General British politics discussion thread

pixelburp

In other news, albeit very trivial on comparison with Labour's ongoing self-sabotage, it looks like Sunak's little GB News stunt wasn't exactly a slam dunk.

That lead photo though, oof: the sole brown face in a sea of white & predominantly older looking ones. Maybe all the PoC are just outta shot - but I doubt it.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/12/sunak-defends-rwanda-plan-to-doubtful-tv-audience

ancapailldorcha

Well, it's the same mistake Cameron made in 2016.

https://twitter.com/robfordmancs/status/1757154335278989565?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1757154335278989565%7Ctwgr%5E27fd50e2dfb0c5be559256b2f93f115e6a730eab%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thepoke.com%2F2024%2F02%2F13%2Fa-furious-anti-vaxxer-got-the-needle-with-rishi-sunak-on-gb-news-inject-these-13-totally-on-point-responses-into-our-veins%2F

He thought he could just harness conspiracy theories and rightist vitriol for his own ends and put it away when done. Like Cameron, things didn't pan out that way and you can see a taste of the outcome in the clip above of an anti-vaxxer spouting deranged drivel at Sunak. I'd watch the full event if it didn't mean giving GB News clicks.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761661#Comment_121761661

The fact that they have got so up in arms about one and not the other is telling whether you want to accept it or not.

I've never been to a march of any kind for any political cause and probably never will, I;m not very interested in politics in general. But the type of people who go to these palestinian protests marches clearly are people who care about political causes and yet for some reason weren't so appalled by the destruction in Syria and Yemen which were just as bad as what is happening in Gaza right now.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761848#Comment_121761848

There is nothing like someone shouting about "being silenced" on a live broadcast where they get to talk directly to the leader of the country 🤣

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761938#Comment_121761938

I'll believe that if you can provide evidence. Otherwise, we're done here.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761622#Comment_121761622

No , it's because Israel is doing the killing.

There is a massive double standard at play, all those conflicts are disgraceful but people only seemed to be appalled when Israel are killing Muslims they never seem to care when Muslims kill other Muslims.For whatever reason Muslims killing Muslims is deemed acceptable.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761951#Comment_121761951

Well the evidence is fairly obvious there were barely any protests about Yemen and Syria there have been constant protests about Palestine. What do I have to do go searching the internet all day to find news reports on an absence of protests about Syria and Yemen , I don;t think you'll find a news report with the headline "no protest about Yemen/Syria today".

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761966#Comment_121761966

Nothing but your lazy generalisations then. We're done.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761970#Comment_121761970

😂😂😂😂

Incredibly childish as usual from you.I gave a perfectly reasonable explanation, so you throw a strop because you cant disprove it.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121762438#Comment_121762438

It's up to you to back up your own argument. Once again, absolutely nothing but dreck. We're done.

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761848#Comment_121761848

Good response on The Poke item that's linked:

[The Tories] have been weaponising conspiracy theories and other BS for years – 15 minute cities, meat tax, immigrant ‘invasion’ etc. Tonight he got a taste of the gutter where that ends up.

This is Rishi Sunak over whom the members of his party chose Liz Truss to be party leader. He's only PM because after that, the members of his party weren't given a choice.

Timberrrrrrrr

Two by elections today and things get even worse for Sunak as its announced the UK has gone into recession, polls show they were always going to take a hammering today with Reform polling above them but hard to see how Sunak will try to spin this after months of boasting about the economy doing so well.

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-economy-in-a-recession-13071973

Capt'n Midnight

Nice little quote I saw today on a tech forum about ECHR and encryption sums up the Tories.

I suspect that the Rwanda story is just a facade. There were Tory MPs trying to get the UK out of the ECHR before government ministers even knew where Rwanda is (or what a small boat is, for that matter).

The European Convention on Human Rights stands between the man and woman in the street and what the Conservative Party wants to do to them. That's why they want to get rid the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act. There's that old saying that 'the way a government treats refugees is very instructive because it shows you how they would treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it' that feels very apt.

PommieBast

The Conservatives are really going to be bricking themselves over Reform. Wellingborough was a disaster..

Edit: And BBC accidentally saying Referendum (James Goldsmith et al) rather than Reform party..

Timberrrrrrrr

Labour win both seats in by elections, will Sunak fall on his sword and resign? Wish they would just call a GE now but it looks like they will just continue fùcking things up for as long as they can, the worse they leave things the harder it will be for the next government to make any sort of recovery.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121773957#Comment_121773957

Reform were insistent they'd be between the Tories and Labour in Wellingborough, and yet came nowhere close despite the Tory candidate being appalling. Neither party is going to be delighted with the outcome

Tom Mann Centuria

UKIP beat Labour into 3rd in Wellingborough once, so Reform should definitely have done better than they did. A great result for Labour who had enough even if the Reform votes had gone to the Tories.

Anyone know what the turnout was at both by-elections?

Timberrrrrrrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774060#Comment_121774060

I'm seeing 37% for wellingborough but by elections tend to have low turnouts anyway, I'm gonna swallow down the bile and listen to Nick Ferrari as he is having Tice on after 8, be interesting to hear what excuses he comes out with.

Panthro

Oul Rishi might have to face the reality those pesky peasant people never voted him in in the first place.

Neither did his own party really. He lost to Liz fuppin Truss who lasted all of October. He got in by default once it became apparent Liz was in a tiz.

And he pushed back the GE, an announcement which got barely a peep in the media coverage. But Kate Gerraways husband dying, that was massively newsworthy apparently.

Smoke n mirrors spring to mind.

Sooner these absolute morons are booted out of power the better.

farmerval

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761955#Comment_121761955

I don't agree that the protests are because it's because Israel are doing the killing. I believe it's because a western apparently civilised Christian country is carrying out deliberate targeted mass murder of civilians. Many of the inter Muslim wars are being waged by militia's warlords, and dictator's people for whom no amount of protests in western Europe will have any effect. This war is being waged in the glare of western media with the military and political leaders of Israel announcing daily what horrors they are going to inflict on the following days. This is very different from Syria and Yemen.

Mr.Wemmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774074#Comment_121774074

There are strong rumours over the last while of a May GE to be announced later this month from what I hear.

At last some real hope the Tories will be booted out.

pixelburp

The Sunak Government is beyond unsustainable at this stage; defeat after defeat, gaffe after gaffe, and a continuous indication they are singularly unpopular with about everyone. Shows what craven venal cowards they are that they can't just throw their hands up and say "ok the people can decide here". It's like they think if they keep going a little longer, there's some magic formula of Right Wing culture war antagonism that can dig up.

markest

There will soon be a lot fewer Tory MP's in government. So, the longer it gets dragged out the longer they will get paid. Why would a turkey vote for Xmas.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774060#Comment_121774060

Reform don't really have any true selling point other than being a place for angry Tories.

UKIP could pull cross party support because they actually had a purpose.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774088#Comment_121774088

Israel is not a Christian State.

Christy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774016#Comment_121774016

He will be pushed to stay. The entire reason he is still prime minister is because no one else wants to take the fall for the next disastrous general election.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774016#Comment_121774016

They're looking at further public spending cuts to fund tax cuts, ffs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68303653

The chancellor is looking at larger public spending cuts as a way to deliver tax cuts, the BBC understands.

Jeremy Hunt is considering cuts because he's seen economic forecasts ahead of the Spring Budget which it's understood paint a bleaker picture of public finances than previously thought.

Mr Hunt has given strong hints he wants to cut taxes, which are on course to rise to the highest level for decades.

But interest costs on government borrowing have risen in recent weeks.

It's Trussonomics all over again. You could not make this up.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775117#Comment_121775117

Sunak said they can cut tax because "economic conditions have improved" despite being in recession.

He also reckons

"A vote for anyone who isn’t the Conservative candidate, whether that’s Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.

That’s the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the Conservatives and Labour"

This tactic just isn't going to work with Starmer. He isn't Corbyn and there is no fear of an SNP coalition. Also Sunak's own party didn't even vote for him so making it a "me Vs him" is a disastrous tactic.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775117#Comment_121775117

They know the jig is up. Kinda seems like they want to pull off one last heist for their wealthy donors before leaving Labour to pick up the pieces.

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774032#Comment_121774032

Reform got a bit over half the votes the Conservatives did and I do wonder where the votes Britain First and the 4 independents came from.