Election Year or Fear!

[Andy_Faber]

I don’t bet, AF, and neither do I have quite the political allegiance you, and certainly Tricky, might imagine…but I’ll be bloody glad to see the end of this particular group of smug, cruel, dishonest, corrupt incompetents. It’ll take something astonishing to prevent a Tory hammering…biggest question, imo, is likely to be how the void is filled…i.e. how well Richard Tice’s bunch, the Liberals and the Greens do. We’ll see.

Answer = Reform 0, Greens 1, LibDems not enough to make a difference as usual, the impact of Reform on Tory performance being the potential ‘killer’.

I think you’ve worn your small p political allegiances fully on your sleeve although I don’t think there’s a party that fits it, reinforced by your quaint inability to refer to those you dislike by their common names (‘Richard Tice’s bunch the latest)

[Geoff Parkstone]

It's not going to happen but I'd love to see the state of "gammonness" that would engulf rA if the Tories overcame the odds and retained power! That, along with a return of Trump across the water, may see blood pressure levels reach unprecedented levels, so be calm rA, we need you.

[ramAnag]

Answer = Reform 0, Greens 1, LibDems not enough to make a difference as usual, the impact of Reform on Tory performance being the potential ‘killer’.

I think you’ve worn your small p political allegiances fully on your sleeve although I don’t think there’s a party that fits it, reinforced by your quaint inability to refer to those you dislike by their common names (‘Richard Tice’s bunch the latest)

‘Quaint’…love it…been called worse…not an adjective I’ve ever been associated with before, makes me sound like a Devon tea shop.

My point, in response to yours, was…I don’t think there is much doubt the Tories will lose. Complacency and failure to turn out
might prove the biggest problem. Hopefully not.
Beyond that the biggest question may be, where will the many disgruntled Conservatives who can’t bring themselves to vote Labour - GP springs to mind - decide to place their cross?
Team Tice/Oakeshott - though not Farage, who has apparently decided that supporting Trump is now more important/lucrative - will be hopeful under the name of ReformUK. Let’s face it though, they’re just UKIP in disguise…but then you’d want a disguise, having been responsible for the greatest self inflicted wound in modern history, wouldn’t you?

[MadAmster]

Red Tories it is then. Very little will change... IMO.

[Geoff Parkstone]

FYI rA I have only ever voted conservative once (to get Bliar out) and never labour: Green since the disposal of Bliar. I might vote for a left-centre party but it would need to change it's name from "labour" as that name has too many negative overtones to attract me.

[ramAnag]

FYI rA I have only ever voted conservative once (to get Bliar out) and never labour: Green since the disposal of Bliar. I might vote for a left-centre party but it would need to change it's name from "labour" as that name has too many negative overtones to attract me.

Good for you. I was only, in AF speak, ‘joshing’ in response to your ‘gammoness’ mischievousness.
Maybe, as we both live in ‘pig with a blue rosette’ constituencies, we should both agree to vote Green, although I will be unashamedly hoping that Starmer becomes PM in six weeks time.

[SithHappens]

Red Tories it is then. Very little will change... IMO.

While I agree in some respects I think the biggest change will be a government with a mandate to govern. In my head this one lost that with the repeated leader changes and lost trust in the public.

[swaledale]

FYI rA I have only ever voted conservative once (to get Bliar out) and never labour: Green since the disposal of Bliar. I might vote for a left-centre party but it would need to change it's name from "labour" as that name has too many negative overtones to attract me.

I have never voted Conservative and never will, I know a few "decent" Conservatives but the main party always reverts to type and latterly gone beyond even that.

I think I've voted labour once, otherwise its generally the candidate most likely to challenge the Tory incumbent.

Interesting that you voted conservative to "get Bliar" out, obviously didn't work, because in 2010 a vote against labour would have removed Brown, who IMO was one of the better PM's we have and paved the way for Clegg to make his disastrous decision (not for him given his role at meta obvs) to go into coalition with Cameron and usher in the last disastrous 14 years.

I'd vote green, but they do rather get their undergarments in a twist over gender identity, whereas sticking to the case for building a "green" economy would be more beneficial, but again realistically they aren't going to be in a position to change anything. Note I don't have an issue with people changing gender, but its been spun into something more than it really is on both sides of the debate. Such matters are never settled in a political arena and frankly don't impinge on most voters.

So this time it will again be weighing who is best placed to beat the Tory incumbent, if I have to hold my nose and vote labour I will, much as I dislike the shift to the right, and despite the undoubted missteps and faults of labour when in power previously, its clear that almost everything, be it NHS, poverty levels, the economy were all in much better shape before the current rabble took charge.

I will never vote Lib Dem ever again, Clegg's duplicity and selling his soul for power has done for that.

Unfortunately under the current FPTP voting system, its a 2 horse race, unfortunately also, the "Overton Window" has shifted to the right, meaning a true centre left party would struggle to gain enough votes across the country to get into power. Without a government that is at least reasonably sympathetic to the "average" citizen in the UK then the rampant crony capitalism will continue.

A sad state of affairs but the eality.

[SithHappens]

I have never voted Conservative and never will, I know a few "decent" Conservatives but the main party always reverts to type and latterly gone beyond even that.

I think I've voted labour once, otherwise its generally the candidate most likely to challenge the Tory incumbent.

Interesting that you voted conservative to "get Bliar" out, obviously didn't work, because in 2010 a vote against labour would have removed Brown, who IMO was one of the better PM's we have and paved the way for Clegg to make his disastrous decision (not for him given his role at meta obvs) to go into coalition with Cameron and usher in the last disastrous 14 years.

I'd vote green, but they do rather get their undergarments in a twist over gender identity, whereas sticking to the case for building a "green" economy would be more beneficial, but again realistically they aren't going to be in a position to change anything. Note I don't have an issue with people changing gender, but its been spun into something more than it really is on both sides of the debate. Such matters are never settled in a political arena and frankly don't impinge on most voters.

So this time it will again be weighing who is best placed to beat the Tory incumbent, if I have to hold my nose and vote labour I will, much as I dislike the shift to the right, and despite the undoubted missteps and faults of labour when in power previously, its clear that almost everything, be it NHS, poverty levels, the economy were all in much better shape before the current rabble took charge.

I will never vote Lib Dem ever again, Clegg's duplicity and selling his soul for power has done for that.

Unfortunately under the current FPTP voting system, its a 2 horse race, unfortunately also, the "Overton Window" has shifted to the right, meaning a true centre left party would struggle to gain enough votes across the country to get into power. Without a government that is at least reasonably sympathetic to the "average" citizen in the UK then the rampant crony capitalism will continue.

A sad state of affairs but the eality.

Interesting you say Brown was one of our best PM's, I agree, he did well in very trying times. Controversially I think Major was a decent PM too. Both probably paid the price for the governing of their predecessors.

[Geoff Parkstone]

it was 2005 and it didnt work, but hey ho

[swaledale]

it was 2005 and it didnt work, but hey ho

That's the trouble with politics, it requires compromises and a realisation that to work it requires most people to get something they like whilst accepting they will also get things they would prefer not to.

[swaledale]

Gove and leadsom not standing again! The rats are really leaving the sinking ship!

Rumour has it 4 more MP's will go soon, Grant Shapps plus Michael green, Corrine Stockheath and Sebastian Fox!!!

[Ramshank72]

I always liked Sam Fox

[MadAmster]

I always liked Sam Fox

... till it all went tits up

[ramAnag]

Gove and leadsom not standing again! The rats are really leaving the sinking ship!

Rumour has it 4 more MP's will go soon, Grant Shapps plus Michael green, Corrine Stockheath and Sebastian Fox!!!

Amazing…from their huge and ‘stonking’ majority of four and a half years ago to complete and unprecedented chaos, with 78 - and counting - Tory MP’s walking away. So pleased to see the back of crazy Gove, cruel Leadsom and the frankly bizarre Redwood, but if we’re really also seeing the end of Grant Shapps it’ll almost feel like an election victory already.