The 2024 UK General Election - news, speculation and updates

[Serge Forward]

The Tory’s have almost 72% of the vote in Claped-out-ton. Does he think he can swing that?

Surely you mean Clacton rather than Clapton.

 

[Louis MacNeice]

just found out my ex-partner's daughter is standing as the green candidate in Clacton. I will make sure she passes on everyone on urbans best wishes to fuckface

Good luck to her!

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[Elpenor]

Absolute state of this:

Ptfe Stringfellow is the nickname I’ve just invented for him

 

[MickiQ]

Frog Lord has probably the largest personal following of any politician in the UK. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) they're not concentrated in a few places but scattered across England.
He might very well win Clapton (though I hope not)
However the rest of Refuk are just sock puppets, like UKIP before it, it's a one frog band. I can't see any others winning anything.

 

[Elpenor]

Frog Lord has probably the largest personal following of any politician in the UK. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) they're not concentrated in a few places but scattered across England.
He might very well win Clapton (though I hope not)
However the rest of Refuk are just sock puppets, like UKIP before it, it's a one frog band. I can't see any others winning anything.

So for all the frog talk, no real kermitment across the country to his brand of politics

 

[Sue]

Frog Lord has probably the largest personal following of any politician in the UK. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) they're not concentrated in a few places but scattered across England.
He might very well win Clapton (though I hope not)
However the rest of Refuk are just sock puppets, like UKIP before it, it's a one frog band. I can't see any others winning anything.

Surely you mean Clacton rather than Clapton.

This. Clapton is in Hackney North and Stoke Newington and I imagine has very different demographics to Clacton.

 

[The39thStep]

And the beat goes on

 

[Elpenor]

This. Clapton is in Hackney North and Stoke Newington and I imagine has very different demographics to Clacton.

But Eric Clapton would probably vote for Farage in Clacton if he could

 

[Wilf]

But Eric Clapton would probably vote for Farage in Clacton if he could

And Enoch Powell before him.

 

[The39thStep]

This. Clapton is in Hackney North and Stoke Newington and I imagine has very different demographics to Clacton.

Perhaps he means Clapham

 

[Sue]

And the beat goes on

Tbf, he does look more like he's held a pint before than most politicians posing with one.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

I grew up in Sutton Coldfield. This mad lib dem geezer is basically doing a campaign pub crawl of my youth

 

[Dog_Voodoo]

Surely you mean Clacton rather than Clapton.

Is there any difference?

 

[Dog_Voodoo]

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Have you anything to actually say, DV? Yes, Farage voters exist. Clearly. Clacton exists. Even Clapton exists. Yes there is a place between Hackney and Stamford Hill, despite appearances otherwise.

Do you have a point?

 

[Dog_Voodoo]

Have you anything to actually say, DV? Yes, Farage voters exist. Clearly. Clacton exists. Even Clapton exists. Yes there is a place between Hackney and Stamford Hill, despite appearances otherwise.

Do you have a point?

I do. If you are referring to me? If so you may have missed it.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I do. If you are referring to me? If so you may have missed it.

I was. Say it again. I'm a bit thick, I've probably missed it.

 

[xenon]

Is there any difference?

Yes. One is in Hackney and the other town in Essex. You’ve made yourself look a bit daft haven’t you. There’s still time to turn it around though.

 

[xenon]

Frog Lord just makes me think of the rather good sludge Metal band of the same name I saw a few months ago.

 

[belboid]

Hmm, I can't find any odds for the next Rochdale MP. It's the only seat without any, as far as I can see.

 

[smokedout]

Tbf, he does look more like he's held a pint before than most politicians posing with one

I saw Keir Starmer nursing a pint at noon outside The Pineapple in Kentish Town a couple of years ago, his eyes all bloodshot and his face all red. I suspect unlike many politicians he is very comfortable with a pint in his hand.

 

[redsquirrel]

Skint?

Did all the unions go bankrupt without me noticing?

The whole set up of the old Labour electoral college was to use the unions to stop 'hard left' candidates. Now union funding for the LP is less important than private donors and the affiliated unions are shackled to the party - hence why some unions backed Cooper, Smith and Starmer despite their clearly being less union supportive than their opponents.
Also didn't you vote for Starmer?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Also didn't you vote for Starmer?

Err, no, I am not a member.

I'll be voting Labour in the GE, because they have the chance of winning here, in what has always been considered a safe Tory seat.

 

[MickiQ]

Surely you mean Clacton rather than Clapton.

The joys of auto correct on an Android tablet

 

[redsquirrel]

Err, no, I am not a member.

Sorry I thought from your arguments about the 'electability' of Starmer you might be an affiliated member

 

[cupid_stunt]

Sorry I thought from your arguments about the 'electability' of Starmer you might be an affiliated member

Nope.

However, I've had several former Tory voters telling me they are voting for Labour, because Starmer doesn't scare them, unlike Corbyn, and when pushed on who they would be voting for if Corbyn was still leader, almost all have said Tory, with a few don't knows.

 

[MickiQ]

Unions use their political funds in exactly the same way that corporations use theirs which is to buy influence in the corridors of power.
That means the Labour Party not niche candidates who will lose their deposits. There is a desperate need for a centre left party and a wonky reformist party in the UK, there is even a place if not a need for a far left party. But under FPTP those spots will remain empty.
Which brings us to the special case of billionaires, the undesirablity of private individuals having sufficient wealth to directly affect policy in their favour is obvious. Private individuals can donate for all sorts of reasons but not many rich people are likely to donate to parties whose policies include making said rich people less rich.

 

[MickiQ]

Nope.

However, I've had several former Tory voters telling me they are voting for Labour, because Starmer doesn't scare them, unlike Corbyn, and when pushed on who they would be voting for if Corbyn was still leader, almost all have said Tory, with a few don't knows.

Much if not most of the British public are conservative with a small C, they're not turning against the Tories because they fundamentally disagree with their policies, they're turning against them because they are incompetent poltroons.

 

[sparkybird]

Ptfe Stringfellow is the nickname I’ve just invented for him

Just look at those micro bladed eyebrows

 

[The39thStep]

The whole set up of the old Labour electoral college was to use the unions to stop 'hard left' candidates. Now union funding for the LP is less important than private donors and the affiliated unions are shackled to the party - hence why some unions backed Cooper, Smith and Starmer despite their clearly being less union supportive than their opponents.
Also didn't you vote for Starmer?

'Of the £21.5m in cash received by the (Labour) party in 2023, just £5.9m came from the trade union movement, compared with £14.5m from companies and individuals' Open Democarcy 2024.

Which makes you wonder exactly what 'Influence in the corridors of power' the trade unions who still contribute to the Labour Party get. In fact can anyone tell me what that buys?