The 2024 UK General Election - news, speculation and updates

[brogdale]

Another reason why Starmer is taking Labour so far away from it's traditional identity (and I say that not being a Labour fan or misty eyed about Labour in power). Very soon we'll be at the point where the party should/could split, if we lived in a PR system.

From Open Democracy:

Of the £21.5m in cash received by the party in 2023, just £5.9m came from the trade union movement, compared with £14.5m from companies and individuals – a huge increase on the previous year, and indeed more than in the three previous years of Keir Starmer’s leadership combined. As trade union contributions have dipped slightly, from around £6.9m in 2020 and 2021 to £5.3m in 2022, donations from businesses and individuals have soared: they totalled £2.3m in 2020 and rose to £3m in 2021 and £7.6m in 2022 before nearly doubling last year.

 

[brogdale]

£14.5m is literally small change for corporations; a tiny investment for huge returns of wealth defence from the party that should be attacking their wealth

 

[planetgeli]

Nah, not convinced - I think the size of the majority, and the flexing of MP's within that majority, and the obsession with focus groups, and that simply not one of the MP's electected will feel from canvassing during the election that they are there purely because of a wave of love and admiration for Starmer, will mean that there will be a 'push left'. I don't think it'll be in week one, but I don't think it'll be long coming.

It's not - sadly - going to be 2017 manifesto left, which I think could easily be done within the current Labour party coalition, but I think it's going to go further left than the manifesto/messaging.

The Labour Party never moves Left in government.

 

[GarveyLives]

Channel 4 News has been undercover inside Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party Limited General Election campaign in Clacton and has discovered shocking examples of white supremacy and extremism:

​

 

[tommers]

The Labour Party never moves Left in government.

This whole idea is such wishful thinking. There has been no indication of it happening.

 

[tommers]

"we're going to be harsher on welfare claimants than the Tories."

"haha,youre just saying that, you guys."

 

[Kid_Eternity]

This whole idea is such wishful thinking. There has been no indication of it happening.

Left in opposition, centrist in government after long periods out of power seems to be the cycle.

 

[GarveyLives]

A Reform UK Party Limited general election candidate has been dropped after it emerged that he had been on a list of members of the British National party:

(Source: Reform UK Party Limited)

Raymond Saint​

Reform UK drops candidate revealed to have been British National Party member

 

[Kaka Tim]

Channel 4 News has been undercover inside Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party Limited General Election campaign in Clacton and has discovered shocking examples of white supremacy and extremism:

​

Fucking disgusting racist scum. I grew up in clacton in the 80s and the people who came out with that shit were fringe gobshites - not standing for election. Labour and others can fuck off with their "its great cos it hurts the tories" shit.
Fun fact - 1928 election in germany - Nazi Party got 2.6% . Four years later in July 1932 they got 37% and were the biggest party in germany. "Fascism doenst start at Auschwitz - thats where it ends"

 

[planetgeli]

has discovered shocking examples of white supremacy and extremism:

Are there some non-shocking examples of white supremacy?

You read (and post) too many tabloids. Osmosis is a thing.

 

[Dystopiary]

The Labour Party never moves Left in government.

Exactly. It's like living in a parallel universe hearing people say that's what's going to happen. It reminds me of people who stand up for the dodgy arsehole who rips off their neighbours and generally takes the piss. "Ah, but they've got a good heart really." Yeah, it's easy to say if it's not you they've fucked over and will do again given half the chance.

"we're going to be harsher on welfare claimants than the Tories."

"haha,youre just saying that, you guys."

Innit! It's literally there in black and white.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Channel 4 News has been undercover inside Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party Limited General Election campaign in Clacton and has discovered shocking examples of white supremacy and extremism:

yes, i think it's a party rule that you're not supposed to get caught saying stuff like that...

 

[ska invita]

£14.5m is literally small change for corporations; a tiny investment for huge returns of wealth defence from the party that should be attacking their wealth

This is fairly interesting, makes the point how cheap UK corruption is

 

[The39thStep]

Reducing financial dependence on organised labour is central to the Starmer project; the asset management and private finance corporations that stand to benefit from the administration will ensure that the party does not rely on union funding.

GMB and Unison are tame enough to still be in Starmer’s project

 

[SpookyFrank]

Are there some non-shocking examples of white supremacy?

I mean, I wasn't at all shocked to hear RefUK types talking about the mass murder of refugees. Slightly surprised they're dim enough to be recorded saying it but only slightly.

 

[CH1]

A Reform UK Party Limited general election candidate has been dropped after it emerged that he had been on a list of members of the British National party:

(Source: Reform UK Party Limited)

Raymond Saint​

Reform UK drops candidate revealed to have been British National Party member

This is a meaningless gesture.
He will be on the ballot as REFORM and his deposit has been paid (presumably by Reform Lfd,)
The best that can be hoped for is he will lose his deposit.

I suppose the Police could investigate him - but that might need a complaint of hate speech etc.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Useful.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

This is a meaningless gesture.
He will be on the ballot as REFORM and his deposit has been paid (presumably by Reform Lfd,)
The best that can be hoped for is he will lose his deposit.

I suppose the Police could investigate him - but that might need a complaint of hate speech etc.

I think I read reform candidates have to put up their own deposit…

 

[The39thStep]

I think I read reform candidates have to put up their own deposit…

Ask Lee Harpin ?

 

[kebabking]

I think I read reform candidates have to put up their own deposit…

Well that doesn't sound like some dodgy franchise/pyramid scheme at all....

 

[ohmyliver]

Apparently the British people love fire and rehire.

Yes, but why is she turning into Mario in that video? Couldn't their budget also stretch to Wes Streeting turning into Luigi?

 

[Elpenor]

Apparently the British people love fire and rehire.

Of course when I think of the Marsellaise as it comes in at the end of that video I think of this scene in Casablanca - people uniting against fascism.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Well that doesn't sound like some dodgy franchise/pyramid scheme at all....

 

[redsquirrel]

The Labour Party never moves Left in government.

This. The idea that a Starmer led Labour Party will move left when in government is weird - it ignores history, Starmer's politics, the total sidelining of the left of the party.

 

[tim]

Of course when I think of the Marsellaise as it comes in at the end of that video I think of this scene in Casablanca - people uniting against fascism.

Uniting against Fascism in a racist film.

 

[Dystopiary]

The Labour Party has dropped key promises it made on disability rights.

The manifesto also confirms the party’s continuing refusal to promise an end to ruinous care charges if it wins power.

And there is no explicit promise to co-produce disability-related policy with disabled people and their organisations, likely to be seen by many activists as a betrayal after years of promises that a Labour government would “work in co-production with disabled people in developing policy”.

There will also be alarm that the manifesto has avoided all mention of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Meanwhile, one of the biggest holes in the manifesto is its failure to promise any action on serious and continuing concerns about the safety of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the countless deaths linked to its actions and failings.

I'm not surprised of course. They disgust me.

Labour manifesto drops key disability rights pledges

 

[Sue]

The Labour Party has dropped key promises it made on disability rights.

Ftfy

 

[Kaka Tim]

Its fair to argue that Labour "never move to the left" once in power - however you could argue that this election may throw up some unusual circumstance.
Labour look likely to have a huge majorty and facing a tory party in utter dissaray. Large chunks of the non-parliamentary power cetnres (the city of london, the civil service, much of the media, the CBI, The EU, international finance etc) are crying out for anyone vaugly competant to take over from the tories.
At the same time, public opinion is very much in favour of rescuing the NHS, dealing with cost of living, taking on the energy companies, rebuilsing public services and improving wages - as well as significenat support for greater action on the climate emergency.
This give labour poltical space to actaully be more progessive than was the case in 1997. And I am sure they will be under pressure to do more than the little that has been promised so far - not just from the unions and labour left - but from the public and from poltical reality - i.e they despreately need to find money for things like the NHS (and social care) and it may be easier for them do look at stuff like wealth taxes and council tax banding then further cuts on public services and benefits.

 

[frogwoman]

Why / how are the SDP putting up so many candidates? There is a story there if anyone wants to dig into it.

 

[Silas Loom]

Probably all paying for their own deposits. £500 isn’t much for a friendless monomaniac to spend on their hobby.