The 2024 UK General Election - news, speculation and updates

[Karl Masks]

Can't quite imagine 18yo Rishi and his working class mates doing national service.

What a desperate plea. Curious to see what exemptions they'd hide in the details so that the ruling class can keep the progeny out of this. Laughable

 

[Balbi]

It's about trying to take 5% off the reform party and getting above 30% and hoping something happens to Labour.

 

[brogdale]

My Dad was amongst the last to do National Service and did 2 years which gets me wondering how long the service would be for. You get a choice of full-time service in the military presumably for 1-2 years or one weekend a month litter picking or whatever for how long? If it's also 2 years then everyone is going to go for that save those that actually want to join the military anyway. If it's going to be a comparable time then it's going to last until their mid-20's.
Will it be only men? If so will it get challenged on equal opportunities grounds?
This is something that Sevenbins has literally pulled out of his arse yesterday without talking about it with anyone in the bizarre belief that the public want it. Well they do if the public consists of a handful of rabid Tory Party members.
In order to win the election, the Tories need to do what they have always done to win. Economic growth, rising house prices and falling taxes.
They don't have a frigging clue as to how to do that so they're just coming up with these barmy schemes to distract from how utterly screwed they are.

These are all valid questions, but I don't think it's really worth anyone's while attempting to answer or analyse this shit; you can rest assured that Sunak's team have spent no time considering any practicalities of implementing this 'policy' for one very obvious reason

 

[lazythursday]

And, it'll be largely funded by clamping down on tax aversion, as if they haven't had 14 bloody years to do that already, or that they are ever likely to do that.

A whole load of the funding comes from scrapping the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is the already watered down successor to EU structural funding, which means a massive slap in the face for poorer parts of the country and absolutely the end of 'levelling up'. And basically another Brexit related lie as this type of funding pot continuing was promised by the government.

 

[kabbes]

It’s the kind of policy you come up with when you’re 100% sure you’re never going to have to follow through on it, but you know it will cause the kind of chaos that helps you.

 

[Rob Ray]

It's about trying to take 5% off the reform party and getting above 30% and hoping something happens to Labour.

I don't think they'll have a problem with that - Reform's voters have the same basic mathematical problem as Labour's left, or the Greens, that it's little more than a wasted vote letting in something that see as worse. They can't even vote tactically, really.

 

[nogojones]

Peston, on Twitter, says that the Tories now have around 150 seats to fill.

Most of them no hopers, but some of these 'emergency candidates' will end up winning seats - and there's been little time/effort put into screening them. Going to be some absolute belters in the next parliament: crooks, nonces, loons and racists.

I think it's about time I joined the Conservative party

 

[brogdale]

I think it's about time I joined the Conservative party

£85k pa

 

[Silas Loom]

This is quite interesting, from the latest header on politicalbetting.com. Focaldata calls it the “election cat” (which sounds a bit like the currency Susan from The Day Today) but anyway what it purports to demonstrate is the efficiency of vote distribution across constituencies under FPTP. Main takeaway: recent Conservative advantage has now eroded.

 

[nogojones]

£85k pa

Plus expenses.

Well I'm not doing it out of principles. Just imagine the fun you could have

 

[brogdale]

Plus expenses.

Well I'm not doing it out of principles. Just imagine the fun you could have

Day 1; apply for Brady's job

 

[nogojones]

Day 1; apply for Brady's job

If I kept my head down for a couple of weeks, or however long the probation period is, I could be leader of the opposition

 

[ska invita]

View attachment 426038
This is quite interesting, from the latest header on politicalbetting.com. Focaldata calls it the “election cat” (which sounds a bit like the currency Susan from The Day Today) but anyway what it purports to demonstrate is the efficiency of vote distribution across constituencies under FPTP. Main takeaway: recent Conservative advantage has now eroded.

is this basically a graph of how well Lab/Con are in there with swing voters in swing voter seats?

 

[Silas Loom]

is this basically a graph of how well Lab/Con are in there with swing voters in swing voter seats?

No, it shows how many votes are wasted in safe seats versus how many votes make a difference in marginals.

 

[Dogsauce]

How about National Service for pensioners? A chance to pay back for all the benefits they’ve had from society (free education, transport subsidies, decent pensions)? Seems only fair. Call it ‘National Payback’ or something. Exemptions for anyone who did National Service when young (might still be a few about).

Why get kids to work for free when they haven’t had the full benefits of society yet, and will probably have more taken from them during their lives? That seems terribly unfair. Lots of fit pensioners who could be out picking litter and wiping arses rather than playing golf.

 

[Karl Masks]

Is anyone ever going to tell Clever Jim that his beard fools no one and that it doesn't make him look like a hard man

 

[Cerv]

isn't this just reheating Cameron's failed Big Society guff?

 

[Karl Masks]

How about National Service for pensioners? A chance to pay back for all the benefits they’ve had from society (free education, transport subsidies, decent pensions)? Seems only fair. Call it ‘National Payback’ or something. Exemptions for anyone who did National Service when young (might still be a few about).

Why get kids to work for free when they haven’t had the full benefits of society yet, and will probably have more taken from them during their lives? That seems terribly unfair. Lots of fit pensioners who could be out picking litter and wiping arses rather than playing golf.

Is that not what raising the pension age has already achieved?

I mean who do you think you're kidding Mr Hitler?

 

[Silas Loom]

isn't this just reheating Cameron's failed Big Society guff?

The guff about encouraging young people to volunteer that Sunak axed funding for in 2022, you mean?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Feels like the first result to come from today's "Rishi is tired and just needs a rest" period. What can they say to prove how truly Conservative they really are? National Service! Goes down well with traditionalists, people are always telling phone ins and Question Time about 'kids today' not having any discipline. Perfect headline grabber. Tories can now say that your teen can enjoy all the delights of being put on the treadmill of the local cadets, and they get to please the neighborhood watch types.

Sunak looks like he wouldn't have lasted forty-five minutes in the cub scouts, never mind national service.

 

[SpookyFrank]

If I kept my head down for a couple of weeks, or however long the probation period is, I could be leader of the opposition

Tory leader maybe, but you wouldn't be leader of the opposition. The spunking cock party has a much more vigorous vetting policy.

 

[xenon]

My Dad was amongst the last to do National Service and did 2 years which gets me wondering how long the service would be for. You get a choice of full-time service in the military presumably for 1-2 years or one weekend a month litter picking or whatever for how long? If it's also 2 years then everyone is going to go for that save those that actually want to join the military anyway. If it's going to be a comparable time then it's going to last until their mid-20's.
Will it be only men? If so will it get challenged on equal opportunities grounds?
This is something that Sevenbins has literally pulled out of his arse yesterday without talking about it with anyone in the bizarre belief that the public want it. Well they do if the public consists of a handful of rabid Tory Party members.
In order to win the election, the Tories need to do what they have always done to win. Economic growth, rising house prices and falling taxes.
They don't have a frigging clue as to how to do that so they're just coming up with these barmy schemes to distract from how utterly screwed they are.

They’ve been talking about it for ages. There was a whole discussion late last year, earlier this year. It’s just one of those things they dust off now and then.

 

[moochedit]

This "plan" is not really about bringing back conscription to strengthen the armed forces, and much of of the criticism appears to be based on the mistaken idea that it is, and so largely misses the mark

Most voters don't read the manifesto detail though. Whatever the actual policy is, if 18 years think they are going to be forced to fight or their parents think their kids will be then it will lose them votes. Probably more than it will gain from elderly reform types with a hard on for this sort of thing.

 

[_Russ_]

Garbage motives and likely not to happen in any way close to the promise but as an Idea its the best one to be proffered by the cunts in the last 24 years.
This country is lost as a society, the majority of people under 40 have little respect for others or ability to actually do shit

 

[nino_savatte]

So, what other shitty ideas from the past will Itchy Klootzak announce?

• A revival of capital punishment?
• A return to pre-decimal currency?
• New builds with outdoor toilets?
• Forced labour work camps for the economically inactive unemployed?

 

[xenon]

Most voters don't read the manifesto detail though. Whatever the actual policy is, if 18 years think they are going to be forced to fight or their parents think their kids will be then it will lose them votes. Probably more than it will gain from elderly reform types with a hard on for this sort of thing.

There’s no risk of losing votes from people Who would be personally affected by this so-called policy.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Of course. But that’s the tone of the election, is the point. Tories trying to put “clear blue water” between them and Labour, and Labour doing their best to deny it’s there.

It's so utterly depressing that the leader of the Opposition fails to oppose and that Labour's political stance and strategy doesn't involve offering the electorate a left-wing alternative, but offers more of the same, but slightly nicer and more palatable, ie we, too, will be tough on immigration, benefits claimants, and we, too, will continue with privatisation of the NHS by stealth, etc.

 

[MickiQ]

Sunak looks like he wouldn't have lasted forty-five minutes in the cub scouts, never mind national service.

Perhaps that's the problem, all four of my kids did a stint in the youth paramilitary and loved it. Perhaps if Sevenbins had he would have had a bit more empathy and talked a bit less shit.

 

[Silas Loom]

So, what other shitty ideas from the past will Itchy Klootzak announce?

• A revival of capital punishment?
• A return to pre-decimal currency?
• New builds with outdoor toilets?
• Forced labour work camps for the economically inactive unemployed?

A referendum on capital punishment would have been much more effective as a Reform spoiler. No awkward questions about funding, Labour would pretty much have to oppose it, a comeback answer on prison overcrowding.

I think it’s odds on to be announced very soon.

 

[MickiQ]

How about National Service for pensioners? A chance to pay back for all the benefits they’ve had from society (free education, transport subsidies, decent pensions)? Seems only fair. Call it ‘National Payback’ or something. Exemptions for anyone who did National Service when young (might still be a few about).

Why get kids to work for free when they haven’t had the full benefits of society yet, and will probably have more taken from them during their lives? That seems terribly unfair. Lots of fit pensioners who could be out picking litter and wiping arses rather than playing golf.

National Service was abolished in 1960 and the last conscript left it in 1963 so the youngest would be about 81. There are still plenty about, my Dad and Uncles did it. The only man of their age I know who didn't was my FiL and that was because he volunteered for the Navy at 16. Stayed for 22 years and loved it, even today he misses no chance to bore people completely witless talking about it. Tbf some of his stories are quite interesting or at least they were the first dozen or so times.