UK General Election 2024

[brad465]

Does anyone care? I get the feeling that most want the election to be over and done with now.

The unexpected announcement means limited prep from all the parties. Most of the campaigning feels like an extention of PMQs with both Conservative and Labour spending time talking about how bad the other is. Ideas like Labour's Great British Energy haven't had time to be fleshed out.

This seems to get worse every election. All the leaflets I have had are the same.
Nobody has convinced me I should vote for them.

This is the nature of a FPTP election, because most voters go for the least worst option than the best one, attacking one's opponent makes more sense than promoting themselves. That's not to say attacks on opponents would disappear under a PR system, but having to appeal to a broader array of voters and having more choice makes promoting one's own policies more important as focusing attacks is harder.

 

[birchesgreen]

They haven't but then they've also not said they won't issue a pony to every family with a daughter aged 16 or under. Do we need them to deny that as well?

No a free pit pony was one of Corbyn's policies.

 

[43096]

They haven't but then they've also not said they won't issue a pony to every family with a daughter aged 16 or under. Do we need them to deny that as well?

That’s a false equivalence!

Given what the IFS has said about all the parties’ manifestos and the realities of Government income I would suggest not talking about a particular tax leaves the door open. The manifestos are, after all, a sales document - salesmen don’t put the bad bits in.

 

[DoubleLemon]

Manifestos are as much about what is not said as what is written in them.

Have Labour stated they will not raise Council Tax?

So you don't want the additional burden placed on councils by central government to be funded and more councils to go bankrupt. Good to know where you stand.

 

[Gloster]

I have now had the full lot of party flyers, although nothing from the independent…I am not sure what the independent is standing for. It may be independence for Ventnor, which, with the way the cliffs are behaving, may come anyway.

I have now had the independent’s flyer. One side consists of a list of what he is in favour of for the island, with no suggestion of where the money comes from. Two sides are taken up with a list of his achievements, i.e. the various honorary business association jobs allocated on Buggins’ turn. The front has a picture of him surrounded by the words ‘Get Island Roads Moving’: presumably he is trying to tap into the group that complains about the council not repairing potholes in the same breath as they moan about roadworks. However, he comes from Ventnor and the roads are moving there: down the cliff face.

 

[Busaholic]

Manifestos are as much about what is not said as what is written in them.

Have Labour stated they will not raise Council Tax?

Councils raise Council Tax (the clue's in the name) so the government only has the option of preventing them rising above a certain percentage level. There are different rules for councils that have effectively gone bust.

 

[Kaliwax]

Our flyers by candidates in my area, all focused on attacking other parties, than actually helping consituents.

 

[43096]

So you don't want the additional burden placed on councils by central government to be funded and more councils to go bankrupt. Good to know where you stand.

Excuse me? Where have I even implied that?

 

[DarloRich]

Brutal lib dem social media burn relating to former Newcastle United chairman & top Tory donor Sir John Hall defecting to Reform.

He paid £15m for Alan Shearer and millions more on dross and won nowt

(Joke not as good It you explain it!)

 

[bspahh]

Aggregating Predictions for the General Election

has a table with the predictions of the winner at each constituency from these sources:

• Britain Predicts (New Statesman) (22 June)
• The Economist (26 June)
• Electoral Calculus (26 June)
• Focaldata (24 June)
• The FT (25 June)
• Ipsos (18 June)
• More in Common (19 June)
• Savanta (19 June)
• Survation (16 June)
• WeThink (26 June)
• YouGov (19 June)

 

[Magdalia]

Aggregating Predictions for the General Election

has a table with the predictions of the winner at each constituency from these sources:

• Britain Predicts (New Statesman) (22 June)
• The Economist (26 June)
• Electoral Calculus (26 June)
• Focaldata (24 June)
• The FT (25 June)
• Ipsos (18 June)
• More in Common (19 June)
• Savanta (19 June)
• Survation (16 June)
• WeThink (26 June)
• YouGov (19 June)

Thanks, this is brilliant.

Would it be better to discuss separately?

 

[DarloRich]

Just as an addition to my post about Sir John Hall, above, some shocking quotes have been reported: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/major-tory-donor-ex-newcastle-29432244

“I don’t want to leave an England and a UK for my great grandchildren where in effect all our ways have gone, where we have enclaves everywhere and nobody is prepared to stand up and fight for my Englishness. And we are, at the end of the day, English people. I’m white, I am proud of it and I am not going to go away from it. I want to see my culture kept in this country and not destroyed. That is why I am voting for Nigel – there is nobody else.

“The Labour Party will give religious people anything they want for the votes. Nigel is the only one who is prepared to stand up for what I believe in and I believe millions of other people feel the same. We have to organise them and protect the country. I am not against people coming in, but if people come here and I have to follow English law and customs then so should they.”

 

[AlterEgo]

Just as an addition to my post about Sir John Hall, above, some shocking quotes have been reported: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/major-tory-donor-ex-newcastle-29432244

Standard for Reform, an openly racist, xenophobic and homophobic party.

Their canvasser in Clacton was caught describing Sunak as a "P*k*", said all asylum seekers landing on beaches should be shot for target practice by the army. Also promoted the Islamic replacement conspiracy theory, and described Muslims as "sick motherf***ers".

Their events organiser called Pride "degenerate" and implied queer people were "nonces", saying he'd change the police to be paramilitaries instead.

We don't see real fascism in the UK very often, but this is what it looks like.

John Hall fits right in, I'd say - into the bin with Reform.

 

[DarloRich]

We don't see real fascism in the UK very often, but this is what it looks like.

Agree - and Farage isn't getting the kind of scrutiny he should be - in part because he has a free pass from much of the right wing media and because his team are careful not to let him near any scrutiny!

The problem is they COULD win seats.

 

[Kaliwax]

I am scared of what will happen if Reform get in the next election, I'm disabled, the first targets the right wing media and right wing people target. What will they happen if they win? Will they try and tie disabled up because they're enemys of the state or punish us for being diagnosed with multiple conditions through no fault of our own. If Reform get in I'm frightened.

 

[DarloRich]

I am scared of what will happen if Reform get in the next election, I'm disabled, the first targets the right wing media and right wing people target. What will they happen if they win? Will they try and tie disabled up because they're enemys of the state or punish us for being diagnosed with multiple conditions through no fault of our own. If Reform get in I'm frightened.

Reform wont win anything beyond a couple of seats. They can make noise but not much else and that noise SHOULD be more controlled if they are in the tent peeing out

 

[Kaliwax]

Reform wont win anything beyond a couple of seats.

Looking at the polls for my area, Labour are ahead by 20 percent, in fact most of the whole county is predicted Labour win, if not all of it. In the Mayoral elections, our mayor got re-elected quite easily, Tracy Brabin.

 

[Ostrich]

Through the letterbox today, we received flyers from the Tories (2), Liberal Democrats, Greens, UKIP and Ben's Gutters, the latter offering to visit over the next few days and quote for a gutter cleaning service.

Having read through all the guff on the various leaflets, I suspect the only one we can actually trust to fulfil their promises are the latter.

 

[edwin_m]

Through the letterbox today, we received flyers from the Tories (2), Liberal Democrats, Greens, UKIP and Ben's Gutters, the latter offering to visit over the next few days and quote for a gutter cleaning service.

Having read through all the guff on the various leaflets, I suspect the only one we can actually trust to fulfil their promises are the latter.

I hear the gutters around Westminster are in need of a deep clean.

 

[Bald Rick]

National Highways have learnt the lesson. After the M40, new motorways in England have all had names like "A417 Missing Link project" and "A428 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme".

Big News from St Albans.

The BR family home has had its first non-LD election leaflet through the letterbox today (along with the usual daily diet of 3 LD leaflets).

Which party I hear you ask. The 2nd place last time Conservatives, or the third placed Labour?

No, the ‘Heritage Party’. No, I’d never heard of them either.

The opening sentence of their leaflet says “We desperately need a change from the old parties…” which , given their name, I found highly amusing.

Their headline policies are also quite amusing; as they are mostly things we already have, eg ‘National sovereignty‘.

 

[43096]

Standard for Reform, an openly racist, xenophobic and homophobic party.

Their canvasser in Clacton was caught describing Sunak as a "P*k*", said all asylum seekers landing on beaches should be shot for target practice by the army. Also promoted the Islamic replacement conspiracy theory, and described Muslims as "sick motherf***ers".

Their events organiser called Pride "degenerate" and implied queer people were "nonces", saying he'd change the police to be paramilitaries instead.

We don't see real fascism in the UK very often, but this is what it looks like.

John Hall fits right in, I'd say - into the bin with Reform.

I read that as "Their candidate in Clacton..."!

 

[DarloRich]

No, the ‘Heritage Party’. No, I’d never heard of them either.

they are a fringe right wing populist party vehicle for former UKIPPER David Kurtin who sat in the London assembly

 

[Purple Train]

We've had a Heritage Party leaflet through as well. It has three big priorities: "Control Our Borders", "No 'NET ZERO' [sic]", and "Protect Our Children". It then lists its priorities as: "Defend our culture and heritage, free speech and liberty, traditional family values, protect children from gender ideology, national sovereignty, control our borders, self-sufficiency in skills, no 'net-zero' [sic] - keep our cars, financial responsibility, no more lockdowns, disentangle from foreign wars."

I wasn't sure a party could be much to the right of Reform, but here they are. Their list of priorities blows up the irony meter, the candidate has a few sentences on his local credentials, but, when read closely, they only amount to a few radio appearances and calling the town "beautiful" (I don't think he is aware of the Specsavers on the high street). And who on earth still bangs on about "no more lockdowns"?

I'm not sure I want to throw it away, as it at least convinces me that I am, compared to at least some people, capable of thinking my arguments through! How many seats are they standing in, just out of interest?

 

[jfollows]

How many seats are they standing in, just out of interest?

I’d never heard of them - 41 candidates according to the text inside https://heritageparty.org/heritage-party-to-stand-40-candidates-in-general-election/

 

[Purple Train]

I’d never heard of them - 41 candidates according to the text inside https://heritageparty.org/heritage-party-to-stand-40-candidates-in-general-election/

Interesting. I wonder why they chose to stand here, in a very diverse safe Labour seat? It may just be that they only have 41 members, mind!

 

[Bald Rick]

We've had a Heritage Party leaflet through as well. It has three big priorities: "Control Our Borders", "No 'NET ZERO' [sic]", and "Protect Our Children". It then lists its priorities as: "Defend our culture and heritage, free speech and liberty, traditional family values, protect children from gender ideology, national sovereignty, control our borders, self-sufficiency in skills, no 'net-zero' [sic] - keep our cars, financial responsibility, no more lockdowns, disentangle from foreign wars."

I wasn't sure a party could be much to the right of Reform, but here they are. Their list of priorities blows up the irony meter, the candidate has a few sentences on his local credentials, but, when read closely, they only amount to a few radio appearances and calling the town "beautiful" (I don't think he is aware of the Specsavers on the high street). And who on earth still bangs on about "no more lockdowns"?

I'm not sure I want to throw it away, as it at least convinces me that I am, compared to at least some people, capable of thinking my arguments through! How many seats are they standing in, just out of interest?

Yes mine is similar.

“Take back control of our borders” (err, we’ve not given that away)
”No Net Zero”
“Protect Our Children” (err, don‘t we already do that?j

Having done some research, they are evidently standing in 41 seats. Their total votes collected in 8 recent by elections is around 1300 (out of quarter of a million), and a third of them were in their first by election in Hartlepool.

I really dont understand what people like this think they are doing. Completely deluded.

 

[ainsworth74]

“Protect Our Children” (err, don‘t we already do that?

I suspect the more revealing question would almost certainly be to ask them "protect the children from what"

50p says it's some combination of "Muslim grooming gangs", "the LGBTQ agenda" and "immigrants"...

 

[Busaholic]

I’d never heard of them - 41 candidates according to the text inside https://heritageparty.org/heritage-party-to-stand-40-candidates-in-general-election/

Including Clacton, joining the still-extant UKIP and the ex-Reform candidate for the seat who was 'stood down' by Farage, although his email address is Reform's according to available information. Meanwhile the Andrew Marr show on LBC were reporting that Labour's candidate for Clacton has been ordered to stop campaigning there and go to a Midlands marginal instead! They obviously want the Conservative to keep Farage out, and I think it's quite feasible that'll be the case. I've got the champers (well, cava) on ice ready for that eventuality Friday June 4th morning.

 

[Purple Train]

I suspect the more revealing question would almost certainly be to ask them "protect the children from what"

50p says it's some combination of "Muslim grooming gangs", "the LGBTQ agenda" and "immigrants"...

It is specifically stated as being from the "LGBTQ agenda" or some variation thereupon. Sorry, I should have specified!

 

[brad465]

Sometimes what's real and what's parody is very blurred:

x.com

x.com

I’ve done more than anyone else to defeat the far right in this country.

“I’ve done more than anyone else to defeat the far right in Britain”