Even though no politician has banned a Dr Seuss book.

Didn’t say they had. It just strongly resonates with people and becomes part of the political discourse.

Didn’t say they had. It just strongly resonates with people and becomes part of the political discourse.

 

And the Tories weaponise it and their OFFICIAL strategy is to utilise and disseminate fake news - against the "woke left".

I did try to warn Suedehead and Rooney - although his idea of centrism is being moderate right wing, even preferring weak authoritarian Mad May to Corbyn - that centrism is dead... Labour need to move left of centre and AVOID culture wars, building up a patriotism about investing and believing in Britain, Better for Britain, etc. They need to move to a position on Scottish indie. I recommend total federalism, or an EU-style union of independent UK nations, with a UK-wide defence managed by Westminster, thus not upsetting anybody with dekusions of British military grandeur. The Lib Dems need to generally become more left wing economically, whilst using their position as a third party ro focus on LOCAL CONCERNS WHEN CAMPAIGNING. No one expects them to get in, especially in a one party state, so hust improve their overall reputation as left wing, whilst focusing on individual seats and local issues. Meanwhile, with a move to the left, Green, SNP (perhaps, indie not withstanding) Lib Dems and Labour can have a more comfortable alliance, and Libs and Lab can revert to their Blair years understanding r.e seats. It is an uphill struggle in a one party state, where the government rules the media, but with a left wing alliance and an actual altetnative, they MIGHR scrape enough seats to bring in PR, rwset the culture wara, rejoin the single market, and reform the media and ban BBC news from eeeever reporting on UK politics again.

 

You're completely missing the point though Michael, Corbyn also got a complete and utter drubbing too. The Greens got a drubbing in Hartlepool too. I think the UK can look towards what Biden has done in America, which is what most people thought he would do rather than Bernie who would have had a harder time in the election. I think 2019 and this by-election really shows how fragmented the North and South is. It's pretty clear in the future Labour will need to form somewhat of a strategic alliance with the Greens certainly. But I think that is fairly easily achieveable as broadly speaking a lot of their aims.

 

The matter with the SNP is interesting, I think Labour do well to just sit on their hands for now. That's a real damned if they do, damned if they don't moment. I think they do well to wait and see how that one plays out and let the Tories do that.

Just heard that a councillor who lost her seat in Sunderland has resigned from politics due to "horrific abuse" levelled at her and her family from the far right!!!

Bernie is the most popular politician in America and got cheated out of thr nomination TWICE. The DNC even admitted it in court, as the primaries are NOT consitutionally protected. He would have destroyed Trump. Biden scraped in on a few votes!

100% - there is absolutely NOTHING for the young of the UK to vote for with Labour as there is no positive vision whatsoever. It's clear as mud that all Starmer has done is move the Overton window socially to the right. OK a bolder, more progressive forward thinking Labour party may not have won these results but I'd wager the numbers would have been better and there would have been an energy about them. Now there is nothing and it feels like we've woken up in a small minded, authoritarian, flag waving country and I fear for our future.

 

Agree 100%. And I follow politics.

 

Starmer isn't aggressive enough and lets too much slide. Labour need an attack dog leader.

No Tory win is excellent. Blojo the Clown literally said "let the f***ing bodies pile hogh" and you still f***ing support him!!! He is corrupt af, all thr recent stories show that, and yet you worship the ground his putrid fetid feet walk on!!!

 

He better not resign though. How bad will it be if the pm who broke the ministerial code, was found to be the most corrupt pm in history, and had Starmer say on camera in the Commond should resign over, let the f***ing bodies pile high, is not thr one to resign. If Starmer resigns, the right wing will propagandise him saying that in parliament, with videos showing him saying that ... thrn showing HIM resigning. They will turn the whole thing into a joke and for Blojo and sidestep the disgusting nature of the comment.

 

 

Michael obviously no Tory win is excellent for you as you're a Labour supporter. For us Tories and Boris fans it is a great result. You have the wrong leader AGAIN. Starmer just doesn't connect with people and doubt that will change before 2023/24. As was said on BBC News channel earlier, many people still think he's a toff and see him in his Attorney General robes.

 

Boris is just hugely popular no matter what he does. Starmer was pathetic holding the roll of wallpaper. Turned the serious subject of No.10's re-decoration in to a joke.

 

Starmer will lose the next election and Sadiq Khan will be next leader. I actually fancy Andy Burnham as leader and think he connects with people.

I never supported Starmer, but he is FAR better than Blojo.

There will be another by-election in a Labour marginal seat coming up. As Tracy Brabin is almost guaranteed to be elected mayor of West Yorkshire, her seat in Batley & Spen will be up for contention soon (a seat she inherited from the murdered MP Jo Cox). Her majority in 2019 was 3,500 , and in the local elections the Tories ran Labour close, so it is one that could be a toss-up, although I think the odds will be in Labour's favour this time around.

Batley and Spen is one of the seats Labour won from the Tories in 1997 (the Tories had won it narrowly in the three previous elections) and they have held it ever since.

There will be another by-election in a Labour marginal seat coming up. As Tracy Brabin is almost guaranteed to be elected mayor of West Yorkshire, her seat in Batley & Spen will be up for contention soon (a seat she inherited from the murdered MP Jo Cox). Her majority in 2019 was 3,500 , and in the local elections the Tories ran Labour close, so it is one that could be a toss-up, although I think the odds will be in Labour's favour this time around.

 

60% Leave site though.. I think they will lose this.

The Labour woman I voted for Police and Crime Commissioner won!! And by a yuge, increased majority! :cheeseblock: Finally, someone I vote for wins :cheeseblock: I'm not sure what one does, but it's good it's a Labour position, especially to help chip away at the one party Tory state!

Jo Cox's sister is putting her name forward as a potential candidate for the Batley and Spen byelection.

Jo Cox's sister is putting her name forward as a potential candidate for the Batley and Spen byelection.

 

Running for Labour too if the Party allows it. If that's the case, I suspect the by-election may be close and give Labour an advantage rather than parachuting some no-mark in and giving an opening to the Tories. Suspect if she ran as an Independent it would be close too.

Sadly still think it's a win for the Tories but she'll do better than the Hartlepool election (in terms of swing against Labour) and she's extremely brave to do it. Maybe the Lib Dems and Greens and Northern independence party should step aside?

Sadly still think it's a win for the Tories but she'll do better than the Hartlepool election (in terms of swing against Labour) and she's extremely brave to do it. Maybe the Lib Dems and Greens and Northern independence party should step aside?

I can't see the Lib Dems putting any effort into the seat although I'm sure they will put up a candidate. If it is held on the same day as Chesham & Amersham then the Lib Dem campaign in Batley and Spen will be even more low key.

Airdrie and Shotts is this week! It should be an SNP win. The current MP just won election to Holyrood for the same constituency so it’s be a Shock a week later to see that reversed! Not sure why they couldn’t hold them on the same day tho

I think 2019 and this by-election really shows how fragmented the North and South is.

Eh, I think if anything the current realignment is the the north and south of England coming together - the red wall was originally used for constituencies in the north of England that should be in play for the Tories if you look purely at their demographics, when of course cultural identity and historical factors made them solidly Labour. Now Scunthorpe votes more like Harlow, Bassetlaw more like North Devon and Barrow more like Dover. I'm fairly certain that the demographics of these constituencies are broadly similar but their voting history until recently has been very different.

As I've mentioned since the 2019 election, the realignment isn't between the north and south, but between the cities and the towns and villages, which is why we've been seeing not only Labour losing a lot of the old industrial towns, but the Tories losing seats in London, and with no chance of making breakthroughs in the cities where Labour hold a strong position, even in the North - I can't imagine many seats in Newcastle & Liverpool falling to the Tories.

Eh, I think if anything the current realignment is the the north and south of England coming together - the red wall was originally used for constituencies in the north of England that should be in play for the Tories if you look purely at their demographics, when of course cultural identity and historical factors made them solidly Labour. Now Scunthorpe votes more like Harlow, Bassetlaw more like North Devon and Barrow more like Dover. I'm fairly certain that the demographics of these constituencies are broadly similar but their voting history until recently has been very different.

 

Possibly, when I made that comment I was more in mind about the social/economic factors which led me to believe the fracture, but I did actually wonder whether Labour allowing people to buy their own council houses has accidently created more people willing to vote Tory as time went on and they got older. The constituent demographics are probably really similar but I suspect a lot of frustration in the north is born out of the 2008 economic crisis too. High street being decimated, under-funded services and the pityful attempt to improve public and private transport links!