Prime Minister to make a statement from Downing Street - GENERAL ELECTION on 8th June

[happypig]

Eastbourne CLP already in dispute over whether increasing the red share of the vote or ousting Ansell (by supporting Stephen Lloyd) should be the priority...

Difficult for me as the Labour candidate is a friend of mine - but logically I would prefer one less Tory MP rather than a few more Labour crosses on ballot papers that don't count for much in the big picture.

I like Jake but, even though I'm a Labour member, I will vote for whoever has the best chance of derailing brexit so Stephen Lloyd for me. I doubt I'm alone.

 

[symyjym]

It'll be very interesting. Obviously everyone who thinks Brexit is a great idea and how wonderfully caring and sharing our Conservative and Unionist Government are will vote Tory. The problem is how many people will vote for parties branded as 'extremist loons' by some on the infamous NSC Brexit thread, such as The SNP, The Liberal Democrats and Sinn Fein?

This is going to be very interesting and I have a feeling very, very divisive and nasty. I see the charming Arron Banks is already stating on Twitter he'll stand against Douglas Carswell in Clacton and I suppose there is a possibility, despite wanting his life back, that the public school educated, former city banker and peoples champion Nigel Farage might also try and get into Westminster.

Must admit I have kept away from the NSC Brexit thread. I am more concerned with our governments refime change foreign policy and how contrived it is. I haven't got any view on Brexit with the pros and cons just being guesswork but I do know that it is highly complex and entangled.

On the plus side if all this distracts them from causing trouble in the Middle East for the next 2 terms of government, it can only be a good thing. Pointless chaos and a time vacuum suits me fine really.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Ha. I thought exactly that. There'll be a lot of Labour MP's campaigning on their own records.
Do you really believe that he'd do the honourable thing though?

Surely Corbyn wouldn't be thick-skinned enough to maintain the fantasy that because he may have had some sort of mandate from Labour party members (most of them newly-joined in the wake of the Miliband debacle) that he has ever held any kind of wider mandate?

 

[TSB]

Enjoying Nigel Evans telling how he sees it. Don't know anything about him, but he's been more honest than May or Duncan-Smith.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

It'll put Corbyn to bed once and for all. They'll hopefully end up with an effective leader who isn't out his depth. I don't doubt Tories will gain the most seats, but its not impossible May could lose overall majority. "But the polls say" etc etc. How wrong have polls been in recent times? There's been a lot of unusual voting patterns and results in local elections. I foresee a lot of tactical voting in this coming election. May could shoot herself in the foot if there is a reaction in those former Lib Dem & marginal tory seats where there was a strong remain vote? Inflation is rising and a fair few people are twitchy about the future in these area's and of course, elsewhere. She'll probably increase her vote share in the true blue shire constituencies. So what? Counts for nothing if she loses elsewhere. Even her own backyard in Maidenhead was near marginal in the Blair years. Heavily remain area and anti LHR expansion. Can see some Labour seats maybe swinging to Lib Dem? An example: Hoey in Vauxhall is hugely unpopular amongst constituents and local party members. Huge swing needed but not impossible. These are strange political times.

If May wins outright, she has her mandate. If not, its her way of backpedaling on a potential Brexit shambles she previously claimed she didn't support. She can claim 'will of people' etc on either outcome. If she has to go down the 'Norway' route model or similar fudge, she can blame the Lib Dems/Labour for tying her hands when secretly, its probably her prefered and safe option, rather than a leap into the unknown of what the hardliners may wish for.

 

[pb21]

Enjoying Nigel Evans telling how he sees it. Don't know anything about him, but he's been more honest than May or Duncan-Smith.

What does he say?

 

[Giraffe]

De-railing Bexit?

You do know that can't happen now don't you. We are leaving, out. That ship has sailed. The British people will never vote to go back in.

 

[TSB]

What does he say?

That it was called as there's no opposition and May expects to clean up.
No crap about "for the country"

 

[Southern Scouse]

Any party that negotiates with Europe with the aim of staying in gets my vote.
I want my children to be able to live and work wherever they want in Europe.
I want Scotland to stay within the UK.
I need Farage to make other polititions look sensible.
I want a new Pro-Europe party Libs, Lab, Greens and even the odd decent Tory
I want BHA to be champions!
I know, I want, I want, I want..........

 

[wellquickwoody]

First thought that crossed my mind on this: we haven't yet heard the real reason this election has been called. Here's a tin foil hat theory:

The CPS are closing in on making their decisions on whether or not to prosecute the Tories who have been under investigation for election fraud stemming from the previous election. The current government have received a leak that indicates there will be prosecutions, and the Tories feel that these are likely to trigger multiple by-elections and/or enough controversy that it will be harmful to their current agenda. This announcement is getting ahead of that process, in the hope that it will preempt the CPS decisions and convince them to decide against prosecuting. After all, why bother when a new GE has been called?

Do you believe that the Yanks never landed on the moon as well?

 

[TexasGull]

June 8? Like the June 8 that's just seven weeks away? Wow, I'm just jealous that the UK can have a national election without "The Election Reality Show" that our US TV networks put on to boost ratings every four years: 24-hour coverage of 12 months of campaigning, six months of state primaries to weed out the loonies (which don't weed out the loonies), and five months of debate coverage, pre-debate coverage, post-debate coverage, pre-post-debate coverage...

And after all that, we wind up with the ratings-grabbing "historic" candidates that the networks choose: The first black candidate, the first woman criminal, the first orange huckster...

 

[wellquickwoody]

His policies seem very popular with a large proportion of the British public

Good luck with that!

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Good luck with that!

Good comeback

 

[Ernest]

The first time in HISTORY that the END of MAY happens in JUNE

 

[Titanic]

Channel 4 - Posted at 15:52

Channel 4 says Downing Street has squashed the idea of any TV debates ahead of the 8 June election.

A blog by its political editor Gary Gibbon says: "Rather than go down the route of pretending they’re longing for such things to happen but the logistics might be tricky they’ve gone for a more open approach: forget it."

 

[jakarta]

Good comeback

Do you seriously think that Corbyn can turnaround a 20% deficit in the polls?

Love or hate them the Tories are very good at holding onto power and that is exactly what this decision is about.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Do you seriously think that Corbyn can turnaround a 20% deficit in the polls?

Love or hate them the Tories are very good at holding onto power and that is exactly what this decision is about.

No, I don't think he can. That doesn't mean his policies aren't popular amongst the public and, arguably, have the interests of the 'average Joe' at the forefront whereas the Tories will pursue their own selfish self-interests, as they always do.

 

[Ernest]

https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/04/claims-may-called-an-election-to-escape-tory-expenses-scandal/#more-63131

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Do you seriously think that Corbyn can turnaround a 20% deficit in the polls?

Love or hate them the Tories are very good at holding onto power and that is exactly what this decision is about.

Because there are three left wing parties that split the vote vs one main centre right party.

 

[Brovion]

Oh who gives a ****. Seriously. The biggest event in June will be the PL fixtures coming out.