Let's Get Political!

[horlock07]

So a "democratic" republican gets assassinated. Obviously some opponents of any politician, right or left(in this case presumably a left wing lunatic) literally want blood. I fear for the left in my dotage

Apologies for my ignorance but what is a "democratic" republican?

On the wider issue of who was involved considering that many Trump loyalists had been calling him out for stabbing Trump in the back and in the past couple of weeks the victim has gone vociferously after (in no particular order) Black people, immigrants, women, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ, academics it seems very premature to hang it on 'a left wing lunatic' just yet.

Considering that it seems to have been done from a great distance  with a single clean shot and the perp managed to escape and remains at large nearly 24 hours on does make you wonder whether it was some sort of professional or state sponsored job, its a conspiracy theorists dream.

[Ardiles]

Got to be the end of Starmer, too. Only yesterday he was giving Mandy his full backing even though he knew the full details of his association with Epstein.

Lost his Deputy Prime Minister last week to a scandal after backing her.

What a complete lack of judgement.

Having just read this from the BBC, I think I have to agree with you.  This is really serious stuff.  I'm quite shocked by this.  Starmer is in big trouble here.

'Keir Starmer and his allies always knew the dangers of appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US.

In autumn last year, when Downing Street were mulling over who to send to Washington, the Labour peer's friendship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - and the fact that it carried on after the billionaire was convicted - was part of the PM's calculation.

No 10 argued today that the "depth and extent" of that relationship was "materially different" from what was known last year.

But back then, pictures of Epstein and Mandelson trying on belts in a clothes shop, and blowing out candles on a birthday cake were in the public domain.

News reports before Mandelson's appointment showed contact between the pair even after Epstein's conviction for the sexual abuse of underage girls.'

[Batch]

They just needed to be less shit than the Tories. FFS. I don't think they are the vindictive shits that Johnson and co are. But the net result is similar.

Still, at least Farage is under scrutiny for "his partners" house purchase that she definitely paid for out her own pocket. Could be Rayneresque.

[jayohaitchenn]

Fucking Labour are a disaster. Last time I hold my nose and vote "for the greater good"

[Audrey]

They just needed to be less shit than the Tories. FFS. I don't think they are the vindictive shits that Johnson and co are. But the net result is similar.

This is why we’re getting Farage.

Who the hell can we vote for now? The Tories and Labour are unelectable.

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

They're all a complete shambles. Reform will get in on the basis of being the only complete shambles not recently tried and all the tories and labour votes will cry and call people idiots like their recent governments were any fucking better.

I don't even think reform will make any sort of dent in immigration the main reason people are pushing for them, I expect them to be entirely useless.

[Tails]

I expect there will be some kind of Tory / Reform merge at some point. We're still a long way from any GE.

[Riddick]

This is why we’re getting Farage.

Who the hell can we vote for now? The Tories and Labour are unelectable.

There are no circumstances where Farage should be considered electable compared to almost any other party. Anyone who thinks thats a step forward, or even a worthwhile finger to the main parties needs to give their head a proper wobble.

[Audrey]

We’ll be at war with Russia by then so it’s all moot!

[Jimmy Quinn]

Either way we have to wait until 2029 unless labour call it early or the King intervenes😡

[Ardiles]

I expect there will be some kind of Tory / Reform merge at some point. We're still a long way from any GE.

The danger with that (from a Reform perspective) is that the public could start to see the merged party as some sort of reverse takeover/rebrand by the Tories.  Just about the only thing they have going for them at the moment is that they don't (yet) have a miserable record in government that they can be held to account for.

They may well get in next time.  And it will likely take the electorate a couple of weeks to realise they've been had.  But it will be too late by then.

[horlock07]

I don't even think reform will make any sort of dent in immigration the main reason people are pushing for them, I expect them to be entirely useless.

Thing is without at least some immigration the economy will tank even further and all parties need to start being fucking honest about that, similarly you can't have gold standard (or even possibly basically functioning) public services whilst cutting taxes.

If Reform get in their economic polices make Liz Truss and Kwarteng look economically literate and god forbid anyone who gets ill and can't afford health insurance or loses their job unexpectedly.

Labour have been at best a massive disappointment (shambles possibly a better description) but I really don't get where this idea that things are worse now than they were in the dregs of the Tory regime is coming from.  

[horlock07]

The danger with that (from a Reform perspective) is that the public could start to see the merged party as some sort of reverse takeover/rebrand by the Tories.  Just about the only thing they have going for them at the moment is that they don't (yet) have a miserable record in government that they can be held to account for.

They may well get in next time.  And it will likely take the electorate a couple of weeks to realise they've been had.  But it will be too late by then.

I suspect as much as anything Reforms biggest risk is Reform, the way they are losing Councillors left right and centre for various reasons hardly cries stable plus they now have several tears to run local authorities which will be considerably harder than they think it will be and at a local level once things deteriorate that's when the electorate turn.

Add into the equation the splitting and infighting which has affected them already, Lowe's BNP+ spin off, the fact that Musk thinks Farage is a prick now and the changes in the Twitter algorithm giving them less promotion whilst Musk cosy's up with Tommy Two Names.

Honestly along with winning the election last year being a poison chalice for Labour as it meant they would be lumbered with, and then blamed for, the medicine that is needed to treat 14 years of asset stripping and social decline, I wonder whether winning Councils may have come too soon before the next election and end up damaging Reform when they inevitably make a shit show of it.

[Batch]

The teal Tories are selling a dream to people. i can see them getting in.

The issue isn't what they will achieve for immigration. Even if they completely solve and it makes no difference to the flag shaggers lives, it'll be claimed a moral victory.

The issue is the lack of coherent policy on everything else. I can see him going towards American ideals on healthcare and education. God help us.

[Audrey]

We can’t go on repeating the same old policies - whether from the Tories or Labour. They’ve all been proven to be useless.

Both parties need a complete overhaul when it comes to policy.