Thursday 5th May 2022

[refitman]

Morning all.

[notnowsonny]

Unfortunately we don’t have elections in our village today, just outside Reading, Maidenhead constituency, Wokingham local authority – quite a mix!
All I can then do is exhort those who are favoured with a ballot paper to use it. My preference would be to vote labour, but there must always be the consideration that a wisely placed cross elsewhere could mean the end of a Tory councillor.
Vote early, vote often – no, that’s for elsewhere in this benighted UK, isn’t it?

[notnowsonny]

Have I scared everyone away today or are you all out canvassing?

[AnatolyKasparov]

I have voted.

You should all take the opportunity to do so today, it will likely be one of the last chances you get before the planned Tory voter suppression rules come in.

[notnowsonny]

Or is is because it's Thurdsay?

[notnowsonny]

Now I'm a Committee Member. Progress!!!

[refitman]

[AnatolyKasparov]

A reminder that you've got until 10PM to vote if you haven't done so already.

Even if you aren't keen on Labour (or indeed Greens/LibDems etc) this government needs to be sent an unmistakable message.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I popped in to do the democratic deed on the way to Tesco. It was bugging me that I couldn't remember the word for the shimmering you see on birds feathers so I asked the ladies at the polling station. They couldn't remember either and said it was going to annoy them as well. On the way home it came back to me so I stuck my head round the polling station door and said 'iridescent', which got me a cheer from the ladies and some funny looks from everyone else. That's about the most exciting thing that's happened to me in about a week.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

After some shirking of late I shall be doing a QT review this evening. I hope someone asks the 'Black Farmer' about his sub-standard sausages. I got some reduced to clear a couple of weeks ago and they weren't good. They tasted ok but were full of bone and gristle.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

The very first thing he mentioned was his sausages almost boasting about good they are. How galling.

[RogerOThornhill]

Evening.

Well. You might need to know about politics in that London to know how significant this might be. Labour are never going to win Westminster but this is second on the list.

[PorFavor]

Labour confirmed to be ok in Sunderland (Sky).

[PorFavor]

The Conservative leader of Rutland county council in the East Midlands has resigned, accusing the government of having “ignored” and “side-lined” the council over council tax concerns.

In a statement, Oliver Hemsley said he would leave the Conservative group effective immediately, but intended to complete his four-term term as an independent and would remain as leader.

He issued the statement after the close of polls, although the next elections in Rutland are not expected to be held until next year. (Guardian)

[Sky'sGoneOut]

QT tonight from Walsall. Happily the audience weren't as grimly depressing as last week.

For the Tories we had Damian Green. I'm sure Damian will disagree with me here but the best moment of the evening was Fiona Bruce reminding the audience about the police finding a load of porn on his Westminister computer. To be fair he took it in his stride but the rest of his evening was spent desperately attempting to put out various fires. One minute he was ineffectually trying douse the flames of the cost of living crisis by telling the audience if the government helped them with their bills it would only make things worse by increasing inflation, the next he was wildly spraying an extinguisher at accusations about his governements incompetence over Covid. And that's the problem the Conservatives have. They're no longer governing, they're managing various disasters, mainly of their own making.

For Labour we had Louise Haigh. Louise did ok. She was a bit feeble a couple of times, especially with the Starmer 'beergate' bullshit. Quite why I don't know. Despite the absurd Mail smear campaign there's absolutely no evidence Starmer or those he was working with did anything wrong and if it were me I'd be bullish and make that abundantly clear. To be fair she sort of did that, but in a half hearted way as if she would much rather be talking about something else rather than giving a robust response and saying fuck you to the rich right wing scum who undermine our democracy for their own self interest. It would be a bit harsh to blame Louise for that because Starmer's been no better.

For decent people we had screenwriter Jack Thorne. Jack was a bundle of nerves, you could see him shaking, yet despite his obvious anxiety he kept it together and was excellent. He skewered the government on their handling of Covid in care homes and actually said some of them should be up on charges of manslaughter. Also he was one of the vanishingly few who've pointed out we on 'legacy benefits' were offered no help at all during Covid. He seemed a good bloke.

As opposed to the 'Black Farmer' Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones. Not only are his sausages full of gristle but the man is a vapid fool. Just this evening he said his views on a complex criminal justice dilemna were informed by the 'Shawshank Redemption', he thought nobody was to blame for sending hospital patients into care homes untested for Covid despite it being found to be unlawful, and he used a question about people being told to buy budget food to boast of the quality of his own products (which are shit).

Which leaves us with Times columnist Charlotte Ivers. Meh.

[PorFavor]

The BBC is reporting some unhappiness among Conservatives in Worcester, where no party currently has an overall majority. Tory council leader Simon Geraghty has apparently gone home already saying his party expects to lose several seats and that MPs should think about who should lead them into the next election.

Counting has not yet started there. (Guardian)

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Sorry, Charlotte did speak about the Westminister enviroment and men in power using it to sexually harass young powerless women (and men as we know) while making it sound authentically grim. But otherwise she was a complete waste of space.

[PorFavor]

A "Tory grandee" has told Sky that Wandsworth is "gone".

[PorFavor]

I barely noticed Charlotte Ivers. In fact, until I read your above post, I'd forgotten all about her.

I felt for poor Jack Thorne as I watched his hands shaking. Sterling bloke, who managed to rise above his obvious nervousness to good effect.

[PorFavor]

Night night.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I barely noticed Charlotte Ivers. In fact, until I read your above post, I'd forgotten all about her.

I felt for poor Jack Thorne as I watched his hands shaking. Sterling bloke, who managed to rise above his obvious nervousness to good effect.

I watched as his hands shook, then his head, and I know how it feels so I was willing him through it.

Edit: Personal experience tells me what he did this evening was not easy.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Blimey, that was abrupt.

Night.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

So much for the 'progressive' revolution. If it even exists the Lib Dems will be leading it at this rate.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

There's no hiding from this. I'm no polling expert but when Labour are losing councilors across the 'North' at a time like this they, and we, are fucked.

[Sky'sGoneOut]