Election Year or Fear!

[Andy_Faber]

Found out? How have I been found out? .

It was just a turn of phrase

[ramAnag]

It was just a turn of phrase

Ah…the old ‘just joshing’ strategy again .

[swaledale]

GB News feels increasingly like a space to present uninterrupted Party-Political Broadcasts. That’s despite UK broadcast rules, supposedly enforced by Ofcom, which state that broadcasters – including GB News – must ensure ‘adequate and appropriate levels of due impartiality in its presentation of matters of political controversy and current public policy.’ In December 2023, GB News breached the Ofcom code for the fifth time, and 12 further Ofcom investigations are currently open into the channel.

Yes this feels like a "foil" to other media such as BBC ITV SKY Channel 4, especially as a considerable amount of its output can be shown to be either completely false or at best a rather narrow and distorted version of the facts.

Of course if your one of those people whose bubble is so restricted that you can think the BBC is biased or say that it does not reflect the world you live in then a narrow partisan media might just be up your street!!


HINT - guess what your interpretation of the world might just be your bubble and the real world might possibly be different to what you think it is.

[Andy_Faber]

Ah…the old ‘just joshing’ strategy again .

Thanks for reviewing my posts, makes me feel wanted!

[Geoff Parkstone]

Swale: "HINT - guess what your interpretation of the world might just be your bubble and the real world might possibly be different to what you think it is."

If ever there was a more "physician heal thyself" post than this, I've yet to see it 😄

[ramAnag]

Thanks for reviewing my posts, makes me feel wanted!

You’re welcome…happy to be of service.

[Trickytreesreds]

Ha, ha…well you should certainly know…but, back on topic, it seems you’re in a minority. According to ‘Policy Exchange’ it would appear that the two joint most important issues in the forthcoming General Election will be ‘Bring down inflation to stop the price of household goods rising’ and ‘Reduce NHS waiting lists’. Next comes ‘Build a more self sufficient energy infrastructure’, all long before ‘Stop small boats crossing the Channel’ which has significant support amongst Conservative and Leave voters, especially those over 65 apparently, but little from elsewhere. In 5th place was ‘Reduce taxes to help with the cost of living.’

I don't know which church fete function tells you your information, but a little factual evidence would help.

Here's mine.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/886366/issues-facing-britain/

[Trickytreesreds]

‘The People’s Priorities’ - policy exchange.org.uk
Pages 8-9/23 bar graphs on ‘one most important issue’
Inflation 26%
NHS and Energy self sufficiency both 15%
Small boats and tax reduction both 12%

When extended to three issues on page 10…
Inflation 48%
Energy self sufficiency 38%
Small boats 28%, but while popular amongst right wingers aged over 65 only appealing to 7% of Labour voters and 8% of younger (18-24 year old) voters.
Reduce taxes 26-27%

Author, Iain Mansfield. Okay, I didn’t include all the ‘peripherals’ but no ‘cherry picking’ and they’re not my ‘beliefs’…just the more basic findings of an article I read and to extend your football analogy…if small boats are Barnsley they’re a long way behind Inflation (Portsmouth) and the NHS/Energy self sufficiency (Derby).

so your figures come from a think tank. Perhaps actual asking the population would help.
Here , try YOUGOV its left wing survey biased site, even they make your claims tosh

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/trackers/the-most-important-issues-facing-the-country

[Trickytreesreds]

Sums up my thoughts...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25886[/ATTACH]

correct

Heres one from the publics mouth. Brave woman, doing that publicly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9aSYgL6h6g&ab_channel=MahyarTousiTV

[ramAnag]

so your figures come from a think tank. Perhaps actual asking the population would help.
Here , try YOUGOV its left wing survey biased site, even they make your claims tosh
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/...ng-the-country

Firstly…they’re not my claims and those figures are evidence (and sourced).
Secondly…where do you think the ‘think tank’ figures came from?
Thirdly…they’re from a relatively right wing source so why would they distort things in the way you imply?

Sorry to disappoint you and I know it isn’t what you wanted to hear or believe, but the findings of these particular surveys do suggest that, although the ‘small boats’ issue is important to a certain section of the population - over 65 year old Conservatives and Brexiteers - it is relatively insignificant to potential Labour and younger voters.

I repeat, these are not my figures or findings, but as well as being unpopular with those on the left (obviously) and the young…the issue of ‘small boats crossing the channel’ is significantly below issues like inflation/cost of living, the NHS and our nation’s ability to become more energy self sufficient via the adoption of alternative fuel sources, for the majority.

You keep riding along on your increasingly lame hobby horse if you like but these particular findings suggest you’re not on to an election winner.

[Trickytreesreds]

Firstly…they’re not my claims and those figures are evidence (and sourced).
Secondly…where do you think the ‘think tank’ figures came from?
Thirdly…they’re from a relatively right wing source so why would they distort things in the way you imply?

Sorry to disappoint you and I know it isn’t what you wanted to hear or believe, but the findings of these particular surveys do suggest that, although the ‘small boats’ issue is important to a certain section of the population - over 65 year old Conservatives and Brexiteers - it is relatively insignificant to potential Labour and younger voters.

I repeat, these are not my figures or findings, but as well as being unpopular with those on the left (obviously) and the young…the issue of ‘small boats crossing the channel’ is significantly below issues like inflation/cost of living, the NHS and our nation’s ability to become more energy self sufficient via the adoption of alternative fuel sources, for the majority.

You keep riding along on your increasingly lame hobby horse if you like but these particular findings suggest you’re not on to an election winner.

of course, your think tank is correct. I'm amazed you have used a tory think tank, who quite evidently favour mass immigration for the over lords of cheap labour. You are deluded then chap, if you believe Immigration isn't a hot topic. What the Foook do you think the Brexit vote was driven by.
My figures are from the general population sir. They vote at elections, NOT THINK TANKS.

Believe what you want, but economy/health/immigration are the 3 hot potatos in the uk

[Geoff Parkstone]

By way of trying to achieve closure on this difference of view, I think TTR is correct in identifying economy/health/immigration are the three biggest issues at the next election.

Whether these represent any one individual's specific issues is a different matter. rA clearly doesn't think immigration is a key, TTR does. Based on the think-tank observations young labour voters align with rA, older conservative/brexiteer voters align with TTR. Is it ever thus.

No one is right or wrong. In any election different interest groups will back different policies. Non smokers will back increased tax on fags, smokers don't. Pacifists will not back increased defence spending; environmentalists have their priorities etc etc

Everyone has their own personal perspective on these issues. Thus all are important and potentially vote impacting. A real key issue would be one that made a "young labour" voter and an "old Tory" voter come together, or switch to a new stance. It's just like the majority of constituency outcomes. The pig in a blue scarf will win in Reigate, a pig in a red scarf will win in Hackney. Policies by and large don't matter in these "rotten boroughs".

Look at your marginals to see which issue matters, not across the country. If you want to see if boater immigration is a big issue, ask the people in Kent, Sus*** etc who are on the front line, not the electorate in say Liverpool or Melton Mowbray where the impact is less felt. It's easy to say "I don't care" if it doesn't impact your life

Closures of pits didn't effect me as an accountant in the south, but had devastating impacts on those (largely) northern communities involved.

Pretending that issues that clearly influence a lot of people simply don't exist, just because you cannot align with them is foolhardy. Leaving them to fester is even more so.

[Trickytreesreds]

Here's another topic that election time will throw up again, education fees.
We have universitys sucking in foreign students, who would never even qualify for University had they been born here
Meanwhile, UK born students continue to get strangled by more and more debt?
It's a vicious circle. Home born cannot afford it, so the Universitys take in sub standard students, of which 40% never go home.

One here must have set a new record though, how do you get £231k in student debt?

https://news.sky.com/story/truly-eye-watering-uks-highest-amount-of-student-debt-revealed-13099826

Something needs to change, our brightest and best need more than this.

[ramAnag]

of course, your think tank is correct. I'm amazed you have used a tory think tank, who quite evidently favour mass immigration for the over lords of cheap labour. You are deluded then chap, if you believe Immigration isn't a hot topic. What the Foook do you think the Brexit vote was driven by.
My figures are from the general population sir. They vote at elections, NOT THINK TANKS.

Believe what you want, but economy/health/immigration are the 3 hot potatos in the uk

Tricky, you do make me laugh. Can’t win can I? By choosing to avoid GBNews - aka a PPB on behalf of the Right - I’m apparently ‘blinkered’, yet when I quote from a right wing think tank, guess what…that’s my fault too.

For the final time…it’s not ‘MY think tank’ and I’m not saying immigration won’t be an issue. What I am saying is that according to the findings of this particular ‘think tank’ - which did canvas opinions from the electorate - that your obsession with immigration via small boats crossing the channel is going to be fourth or fifth in the pecking order of major election issues.

So…one last go. The survey on which this report is based was called ‘The People’s Priorities’…there’s a clue there somewhere. When asked for a single priority the order was as follows. 1st Overcoming inflation 26% 2nd= NHS and Energy self sufficiency 15% 4th= Small boats and reducing taxes 12%.

When asked for their top three issues the results were; 1st= Inflation and the NHS with 48% 3rd. Energy self sufficiency 33%, 4th small boats 28% and 5th reducing taxes 26%.

Of course, for the reasons Swale pointed out earlier, such findings may well be flawed because we don’t know who was asked or how the questions were framed. All we know specifically is that, where immigration across the channel on small boats is concerned, this was particularly popular amongst older Conservative and Leave voters but did not resonate at all with younger or left leaning voters.

To close…for the umptee*th time, these are NOT MY findings. The fact that they are the findings of those on the political Right should, I would have thought, be a source of concern to you. Those you appear to support, not me, have your obsession far down the percentage pecking order in terms of voter interest with just 12% of voters regarding small boats crossing the channel as their number one priority. Doubtless this will lead to an abundance of fake photos of Muslims arriving on Margate beach or invading the Isle of Wight (remember the Brexit campaign?)…just don’t shoot the messenger!

[ramAnag]

By way of trying to achieve closure on this difference of view, I think TTR is correct in identifying economy/health/immigration are the three biggest issues at the next election.

Whether these represent any one individual's specific issues is a different matter. rA clearly doesn't think immigration is a key, TTR does. Based on the think-tank observations young labour voters align with rA, older conservative/brexiteer voters align with TTR. Is it ever thus.

No one is right or wrong. In any election different interest groups will back different policies. Non smokers will back increased tax on fags, smokers don't. Pacifists will not back increased defence spending; environmentalists have their priorities etc etc

Everyone has their own personal perspective on these issues. Thus all are important and potentially vote impacting. A real key issue would be one that made a "young labour" voter and an "old Tory" voter come together, or switch to a new stance. It's just like the majority of constituency outcomes. The pig in a blue scarf will win in Reigate, a pig in a red scarf will win in Hackney. Policies by and large don't matter in these "rotten boroughs".

Look at your marginals to see which issue matters, not across the country. If you want to see if boater immigration is a big issue, ask the people in Kent, Sus*** etc who are on the front line, not the electorate in say Liverpool or Melton Mowbray where the impact is less felt. It's easy to say "I don't care" if it doesn't impact your life

Closures of pits didn't effect me as an accountant in the south, but had devastating impacts on those (largely) northern communities involved.

Pretending that issues that clearly influence a lot of people simply don't exist, just because you cannot align with them is foolhardy. Leaving them to fester is even more so.

Not really about what I ‘think’, GP. It just seemed interesting and relevant that an essentially Right wing collection of statisticians had concluded that the ‘small boat’ issue isn’t as significant as some would like to make out.

I guess the rest of your post is really, quite correctly, drawing attention to the failings of our democracy and the polarised nature of our electorate which won’t change until we move away from an ethos of ‘I’m alright Jack’ and looking after number one…for instance all voters should be concerned about the availability of affordable housing for our youngsters but simultaneously about the availability of proper care facilities for the elderly.