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

and looking even more dodgy on austerity, civil liberties etc - I'd rather shear my balls off with a stihlsaw and eat them than vote for these corrupt racist scumbags

Yeah this doesn't even touch on any number of rights this lot are awful on. A guy like Alex obviously doesn't give enough of a shit about that, but even on his level of 'please fix the economy, sir' they won't be good.

harrowell's routinely fine on all those things tbf, and has always been good on e.g. blairite dishonesty as a fact and a long-term problem. given which (and given also that my response when i read it was "lol fuck off alex"), i'm thinking think this is mostly a harrumph abt aggro anti-starmerism not being much of a politics *in itself* -- and no one engaging in doing much to fashion (or even locate) a more concrete alternative currently. (he himself got badly burned in anti-blair liberalism round 2010, by not taking quick enough account of how much the orange book arseholes were hollowing out the principled kennedy anti-war lib stance etc)

speaking of which:

And on that topic, an explanation from today’s FT of why 92 of those legislators for life are hereditary peers. (“He” is the Marquess of Salisbury, then leader of the Conservative peers.) pic.twitter.com/Y54Cf79oQv

— George Peretz QC (@GeorgePeretzQC) November 13, 2021

"i'm thinking think this is mostly a harrumph abt aggro anti-starmerism not being much of a politics *in itself* -- and no one engaging in doing much to fashion (or even locate) a more concrete alternative currently."

From what I can tell it's a mixture of leaving Lab, organising with the union or Acorn but also despair and anger at the chance missed, which will take a long time to go away, if ever.

Ultimately this wound will grow the closer Starmer gets to power, which is a prospect given that the Tories don't have a plan for the stuff that needs a plan.

The "Yorkshire Ranter" is saying just because of a push poll showing Starmer ahead for the first time, which suspiciously looks like the right-wing press giving notice to/roughing up Boris a bit - then they should blindly consider getting behind "the team" regardless of what they think of their political direction. People don't despise Kieth because he's not 20 points ahead, if he was they'd hate him even more!

i am fond of the ranter, who has been an excellent way-off-mainstream supplier of undeluded fact and useful analysis for many years -- which is i guess why i'm prepared to spot him a mulligan on how this tweet reads (which is badly)

his blog seems a bit more thoughtful than the moniker suggests, but that tweet is bollox!

the way Kieth's campaign office alienated and monstered Asian voters in Batley + Spen is some stored resentment that will come back and bite him hard there in the next GE + in other similar constituencies and is not something that will show up on a poll commissioned with a hidden agenda by the DM. And I know what response I'd get if I suggested forgiveness from former Labour voters who abstained or voted for grifter George.

there's a reply from flying rodent who has probably the highest hitrate of any of these twitter guys imo that is right which is, well starmer has done everything he can to slander the left drive us out of the party that seems like a reasonable justification to continue to withhold support.

this seems a fairly justified position imo

Alex seems clever enough to know that if he explicitly comes out with that hackneyed paternalist patter that poor, marginalised self-interest groups that have suffered under a decade of Tory rule owe some weird masochistic occult loyalty to the Labour Party - no matter how shit they are. Then he'll get completely arseholed on twitter. But he's sent post anyway!

You can't really go there without explaining how potentially better than what we already have is a repeat of 2010 but this time with a LabDem coalition and the "nothing good is possible/sensible few minor adjustments" regime that would come with that.

i dunno i think she should do a fit for work assessment https://t.co/Yw4fCPSwpn

— soviet night witch (@leechwaifu) November 14, 2021

current waiting list she'll be dead before she gets near one

she's already dead, they are going to real fake it until the centenary year has passed

It’s just pure selfishness, we’re right in the bank holiday dead zone as well

they've suspended Universal Credit payments/demanding it all back from people who didn't provide a selfie of themselves by their front door. It's only reasonable that the same rules apply to her benefits.

Hate to break it to you but they are not planning a bank holiday for when they do the reveal

the most hardworking monarch in England has passed. A bank holiday wouldn't be appropriate, a national festival of labour day where everyone works for free for a day would be a far more fitting tribute.

Hard to say the NHS is working.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/14/patients-are-dying-from-being-stuck-in-ambulances-outside-ae-report?

recently when my son was having an epileptic seizure a well-meaning neighbour called an ambulance. When he was in a safe post-ictal state I told her to cancel it because it wasn't a bad one. She mustn't have cancelled it because it turned up 4 hours later! This morning on R4 there was some of that disingenuous faux concerned crap about how hard it is to reform the NHS because it is a religion in this country. You can't point at how much has been cut from the budget post 2010 because "in *real terms* the funding of it has actually risen blah blah... "

Labour won't do it, that's for sure

nick robinson had an uncharacteristically critical report on the tories' record on the NHS, playing back tape of cameron saying his campaign "could be summed up in three letters: N, H, S" and then immediately cutting funding once in power, reporting on people dying because ambulances took 5 hours etc

Jack Monroe got in a lot of trouble for suggesting that he stopped giving a shit about the NHS once his disabled son died.

The Queen will be taking it easy for the rest of the year. https://t.co/lOBm0inhBx

— Glasgow Live (@Glasgow_Live) November 15, 2021

deader than Emad Al Swealmeen

Stanley Johnson also groped me at a party at Conservative conference in 2019.

I am grateful to Caroline Nokes for calling out something that none of us should have to put up with, not least from the Prime Minister's father. https://t.co/Uf6lEdatux

— Ailbhe Rea (@PronouncedAlva) November 15, 2021

Always the ones you least expect, eh?

The government had tried to shunt the vote to the end of the day but put forward a motion that only one MP needed to object to in order for it to fail.

fuckin genius

Now tell me about his rise.

Much as I’m enjoying Boris Johnson’s authority falling apart, the fact there’s clearly an orchestrated campaign against him, coming from outside any democratic institutions, tells you a lot about how this country works.

— Jonathan Hopkin (@jrhopkin) November 16, 2021

there was a much higher quality schadenfreude to be had when the knives were out for May. I just feel blank now because I don't care about the potential political outcomes that are possible over the next few years because they are all bad.

This one doesn't seem so bad (and I'm not saying it will happen but it is one among many):

- no overall majority next election
- Labour form coalition with SNP, allow for a second referendum
- Scotland votes Leave
- Starmer resigns in shame
- someone like Nadia Whittome wins the leadership

Almost wish I hadn't quit Labour now, lol

Second half of that is probably of course

- Scotland leaves
- Tories win forever

but let's think medium term lads okay

there is an absolute zero chance of someone like Nadia Whittome getting onto the ballot thanks to Kieth's NEC nomination threshold reforms

- Scotland votes Stay
- Starmer appointed King

What's the evidence that the current disgusting UK PM is losing authority or popularity?

- someone like Nadia Whittome wins the leadership

Almost wish I hadn't quit Labour now, lol

― imago, Tuesday, 16 November 2021 bookmarkflaglink

Louie is bored. Again.

What's the evidence that the current disgusting UK PM is losing authority or popularity?

His approval rating is now merely double that of the LotO

"losing authority" seems a bit wishful at the moment, it's nothing like when the rumblings from the 1922 committee were unanimous that May was finished. According to the polling he's not very popular rn but that isn't necessarily terminal.

for imago!

PM Liz Truss declares martial law after Raab is beheaded outside his constituency office. Labour leader Wes Streeting backs nuclear strike on Liverpool.

Shitload of wishful thinking going on re Johnson.

xp the banter timeline

The usually disciplined Tory press are putting stories about Arcuri again and now going after his father. In that sense he has "lost authority".

But yes it's all academic.

Got to stress test your Teflon

"King Starmer"

“The foundation of Israel was a repudiation of the worldview of those who committed the Shoah” — @Keir_Starmer at LFI’s Annual Lunch

— Labour Friends of Israel (@_LFI) November 16, 2021

and i imagine the HS2 stuff (which is not yet fact) has pissed off a lot of the red wall

Bradford still not on the mainline
Oh, just like Sister Ray said

The ban on MPs acting as paid political consultants and lobbyists won't be popular with the old guard, who are allegedly at war with the new crop (though I feel there is always some of this).

According to the polling he's not very popular rn but that isn't necessarily terminal.

Sure, but his popularity is his main asset - it's definitely not his principled conservative views. His malleability means a lot of people can write a lot of fanfic about him (I'd have thought the ban was such), but if he's not going to win the next election then he's fucked - there'll be a lot of whispering that really, anyone could have given Labour that drubbing, did you see the state of them? And of course if you're going to change PM, the sooner the better.
xp yes the HS2 stuff and also the terminal mismanagement of Owen Patterson and the continued existence of Christopher Chope...

Damage limitation.

"Paid Consultancy" = bad
"Newspaper columnist" = that's alright.

"My resolve was hardened when @Baddiel gave me a copy of his brilliant book – “#JewsDontCount, which demonstrates so clearly how racism against Jews is held to a different standard from other kinds of racism."

Blackface Baddiel - the newest member of Starmer's shadow equalities team!