love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

Who remembers when ED Davey (@EdwardJDavey) played Bob Lister the Market Inspector in EastEnders ... #BBCQT pic.twitter.com/UnnNoZMzdA

— BeCo (@BeCo74) December 5, 2019

lol Matt is this room bugged?

Oh they had leaders then

pic.twitter.com/fjD8z6J46L

— ian mighty (@iammightor) February 3, 2017

How is Keir's plan to professionalise the party going? https://t.co/SnBpFmPAMd

— Tom Williams (@shirleymush) August 27, 2020

Kieth just calmly leading as he usually does because Labour melts can post what they like on Twitter. Not that I've seen what was posted but would imagine it was some factional shittalking that no lefty MP would get away with.

Of course he uses the cry laughing emoji.

that's how they laff in the "traditional working areas"

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/08/brexit-backers-tate-lyle-set-to-gain-73m-from-end-of-eu-trade-tariffs

more backhanders.

and what was that about obesity the other week?

What it's like to live in Fuckyouistan

Looking forward to seeing how Ed Davey will manage somehow to lose his job in the next 12 months

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

he's no Ravey Davey, more like craven tory-cunt Davey

Tweets on Tues fell below standards I set myself as well as those expected of me by constituents & Keir Starmer’s Labour Party. As a patriot, I’m v angry about those damaging the UK, undermining our values whilst abusing our flag, but that must not tip into foul language. Sorry.

— Neil Coyle (@coyleneil) August 27, 2020

lool!

lol check out the tiny story at the very bottom of the page
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgdJVvoXkAAaakr?format=jpg&name=large

Matt is away

needs to count his money some days!

also "The BBC show which welcomes a conservative view" - what an absolute enigma, just can't believe it etc!

I campaigned for Neil Coyle to be elected in the first place, because Labour sent me to that constituency. I didn't know who he was or anything. I suppose no-one did at that point. I have often rather regretted it since.

we've all given support to people who turned out to be disappointments. Kieth Starmer's mum must be kicking herself.

That’s not rain outside, it’s the Labour Party pissing down your neck.

Just abysmal stuff pic.twitter.com/dsoCKWvJnH

— black lives matter (@jrc1921) August 28, 2020

Vote Labour for Your Usual Way of Life is a strong message tbf

The polling is pretty starkly against going back to offices (except from over-65s) so definite vote-winner stance again

it's just cargo cult Brownism at this point

👌

Not to mention those for whom work is their only escape from an abusive spouse.

— Isabel Hardman (@IsabelHardman) August 28, 2020

i think that was meant for the "bad faith" thread

I'm obviously not planning to go back to work any time soon but city centres completely stripped of retail, arts, hospitality and service jobs is a pretty bleak prospect. It's easy to say 'cities will adapt, people will retrain, etc' but much harder to imagine how it'll work in practice.

Yeah, well what about getting some me-time away from your partner who left politics rather than be investigated for sexual harassment of a young woman doing work experience?

Has anyone pointed out to her that there's very little actually preventing people from going into the office if they want to?

Quite a lot of companies are forbidding it, I know mine is for most people.

They have a limited amount of bookable, distanced hot desks for people (in bc4). Need team lead approval though.

All the corridors, kitchen, toilet areas are one-way. Temps are being taking on entry.

But, yes, space for a fraction of normal numbers

Breathtaking - the DfE actually now advising schools to plan for local lockdowns, at 7.30pm on the Friday of a bank holiday weekend, with schools either opened or opening next week. https://t.co/GCPNlQKsXI

— Richard Adams (@RichardA) August 28, 2020

"we must, first, help Henderson or Snowden to beat Lloyd George and Churchill (or, rather, compel the former to beat the latter, because the former are afraid of their victory!); second, we must help the majority of the working class to be convinced by their own experience that we are right"

Reminded recently of Vardy's quote on resolve, when talking here about that goal against Liverpool

Hardman's view is a crazy one that people have been repeating for 5 months.

If anyone is being abused, at home, that is awful.

But 'go to work so you don't have to be with that person quite so much' is not an optimal solution to that problem.

And as a solution to that problem, it is not good enough to justify the other problems it causes (viz: public death and serious damage to public health).

As I said, it's text book bad faith. I don't believe her main concern for people returning to work is to protect people in abusive relationships.

Mass anti vaxx protest in Trafalgar Square.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. pic.twitter.com/TLi7DBr0dO

— Expect resistance 🚩 (@Simon_P_Hannah) August 29, 2020

david icke, qanon, at least one BUF flag on display

btw fuck this absolute cunt. no wonder he & corbs are so comfortable hanging out with SWP front groups. labour was never good or even ok

After visiting #Assange in prison I became even surer that this is an innocent man, a political prisoner,whose life is being taken from him day by day as a result of the acquiescence of the government to American dictat.All who believe in justice have a duty to demand his release https://t.co/A3FcB7S5ui

— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) August 29, 2020

I know this is a pretty standard position esp in bloke-left and conspiracy-left circles but that doesn’t make it any better. every prisoner is political but the one time people actually give a shit about incarceration is when it’s a rapist who promotes nazi talking points. fuck everything

Observer back on their tactical voting bullshit

How Labour climbed 26 points to match the Tories in opinion polls https://t.co/s1ExbxdLx5

— Guardian politics (@GdnPolitics) August 29, 2020

Toby Helm was an absolutely transparent Corbyn-basher before he started blowing Nandy and Starmer. Just look through his bylines. Truly “campaigning journalism”!

Acres and acres of this sort of thing:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/25/tom-watson-labour-must-back-second-brexit-referendum

Clearly there is no further need for John McDonnell now that we have Comrade Rishi.

I finally get why people do that annoying clapping hands emoji thing on Twitter now. Individual polls four years out from an election prove nobody's point and it's daft pretending otherwise.

What matters is consistent direction of travel, and this should really be framed as a story about the Tories tanking. Their poll lead was frothy, admittedly, a combination of a honeymoon PM and unprecedented historical circumstances, but losing it is going to provoke some rancorous plotting among Tory backbenchers.

It's also worth emphasising, time and time again, that line in the Dominic Cummings job advert about the govt having no reason to worry about short-term unpopularity. They won't give a shit about this, the backbenchers who keep going on TV to defend policies that then get scrapped might feel otherwise.

If Labour have gone from 28 to 40, have they climbed 26?

If the Cons are on 40 they're hardly 'tanking'.

Yeah I think they are tanking if a range polls show them at 35. That could happen as Brexit is implemented or there is some kind of property crash..

The fact that the gvrnment have implemented a £10,000 fine to anyone caught playing music or encouraging a crowd in Notting Hill this weekend, but encouraged street gatherings for VE DAY during the height of the pandemic says EVERYTHING about the treatment of black ppl in the UK.

— 🅼🅰🆂🅷. (@MarkAshleyD) August 30, 2020

one aspect of the selective easing of lockdown is that its remained most stringent in restricting any non-commercial form of social gathering, you can't have a big birthday party in your house, but you could have 30 people round to the pub no bother.

we regret to inform you that West Wing porn is still big business

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/08/liberal-democrats-don-t-need-listen-they-need-lead