Off Topic Politics Thread

Sorry to birng the headline from a sleaze paper but here it is!

Boris Johnson says £1billion trade deal (with India) could open up 6,000 vacancies (msn.com)




..........And just as I was getting overjoyed at this splendid news, the value of this deal is considerably less than it would cost to buy Tottenham Hotspur let alone Manchester United. Or about 5 times the valuation of Southampton Football Club, I suppose. And didn't we have a trade deal with India when we were EU members?

 

A classic bit of sound bite Boris.
Basically yes but a trade deal not a free trade deal.
https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/india/
https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/negotiations-and-agreements/
All sorts of numbers and speculation.
https://www.export.org.uk/news/5515...ns-for-both-countries-ahead-of-trade-deal.htm
An Indian media view.
https://www.indiawest.com/blogs/inf...cle_ae5882c6-92a8-11eb-b38b-7fdc7252cbc7.html

 

Ooh, the gammons are going to love the increase in the number of students and professionals coming in from India. They’ll replace all the low paid Eastern European ones, except (knowing the Indian work Eric as I do) they’ll quickly establish themselves in good jobs and be successful. Still - the intellectually devoid who voted for Brexit in order to “stop them coming over here stealing our jobs” can serve Mickey Ds, wait tables or pick fruit. Things I’m positive they’ll be very happy to do ....

 

Is this what you're referring to?
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/india-enhanced-trade-partnership/
https://theconversation.com/india-u...-to-win-a-free-trade-deal-will-it-work-154745

 

Superintendent Ted Hastings to DCI Ian Buckells : “Your corruption has been mistaken for incompetence.”

Remind you of anyone?

 

Hartlepool looks set to emphatically confirm that the ‘Red Wall’ has gone full Tory convert.

They are wasting their time if that is their strategy, they need to be focusing on winning over new voters or maximising their resources, not trying to reclaim lost causes.

 

Yeah, the future of the left in the UK, as it is pretty well throughout North America and Europe, is cities, non-white voters, and the young. White working class areas are going to be strongholds of conservative reactionary politics and braindead populism indefinitely, unfortunately.

 

I find it incredible, but, then, they voted overwhelmingly “Leave” and are, no doubt, blaming the EU for all the issues .... just wait until the whole import tariff issue kicks in next year - then there’ll be full “we hate the EU” mode by the media designed at brainwashing the sheep into supporting this corrupt, inept and appalling government.

 

The key here is that the Conservatives essentially have a whole political wing to themselves, whereas the Centre and Left here is fragmented which causes vote splitting in a system that rewards plurality.

Labour need to drop their ego / belief that they are the one rightful party of the left and realise that they need to work with others to be able to affect any real form of change. They also need to stop trying to tip toe around Populists and Brexiteers to try and reclaim their old seats, for a start it isn’t working anyway and is further fragmenting the opposition.

The Lib Dem’s are woefully ineffective/inefficient and need to work with others to convert their vote share into seats before they disappear from the Commons entirely. They seem to be in denial about their current situation.

The Greens need to work with the other parties to enhance their chances of gaining any meaningful clout in the Commons. 1/650 is not going to cut it.

Unless this happens it’s eternal Tories because FPTP will always elevate the largest party, even if they aren’t backed by a majority of the public.

 

But, looking at the bigger/longer-term picture, if Hartlepool is blue after Thursday, all of the tabloids (maybe not The Mirror), and several broadsheets will be able to trumpet Boris' policies, saying "Look, we told you, everyone thinks Boris is doing well". This will further convince the voting populace that Conservatism is the answer. In which case, it was a bl**dy stupid question.

 

Unfortunately there is no way of countering our media, they are always going to spin news to suit their own agendas, which are almost never in the interests of the people who consume their product.

Best example is 2019 ‘The public voted emphatically to get Brexit done’ meanwhile most of the public actually voted for either a second referendum or to bin Brexit outright. It’s just our 300 year old electoral system creaking at the seams that produced that result.

‘Red Wall’ voters will back the Tories until they die now because it’s a vote against ‘the enemy’ (The EU). Opposition parties need to work around this, as it isn’t possible to engage with people who have this mindset.

 

Just discovered that my golf club (south Winchester) have signed an agreement with Bloor Homes to sell the course for development but “lease it back until planning permission is received”.
There’s considerable opposition to a massive development south of Winchester to Hursley (a very “blue voting” area) and there was a note the other day to say that they were confident that planning permission would be denied.
Then I find an article about Bloor Homes “donating” £1.3 million to the Tory Party ..... and we know how the government love those who donate to them .....

https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news...nk-to-sandleford-housing-development-9194493/

 

Hartlepool just used a machine gun..

 

Quelle suprise, all Brexit voters shift to the Conservatives, who could possibly have seen that coming?

Labour need to stop trying to be all things to all people, it doesn’t work and just makes them appear very wish washy.

They need to amputate the red wall, come out swinging with significant, clear policies that tell people exactly what they stand for / How they will make the country a better place to live in and cut a deal with other opposition parties so they get out of each other’s way.

 

By amputate the red wall, do you mean abandon it’s roots and write off all the former industrial towns?

 

I think the Labour leadership were hoping the Brexit/Reform vote in at least part will go back to them but it hasn't and don't think it will for a long time.
If the voters cannot see that the Tory leadership do anything to further only their own power/wallets what hope is there. Hartlepool might have felt taking for granted by the Labour party and wanted to give them a bloody nose - or that was how they were told the story but they forget it has been the Tories in charge for 10 years.
I saw on Twitter a Tory leaflet with a quote from the local tory mp saying he can't help the area of the town as that is a labour council and we can't be seen to help a labour council - if this is true that they only help the areas that vote for them, that is a massive failure of public service (another one)

 

I think they need to move their focus away from appeasing areas they can no longer win at the cost of progressing in areas they can.

Standing in the middle isn’t working for them, they have to choose whether they want to appeal to the former industrial areas that founded them, or the more liberally minded areas that offer them a future, they cannot win in both in the current political climate.