The 2024 General Election - July 4th

[trousers]

5 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

If your elephant has worms, take it to the vet, Trousers! No wonder the NHS struggles, with you always taking your pachyderms to A&E. 🙂

There's no room for obsolete 19th-century taxonomic orders on this forum thank you very much!

[Holmes_and_Watson]

4 minutes ago, trousers said:

There's no room for obsolete 19th-century taxonomic orders on this forum thank you very much!

You youngsters and your Darwinism, changing things for no good reason. 🙂

[pingpong]

19 hours ago, Fan The Flames said:

The Tories are being told off for being antisemitic https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/tories-jewish-prime-minister-wes-streeting-john-mann-b2572420.html by their own independent adviser on antisemitism.

I think grant shapps has a fair point.  After all, you could never dream of a conservative prime minister going awol at a time of emergency, missing cobra meetings to spend time writing a book in his country house, getting flat out drunk at covid parties on a Friday night, or throwing their laptop at their cheated on wife and spilling red wine on their sofa of an evening.

Sunak also said today he has been speaking to constituents day and night, promoting a 24/7 working week, which sounds horrific, especially for those little old ladies in Tunbridge Wells who have to sip tea with him at 3am in the morning.

[whelk]

9 minutes ago, pingpong said:

I think grant shapps has a fair point.  After all, you could never dream of a conservative prime minister going awol at a time of emergency, missing cobra meetings to spend time writing a book in his country house, getting flat out drunk at covid parties on a Friday night, or throwing their laptop at their cheated on wife and spilling red wine on their sofa of an evening.

Sunak also said today he has been speaking to constituents day and night, promoting a 24/7 working week, which sounds horrific, especially for those little old ladies in Tunbridge Wells who have to sip tea with him at 3am in the morning.

And let’s not forget the erstwhile Foreign Secretary, Raab holidaying in Crete whilst Kabul fell. Although he did have his mobile with him

[Tamesaint]

Jonathan Pie sums it all up

 

https://x.com/L1minus10/status/1808263757316907206

[sadoldgit]

Some Tory idiot on the radio today saying that Labour will give broken Britain another 5 years of the same, whereas the Tories are the party of change (having spent the last 14 years breaking Britain). WTF?

[sadoldgit]

41 minutes ago, Tamesaint said:

Jonathan Pie sums it all up

 

https://x.com/L1minus10/status/1808263757316907206

This should be played every hour on every TV station tonight. The trouble is millions of people will still vote for the Tories and some will even call out Pie’s rant as “pony.”

[badgerx16]

On being asked whether BoJo's speech worried him, Kier Starmer said no, Johnson is 'Exhibit A' in Labour's argument about Tory chaos, and he fully expects to see a joint presser with Truss joining Sunak to talk about economic stability.

[skintsaint]

51 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

Some Tory idiot on the radio today saying that Labour will give broken Britain another 5 years of the same, whereas the Tories are the party of change (having spent the last 14 years breaking Britain). WTF?

the Tory idiot is right about the first part and wrong about the second part.

[sadoldgit]

22 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

On being asked whether BoJo's speech worried him, Kier Starmer said no, Johnson is 'Exhibit A' in Labour's argument about Tory chaos, and he fully expects to see a joint presser with Truss joining Sunak to talk about economic stability.

Wheeling out Johnson for a last minute Bellingham moment is the latest in a very long line of campaign missteps that makes you wonder if the people running the campaign set out to lose it from day 1. If anyone was wavering and saw the bloated, pasty faced, posturing berk spouting his inverted pyramid of piffle last night they surely would end up voting for anyone else but the Tory Party.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Soggy & Nige on the same page..

 

[Fan The Flames]

13 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

Wheeling out Johnson for a last minute Bellingham moment is the latest in a very long line of campaign missteps that makes you wonder if the people running the campaign set out to lose it from day 1. If anyone was wavering and saw the bloated, pasty faced, posturing berk spouting his inverted pyramid of piffle last night they surely would end up voting for anyone else but the Tory Party.

It's the first step in the Boris come back, just like how Rhea pieced together a torn apart Dionysus, Boris will be the god that breathes new life into the battered blue beast.

[suewhistle]

First time I've looked at this thread (very briefly) and my, the ones I had down as right wingers are really showing their spots.

It's been amazing how low profile some of the government have been during the campaign, and then there is Johnson who, naturally, has been on holiday and Gove who is on one long trip.

Saw this article today which gives a flavour of our last 14 years:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/03/list-terrible-policy-conservatives-britain-2010

[Challenger]

33 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

It's the first step in the Boris come back, just like how Rhea pieced together a torn apart Dionysus, Boris will be the god that breathes new life into the battered blue beast.

Will that be Boris, or are they making plans for Nigel ?

[Fan The Flames]

15 minutes ago, Challenger said:

Will that be Boris, or are they making plans for Nigel ?

That's the show down we all want to see, Eton V Dulwich, de Pfeffel V de Prick, skint grifter V skint grifter.

[a1ex2001]

15 hours ago, trousers said:

 

Which countries are considered to be in the top 3 for public healthcare, and what funding method(s) do they each use? (Genuine question as I have no idea and genuinely interested)

This is a good comparison of healthcare spending between European countries and shows the shortfall really clearly.

The Scandinavian countries have generally excellent healthcare and fun it mostly from a tax funded insurance system with some cost sharing

Germany again has a great system they fund it through compulsory insurance based on income levels.

 

I would agree there is room for a discussion on how we fund the NHS but what can't be questioned is that it is underfunded by a significant amount and if we want it to be better we have to spend more on it where ever the money comes from.  Drives me mad to see people saying we just need to cut the waste, or the managers or the xxx when the numbers say we don't fund it inline with comparable countries.

[a1ex2001]

14 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

That's the show down we all want to see, Eton V Dulwich, de Pfeffel V de Prick, skint grifter V skint grifter.

Celebrity death match style please

[Fan The Flames]

13 minutes ago, a1ex2001 said:

Celebrity death match style please

Don't you'll have Hypo telling you off.

[Dr Who?]

I honestly think Sunak has call an election in the summer rather than October knowing he will be out of number 10 on Friday and right at the start of pre-season, and will launch a takeover bid for Southampton Football Club. I know he has always been a fan and that has never been a secret but he loves to mention us as often as he can. Even said if he got a tattoo it would be the Saints badge. 

I maybe wide of the mark, but if his wife is in as well it would be a game changer, stand aside Craig David and Will from Coldplay. 

Edited July 3 by Dr Who?

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, suewhistle said:

First time I've looked at this thread (very briefly) and my, the ones I had down as right wingers are really showing their spots.

It's been amazing how low profile some of the government have been during the campaign, and then there is Johnson who, naturally, has been on holiday and Gove who is on one long trip.

Saw this article today which gives a flavour of our last 14 years:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/03/list-terrible-policy-conservatives-britain-2010

thanks for your input Sue, enlightening as always.

[egg]

1 hour ago, a1ex2001 said:

This is a good comparison of healthcare spending between European countries and shows the shortfall really clearly.

The Scandinavian countries have generally excellent healthcare and fun it mostly from a tax funded insurance system with some cost sharing

Germany again has a great system they fund it through compulsory insurance based on income levels.

 

I would agree there is room for a discussion on how we fund the NHS but what can't be questioned is that it is underfunded by a significant amount and if we want it to be better we have to spend more on it where ever the money comes from.  Drives me mad to see people saying we just need to cut the waste, or the managers or the xxx when the numbers say we don't fund it inline with comparable countries.

Isn't national insurance a compulsory insurance based on income levels? 

Re waste, there can be no denying that there is significant waste and overspend. Sure, the funding isn't sufficient, but the system isn't helped by the way it's run and how money is spent. 

The solution needs to be found and I'd like to see tax breaks for private health as part of it. That may help ease the pressure on the NHS. 

[hypochondriac]

32 minutes ago, egg said:

Isn't national insurance a compulsory insurance based on income levels? 

Re waste, there can be no denying that there is significant waste and overspend. Sure, the funding isn't sufficient, but the system isn't helped by the way it's run and how money is spent. 

The solution needs to be found and I'd like to see tax breaks for private health as part of it. That may help ease the pressure on the NHS. 

Labour would never go for that but they should. 

 

[The Left Back]

One thing I haven't seen discussed much so I thought I'd bring it here, and that is the unlikely and frankly mind-blowing prospect of the Lib Dems winning enough seats to become His Majesty's Opposition.  

How much more swing, or tactical voting, or margin for error would it take for that to happen?  The You Gov poll just out has Tories on 102 seats, Lib Dems on 72.  Before I get jumped on for being a fantasist, I'm not predicting it, and expecting the result tomorrow to be closer than the polls are saying.  But the possibility of this must surely be at least there in the background?

On a related subject, this shift to the left in UK politics seems to be at odds with shifts to the right going around Europe.  The Lib Dem renaissance is an under-reported feature of this election.  If you add in SNP, Green and Plaid the progressives could take nearly 550 seats.  What's causing this?  Is it simply Tory incompetence or something else?  Perhaps we might have stumbled on the first benefit of Brexit? 

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, egg said:

 

The solution needs to be found and I'd like to see tax breaks for private health as part of it. That may help ease the pressure on the NHS. 

Agreed 100% . Both for private individuals & companies. Companies should be incentivised to offer health insurance to ordinary Joe’s. 

[egg]

5 minutes ago, The Left Back said:

One thing I haven't seen discussed much so I thought I'd bring it here, and that is the unlikely and frankly mind-blowing prospect of the Lib Dems winning enough seats to become His Majesty's Opposition.  

How much more swing, or tactical voting, or margin for error would it take for that to happen?  The You Gov poll just out has Tories on 102 seats, Lib Dems on 72.  Before I get jumped on for being a fantasist, I'm not predicting it, and expecting the result tomorrow to be closer than the polls are saying.  But the possibility of this must surely be at least there in the background?

On a related subject, this shift to the left in UK politics seems to be at odds with shifts to the right going around Europe.  The Lib Dem renaissance is an under-reported feature of this election.  If you add in SNP, Green and Plaid the progressives could take nearly 550 seats.  What's causing this?  Is it simply Tory incompetence or something else?  Perhaps we might have stumbled on the first benefit of Brexit? 

Tory incompetence. I don't think there's a lib dem renaissance, more that many Tory voters prefer a vote for them rather than a vote for labour or a pointless green vote. I'm voting libs as that's my politics, and because it's a tory / libs head to head. If to was a tory/ labour h2h I'd gladly have voted tactically for labour. 

I also don't think there's a shift left. I think it's as simple as the masses realising how incompetent the tories are. 

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, egg said:

I also don't think there's a shift left. I think it's as simple as the masses realising how incompetent the tories are. 

Or switching from Conservative to REFORM. Labour on 39% are well behind where Blair was in 1997 yet as far ahead of the Tories as he was.

[Danbert]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/03/george-cottrell-nigel-farage-reform-uk-montenegro

This guy is beyond dodgy 😳

 

 

[sadoldgit]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Tory incompetence. I don't think there's a lib dem renaissance, more that many Tory voters prefer a vote for them rather than a vote for labour or a pointless green vote. I'm voting libs as that's my politics, and because it's a tory / libs head to head. If to was a tory/ labour h2h I'd gladly have voted tactically for labour. 

I also don't think there's a shift left. I think it's as simple as the masses realising how incompetent the tories are. 

I don’t think that the current party could be labelled left either, they aren’t far off becoming LibDems. I agree that the Tories are where they are mainly because they have done such a godawful job of governance. Unfortunately I can’t find it, but there is a very good article explaining how the Tories have put their party and its needs first and country second constantly since Cameron made the disastrous decision to placate the right of the party by holding the EU referendum.

It will make a pleasant change to have a PM who puts country before party.

[sadoldgit]

14 minutes ago, Danbert said:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/03/george-cottrell-nigel-farage-reform-uk-montenegro

This guy is beyond dodgy 😳

 

 

Let’s not forget that “Nige” is a man of the people though. We all hang around with characters like him, don’t we?

[a1ex2001]

3 hours ago, egg said:

Isn't national insurance a compulsory insurance based on income levels? 

Re waste, there can be no denying that there is significant waste and overspend. Sure, the funding isn't sufficient, but the system isn't helped by the way it's run and how money is spent. 

The solution needs to be found and I'd like to see tax breaks for private health as part of it. That may help ease the pressure on the NHS. 

National insurance is a total misnomer and it doesn’t fund the NHS directly it is just stealth general taxation that makes income tax appear lower and gives a tax break to rich people with large unearned incomes!

You can play the waste and overspend card as often as you like it will never trump the fact we don’t spend enough if we want a leading health service you can fund it anyway you like and makes as many savings as you like it still needs loads more money to be on a par with the best in the world.

private healthcare is a tricky one as in the UK it only covers certain things it won’t for example pay to scrape you off the road, rush you to hospital and save your life after you get hit by a car!  I do agree that private health care has a part to play in a balance but it can’t simply be allowed to hoover up the easy work and leave the complex less profitable stuff in the hands of the NHS or let the NHS pick up the cost of treatments gone wrong.

[whelk]

Bless, these desperate sad little cunts and their readers, they’ll be weeping tomorrow. Powerless and pathetic. 

Edited July 3 by whelk

[pingpong]

35 minutes ago, whelk said:

Bless, these desperate sad little cunts and their readers, they’ll be weeping tomorrow. Powerless and pathetic. 

Nice try, not falling for those for a second - even the mail wouldn't go with that amateur PowerPoint shape overlay, let alone the tinpot clichéd (and obviously false) content in  the text. No offence jf you put it together, but it reads like a 14yr old andrew tate wrote it.

[Gloucester Saint]

Very simple response to the Mail and Express https://bylinetimes.com/2022/12/23/worst-predictions-2022-uk-politics-liz-truss-boris-johnson-brexit/

Losers in 2022 and just as clueless losers tomorrow and Friday. 

[rallyboy]

One more sleep until bin day.

[revolution saint]

Good to see the mail getting behind tactical voting and trying to pass off extending democracy to 16 year olds as “rigging” elections. 
Have to say I’ve bloody loved the desperation and sheer incompetence of the Tories in this campaign.

[Fan The Flames]

7 hours ago, pingpong said:

Nice try, not falling for those for a second - even the mail wouldn't go with that amateur PowerPoint shape overlay, let alone the tinpot clichéd (and obviously false) content in  the text. No offence jf you put it together, but it reads like a 14yr old andrew tate wrote it.

https://news.sky.com/story/latest-national-newspaper-front-pages-and-headlines-12427754

They're real.

[badgerx16]

8 hours ago, pingpong said:

Nice try, not falling for those for a second - even the mail wouldn't go with that amateur PowerPoint shape overlay, let alone the tinpot clichéd (and obviously false) content in  the text. No offence jf you put it together, but it reads like a 14yr old andrew tate wrote it.

Tinpot, clichéd, obviously false, reads like a 14 year old wrote it.

An astute summary of Express and Mail editorial content.

Edited July 4 by badgerx16

[Sheaf Saint]

9 hours ago, revolution saint said:

Good to see the mail getting behind tactical voting and trying to pass off extending democracy to 16 year olds as “rigging” elections. 
Have to say I’ve bloody loved the desperation and sheer incompetence of the Tories in this campaign.

This is the same Daily Mail that was telling its readers to be all outraged about tactical voting in the last election when it was being used against the Tories, yeah? Just checking.

[revolution saint]

6 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

This is the same Daily Mail that was telling its readers to be all outraged about tactical voting in the last election when it was being used against the Tories, yeah? Just checking.

Yep, I found that ironic too although when you’re defending a majority I don’t see how tactical voting helps you much. 

[sadoldgit]

Job done. I don’t think I have been so happy to see a cross in the box since Terry Paine used to pick out the head of Ron Davies!

Hopefully now, after 14 miserable years, we will have a government that works for ordinary people and not just the rich and selfish.

We met some neighbours of ours coming out of the polling station who are in their 90’s and said for the first time they didn’t know who to vote for going in. I suspect that there will be many more like them today but hope and pray most of them remember what the last 14 years have been like when making their decision. 

[AlexLaw76]

1 hour ago, sadoldgit said:

Job done. I don’t think I have been so happy to see a cross in the box since Terry Paine used to pick out the head of Ron Davies!

Hopefully now, after 14 miserable years, we will have a government that works for ordinary people and not just the rich and selfish.

We met some neighbours of ours coming out of the polling station who are in their 90’s and said for the first time they didn’t know who to vote for going in. I suspect that there will be many more like them today but hope and pray most of them remember what the last 14 years have been like when making their decision. 

Hopefully, you might be a happier person come tomorrow. Sounds like you need it 

[sadoldgit]

8 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Hopefully, you might be a happier person come tomorrow. Sounds like you need it 

The country needs it Batman. Even you 😘

[Turkish]

49 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

The country needs it Batman. Even you 😘

I hope the election grants you the solace you are looking for, sadly i dont think it will. Sadly i believe this just gives you one less thing to blame your woes on. Happiness comes from within it's a journey and yours has faulted, quite possibly because of guilt from previous wrongs you are now desperate to atone for. the past is gone SOG, leave it where it is and move forward.

[buctootim]

Farage trying to get elected as an MP

https://x.com/i/status/1808402831428239809

[badgerx16]

Our son walked into the Polling Station and was asked if he had his photo ID. He replied yes, but was never asked to actually show it.

[skintsaint]

Lets try again..

Edited July 4 by skintsaint

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

Our son walked into the Polling Station and was asked if he had his photo ID. He replied yes, but was never asked to actually show it.

The country's changing already!  Its citizens are trusted far more than they used to be.  All hail the next Government.

Edited July 4 by Weston Super Saint

[buctootim]

7 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

The country's changing already!  Its citizens are trusted far more than they used to.  All hail the next Government.

I worked in a polling station once. Incredibly boring after first few hours. Would have loved a bogus voter and a fight to liven things up 

Edited July 4 by buctootim

[Weston Super Saint]

Just now, buctootim said:

I worked in a polling station once. Incredibly boring after first few hours. Would have loved a bogus voter and a fight to liven things up 

You should have asked for a transfer to Liverpool.  I imagine that sort of shit happens all day up there.

[Fan The Flames]

My Brexit voting mate texted this morning moaning that higher taxes and more immigrants are coming and that he wants to move to Spain. FFS.