Batley and Spen by-election

[MickiQ]

I've got about 600. I post utter pish and quite rarely. If they've got 100 followers on twitter, they are probably an 'alliance' of one person and their spare bedroom...

They are unlikely to cause the Halls of the Mighty to trembl

I've got about 600. I post utter pish and quite rarely. If they've got 100 followers on twitter, they are probably an 'alliance' of one person and their spare bedroom...

They are unlikely to cause the Halls of the Mighty to tremble.

I joined twitter purely to get my daily dose of batshit crazy from the limitless fountain that was Donald J Trump, now he's been thrown off it I never bother.

 

[Argonia]

Christ I made sure I averted all the hints to follow Drumpf that Twatter kept dangling in front of me. I'm mad enough myself without somebody else's lunacy being fed to me on a daily basis.

 

[steeplejack]

I make it ten:

Paul Bickerdike (Christian People's Alliance)
Jayda Fransen (Independent)
George Galloway (Workers Party)
Thérèse Hirst (Eng Dem)
Susan Laird (Heritage Party)
Oliver Purser (SDP)
Ryan Stephenson (Con)
Jack Thomson (UKIP)
Jonathan Tilt (Freedom Alliance)
Anne Marie Waters (For Britain)

I didn't include Galloway as far-right (authoritarian carpetbagger & chancer, yes) and didn't know if "Oliver Purser" is from the old centrist SDP or the new UKIP Patrick O'Flynn entryist tendency.

Both marginal calls though it's true. 8 or 10 candidates, it's far, far too many and far right loonspuddery has become utterly mainstream in the English context, which is frightening.

 

[killer b]

It's 8 or 10 candidates most of which will be lucky to get double figures though?

 

[killer b]

The story here won't be the rainbow of weirdo wannabe fascists standing in the by election, it'll be the accommodation of the strong populist right wing vote in the area in the Conservative Party, again.

 

[tim]

I didn't include Galloway as far-right (authoritarian carpetbagger & chancer, yes) and didn't know if "Oliver Purser" is from the old centrist SDP or the new UKIP Patrick O'Flynn entryist tendency.

Both marginal calls though it's true. 8 or 10 candidates, it's far, far too many and far right loonspuddery has become utterly mainstream in the English context, which is frightening.

Galloway has been going Volkische recently telling people that he's a true Celt, which they couldn't be because of their South Asian roots. As to the SDP, even Dr Death gave up on the old version. O'Flynn's is the only party around today.

As to becoming mainstream, there are certainly lots of grifters out there trying to monetise Covid denial.

 

[killer b]

As to becoming mainstream, there are certainly lots of grifters out there trying to monetise Covid denial.

they aren't mainstream though are they? Not in the UK at least - they're loud and visible, but they're a radical fringe.

 

[steeplejack]

Galloway has been going Volkische recently telling people that he's a true Celt, which they couldn't be because of their South Asian roots. As to the SDP, even Dr Death gave up on the old version. O'Flynn's is the only party around today.

As to becoming mainstream, there are certainly lots of grifters out there trying to monetise Covid denial.

I think Galloway is not far right, just an authoritarian opportunist. He can and will say just about anything for a few votes / party donations. He's morphed into a Unionist bigot in the Scottish context, why, who knows. He does seem to enjoy lost causes which were much more popular fifty years ago (Stalinism, British Unionism, etc etc).

In respect of "mainstream", I meant that the ideas are becoming common currency amongst a section of the electorate in a way unimaginable twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, if you were standing for a far right party, you could expect some physical confrontation and a lot of verbal abuse. I remember the odd BNP or NF leafletter running like a rat down the street after being confronted by a resident. Now we have a UKIP government who rubs their corruption and callousness in our faces, and gets away with it.

If this were twenty years ago you might get a UKIP candidate and maybe-maybe- a BNP or NF candidate, although far from guaranteed. Now there's 55-60% of the candidates from the far right. It doesn't matter that they will get only a handful of votes between them- it matters that they dominate local media with their poison and lies, in a seat where the last but one MP was murdered by one of their number.

 

[killer b]

in the 2004 Hartlepool by-election I count 4 definite far right. Dunno about the independents so you could possibly add a couple more on.

 

[tim]

I think Galloway is not far right, just an authoritarian opportunist. He can and will say just about anything for a few votes / party donations. He's morphed into a Unionist bigot in the Scottish context, why, who knows. He does seem to enjoy lost causes which were much more popular fifty years ago (Stalinism, British Unionism, etc etc).

In respect of "mainstream", I meant that the ideas are becoming common currency amongst a section of the electorate in a way unimaginable twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, if you were standing for a far right party, you could expect some physical confrontation and a lot of verbal abuse. I remember the odd BNP or NF leafletter running like a rat down the street after being confronted by a resident. Now we have a UKIP government who rubs their corruption and callousness in our faces, and gets away with it.

If this were twenty years ago you might get a UKIP candidate and maybe-maybe- a BNP or NF candidate, although far from guaranteed. Now there's 55-60% of the candidates from the far right. It doesn't matter that they will get only a handful of votes between them- it matters that they dominate local media with their poison and lies, in a seat where the last but one MP was murdered by one of their number.

We have a Tory government not a UKIP government which is, as you say, corrupt and callous but I don't think they are either more corrupt or callous than the Tories were in the 1980s under Thatcher. As to UKIP itself, they first won seats in the European Parliament in 1999 and the BNP joined them in 2009, but we're kicked out by the electorate in 2014. Back in the 1970s the National Front might not have won elections but they were a dangerous presence in many communities. Since the 1930s there has always been a relatively small but very vocal and at times violent Fascist fringe in British society.

 

[steeplejack]

We have a Tory government not a UKIP government which is, as you say, corrupt and callous but I don't think they are either more corrupt or callous than the Tories were in the 1980s under Thatcher. As to UKIP itself, they first won seats in the European Parliament in 1999 and the BNP joined them in 2009, but we're kicked out by the electorate in 2014. Back in the 1970s the National Front might not have won elections but they were a dangerous presence in many communities. Since the 1930s there has always been a relatively small but very vocal and at times violent Fascist fringe in British society.

My point is, we have a Tory party which has tacked to a pre-referendum UKIP position on most things with the government dominated by ultra-right crazies & sociopaths. I'm well aware of the electoral history of fascism in the UK.

 

[tim]

My point is, we have a Tory party which has tacked to a pre-referendum UKIP position on most things with the government dominated by ultra-right crazies & sociopaths. I'm well aware of the electoral history of fascism in the UK.

UKIP never seemed to have a position pre-referendum on 'most things'. They were a one-trick-pony. Since the referendum has happened all parties, not just the Tories have to accept the reality of not being in the EU. As to Ultra-Right crazies and Sociopaths, I agree, but, as I intimated before, it was ever thus. There has never been a nice cuddly Tory cabinet.

 

[PR1Berske]

 

[Sasaferrato]

I reckon if Labour lose this one, they will be looking for (another) new leader.

Who will be next?

They have tried hard left, and the invisible man already.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

I reckon if Labour lose this one, they will be looking for (another) new leader.

Who will be next?

They have tried hard left, and the invisible man already.

Burnham but he’s not an MP.

 

[Knotted]

How exactly are they going to make Burnham an MP if they can't win by-elections? If you're inclined to bet on the next Labour leader don't bet on Burnham. Much more likely to be Rayner.

 

[Argonia]

What about the ghost of Karl Marx to be the next Labour leader?

 

[Sasaferrato]

How exactly are they going to make Burnham an MP if they can't win by-elections? If you're inclined to bet on the next Labour leader don't bet on Burnham. Much more likely to be Rayner.

There must be a safest seat, surely?

The safest seat in the 2017 general election was Liverpool Walton, where Labour received 86% of the vote, giving them a 77% majority over the second-placed Conservatives (at 9%).

 

[killer b]

Burnham would win any marginal seat in greater Manchester certainly, and probably anywhere in the North West. He wouldn't need a safe one.

 

[killer b]

(I don't think its doing to happen mind)

 

[JTG]

I understand the Labour candidate has given an interview to the S*n

 

[William of Walworth]

Despite the above fuckoffery ( ), I retain the fairly dull opinion that Labour will just about scrape holding on to this seat!

, etc, etc ......

 

[Argonia]

I understand the Labour candidate has given an interview to the S*n

Didn't they just make a staggering loss? Aren't they going the way of Myspace?

 

[JTG]

Didn't they just make a staggering loss? Aren't they going the way of Myspace?

Labour? Let's hope so

 

[kenny g]

I joined twitter purely to get my daily dose of batshit crazy from the limitless fountain that was Donald J Trump, now he's been thrown off it I never bother.

I had a look at gaba before deleting and he is in full throttle over there.

 

[kenny g]

George has set himself to win resoundingly once the Tory gets in.

 

[Orang Utan]

I had a look at gaba before deleting and he is in full throttle over there.

What’s gaba?

 

[Sasaferrato]

Didn't they just make a staggering loss? Aren't they going the way of Myspace?

The value of the paper has been written down to zero, which seems a bit overvalued to me.

 

[tim]

Despite the above fuckoffery ( ), I retain the fairly dull opinion that Labour will just about scrape holding on to this seat!

, etc, etc ......

It'll be no thanks to Starbyn if they do! They should have stuck with Cormer.

 

[glitch hiker]

What about the ghost of Karl Marx to be the next Labour leader?

Proletergeist FTW!