Friday 19th May 2017

[refitman]

Morning all.

[tinyclanger2]

Hello there!

[SpinningHugo]

This is good on the leftward drift of the Tories

https://flipchartfairytales.wordpress.c ... oment/amp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

See also

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39946611" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and


https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/maga ... balisation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nd-country" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


(On a hill. Pouring rain.)

Personally, I hate this move back to the 1970s by both parties.

[SpinningHugo]

Latest Westminster voting intention (Scotland)
SNP 42%
CON 29%
LAB 19%
LD 6%
OTH 3%
(Fieldwork 15-18 May)

[gilsey]

Some might be interested in Mark Avery's review of the environmental aspects of the manifestos, he gives Labour B+ and Tories D-, as you might expect.

'We will work with farmers, food producers and environmental experts across Britain and with the devolved administrations to devise a new agri-environment system, to be introduced in the following parliament‘ – there is no sign that this government has any idea what to do in this area – so what has Defra been doing for the last year?

Quite.

Con
http://markavery.info/blog/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lab
http://markavery.info/2017/05/18/labour ... =hootsuite" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gilsey]

For those who don't go to the G any more, there's some good snark in the election briefing.

“There is no Mayism,” May said at the launch, “only good solid Conservatism”, a less is more approach that stretched from the policy-light manifesto to the PM’s decision not to trouble herself with televised debates. (She prefers door-knocking, which might, it turns out, reach a not dissimilar number of people to last night’s ITV viewing figures.)

defence secretary Michael Fallon conceded that even the policy – though the Tories are now calling it merely an “ambition”, despite copying and pasting it into the manifesto for the third time – to slash net migration had not been costed, “because we don’t know specifically what year we’re going to reach that point of reducing to exactly tens of thousands”.
Perhaps that immigration policy is now so old it can pay for its own care.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Yes, appears last night's "debate" was a complete non-event in all respects.

Possibly it benefited the Greens most, but Lucas is probably the most impressive politician out of that lot (save maybe Sturgeon)

[PorFavor]

Good morfternoon.

Does anyone here know what the viewing figures for last night's debate thing are thought to be, please? I've had a lazy and cursory look for them but haven't come up with anything. However, as I said last night, I think Jeremy Corbyn was right to give it a miss.




Edited - typo

[AnatolyKasparov]

Barely 1.5 million apparently, less than some vet programme on C4.

[SpinningHugo]

Yes, appears last night's "debate" was a complete non-event in all respects.

Possibly it benefited the Greens most, but Lucas is probably the most impressive politician out of that lot (save maybe Sturgeon)

Out of that lot?

Which of the "Big Two" would you claim are more impressive than either?

[StephenDolan]

All I want to hear for a while from Labour politicians and spokespeople is "pensioner triple whammy".

[AnatolyKasparov]

Tories to control the internet, apparently. Bye-bye FtN, then (and lots of other places too)

[tinyclanger2]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... t-trade-eu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
German industrialists have warned that British hopes of their support in Brexit negotiations are misplaced and could backfire with dangerous consequences for international trade.

Business leaders in Europe’s biggest economy are instead calling on Conservatives to rethink their commitment to leaving the single market, even though the party has doubled down on this promise in its election manifesto.

[tinyclanger2]

Tories to control the internet, apparently. Bye-bye FtN, then (and lots of other places too)

Yes but not a nanny state so that's OK.

F***ing Brits and f***ing Tories.

[AnatolyKasparov]

"Its for your own good!!"

[SpinningHugo]

http://www.economist.com/news/britain/2 ... eventolose" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Depressing

[PorFavor]

Tories to control the internet, apparently. Bye-bye FtN, then (and lots of other places too)

More on the above -

The proposals come soon after the government won the right to collect everyone's browsing history

Particular focus has been drawn to the end of the manifesto, which makes clear that the Tories want to introduce huge changes to the way the internet works.

"Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet," it states. "We disagree." (Independent)

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 44176.html

[PorFavor]

I don't know. Some people, eh? What are they like?

[tinyclanger2]

what indeed

[PorFavor]

Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, has said that the publication of the Conservative manifesto shows that “the nasty party is well and truly back”. (Politics Live, Guardian)

[AnatolyKasparov]

http://www.economist.com/news/britain/2 ... eventolose

Depressing

Yes, the Economist is rather so these days. In particular, Bagehot (Jeremy Cliffe) is a witless "sensible centrist" shill.

[Willow904]

The Tories have been accused of being “utter hypocrites” after it emerged that they want to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners in England but not in Scotland

I'm trying to think of the right word, but I can't quite get it: gall; chutzpah; audacity; brass neck or just good, old fashioned hubris. Whatever it is, the Conservative party currently have an awful lot of it.

[tinyclanger2]

I can think of the right word.

[PorFavor]

The Tories have been accused of being “utter hypocrites” after it emerged that they want to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners in England but not in Scotland

I'm trying to think of the right word, but I can't quite get it: gall; chutzpah; audacity; brass neck or just good, old fashioned hubris. Whatever it is, the Conservative party currently have an awful lot of it.

Yes - but, as they said, it gets cold in Scotland. Once you cross that border, you're in a different climate zone.

I thought you'd know that . . .





Edited - tidy up

[tinyclanger2]

Brexit: definitely properly thought through.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ponsorship" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Brexit clouds gather over Chelsea flower show as sponsorship wilts
This year there will be just eight show gardens – down from 18 – as several major sponsors withdraw from London event

Nick Mattingley, shows director of the RHS, said sponsorship suffered as the timing of applications coincided with last summer’s Brexit referendum. But he said there had been no real impact on the money raised for the RHS which comes form corporate entertainment and tickets sales. The garden sponsorship money largely goes towards plants and designers not the charity.

[PorFavor]

Brexit: definitely properly thought through.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ponsorship" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Brexit clouds gather over Chelsea flower show as sponsorship wilts
This year there will be just eight show gardens – down from 18 – as several major sponsors withdraw from London event

Nick Mattingley, shows director of the RHS, said sponsorship suffered as the timing of applications coincided with last summer’s Brexit referendum. But he said there had been no real impact on the money raised for the RHS which comes form corporate entertainment and tickets sales. The garden sponsorship money largely goes towards plants and designers not the charity.

Just irrelevancies like plants? Oh, there's no problem, then . . .

[tinyclanger2]

Brits never had much time for gardens anyway so doubt this'll bother us.

[tinyclanger2]

and anyway culture?
that's for the metropolitan elite.

[tinyclanger2]

innit

[tinyclanger2]

well I never ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 45401.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Jeremy Corbyn far more likely to be attacked by media than Theresa May, election reporting audit reveals

how come we never spotted it?

[tinyclanger2]

What's more, the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn's party are coming from the most popular newspapers, with The Sun and the Daily Express particularly focusing their negative coverage on Labour. The Mail and The Times have also been hostile to Labour, the academics report, but have balanced that out with positive reporting on the Conservatives.

they've balanced negative reporting of exhibit A with positive reporting of exhibit B?

It's all very BBC.

[PorFavor]

and anyway culture?
that's for the metropolitan elite.

I think I've got a pot of yoghurt kicking around in the 'frig'. Does that count?

By the way, how do you opt to spell "yoghourt"?

[PorFavor]

and anyway culture?
that's for the metropolitan elite.

I think I've got a pot of yoghurt kicking around in the 'frig'. Does that count?

By the way, how do you opt to spell "yoghourt"?

Edited to add -

I've double-checked, and there's definitely just the one pot. I thought I'd go in for a bit of counter-culture.

[PorFavor]

Bumboils.

[AnatolyKasparov]

There were two local council byelections yesterday, plus an unusual unopposed return in Richmondshire DC for the Tories - which means it was a gain from Independents, who were returned unopposed themselves in 2003 and 2007 before easily beating Tory opposition in 2011 and a previous 2014 by-election (by over 3 to 1) before equally effortlessly seeing off Green and Labour opposition two years ago. So a bit of a surprise, perhaps - which is more than can be said for the two actual contests:

Enfield - Labour hold with nearly 64% of the vote and a double figure increase since 2014. This ward has undergone major demographic changes in recent years and the results reflect this - Tories won all three seats in 2002 (albeit in a fairly close straight fight) and maintained their superiority in 2006, dropping just the third and final seat to Labour. In 2010, however, Labour took all three - though, again, the Tories were reasonably competitive - before getting a landslide last time. Indeed, the Tories even suffered the embarrassment of a lone UKIP candidate beating them into the runner-up spot - that was certainly not the case this time, however, as the Tories also advanced strongly almost doubling their share (meaning there was very little swing overall) whilst UKIP crashed from some 18% two years ago to less than 3% now which meant they were beaten by the Greens even though they were significantly down themselves. LibDems last with less than 2% - also significantly lower than their most recent previous showing in 2010.

Stockton-on-Tees - Labour hold with over half the vote, though this was slightly down on two years ago. This ward has returned two Labour councillors in every election since the first on these boundaries in 2005 - on that occasion they were run close by the LibDems but have been safer since; in 2007 and 2011 a localist "Newtown Independents" slate took the runners-up spot but then seemed to disappear and in 2015 UKIP duly took the (rather distant) runners-up position. UKIP forestalled their now traditional slump by not even standing this time, a fair bit of their support may have gone to a fresh Independent candidate who took 21% - just behind the Tories who advanced a bit from 2015 thus leading to a modest Labour to Tory swing overall. LibDems last with less than 5%, down on their previous showing in 2011 let alone the heady days of 12 years ago.

Just one contest next week, and it is the last before the GE.

[Eric_WLothian]

The Tories have been accused of being “utter hypocrites” after it emerged that they want to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners in England but not in Scotland

I'm trying to think of the right word, but I can't quite get it: gall; chutzpah; audacity; brass neck or just good, old fashioned hubris. Whatever it is, the Conservative party currently have an awful lot of it.

Yes - but, as they said, it gets cold in Scotland. Once you cross that border, you're in a different climate zone.

I thought you'd know that . . .





Edited - tidy up

With (some) benefits now devolved, the cynical might suggest that this is Ruth Davidson trying to spike the "just a branch office of the London Tories" taunt.

[tinyclanger2]

Voted Labour all her life but ...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -full-hate" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He [Corbyn] is simply unelectable, Karen argues. She is unimpressed with his manifesto: “Taxing the rich? I’m fed up listening to that. I think that’s where Labour fails, they won’t get in on that.

Yes. The redistribution of wealth. Terrible idea.
(wtf)

[seeingclearly]

The Tories have been accused of being “utter hypocrites” after it emerged that they want to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners in England but not in Scotland

I'm trying to think of the right word, but I can't quite get it: gall; chutzpah; audacity; brass neck or just good, old fashioned hubris. Whatever it is, the Conservative party currently have an awful lot of it.

bloodymindedness, fuckwittery, fascistic tendency all come to mind, can think of more anatomical examples but have to remember my gender and hope one of the boys will do the job.....