the kind version. wait till the right attack machines get going
His loss is one of the things that makes the later films feel a bit ungrounded I think - you don't have that earthy quality which makes the fellowship the strongest film
particularly when one of the candidates big thing is how he mobalises and inspires people!
I think if YP run against the Greens, assuming they don't just collapse, Greens will lose seats and not gain any
Yeah, whenever these things ahve been attempted seat allocation isa huge issue - and thats with parties with far stronger central control.
You could - but you've just assigned most of the best and most symbolic targets to one side!
By 'full austerity' you mean 'increased public spending by 2.8% in real terms' (Austerity saw public spending *fall* by 2.5% in real terms)
Zack Polanski here opposing building on the green belt, and supporting watering down the Planning Bill. Left populism looks weirdly like the status quo!
"Where they peddle false hope and pursue division through polarisation, we must continue to deliver on credible policy commitments for everyone." Robert Knowles-Leak of Hold Fast Labour on Zack Polanski's election as Green Party leader
If that sort of alliance happens - Your Party won't give up those seats
Yes, you shared a news article topped by a very clearly photoshopped photo. That is fake. The fact you don't care about that says it all
I think it's a stance that could (if your party doesn't exist) get you 10% and maybe a dozen or so urban seats. But that's as far as it would go.
I mean, I'm not the one sharing random photoshopped photos and then talking about good faith
Yeah, I think it's good news for Labour and Lib dems
And that 'when she was well' is quite a caveat
He went to a state school, yes. You're aware that poverty does exist in Surrey, right?
And you think the solution is... to abandon the national flag to the far right. Sure.
I think it's interesting how hostile he's choosing to be to Labour - very different to the traditional Green line
Greens presently hitting about 10% in the pools. Suspect Lab/Lib have the remaining 2-4% of voters in this space. You may be able to syphmon off that... but what next?
A) That's a clearly photoshopped photo b) It's entirely normal for a Prime Minister to appear with the national flag
They're very much now aiming for the same audience - which has never been huge (the Progressive Activists as @luketryl.bsky.social would call them: roughly 12% of the population). Hard to see how either expands their appeal beyond this.
Got a good amount more than I expected - and is immediately showing his politics clearly. Good day for Labour.
One thing I think we can say is the media has not been kind to the Government
It does make you wonder a little about just how engaged their membership really is...
It’s not as bad as the Scottish Green Party’s truly minuscule leadership election turnout last week, but there’s something weird going on with turnout levels for Green leadership polls.
It's probably for the breast
Big old win
It is - and it's why you've always encountered a decent amount of racism in society, even when it was a small minority. But my fear is more of the types of person who are expressing those views now
My bet is Hypnotits 64% Nimbys 36%
68,500 members and they can't afford decent AV.