“I take my responsibilities seriously. I did not lie” - UK politics June 23 on

I thought Kieth was all for shooting large quadrupeds

Not sure why some people insist Kemi Badenoch "isn't that bad really".

https://news.stv.tv/world/british-ingenuity-not-colonialism-drove-uk-growth-says-kemi-badenoch

Idk, I think most people who aren't ConHome commenters consider "Kemi isn't that bad really" as synonymous with "I am an enormous danger"

I liked the euphemism of "specialist historians" for "people who have any idea what they're talking about"

Also loved the point in the last paragraph - even if this wasn't bollocks, they're saying the Empire maintained colonial rule and control against its own economic interests?

"India did not have a zero-growth rate of GDP under British rule; it had a negative rate." to quote Amartya Sen.

that tweet that xyzzz posted :(

― Bernard Quidbins (NickB), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 bookmarkflaglink

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/02/london-protesters-block-coach-peckham-asylum-seekers-bibby-stockholm

An empty taxi pulled up to Holyrood and out stepped the new Scottish First Minister.

so those local election / Blackpool South by-election results eh?

(no I have nothing to say about them either)

You couldn't make it up etc.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/boris-johnson-elections-polling-station-b2538777.html

yeah that was pretty funny

apparently it was "seismic" that roughly the average attendance at Bloomfield Road voted for Labour in the locals in a 30 odd % lower turnout than usual.

Labour losing plenty of seats to Greens/Independents, luckily that's the not the main agenda so i'm sure they'll tell us they're doing great

oops, S Blackpool was a by-election, but point stands

tbf on Boris, Kieth has disenfranchised more voters than the ID scheme ever could

Shaking off more of those damned fleas.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/labour-loses-control-oldham-council-29104830

so far Labour have only gained 13 more seats than Greens and Independents combined, that seems just as significant as the predictable Tory wipeout

.. sorry councillors not seats

In an interview with the BBC, Keir Starmer was asked if he was concerned that his position on Gaza was costing him vote. (It has been cited as the reason, or part of the reason, for Labour losing control of Oldham council.) In response, Starmer did not really engage with the question. He said that he was concerned wherever the party was losing votes. But he went on:

"But there’s no denying that across the country, whether is Hartlepool in the north, or Rushmoor in the south [in Hampshire], or Redditch, bellwether seats, we are winning votes across the country. And that, I think, reflects a changed the Labour party with a positive case to take to the country."

Translation of this mealy-mouthed blathering: IDGAF

so far

Independants/Greens +52
Labour +52

TUSC 32.2% in Southampton Bevois. Second place; beat the Greens, Conservatives, & Lib Dems; would need an 8.2% swing to win

— Edmund Griffiths (@EdmundGriffiths) May 3, 2024

Labour are vermin.

I never thought I’d be nostalgic for the days when this stuff was hinted at and not said out loud. pic.twitter.com/xBFSXMW26q

— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) May 3, 2024

they aren't just cribbing the campaign leaflet style from the BNP. Sickening people.

One of the few positives from last night

Haven't heard a single story about a young person not being able to vote today due to lack of ID.

As expected, it's older people who have run into problems. https://t.co/VW35sYri1A

— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) May 2, 2024

Keep going guys.

Birmingham Labour source calling West Midlands mayoralty for Andy Street. “We have beaten him as a general rule, but the Muslim vote has collapsed to the Galloway-backed independent.”

— Patrick Maguire (@patrickkmaguire) May 3, 2024

Boohoo

As a general rule

lol...

Labour source: 'It's the Middle East, not West Midlands that will have won Street the Mayoralty. Once again Hamas are the real villains.'

— Rob Mayor (@robmayor) May 3, 2024

Please, keep this shit up, Labour sources

So gracious in defeat, so grown up

Didn't believe that could be a real quote but apparently so. You can't complain that other politicans are talking about Gaza too much and then blame Hamas for losing

when faced with some democratic accountability, some political parties might have a period of self-reflection. Labour though, they just issue bitter racial slurs through their press office and give their MPs carte blanche to do the same on social media.

That “as a general rule” quote is despicable. Wow!

labour source: osamathumbsup.jpg

A Labour Party Spokesperson said: ‘The Labour party has strongly condemned this racist quote which has not come from anyone who is speaking on behalf of the party or who’s values are welcome in the party.’ https://t.co/2ujcgsjx7C

— Rob Mayor (@robmayor) May 3, 2024

Labour Party spokesperson condemns himself for racist quote.

Too bizarre that Rob Mayor is reporting on the mayoral contests

Wonder if Akehurst will ever be considered a liability by the top brass

looking forward to pete starmersbeenkilledbyafallingpiano's reporting on the general election

“muslims, who we hate btw, should have voted for us” another winning labour party strategy there

— michael wave (@SzMarsupial) May 3, 2024

Ungrateful heathens.

the other day I saw something about Mandelson writing that parties should be able to select their own MPs rather than members. Similar to: ppl shouldn't have free elections, if minorities aren't voting for us then they are obv not well informed enough to vote.

🚨 Workers Party GAINS Central Rochdale Ward (Rochdale)

🔴 WPB 53% (+53)
🔴 LAB 41% (-32)
🟠 LD 4% (-14)
🔵 CON 3% (-7)

Workers Party GAIN from Labour pic.twitter.com/ONWb1R9QVF

— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) May 3, 2024

-32 lol

I’m just out here wondering how many voters would have to be angry enough at Starmer to elect his indie challenger at the general.

If Israel goes into Rafah and Labour don't play it right this could have major repurcussions for Labour.

The thing is they won't be winning those votes back any time soon - although they have so much contempt for this particular group of voters that I'm sure they think they'll come crawling back to them. It's taken them years to claw back working class voters in Scotland, it's taken the SNP turning into a total shitshow and even then they've not sealed the deal.

The contempt shown to Muslims by this iteration of Labour is really something! Why would you alienate 2.5 million voters who’d normally be with you? Are LFI/JLM-friendly donors so worth it?

I am absolutely sure that Jeremy Corbyn having basic respect and affection for Muslims really stuck in the craw of those on the right of Labour, which is full of Islamophobes and middle class briefcase wankers who only know how to cope with their own ilk.

I don't think the leadership care all that much about all the bad results here, or how it looks. It's a feature not a bug of their strategy that they will win a majority at the GE without enthusiasm, with a low turnout, and with disgust and low support from some constituencies (in the informal sense) that, as Suzy says, supported the previous leadership. This allows them to signal to their new white and racist voting base that they're "a changed party" (one time Starmer's not lying). They want to put mass democracy back in its box, and ensure it stays there, dissatisfied and disenfranchised, voting for independents who aren't united in a party structure. This way they can handle politics in the back rooms with the lobbyists. The only thorn in this could the The Worker's Party, but that should worry the rest of us too.

The older Galloway gets, the more vain and venal he becomes. He won’t be elected again in Rochdale because in this century he does FA for constituents.

it would be preferable that Labour lose seats to Greens/CPoB/fuck knows, any indie that isn't a fashbol anti-vaxxer allied with that vile pig.

xp
Yeah, but will be interesting to see if he can cobble together the hundreds of candidates he says he has, or if that's all bullshit. I think he could certainly upset or damage Labour in a few races if he does.

you have to hope that whenever Galloway gets a national platform he loses potential voters

Pinch of salt with of course differing natures of locals vs GE but still !!

https://news.sky.com/story/sky-news-projection-labour-on-course-to-be-largest-party-but-short-of-overall-majority-13128242

Using the latest figures from the local elections, it can be projected that Labour is on course to be the largest party in parliament - but falls short of a Commons majority by 32 seats.

i would love to believe, but i don't see how that accounts for the likelihood of indies/Greens struggling more in a general election

with the turnaround between the bye-election and the general being so short I think Galloway has a high chance to winning again. If it were 12-18 months apart he'd lose support, but I don't see it happening in such a short space of time