brexit negging when yr mandate is is trash: or further chronicles of a garbage-fire

i like that idea ogmor. room to grow!

olds can still play a vital role in society tho

https://sciscomedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Corbyn-Hat.jpg

jeremy's 68, he's got 18 months left in him

WTF is Owen Smith doing in the Shadow Cabinet?

hoping no-one notices, probably

apparently it is mostly an appointment designed to absolutely piss off Hilary Benn, so maybe not totally an objectionable move

Having brought peace to Northern Ireland once, he can surely do it again.

As Mark S pointed out yesterday though, he seems to be legitimately respected there.

As pointed out elsewhere he was a SPAD in NI so has been handed something that he can do, that will keep him busy.

I'd guess that being very conspicuously Welsh is probably an advantage in NI?

In what way? Not English, you mean? Or Scottish, lol.

corbs is saying "big beasts so-called no! this one teenytiny beast however is ok"

aaaalso the organisation required for JC to win that second contest was i suspect not unhelpful in what just happened: corbs is pro party democracy bcz it's good for the party, and he enjoys capaigning, and OS stood against him openly after brexit had not gone the way the party wanted, i don't actually think that is in principle bad

unlilke the chicken coup, which was unconscionable -- though in the end i think it ended up damaging their wing of the party more

(of course the sense of a split party helped depress corbyn's and labour's numbers, which encouraged may to call the snap election: if lab had been riding higher, we wouldn't be where we are now) (not sure where i'm going with this: mr been for the lords maybe)

Hilary could be Minister for Punching Fascists

corbyn understands and champions democracy which is almost unheard of in uk politics

well it smacks of populism

Owen Smith did get a large chunk of the party to vote for him to lead it. Progress wastemen and chicken coup plotters otoh represent no-one but themselves.

(of course the sense of a split party helped depress corbyn's and labour's numbers, which encouraged may to call the snap election: if lab had been riding higher, we wouldn't be where we are now)

even the best of all possible worlds requires us to wade through horrific and interminable amounts of shit

It's very dialectical: bad things are actually good.

It's like reverse accelerationism.

something something sluggish something something slugs

YouGov are saying there has now been a full-circle reversal of fortune and that TM's favourability ratings are now as low as JC's were in back in November.

absolute scenes

i'd hope the entirely avoidable deaths of hundreds of people under may's watch would absolutely put a dent in her approval ratings

it's the cunts who still support her that worry me

the poor in spirit will always be with us

brittle brittle brittle

Poll done on 11-12th. After this week even the Tories will be thinking about getting rid of her.

for heaven's sake woman, go!

that thing where season two tanks even before it goes to air

Difficult first album

definitely maybe not

Mourning Tory

Something that hadn't occurred to me until Owen Jones pointed it out on Twitter is that Farron's resignation leaves the Lib Dems free to make some kind of agreement with the Tories, although it's difficult to believe they could be so stupid as to do it again.

it was mentioned itt earlier but surely even the libdems wouldn't stick their heads in the mincer again so soon after the last disaster

surely...?

Hard Brexit backbench tories would make a lib dem tie up impossible I'd have thought.

Is she gonna cling on until July the... whatever it is solely so she rack up a full calendar year in office.

i imagine the topic will come up in their leadership contest

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DCXfM1WXkAEDgJp.jpg

you'd think this^^^ would deter them from the idea, but who knows?

lib dem
everything is soft-right
tie up
wayyyyyy outta sight

jesus that graph

anyone thinking about a snap election henceforth would do well to reflect on it

the other shock, looking at that, is what an outlier TM's personal popularity was compared to everything else. has anyone ever really explained it?

net negative 34 for may before grenfell is catastrophic

and hilarious, of course

has anyone ever really explained it?

the great british public defies explanation on so many things

i'm thinking of some kind of weird bake-off sugar confection that has startling fluted height but bursts into sticky dust at a touch

in fact that's literally my explanation and it is better than any i've read

as flimsy as a rickety meringue

it's easy to throw around words like "stockholm syndrome" with no appreciation of its actual clinical definition, but perhaps that's why it's so fun. at any rate it's the only foothold i have into it - after the trauma of the brexit vote people respected any show of strength on offer. seems too neat and not historically specific enough tho

Rickie T, good name for a rapper (xp)

May was an enigma to most voters and the election changed that.

May was an enigma to most but she never meant shit to me...

JIM: Who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion.
by Hillaire Belloc

There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends were very good to him
They gave him tea and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham
And chocolate with pink inside
And little tricycles to ride

They read him stories through and through
And even took him to the zoo
But there it was the awful fate
Befell him, which I now relate
You know (at least you ought to know
For I have often told you so)

That children never are allowed
To leave their nurses in a crowd
Now this was Jim's especial foible
He ran away when he was able
And on this inauspicious day
He slipped his hand and ran away

He hadn't gone a yard when BANG
With open jaws a lion sprang
And hungrily began to eat
The boy, beginning at his feet
Now just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels

And then by varying degrees
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees
Are slowly eaten bit by bit
No wonder Jim detested it
No wonder that he shouted "Ai"
The honest keeper heard his cry

Though very fat, he almost ran
To help the little gentleman
"Ponto," he ordered as he came
For Ponto was the lion's name
"Ponto," he said with angry frown
"Down sir, let go, put it down!"

The lion made a sudden stop
He let the dainty morsel drop
And slunk reluctant to his cage
Snarling with disappointed rage
But when he bent him over, Jim
The honest keeper's eyes grew dim

The lion having reached his head
The miserable boy was dead
When nurse informed his parents they
Were more concerned than I can say
His mother as she dried her eyes
Said "It gives me no surprise

He would not do as he was told."
His father who was self-controlled
Bade all the children round attend
To James's miserable end.
And always keep ahold of nurse
For fear of finding something worse.

except jim met the absolute ponto and things turned out otherwise