General British politics discussion thread

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727966#Comment_121727966

I think he would qualify as a feather-weight - at least in boxing terms, he would be better advised not to take up the sport. He might be described as punching below his weight - if that is possible.

ancapailldorcha

I'm only posting this because I think it's an indication of where the Tory party will go post-defenestration.

https://twitter.com/BestForBritain/status/1754839578802847833

The stupidity of this is brobdingnagian. These people held all of the levers or power for almost a decade and a half and all they can do is pretend to be oppressed whenever anyone calls out their dismal policies. As for Truss herself, she must have deleted memories of her own disastrous premiership where she removed £50 billion from the economy in a few weeks. Never was the word loser more appropriate.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728298#Comment_121728298

For anyone unfamiliar with gambling, spread betting is just a specific type of gambling (usually on sports events), meaning he clearly lied when he said he is not a betting man.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728761#Comment_121728761

Just like when he tried to lie about what kind of car he drives.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728730#Comment_121728730

This kind of thing has always been the most hilarious trope of the modern right. That, somehow, the left have been responsible for all the ailments that people experience when *checks notes*, yeah it's mainly been the right or centrists of various flavours that have been in power throughout Europe.

nachouser

The PopCorn Tories is going to be a thing.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728964#Comment_121728964

I've never found it hilarious. A lot of people fall for this crap. So many that they've have their own special TV channel on top of a slew of fake news-peddling red tops that literally hate their readership.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728730#Comment_121728730

Yet another political example of the Skinner "no it's the children that are wrong" meme; though you gotta chortle at the irony of calling your new grouping "popular"

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730089#Comment_121730089

Indeed. If you have to tell people you're popular, you're not popular. Also, a lot of the core Tory demographic has a bloated mortgage payment per month to remind them of the consequences of Trussism.

breezy1985

Surely someone in PR would have pointed out that "con" is not a word you want to use as a politician.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730182#Comment_121730182

With the jig well and truly up, and an election wipeout coming down the tracks, there's probably a cohort of them who reckon why even hide it anymore? and have just decided to own their chicanery.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730182#Comment_121730182

I doubt they care. The Conservative party has dominated British politics for centuries. I suspect the like of Rees-Mogg and Truss consider elections to be mundanities to be regularly endured.

Remember National Conservatism? The NatCs?

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730233#Comment_121730233

There are a lot of major boundary changes so I suspect many are looking at selection (for a safe seats) rather than reelection (for the party nationally).

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728761#Comment_121728761

Spread betting on financial markets (which it appears Sunak was referring to) is not the same as betting on the spread of a sporting result.

It's effectively speculating on whether stocks, indices, or markets will rise or fall without actually having to buy or short-sell the assets in question. You end up either profiting, or being on the hook for, the spread between the price you "traded" (read "gambled") at and where the price lands when you close out the trade.

It's significantly more risky than gambling on the spread of sports events - but you can guarantee Sunak was working with client funds and not his own money, so he doesn't consider it to be "betting" - despite that being exactly what it is.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121730628#Comment_121730628

He was talking about betting on cricket. He clearly mentioned wickets and innings.

Timberrrrrrrr

https://twitter.com/MittensOff/status/1754938393861992683?t=VrrW-5O2Z5fScFkSEoHZbw&s=19

...

Timberrrrrrrr

PMQ's today

Rishi Sunak tries to get one over on Starmer about not knowing what a woman is seeming to forget that Brianna Ghey's mother is in the Commons gallery.

Starmer furiously berates him and Sunak looks like a deer caught in the headlights, You could almost hear the collective groan of Tory comms staff all around the country as they realise they now have try and spin this as "what he REALLY meant was...."

https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/1755206283811012893?t=5XMryiBbS_WJNxInjqWZtg&s=19

Timberrrrrrrr

Sunak asked to apologise for his comment, he doesn't.

https://twitter.com/implausibleblog/status/1755212649493569958?t=S7V_QzD2ItGcF6WFdP1ccA&s=19

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121733821#Comment_121733821

Jesus F: I got a sense that for once, Starmer's initial response was actually emotionally genuine; that of honest shock Sunak would make that kind of snarky comment in light of recent events. But then this has been a soft Tory policy for a while now; tacit transphobia as a quick way to curry points with the rabid base.

Truthfully I hadn't even heard about the awful story of poor Brianna and her death: it was shocking to read the details about what happened her, doubly tragic 'cos by all accounts it seemed like her own family had accepted and given her support; it really underpins the very real & violent prejudice being stoked by the Tories' inability to show a modicum of empathy for a demonstrably besieged, attacked minority.

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121734156#Comment_121734156

Well Anderson did say this a year ago, looks like they really meant it.

nachouser

Sunak has the emotional awareness of a golem.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121734343#Comment_121734343

Me, you and the Ghey family are just plebs to people like Sunak. Our "better's" will not be debasing themselves by apologising to the riff raff.

Added to that I'm sure he thinks being controversial gives him "street cred" with the tech bros.

ancapailldorcha

More and more, he's coming across as the sort of guy who thinks he can be racist or otherwise bigoted because of his ethnicity. I'd a British Indian housemate recently who had a bit of a breakdown boasting about how racist he is and he went on to ask the other tenants when they were going to return to their own countries.

It's a bad look. At best, he's weak and in thrall to the Tory right. At worst, this is who he is. Neither are someone most people want to lead the country.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121734480#Comment_121734480

I think it more reads to me like if the Tories apologise they'll effectively link the Ghey murder with the overt & public transphobia they've been stirring the last few years. Not that a politician will ever say sorry anyway, unless they're absolutely shamed into doing so, and it's guaranteed there'll be no political blowback; but in this case I think it's just that Sunak can't walk back the prejudice-as-policy here.

I mean, that he made the joke in the first place - that says it all really: they can't not-know their rhetoric has simply emboldened and normalised the kind of antagonism and bigotry which ultimately mutated into outright murder here. Oh they never intended for transsexuals to get murdered, but othered, shamed and generally abused? That was always the point.

Timberrrrrrrr

He couldn't even get her name right.

https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1755214073753399575?t=WjZUrJYDJ0i2yBW1vcbNoA&s=19

Water John

Badenoch now accuses Starmer of exploiting the Briannna Gheg tragedy. Have these people in UK Tories have any shame?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/feb/07/rishi-sunak-pmqs-victoria-atkins-labour-conservatives-nhs-dentists-politics-live

ancapailldorcha

Worth noting that Sunak's tasteless comment will have been prepared in advance and he'll have known that Brianna's mother was in the House. Everything one needs to know about him can be clearly seen in his actions today.

More and more, he just looks like a 21st century, male version of Hyacinth Bucket.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121735483#Comment_121735483

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Badenoch base her leadership campaign on anti woke, anti trans lines?

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121735689#Comment_121735689

Stop gaslighting her, you monster.

In her own words; "As Minister for Women and Equalities I’ve done all I can to ensure we have take the heat out of the debate on LGBT issues while being clear about our beliefs and principles."

The fact that she's just adding fuel to this particular bin-fire is another matter entirely.

Leroy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121735483#Comment_121735483

It's done to try and move the spotlight off Sunak. Get people talking about whether Starmer was right or wrong.