Election Year or Fear!

[SithHappens]

Yep Lammy now deputy

[swaledale]

Resigned as deputy party leader too?

My suspicion is that this gives her the ability to critique Starmer on the direction he (or at least his advisers, whose shtick he is following) he currently following.

Trying to out reform Reform is not going to work but the dimwits don't seem to realise this. Save us from political SPADS who seem unable to grasp reality.

[swaledale]

In truth, Farage and the hotel protests don?t really represent the ?silent majority? but rather a vocal minority. Inaccurate framing by elements of the media and commentariat are exaggerating the popularity of extreme and fringe far-right views while simultaneously normalising them.

In truth, recent polling shows that the British public are far more nuanced on the issue of immigration and even cross-Channel boats than Farage and his supporters would have you believe.

When Ipsos asked if ?people should be able to take refuge in other countries, including in my country, to escape from war or persecution?, 71% of British people agreed, with just 21% disagreeing. It?s true that sympathy for people crossing the Channel by boat is more polarised, but even here 46% of people retain a ?great deal/fair amount of sympathy? compared to 47% with ?Not very much/no sympathy at all?.

There?s no doubt that immigration remains a major issue in the eye of the public, with 48% naming it as an important issue in the Ipsos poll. That is an eight-point rise since July. But public attitudes don?t exist in a vacuum and this rising concern will, in part at least, be affected by the media?s framing of the issue.

When it comes to the hotel protests, they also receive much less support than you might think. The public is clearly divided with 36% deeming them acceptable and 39% unacceptable.

Similarly, when Farage announced his extreme deportations policy and pledged to leave the European Convention on Human Rights this week he said: ?As far as the people of this country are concerned, frankly these measures can?t come soon enough.?

That?s simply not true. According to YouGov, 51% of people think Britain should remain in ECHR, with just 27% believing we should withdraw. When you break this down by party affiliation, the divide becomes even starker with 72% of Reform supporters wanting to leave while 75% of Labour and Lib Dem supporters wanting to remain.

Populists have always been good at presenting their fringe and extreme views as common sense, claiming that they are speaking for ?the people?. But they don?t and the media shouldn?t let them get away with it.

[SithHappens]

I'm surprised Labour and Lib Dem support for ECHR is as low as 75% to be honest.

[ramAnag]

Populists have always been good at presenting their fringe and extreme views as common sense, claiming that they are speaking for ‘the people’. But they don’t and the media shouldn’t let them get away with it.

…let alone be complicit in it.

[SithHappens]

See Boris and Marinakis have been discussing the war in Ukraine. Seems Marinakis thinks Ukraine should just hand over land to Russia.

[SithHappens]

Beverly Turner of GBNews posted a picture of herself with trump this week

https://x.com/beverleyturner/status/1963610218538922147

So did Farage

https://x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1963425300068315392

[MadAmster]

Both taken next to a Fanta flavoured f*ckwit with an extremely inane smile on his face.

[SithHappens]

Both taken next to a Fanta flavoured f*ckwit with an extremely inane smile on his face.

Amazing how Trump managed exactly the same pose both times.

[MadAmster]

Amazing how Trump managed exactly the same pose both times.

I was thinking the same. Amazingly Inauthentic?