"we'll change the things that need changing and that's all we'll change": the paSUKification of post-brexit politics 2021

maybe she digs real minimalism, not that fake centrist minimalism you get in Homes & Gardens mag or whatever!

Striking but not necessarily surprising that this hasn't really received much attention from left commentators in last few weeks, tbh!

And do remember to apply if there's even a slight chance that you might need to – someone we know only realised they had to do so two days ago!! https://t.co/2foxaICwft

— Dan (@d_j_frost) June 30, 2021

All about procedure.

Labour leading on The Sun’s Matt Hancock scoop. Sir Keir Starmer demands to know why the PM didn’t sack Hancock immediately. “The PM must have been the only person in the country who saw that photo and did not think the Health Secretary should have been sacked immediately” #PMQs

— Kate Ferguson (@kateferguson4) June 30, 2021

Meanwhile Sajid is going to go for the NHS, and the country will fully open in two weeks.

A poll shows 61% of the membership think Kieth is a wanker and also probably 80% of the PLP consider him a lame flop, but they'll do anything to avoid a leadership challenge until they can change the voting rules and he'll probably limp on for months after the terrible dj Batley & Spen set. Just so they have enough to time to hollow the party out some more before replacing the chump.

Whining about how a person who's already resigned should have been fired sooner. This is what true opposition looks like.

Would Starmer like to see Labour leadership election rules changed? "That’s a matter for Labour Party conference." No view on it? "That’s a matter for party conference. I’m not aware of any proposals to change those rules."

"'appen that's a matter for 't party conference, young man".

This is horrendous from Starmer

Starmer spokesman confirms Labour backs the current hospital isolation rules: "I think everybody across the country including Ollie's family understand the need for people to make sacrifices in the national effort."

— Hugo Gye (@HugoGye) June 30, 2021

So he raises the case, but the spokesperson (and Lab obviously) backs the government? Really cruel.

Cruel to be Keir

Sacrifices in the national effort you fuck the only sacrifices this nation needs involve big sharp guillotines

EXCL: New trade union chief says donations and affiliation to Labour will be reviewed

The GMB's Gary Smith says his union's cash to Labour does not provide value for money.

It comes on the eve of a crunch by-election for Keir Starmerhttps://t.co/7oyaZIbgzY

— Paul Hutcheon (@paulhutcheon) June 30, 2021

this is an interesting development, the right-wing union that backed Nandy adding to the pressure on Starmer or perhaps the union chief who was considered to be a Labour puppet was planning on withdrawing the funding anyway.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E5MXPpKXoAIiGqh?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E5MXQd6XwAIutLx?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E46Xz2fWUAcT72Y?format=jpg&name=900x900
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E43h5kUX0AA8_Mj?format=jpg&name=large

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

oh that 3rd image isn't in Batley but whatever!

Doesn't look like Palestine either.

imagine if you had Paul Mason, Galloway, Chris Williamson, some Tory cunt and a pissed up Neil Coyle all knocking on your door in the same day. I suspect a lot of people will be relieved this handover to the tories finally ends today.

appalling that drag queens are aiui presiding over sharia law in batley's schools though

re: trade unions withdrawing funding from Lab. Believe it when I see it.

i think its like the concept of interest rates where any change by BOE has become so blunt an instrument it can no longer be utilised and its instead replaced by announcements of imminent changes as the only suitably delicate intervention

New Statesman lets Sun editor brag about Cockgate

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2021/06/victoria-newton-s-diary-how-sun-got-its-matt-hancock-scoop

It was a shocking video. I couldn’t believe a cabinet minister would behave like that in his government office at 3pm.

...

Excruciatingly for the BBC, by 9am it still hadn’t been able to work out how to cover the story – was it a sex scandal, or a political exposé? Such are the chilling effects of privacy laws, particularly to the BBC, which has been burned before.

lol the bitterness

My daily conference starts with the most searched items on Google

cool cool flawless thinking

The days of measuring performance on print sales alone are long gone.

lol the bitterness

surely performance is measured on success in controlling the public discourse?

fucking Sun editors should be not seen and not heard anywhere outside Murdoch-land. Unless it's a last request before they get shot. As amusing as it is to read one making a serious journalism/public interest claim about a bonking pol scoop.

She is from Liverpool, *spits*

on the batley/spen market on the betting exchanges Labour have gone from something like 13/2 yesterday to something like 2/1 in the last hour. Tories are still clear favs, but there has been some money on Labour tonight.

I'm trying to cope with this by dismissing it as some Betfair bullshit to draw more mug punters in!

I've also seen the rumours, a Galloway-backlash thing, still backed up by nothing whatsoever, so

calz, have you seen this documentary about Batley Variety Club? Louis Armstrong, Eartha Kitt, Roy Orbison, Neil Sedaka and loads of others apparently played there in the 60s / 70s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjGzSruor2Y

oh I will have to check that out. I went down a Batley variety club wormhole recently. The flash git who owned the club tried to book Dean Martin with a very generous for the time £45 grand offer and his agent said he wouldn't even get out of bed for a piss for that pittance.

maybe Dean Martin showed up in Batley today and campaigned for Labour!

Oh yeah, it was very famous. I think it led, directly or indirectly, to Scott Walker breaking up the Walker Brothers and Roy Wood getting Jeff Lynne to join the Move.

Batley, not just there for its shoddy and mungo industries history and Labour by-election angst - it was a fucking cool spot as well!

Or did he do Batley during his CBS years?

(Scott Walker, obvs xpost)

Yes, that might be it, or, more likely, the Walker Brothers reunion, I think it might have pushed him towards recording "Nite Flights" (and alcoholism).

at least Kieth can't blame Batley for his alcoholism but the exit poll might exacerbate an existing problem

So now the polls closed I read a pretty convincing twitter thread arguing that while nationally the picture is v bad for Starmer Lab should edge it tomorrow. Just by looking at the constituency itself.

The only thing he couldn't compute was Galloway's impact.

I talked to an Asian women I know who works as my son's transport escort about Galloway and she really wasn't impressed when I said he was a reet bloody grifter and I felt like I'd overstepped a mark. He's probably a lock in for third, based on pure conjecture and that poll a few weeks back, but he's going to do a lot better than I initially thought he would.

and also the Spenborough Valley side of the constituency is already very Tory and I'd imagine (based on pure conjecture) the toxic nature of this by-election will turn it even more Tory.

apparently a 70% turnout!

yeah that's...unexpected

Tory activist who just left Batley tells me: "Prior to today, I was really really optimistic.

"However, this evening we’ve had a lot of Conservative voters saying they’re not bothering or sick of a divisive campaign." 1/2

— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) July 1, 2021

lol as if Tory voters start feeling so annoyed with ugly divisive campaigns that they can't be arsed voting Tory, is it some kind of winning fatigue?

"yeah that's...unexpected"

Hartlepool was 42.7 %

beyond parody

The Labour leader is expected to come out fighting after the byelection, with a string of public appearances and policy announcements. “We know we have work to do,” said a party source.

such strong copium before we've even seen the exit poll

Labour hold by 323! and it certainly wasn't a 70% turnout. Well that isn't going to get rid of Kieth!

BATLEY AND SPEN
Labour: 13,296
Conservative: 12,973
Workers Party: 8,264
Lib Dem: 1,254

— Sienna Rodgers (@siennamarla) July 2, 2021

Turnout was 47.61% in Batley & Spen - a LONG way from what was predicted earlier. #BatleyAndSpenByelection #LDReporter

— TonyLDR (@LdrTony) July 2, 2021

Kim Leadbeater repeatedly declines to say to the BBC whether Keir Starmer was an "asset" to the Labour Party campaign in Batley and Spen.

— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) July 2, 2021

“This is just the start,” says Keir Starmer of Labour’s victory in Batley and Spen.

lol stop it, by-elections against governing Tories are supposed to be a formality for Labour - Corbz won 9 of them without any fanfare or them being reported as shock results

Getting Jo Cox's sister to run almost didn't work. Bad turnout and this is a v tight marginal now. It looks like Galloway absorbed dissatisfaction from all directions.

I'm astonished he got 22%