Off Topic The Politics Thread

I said 'I'm not a fan of Boris and many of his ministers'.

Beth said that I lauded and followed them.

I don't.

 

But it wasn't the only political point you were making.
You went into a tirade, blaming government for restrictions, for 'greatly' contributing to the number of deaths and even our mental health crises.
I imagine it's their fault it's pissing down this morning.

Anyway, look.
I just don't like being misrepresented.
I don't like Boris much and have little time for some of the ministers in his government.
That doesn't mean I can't recognise anything good they do.

Many made mistakes early on, including yourself when you dismissed this virus as nothing to worry about.
I agreed that it hopefully was.

I've criticised Boris and the Tories loads on here, but also give credit where I think it's due.

I find the scatter gun approach of simply hating them because they're Tories very unhelpful and that's why I linked it to Labour declining so alarmingly. Many Labour supporters do just that and it blinds them imo.

Anyway, here's to better times ahead (hopefully).

 

Same as. I was critical for not closing the borders. At a later time I was also vocal regarding the T&T costing so much.
However
There are some who just have a blind hatred of the government and they will never praise them... (even when they say they do, they don't really mean it).
Yesterday both Beth and Stroller were talking rubbish. Their comments on the vaccine rollout and government are ridiculous. in fact it sounded so bitter and twisted. Maybe they should concentrate on more time on their awful party they follow?

 

Ellers, Beth & Stroller weren't talking rubbish they were expressing an opinion,you are free to agree or disagree,

 

Further proof that these were 'Covid elections' is that Mark Drakeford and the Welsh Labour party have exceeded all expectations and will control the Senedd - perhaps even with an overall majority, something that has never happened before. I asked the question on here as to whether Drakeford or Johnson should be given credit for the vaccine roll-out in Wales and no one could come up with an answer. The Welsh people have given it to Drakeford and Labour.

 

It was Covid in Wales. Wales is a naturally Labour voting country. Drakeford seems to have done a good job on roll out there. Hence does well in local elections.

But the North East of England was much more than Covid. Labour have done nothing in the North but take voters for granted, and call them thick if they vote for anyone else. Failing cities in the North want an aspirational party that puts them first and helps them to invest for the future. Hartlepool voters saw Brexit delivered and those neighbouring areas that went blue at the last election doing well. They want a piece of that. If the Tories deliver, Labour could be out for a long time.

 

I'm talking nationally, not Hartlepool, which would have gone Tory in 2019 if it weren't for the Brexit party.

Starmer has had no chance to break through during Covid. If he supported the government he was accused of being weak, yet if he was critical he was accused of 'playing politics during a crisis'. These elections were not about polices (what are Starmer's policies?), but about Covid. People are euphoric about the success of the vaccine roll-out and have given Johnson and the Tories credit for that in England (forgetting how badly wrong they had got things previously) and Drakeford's Labour in Wales.

I think Labour would be wrong to ditch Starmer after a year of impossible circumstances for him. That said, he needs to come out fighting and set out clear policies and a vision for Labour going forward. He should be given another year to do this.

 

As a Londoner now living (very happily) in the North I'd just chip in that Northerners have been called thick by Londoners mainly and Southerners for a long time before Brexit. If Boris does nothing else during his term of office if he accelerates the move of government departments, civil service and big companies from London to the North he will justifiably be seen as a moderniser. Remains to be seen how much of that was led by Cummings or just lip service as with Osborne's Northern Powerhouse

 

Covid has been difficult for Starmer and it's right to take that into account. So, give him another year? That would be fair. The economy looks to be making a decent revival, but he might be able to make ground calling for taxes on high earners to pay off huge national debt incurred over the pandemic.

The problem I see is not only that no one knows what he stands for (he was big on a People's vote on Brexit and he's still carrying that bag about with him) but he doesn't have much personality. You can't dislike the guy but no one warms to him either. Andy Burnham is being spoken of as a replacement. I think he'd provide Boris with more of a challenge. Maybe bring him in after a year, if Starmer is making no headway

 

I agree, it's really important to spread government departments about the country and give incentives for companies to start up in, or relocate to, the North. It should all form part of the government's levelling up programme.

 

The gift that keeps on giving. Perhaps he should try some waccy baccy...

 

Burnham is favourite to replace Starmer after winning his mayoral race by a landslide.

 

He's tried twice for the leadership and been rejected. Labour are waking up to the fact they may have a winner here if they can get policies that appeal to the electorate and are relevant to their lives.

 

I quite like Andy Burnham.

 

Angela Rayner is the fall girl for Labours disastrous campaign. Also knives are out for Starmer. He did do well in PMQs according to some.

 

He did do well in PMQs. UKIP voters don’t care about PMQs. I’m sure we’ve done this.

 

Oi!! Leave Angela alone.

 

Mate there is internal fighting within Labour HQ tonight. Some blame her and others Captain Hindsight.

 

What you on? He was cra2p in PMQs and is known for not having a knock out punch. Stop talking rubbish and embarrassing yourself.
‘He did do well in PMQs”

 

Captain Hindsight has just sacked Rayner.