The British Politics Thread - The Bear and Badger

Rev

Reform UK pushing the leaving the ECHR. Anything Tice gets involved in is about removing our rights and protections.

Brooks

I basically prefer evil to be transparent. For all the good that does us.

davyK

Only read weekend papers and that's mostly for the supplements. Telegraph Saturday. Observer Sunday. Sometimes FT weekend.

Opinion pieces in telegraph and observer are usually so blatantly transparent I usually tap out on those bits. But they give some insight into each sides mindsets.

The polarisation is nauseous and benefits noobe but the paper owners. They are decreasing circles of reinforcement a la youtube algorithms

monkey

Looks like some Tory donors got on the phone
https://news.sky.com/story/hunt-intervenes-to-stop-hmrc-closing-helplines-over-summer-13098541

b0r1s

davyK wrote:

b0r1s wrote:

davyK wrote:

Enough keep buying the papers. That's the problem.

They can influence but ultimately they reflect the worst in us.

You’ve read the Paul Marshall story right?

Nope. Know who he is. What's your angle?

He’s an even more extreme right winger who wants to buy the Telegraph (and Spectator) and he’ll push it even more to the right and keep stoking that “worse in us” that he is trying to do with GB News, he’s a major shareholder in that too.

He’s been sharing extreme RW conspiracy theory stuff but because he’s a man of money he isn’t automatically tarred with the extremism brush.

If he got control of that he would have a significant voice not just in papers but TV and online too.

monkey

YouGov have got the Tories on 19% now. The first of the big pollsters to get them below 20. They're normally pretty accurate. ItsHappening.gif

monkey

Dan Barker, Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election, has defected to Reform UK just 6 weeks before polling day.

He will stand for Reform, giving the Conservatives just 15 days to select a new candidate.

https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1770790092078026995

davyK

The Telegraph was targeted by Saudi backed groups at one point. Newspaper ownership seems to attract the worst of us.

Diluted Dante

monkey wrote:

Dan Barker, Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election, has defected to Reform UK just 6 weeks before polling day. He will stand for Reform, giving the Conservatives just 15 days to select a new candidate.

https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1770790092078026995

They weren't going to win anyway. Burnham won with 63% and 67% of the votes under supplementary vote, without the need for a second round.

monkey

Still funny though.

ZMM

Amazing how 44% would still vote Labour, who will do absolutely fuck all in addressing the massive wealth inequity in society. If the super rich were properly taxed then it would solve many of the problems that we all face. But no. Government blames asylum seekers, which in turn whips up racial hatred and division, and partly explains the disgusting amount of people who want to vote Reform UK.

afgavinstan

I dunno where most lie with him, but there's yer Owen Jones voiding his membership of Labour and saying he's voting green.

EvilRedEye

ZMM wrote:

Amazing how 44% would still vote Labour, who will do absolutely fuck all in addressing the massive wealth inequity in society. If the super rich were properly taxed then it would solve many of the problems that we all face. But no. Government blames asylum seekers, which in turn whips up racial hatred and division, and partly explains the disgusting amount of people who want to vote Reform UK.

I’m sympathetic to criticisms of Labour and might not vote them for them myself but it’s pretty wilfully obtuse to act like it isn’t obvious why they have such a large portion of intended voters in a first-past-the-post electoral system that has basically turned us into a two-party state.

Diluted Dante

There are a lot of #GTTO dickheads, and even more who aren't interested in politics, so will just pick the other one.

It's not as simple as a binary vote though, it depends entirely where you live. In some places a Labour vote will be one that lets the Tories in. And unless it's a Reform MP being elected, (excluding NI) any non Labour candidate you vote for is an anti-Tory vote. In other areas, the Labour vote is so high, and Tory so low, you can vote literally anyone else and Labour will still win the seat.

Starmer needs pressure from the left, which means that other partys like the Greens need more votes. If they keep hold of Brighton and do succeed in Bristol as well, that would be an excellent start.

b0r1s

I love the solid morals of your typical Tory.

monkey

Oh dear Greens.

A solar farm which could power 5,000 homes has been rejected by a Green-led district council over fears it could visually harm the landscape.

Cllr Anita Jones (Green) described the decision as a “huge dilemma.”

“A solar farm is an amazing idea and we do need more of those, and of course I’m in favour of solar energy but I think it needs to be in the right place - and there are other locations you could have such a site,” she argued.

“I took a walk up there this morning just to get an idea of the scale – it’s beautiful and I think it would be a real shame.”

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/folkestone/news/kent-s-green-council-reject-plans-for-huge-solar-farm-303801/

GooberTheHat

Green Nimbys

poprock

Oh for fuck’s sake.

SpaceGazelle

GooberTheHat wrote:

Green Nimbys

Some Greens flirt with toryism because they're such a mixed bag. On one hand they're young and progressive city dwellers but in the other there are old rich people trying to keep their country garden looking like old England and the foreigners out.

MyNameIsKrisG

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68625344

So... highest poverty since... the last time the Tories had been in power for 14-15 years.

Diluted Dante

monkey wrote:

Oh dear Greens.

A solar farm which could power 5,000 homes has been rejected by a Green-led district council over fears it could visually harm the landscape.

Cllr Anita Jones (Green) described the decision as a “huge dilemma.” “A solar farm is an amazing idea and we do need more of those, and of course I’m in favour of solar energy but I think it needs to be in the right place - and there are other locations you could have such a site,” she argued. “I took a walk up there this morning just to get an idea of the scale – it’s beautiful and I think it would be a real shame.”

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/folkestone/news/kent-s-green-council-reject-plans-for-huge-solar-farm-303801/

So I've had a look about on Google Maps, and as far as I can tell, this would actually be difficult to see. There aren't that many high vantage points, and there is a lot of hedgeway blocking the lower nearby ones. I get that the planning recommended turning it down, but this feels like an easy over-ride. They're planning on solar grazing, so it will still be in use by sheep, and it has a planned life of 40 years, after which it can be returned to solo use with minimal effort. There is another solar farm not too far away on the other side of the motorway.

Also the existing area is not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination.

ZMM

I don't care about eyesores when it comes to green energy. Nobody should. It's the difference between having a habitable planet or not. Do we need large swathes of the country to burn down in 40+ degree heat before we decide to act with more urgency?

davyK

'Tis NIMBY. Pure and simple.

LivDiv

There was a big fuss about a wind farm being built near my parent's place years ago.
It got built in the end.
Most of the complainers cant even see it from their property, probably don't even go anywhere it can be seen either.

It can be seen from my parent's garden, can sit in their living room and see it out of the patio doors.
I find it really tranquil and relaxing.

They live in a proper nimby place though. Most things get shut down on the whims of a few.

hunk

afgavinstan wrote:

I dunno where most lie with him, but there's yer Owen Jones voiding his membership of Labour and saying he's voting green.

He's alright imo. He's slowly becoming aware of the tictoc effect between labour and the tories and the pendulum slowly but inevitably swinging to the far right. Labor's stance on Gaza and them seemingly embracing neo-liberalism were the last straw. They've effectively gone 'populist' now. And when labour's austerity comes crashing down (because neo-liberalism works sssooo well) guess who's waiting behind the curtains?

LarryDavid

Labour don’t care though and none of that will get any coverage except among people who already agree with it. (Or people who don’t agree with any of it but like to abuse Owen Jones and are grateful for this latest opportunity).

Getting rid of twats like Owen and all the rest of the hippies & scum that Corbyn encouraged to become engaged is good news to them. Now they can focus on real voters and real issues.

Like whether a football shirt has ‘gone woke.’

hunk

Aye, Labour is so desperate to get into power they're willing to sell their soul to the powers that be (Big Business). They've lost sight of the big picture and the trajectory of the political system as a whole.

LarryDavid

There’s occasions where compromise is needed and you could say the ends justify the means.

But this Labour just seem to gleefully revel in how much they’re willing to prostitute and debase themselves, all for the measliest rewards, the flimsiest of reasons and when they’re already destined to win anyway, because the opposition torpedoed themselves.

SpaceGazelle

The Tories are cunts, Labour are wankers and the Greens are unrealistic about nuclear. It's a shitshow all around. I dunno what the Libdems are but I'm guessing shit.

monkey

If the polls are right and the Lib Dems end up being the Opposition, then they'll be Tories.

Howdy, Stranger!

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