Bellend Sebastian Posted 1 April Share Posted 1 April I've seen this posted from a "aren't the Tories awful" angle but I think it's a bit more subtle than that and is a good piece on how we've got to where we are, and perhaps prompts the old grey matter to think where we might go from here. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/what-have-fourteen-years-of-conservative-rule-done-to-britain Not intended for a UK audience which I think says quite a lot. I don't think there's anything in here that's new to me but it's rare to see something that sums up the whole period. It ALMOST made me see Dominic Cummings more sympathetically, so proceed with caution 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot Posted 1 April Share Posted 1 April Drove down south and back over the weekend, the roads are just an absolute disgrace it’s literally like being in a third world country. And what gets me is the cobblestone that’s underneath many of these roads is absolutely fine. It’s like they use 80% sand and 20% tarmac, even all the A roads are absolutely buggered, it’s a joke, and with all the councils going bust it will only get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 1 April Share Posted 1 April 5 hours ago, Lionator said: I just feel sorry for the people of Syria having to endure this never ending proxy war, it’s about 13 years now I believe. yeah, it was always going to bite Syria on the bum, getting Iran involved.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanSP Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 13 hours ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said: Drove down south and back over the weekend, the roads are just an absolute disgrace it’s literally like being in a third world country. And what gets me is the cobblestone that’s underneath many of these roads is absolutely fine. It’s like they use 80% sand and 20% tarmac, even all the A roads are absolutely buggered, it’s a joke, and with all the councils going bust it will only get worse. It's horrendous. Worst I've seen for where I am in ages. Massive ones appearing too. They do all the roadworks throughout the year but it does seem like they don't use appropriate long-term fixes. Instead they just have to repair them and relay roads every year. Guess the cuts for councils as you say means they can't invest in the long term solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaphamFox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 16 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said: I've seen this posted from a "aren't the Tories awful" angle but I think it's a bit more subtle than that and is a good piece on how we've got to where we are, and perhaps prompts the old grey matter to think where we might go from here. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/01/what-have-fourteen-years-of-conservative-rule-done-to-britain Not intended for a UK audience which I think says quite a lot. I don't think there's anything in here that's new to me but it's rare to see something that sums up the whole period. It ALMOST made me see Dominic Cummings more sympathetically, so proceed with caution Thanks - a very good piece, albeit not a particularly cheering one. The section covering the impact of years of spending cuts might be of interest to those complaining about the state of the roads elsewhere on this page. I tend to agree with Cummings' view that the political class is in a state of complete paralysis over Brexit. This sentence towards the end of the piece sums things up fairly neatly: "It is unnerving to be heading into an election year in Britain with the political conversation so small, next to questions that can feel immeasurable." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bovril Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 19 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said: Thanks - a very good piece, albeit not a particularly cheering one. The section covering the impact of years of spending cuts might be of interest to those complaining about the state of the roads elsewhere on this page. I tend to agree with Cummings' view that the political class is in a state of complete paralysis over Brexit. This sentence towards the end of the piece sums things up fairly neatly: "It is unnerving to be heading into an election year in Britain with the political conversation so small, next to questions that can feel immeasurable." Cummings' quotes in this piece are as incoherent as his tweets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urban.spaceman Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April We're all doomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hankey Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April I thought he had to call a GE prior to the end of 5 years of this Parliament? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tommy G Posted 2 April Popular Post Share Posted 2 April Sure many of those who are on social media will of seen it is World Autism Awareness Day. Lots of people posting and spreading awareness - which is great. I can't really put it into words how challenging it is to care for someone you love and care for so deeply who will often not recognise this, not know their name when you call them, not interact with you on a level all your peers do with their children and a whole load of other daily difficult and upsetting behaviours. If you do know someone who does have a child, or relative with Autism - or any form of disability whether phyiscal or mental, I urge you to just check how they are doing a bit more often, an extra invite for a pint or an offer of some time/support - it goes a really long way. There are a few people on here that will understand my fumbled words above and I am always open to talk about my own experiences. 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_horns Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April Lot of fuss in Scotland about the new laws coming in with even our PM getting involved. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmmqq4qv81qo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facecloth Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 1 hour ago, urban.spaceman said: We're all doomed. He has to call one by October I think, or whenever it was Johnson had his Brexit election in 2019. So judging by his party's record and his own, that's wishful thinking things will improve before he has to call an election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaphamFox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 23 minutes ago, Super_horns said: Lot of fuss in Scotland about the new laws coming in with even our PM getting involved. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmmqq4qv81qo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnfox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 17 minutes ago, Facecloth said: He has to call one by October I think, or whenever it was Johnson had his Brexit election in 2019. So judging by his party's record and his own, that's wishful thinking things will improve before he has to call an election. January 28th is the latest a GE can take place, but there has to be 25 working days in the lead up. Given that would encompass the festive period, it's highly unlikely it will be that late. I would think October would be sensible. All the MPs will be back after summer recess in September so can get going on it then. Sunak will want to wait as long as possible. Interest rates possibly falling in the summer, some nice weather and maybe a scandal or two involving Labour MPs might soften the public enough to not leave the Tories facing complete obliteration. It's a damage limitation exercise, everyone knows he/they will be moving out of 10 Downing Street. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facecloth Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 2 minutes ago, nnfox said: January 28th is the latest a GE can take place, but there has to be 25 working days in the lead up. Given that would encompass the festive period, it's highly unlikely it will be that late. I would think October would be sensible. All the MPs will be back after summer recess in September so can get going on it then. Sunak will want to wait as long as possible. Interest rates possibly falling in the summer, some nice weather and maybe a scandal or two involving Labour MPs might soften the public enough to not leave the Tories facing complete obliteration. It's a damage limitation exercise, everyone knows he/they will be moving out of 10 Downing Street. Don't know why I had October in my head, completely forgot how close the 2019 one was to Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnfox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 8 minutes ago, Facecloth said: Don't know why I had October in my head, completely forgot how close the 2019 one was to Christmas. I think Jeremy Hunt hinted at an October election in the press a week or so ago. Nothing official though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymsey Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April Disgraceful.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68715185 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 2 hours ago, urban.spaceman said: We're all doomed. It’s interesting when you say ‘ we’re all doomed’. My son has Austism and his new phrase that he says randomly is “ we’re all going to die!” Which is kind of funny at times especially if he’s at school or we take him to the playground… not so much when we take him to see his great grandma in the nursing home.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Falling Foxes Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 1 hour ago, Facecloth said: He has to call one by October I think, or whenever it was Johnson had his Brexit election in 2019. So judging by his party's record and his own, that's wishful thinking things will improve before he has to call an election. I think that when a party wins two or more consecutive terms of office, often complacency, contempt and disregard for the electorate can creep in to the way they govern and policies they enact. Of course it is a democratic system so if a party is re elected, so be it. However, I wonder if a second term should be restricted to 4, or even 3 years? If they are elected for a 3rd consecutive term that too should be for 3 years. I feel that may focus their attention more on what is good for the country as a whole and not just implement a strategy that favours their traditional voters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April I can’t help but think all this talk of ‘the tories are going to be all but wiped out’ at the next election are massively premature. Where I work now in the public sector everyone is already talking about what might change/what to be prepared for with the new incoming government. I’ll just believe it when I see it, they always poll worse than the reality, because people never vote Tory do they, yet they keep winning elections. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parafox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 2 hours ago, Facecloth said: He has to call one by October I think, or whenever it was Johnson had his Brexit election in 2019. So judging by his party's record and his own, that's wishful thinking things will improve before he has to call an election. Spin it effectively and the suckers will start to believe. They all do it, to a greater or lesser effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionator Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 1 hour ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said: I can’t help but think all this talk of ‘the tories are going to be all but wiped out’ at the next election are massively premature. Where I work now in the public sector everyone is already talking about what might change/what to be prepared for with the new incoming government. I’ll just believe it when I see it, they always poll worse than the reality, because people never vote Tory do they, yet they keep winning elections. The polls are generally accurate currently in the context of bi-elections. They are absolutely on to get wiped out and it’s hard to see that changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hankey Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 2 hours ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said: I can’t help but think all this talk of ‘the tories are going to be all but wiped out’ at the next election are massively premature. Where I work now in the public sector everyone is already talking about what might change/what to be prepared for with the new incoming government. I’ll just believe it when I see it, they always poll worse than the reality, because people never vote Tory do they, yet they keep winning elections. A Labour landslide, greater than 1997 is on the cards. I've been saying for ages now that it is Labour's victory to lose given all the sleaze, lies and shenanigans from the current mob. The trouble for me is that once Labour is in power will they do any better? It is so easy to shout and berate from the sidelines and a completely different job once in Office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 26 minutes ago, David Hankey said: A Labour landslide, greater than 1997 is on the cards. I've been saying for ages now that it is Labour's victory to lose given all the sleaze, lies and shenanigans from the current mob. The trouble for me is that once Labour is in power will they do any better? It is so easy to shout and berate from the sidelines and a completely different job once in Office. I mean they can’t possibly do any worse can they. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hankey Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 38 minutes ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said: I mean they can’t possibly do any worse can they. Well, I do remember the last time back in 2010 and the "cupboard is bare" note they left behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighPeakFox Posted 2 April Share Posted 2 April 1 minute ago, David Hankey said: Well, I do remember the last time back in 2010 and the "cupboard is bare" note they left behind. You've forgotten that it was a time-honoured joke. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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