Thursday 15th August 2019

[HindleA]

Morning.

Wollaston joining the Libdems,says far more about them than her IMHO.Then again I have always had equally disdain for them and various incarnations as I have for the Tory Party.

[HindleA]

So I beg to differ with Sky,the Libdems didn't betray Kennedy ,they acted true to repeated form,he was in the wrong party.

[HindleA]

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

[HindleA]

I am sad enough to buy a stone in the Century Square at Elland Road.My excuse is a permanent memorial of enjoined "marching on together"

[HindleA]

"Silly arse"
People don't have to still be around to know the response.

[HindleA]

Something to show the imaginary grandchildren.

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... h-language" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PaulfromYorkshire]

So I beg to differ with Sky,the Libdems didn't betray Kennedy ,they acted true to repeated form,he was in the wrong party.

Yes Kennedy was another of a long line of pretty talented politicians who failed to carve out an enduring space for a social democratic type party.

Much as I despise what the Libs have done in recent years, I wonder if the root problem is FPTP and our adversarial Parliament.

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... rvices-cut" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gilsey]

Swinson.


LDs/FBPE types on twitter saying can't back Corbyn because tory rebels won't, I bet Grieve'll be giving the proposition a great deal more serious thought than Swinson did.

[Willow904]

When the Liberals and SDP merged in 1988 to become the Liberal Democrats they became not a single entity but more of a permanent alliance with one tradition or another mostly dominating individual constituencies. Charles Kennedy, as a social democrat, was definitely in the right party and the party enjoyed some of its greatest success under him, but the Liberals have always had the deeper roots and Nick Clegg was clearly of the Liberal tradition and thus it was the liberal rather than the social democratic side that dominated during the Coalition. A natural process then proceeded whereby the Libdems lost the support from the social democrat side, which in a two horse race would rather see Labour win, but retained or have since re-won support from the liberal side which, in a two horse race would rather see the Tories win. So not so much a party transformation, as an unconcious uncoupling (to adapt a phrase from Gwyneth Paltrow), with the remnants of the SDP detaching to leave the old Liberal core. What the electoral prospects of this new version of the Liberals may be is hard to tell, but personally I can't see it ever reaching the heights of the Kennedy era where, untested in government, they were able to carry the hopes and dreams of two closely aligned but quite distinct political philosophies.

[gilsey]

I wonder if the root problem is FPTP

I've always thought so.

I was actually gutted after Clegg's referendum, particularly because most people seemed to be voting against him rather than the proposition.
I know AV's crap, but it could have evolved into something better over time.

[gilsey]

Swinson.


LDs/FBPE types on twitter saying can't back Corbyn because tory rebels won't, I bet Grieve'll be giving the proposition a great deal more serious thought than Swinson did.

Sky News Breaking
@SkyNewsBreak
Conservative MPs who Jeremy Corbyn has written to over plans to avoid a 'no-deal' Brexit have said they are "happy to meet" the Labour leader and opposition parties to discuss proposals

[AnatolyKasparov]

LibDems say Corbyn can't even become PM for a few weeks because he couldn't get a majority in the HoC.

But their fantasy centrist PM *could*?

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Swinson's approach is hugely risky I'd say.

I haven't actually seen any political objections to Corbyn's proposal that make much sense.

All the arguments are ad hominem against Corbyn. He's a secret Brexiteer. He's antisemitic. He's a communist.

So Swinson is hugely reliant on that message resonating widely enough beyond the Westminster bubble.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Greens and SNP seem a lot more receptive to this offer too.

[PorFavor]

US applies to seize Iranian tanker held in Gibraltar (Guardian)

Oh. Terrific.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... -gibraltar

[AnatolyKasparov]

Rumours now that it is the MP for Streatham who is actually the "mastermind" behind the hardline LibDem line over not supporting Corbyn even for a few weeks.

Would not surprise at all, would it?

[RogerOThornhill]

Boris Johnson vows to give schools ‘powers they need to deal with bad behaviour’

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/boris-johnson ... behaviour/

Prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged today to give schools the “powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying”.

In a statement released on A-level results days, Johnson also said the government will “do all we can” to improve funding.

Schools are still waiting to hear about the full details of Johnson’s pledge to up school funding by £4.6 billion per year by 2022.

But the comments on targeting behaviour offer an early glimpse into Johnson’s priority for schools heading in to a potential general election later this year.

There were no further details provided about Johnson’s pledge. But improving behaviour in schools seems to be a vote winner.

A study released by pollsters YouGov yesterday found a desire for school discipline to be “stricter” was a popular opinion amongst both right- and left-wing voters.

Quire right too.

Just think what a Tory government and a Behaviour Czar could have achieved if they'd been in place over the last few years...oh..hang on...

Populist piffle.

I wonder whether said Behaviour Czar will comment on this...probably not.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Johnson wouldn't give any actual details of anything, you say?

Of course not.

He won't find it so easy to get away with that in an actual election campaign, however......

[PorFavor]

Iran oil tanker: Gibraltar orders release of Grace 1

Gibraltar has released an Iranian oil tanker detained last month on suspicion of sanctions-busting despite a last-minute plea by the US authorities.

Gibraltar's chief justice, Anthony Dudley, said no US application was currently before the court.

It was not immediately clear when the tanker would put out to sea. (BBC News website)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49362182

[citizenJA]

Good evening, everyone.

@adam
Your posts on yesterday's thread are good.

[RogerOThornhill]

Act I
"Israel is being nasty and cruel to Palestinians"
"Hey, you can't say that without going there"
"OK, we will"
"Yes you can come and visit"

Act II
"Don't let them come"
"We've changed our mind. You can't come after all"
"We agree with Israel's decision"

[PorFavor]

Lib Dems urged to back Corbyn as interim PM to stop no-deal Brexit

Party finds itself isolated after opposition figures – and some Tories – say they would back Labour plan

Aaah! Poor old LibDems. They seem to have cocked that one up.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... eal-brexit

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Lib Dems urged to back Corbyn as interim PM to stop no-deal Brexit

Party finds itself isolated after opposition figures – and some Tories – say they would back Labour plan

Aaah! Poor old LibDems. They seem to have cocked that one up.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... eal-brexit

Libs seem to be back-tracking now, but Soubry et al. are still saying no way José!

[adam]

Been out by-electioning here - telling with a nice but slighly bizarre tory lady ("I'm not really a conservative, I can't stand Corbyn but I'd probably vote for Kier Starmer if he was the leader, I'm supposed to care about our candidates but our last leader of the council was a toad, a frightful individual"). Would be an unlikely-to-very-unlikely win, but there's been lots of hard work going on and a proper get the vote out day that the tories didn't appear to be bothering with.

[adam]

Good evening, everyone.

@adam
Your posts on yesterday's thread are good.

They could have been a bit less sweary. Not sure where that came from.