Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Tamas]

On the other hand the comment section is full of Josqs, pledging to vote Green, seemingly unable to cope with the unusual thought of voting for the future governing party.

[Sheilbh]

There is a frustratingly large part of the left that loves the purity of opposition.

Separately I see Andrea Leadson also stepping down and suddenly remembered that she almost became PM.

[Josquius]

The Guardian posted an article to explain to Josq who needs to be sent a message with his vote :p

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/24/punishment-election-tories-voters-lies

I don't see the relevance to me?
This is stuff I'm always shouting about. I'm all for the tories being given the boot and the earth salted after them.

I'm in the 30th safest seat in the country however.
After the mayoral election my lingering doubts of the tories sneaking in by the back door have been firmly killed off.
As I'm feeling this week I'm down with personally pretending I live in a democracy and using my vote in the pointless battle for the runner up positions, whilst all the while encouraging those in more competitive seats to vote for whoever stands the best chance of beating the tories.

[Tamas]

The Guardian posted an article to explain to Josq who needs to be sent a message with his vote :p

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/24/punishment-election-tories-voters-lies

I don't see the relevance to me?
This is stuff I'm always shouting about. I'm all for the tories being given the boot and the earth salted after them.

I'm in the 30th safest seat in the country however.
After the mayoral election my lingering doubts of the tories sneaking in by the back door have been firmly killed off.
As I'm feeling this week I'm down with personally pretending I live in a democracy and using my vote in the pointless battle for the runner up positions, whilst all the while encouraging those in more competitive seats to vote for whoever stands the best chance of beating the tories.

Yeah but don't you see that your position depends on others NOT taking your position? If enough people think "yeah I'll just protest-vote Labour because they'll win" the Tories will win.

And it goes beyond that. If the Tories suffer only a run-of-the-mill election loss of being by a small to moderate margin behind Labour, the conclusion will be that the general direction they had was fine and it was the details they slipped on.

Their astonishingly destructive incompetence must be shown as the worst possible way to keep power. Anyone looking to take their retard positions in the future, there must be statistics that can be shown them to show they are retards who will never win or keep power.

It needs to be the same thing Brexit was for the EU: It KILLED the "leave EU" momentum of every fringe party.

[Sheilbh]

Totally apropos of nothing but in recent days saw the head of the NFU discuss national service for young people to work as cheap labour on farms and an LSE academic discuss citizens assemblies to allocate bedrooms (we have enough bedrooms, but they're not allocated properly with some people having more bedrooms than they "need").

Some people would really rather accidentally invent Maoism than consider paying people properly or building some houses

[Josquius]

The Guardian posted an article to explain to Josq who needs to be sent a message with his vote :p

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/24/punishment-election-tories-voters-lies

I don't see the relevance to me?
This is stuff I'm always shouting about. I'm all for the tories being given the boot and the earth salted after them.

I'm in the 30th safest seat in the country however.
After the mayoral election my lingering doubts of the tories sneaking in by the back door have been firmly killed off.
As I'm feeling this week I'm down with personally pretending I live in a democracy and using my vote in the pointless battle for the runner up positions, whilst all the while encouraging those in more competitive seats to vote for whoever stands the best chance of beating the tories.

Yeah but don't you see that your position depends on others NOT taking your position? If enough people think "yeah I'll just protest-vote Labour because they'll win" the Tories will win.

And it goes beyond that. If the Tories suffer only a run-of-the-mill election loss of being by a small to moderate margin behind Labour, the conclusion will be that the general direction they had was fine and it was the details they slipped on.

Their astonishingly destructive incompetence must be shown as the worst possible way to keep power. Anyone looking to take their retard positions in the future, there must be statistics that can be shown them to show they are retards who will never win or keep power.

It needs to be the same thing Brexit was for the EU: It KILLED the "leave EU" momentum of every fringe party.

As said I wouldn't be opposed to the greens getting a few seats even if it's at labours expense.

I do hope people in competitive seats have more sense and don't split the vote- even if it means voting lib dem in some places.

If people locally suddenly all start thinking totally different... Well. Then I don't think me being less relaxed about the election locally would change anything.  It isn't going to happen though. Labour should win comfortably and I'm hoping the tories are shoved into 3rd or even 4th.
Not particularly likely but ideal would be Labour on 50%ish with the Greens scoring a respectable 20% to show local Labour that people really care about these matters.
And the toriesbelow that to show them they're firmly unwelcome in a working class area.

And I see it less as a anti Labour protest vote and more a anti tory, Labour nudge vote. I'm not opposed to labour at all.  I still pay them my five quid a month.

Do remember politics is different here in the labour heartland where the main opposition is traditionally the lib dems than in your tory seat.

[Gups]

Jesus. Who gives a flying fuck who Jos votes for.

[Sheilbh]

Four days into the campaign and Sunak taking a day off at home which is definitely, absolutely not a campaign relaunch:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/24/sunak-to-take-a-day-at-home-after-hapless-election-campaign-start

He chose when to call an election - and this is supposed to be the easier, more planned, controlled bit of the campaign...

[Jacob]

Jesus. Who gives a flying fuck who Jos votes for.

The Greens, it would seem.

[Tamas]

 

[Sheilbh]

Labour going to have votes at 16, which I don't mind. There is a bit of me that thinks there should be a bit of a campaign/demand for extending suffrage. But I also think it basically makes sense.

Though the what you can and can't do at each age from 16-18 is very weird.

[Richard Hakluyt]

They'll be able to vote but not sext each other or buy a pint in a pub. A bit of a muddle but probably not important.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I do hope to live long enough to be asked, by a bunch of shifty looking 40 year olds outside a corner shop, "Oi mister, if we give you the money will you buy us a packet of fags?" 

[HVC]

I do hope to live long enough to be asked, by a bunch of shifty looking 40 year olds outside a corner shop, "Oi mister, if we give you the money will you buy us a packet of fags?" 

Backyard tobacco plantations shall become all the rage

[Josquius]

They'll be able to vote but not sext each other or buy a pint in a pub. A bit of a muddle but probably not important.

Let's fix the buying a pint one next.