Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Richard Hakluyt]

On the bright side (as I believe Sheilbh and Richard Hakluyt agree with me here) we may actually get the Fixed-Term Parliament Act repealed with this result. Boris is certainly not a fan of it.

A dreadful innovation that should be consigned to the dustbin of history, happy to agree with you on this one 

[Admiral Yi]

Of the five or so regular British posters in this thread I don't think there's much difficulty in guessing based on our posts.

You and Squeeze are obvious.  Tricky doesn't show a lot of cards.  Shelf rags on Corbyn and pisses on the Lib Dems (God knows why), so I'm stumped.  PLJ I got no data.

Who knows what's going on in monger's head.

[Sheilbh]

From the Guardian on Alan Johnson going in on Corbyn:


One query. Swindon North has just declared. The actual constituency name is the far more sensible North Swindon. Why do we always colloquially call them Swindon North etc?

[Sheilbh]

pisses on the Lib Dems (God knows why)

Every single thing the Tories did in coalition that I loathe - universal credit, bedroom tax, slashing housing benefit, changes to disability allowance, biggest cuts to local government budgets in history - all of that happened because of Lib Dem votes.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Alan Johnson laying into Jon Lansman on ITV

"Go back to your student politics... The working class have always been a big disappointment to Jon and his cult. Jeremy Corbyn was a disaster for Llabour - everyone knew that he couldn't lead the working class out of a paper bag and now our communities will suffer....I want this cult out of the party. I want Momentum gone...I feel really angry about this, that we persevered with Jeremy Corbyn."

I'm sufficiently working class to have always known that Corbyn was a numpty metropolitan loser. London is an important place, but not quite as important as Corbyn thinks it is.

[Agelastus]

From the Guardian on Alan Johnson going in on Corbyn:


One query. Swindon North has just declared. The actual constituency name is the far more sensible North Swindon. Why do we always colloquially call them Swindon North etc?

I don't know but a quick google reveals that Wiltshire Police do the same.

It may relate to the influence decades ago of Latin educated BBC announcers.

Or it may just sound more natural to some - for official purposes "Swindon North" actually sounds more natural to me than "North Swindon".

[Sheilbh]

I'm sufficiently working class to have always known that Corbyn was a numpty metropolitan loser. London is an important place, but not quite as important as Corbyn thinks it is.

To slightly move away from the London-bashing with Corbyn, because it does slightly annoy me the association that Islington has outside of London. Islington and my neighbourhood of Camberwell and Peckham, for example, are among the most deprived areas in the country. It's just a different type (and, frankly, colour) of deprivation.

[Sheilbh]

Or it may just sound more natural to some - for official purposes "Swindon North" actually sounds more natural to me than "North Swindon".

Same. I saw the result coming through and searched for Swindon North to look at the last election, only to discover the constituency's actually called North Swindon

[mongers]

Of the five or so regular British posters in this thread I don't think there's much difficulty in guessing based on our posts.

Age - Tory
RH - Lib Dem
Tyr - Labour
Mongers - Green(?) (Part of my hopes that away from the internet Mongers is a rabid Wessex regionalist )
Me -

Our time will come, our time will come.   


* iirc the origins of them was an absurdist joke. 

[Agelastus]

pisses on the Lib Dems (God knows why)

Every single thing the Tories did in coalition that I loathe - universal credit, bedroom tax, slashing housing benefit, changes to disability allowance, biggest cuts to local government budgets in history - all of that happened because of Lib Dem votes.

And yet, as I noted years ago, the Liberal Democrats have been pushing for electoral reform that will lead to permanent coalition governments yet the first time they enter a coalition they are punished by their voters for doing so.

The math hasn't changed since 2010 - the election left only one viable coalition in Parliament and with the Financial crisis we needed a government, not another snap election.

I actually thought that you were one of the voters who hadn't abandoned the Lib Dems before your last sabbatical from the forums; I am genuinely disappointed to discover I was wrong.

---------------------

One could argue that the Tories out-bargained the Lib Dems in the Coalition negotiations but, again - they were on the clock given the Financial crisis.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm sufficiently working class to have always known that Corbyn was a numpty metropolitan loser. London is an important place, but not quite as important as Corbyn thinks it is.

To slightly move away from the London-bashing with Corbyn, because it does slightly annoy me the association that Islington has outside of London. Islington and my neighbourhood of Camberwell and Peckham, for example, are among the most deprived areas in the country. It's just a different type (and, frankly, colour) of deprivation.

I know, I've lived there. The so-called "North-South divide" is one of my bete-noires. The average wage in London is high because of some astronomical salaries, the median wage is far less impressive, couple that with high housing costs and.................for ordinary people......you are more likely to be in poverty in London than Grimsby. Though, in amelioration, last weeks Economist had a piece showing that for many people being broke in London was just a stage.

[Legbiter]

Alan Johnson laying into Jon Lansman on ITV

"Go back to your student politics... The working class have always been a big disappointment to Jon and his cult. Jeremy Corbyn was a disaster for Llabour - everyone knew that he couldn't lead the working class out of a paper bag and now our communities will suffer....I want this cult out of the party. I want Momentum gone...I feel really angry about this, that we persevered with Jeremy Corbyn."

I'm sufficiently working class to have always known that Corbyn was a numpty metropolitan loser. London is an important place, but not quite as important as Corbyn thinks it is.

Yeah, it's looking like a bloodbath for Corbyn.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah it does depend. But it varies a lot, my area still has about 50% of people in council or social housing so it's not a phase in those communities. But then folks like me who move into London can start to do reasonably well and either move out or stay.

[Sheilbh]

And yet, as I noted years ago, the Liberal Democrats have been pushing for electoral reform that will lead to permanent coalition governments yet the first time they enter a coalition they are punished by their voters for doing so.

Yeah. I think PR would shift the style of politics and acceptance of coalition. I've always believed it's right - probably on the Scottish model - not least because I think the UKIP/Brexit wing of British politics deserve representation too.

I actually thought that you were one of the voters who hadn't abandoned the Lib Dems before your last sabbatical from the forums; I am genuinely disappointed to discover I was wrong.

Maybe. I've always thought they were pretty pathetic/pitiful as a group and I've always really dislike Osborne and Cameron. But I actually think 2010 is the only time I've voted Lib Dem - my other votes have been disparate

[Agelastus]

OK, Workington falls. Vote totals almost a mirror for the 2 main parties compared to 2017.

Good god.