neilm
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Post by neilm on Oct 12, 2023 9:26:00 GMT
Yeah, never saw that coming. The SNP conference is about to start. Let's see what Hamza Yousaf is made of - he's got the arrests, financial probe, lack of campaigning funds, loss of Rutherglen and now a defection to the Tories to brush off. That's an away match, if ever there was one. He'll just prattle on about his family in Gaza instead.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Oct 6, 2023 7:19:26 GMT
The BBC coverage, at least online, is atrocious. I had to scroll all the way down in order not to find the actual result so ended up getting it from Sky where it was at the bottom of the page. No normal person wants to read all that blurb before seeing the actual result.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Oct 4, 2023 20:34:35 GMT
Carnival folk. Almost certainly the only marginalised group in European history to have had their own bank! Roy Ruffler now tells people he was focused on 'small scale independent leisure.'
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Oct 4, 2023 20:05:39 GMT
I mentioned there was a further issue in Milton Keynes for the local Tories. It happened back in June/July but I hadn't seen it publicised anywhere so was cautious about posting on here - I've now seen a leaflet featuring her so can't see any good reason to keep quiet any longer. Saleena Raja, Con->LD. She was the Tory Councillor for Shenley Brook End ward until May - she lost her seat by the margin of only 4 votes to the Lib Dem challenger. Was one of the standout results for the Conservatives on a miserable day here. She has not only joined the Lib Dems, but she has been selected to fight the ward again next May, so she will go head to head against her former ward colleague. I'd make her favourite with the Lib Dem strength in the ward and her personal vote (she's also chair of the parish council) unless the wind changes once more as it often does here. Popcorn at the ready - will be a fascinating contest. I knew she'd gone but that's quite a surprise. Might be a kitchen sink job from the Conservatives.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 30, 2023 10:01:31 GMT
The big problem with a non-aligned room is that most of us don't have any crossover with each other. As a label, it's a political dustbin isn't it? Splitters.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 30, 2023 7:47:53 GMT
The fact that he has shared this piece of information with us means that we now automatically instinctively applaud every time he tells us anything about anything, because we now know that it is backed by wisdom, knowledge and insight rather than the half-baked instincts and prejudices which infest the brains of most ordinary forum members. Thank you. I also didn't pay £54,000 for my degree for nothing clearly! How does that break down? Fees were £9,000 pa for you so £27,000. Journalism MA is perhaps £11,500 (looks to be slightly less but let's go with that). So £38.5k. Where does the other £15.5k come from?
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 29, 2023 22:39:39 GMT
I got 100% in UK Politics at A-Level. My contributions are thus valuable. What prompted to share this particular achievement?
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 25, 2023 7:15:53 GMT
Labour candidate is Susan Dungworth. An excellent choice. The only other Dungworth I ever remember coming across was that guy who was Aldershot's all time record scorer or something like that. (Late 1970s). There was a Dungworth in the village I grew up in, but there were several in Sheffield along with a hamlet of the same name.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 17, 2023 9:19:39 GMT
a sad loss both for you and Bradford, which you should seek to remedy As it happens I may well do so in the not too distant future Bradford Interchange has a massive Greggs, and isn't too far from the pleasant looking town hall (City Hall I suppose). Obviously the Greggs is less of an incentive if you're driving, but it does seem to carry the full range including scotch pies.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 17, 2023 9:14:58 GMT
With the potential for a split vote so high, no wonder the Conservatives have odds as generous (given the circumstances) as 2/1 to hold this seat. The best Lib Dem odds, meanwhile, are 10/11, and Labour's 9/4. The bookmakers are really hoping for a field day even though odds like that will in practice indicate that the Conservatives are more likely to hold this seat than not. I looked on Oddschecker and did some back of a fag packet maths, the overround looks around 3.2% so not much of a bookies field day yet but I expect that will widen considerably before polling day.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 17, 2023 9:08:38 GMT
Pretty good CV as with the Uxbridge by election looks like the candidate might be decent. Rail engineer - so should be in favour of HS2. How will that go down among the west midland nimbys? He might not be, there's a fair number at Network Rail HQ aren't.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 13, 2023 18:33:32 GMT
Mitt Romney is not running for a second term.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 13, 2023 18:29:55 GMT
I wonder if normal people follow this account and it impacts their voting behaviour? I think he’s right that it’s likely very close either way. The Greens could cock block Labour here. That myth was debunked years ago. That Green candidacies hurt the Labour vote?
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 8, 2023 19:23:10 GMT
Marcia Langton is perhaps not the person you want helping to front up your campaign.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 8, 2023 11:46:46 GMT
I wonder if that is because of the size of some ridings? If you're the MP for Montreal Central (I've made that up, I don't know what it's called) then a surgery is probably easy enough to organise. If you're the MP for Yukon (now the largest single member seat in the world) it would be near impossible. Members would be under pressure to achieve the impossible if even a few others started doing it. Australia must be the same: Durack must be nearly impossible to organise and Kalgoorlie would have required so much planning it wouldn't have been worth it. Far better to plan a tour and hope that someone turns up when you're taking a photo in the middle of nowhere. Isn't that Nunavut? (Western Arctic is also larger) Yes, I meant Nunavut. My mistake entirely. Although it turns out that it's Yakutsk.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 8, 2023 10:48:28 GMT
So lets just say you repeat the rule for councillors and demand a certain level from attendance of MPs. What will happen in a situation like this? Dorries could easily have turned up once, done nothing, and met the requirement. I would also vehemently oppose any attempt to make holding surgeries mandatory. It is not a principal part of the role of a member of a legislative body. I've never heard of an MP holding surgeries in Canada (there is a requirement to have a staffed, public office in the constituency where electors can meet staff/caseworkers, through). I wonder if that is because of the size of some ridings? If you're the MP for Montreal Central (I've made that up, I don't know what it's called) then a surgery is probably easy enough to organise. If you're the MP for Yukon (now the largest single member seat in the world) it would be near impossible. Members would be under pressure to achieve the impossible if even a few others started doing it. Australia must be the same: Durack must be nearly impossible to organise and Kalgoorlie would have required so much planning it wouldn't have been worth it. Far better to plan a tour and hope that someone turns up when you're taking a photo in the middle of nowhere.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 6, 2023 5:43:38 GMT
I know, I was impressed when I saw this posted this morning. Might it put off some people though in a sort of “how do they afford to do this” sort of way, or “that’s where all the Union money is going”. A sort of Kinnock style high-budget glossy hubristic campaign may put some people in the simpler more rural parts off. The simpler more rural parts?! It's not Appalachia.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 5, 2023 12:38:39 GMT
Tendring, Frinton (2027). Nick Turner, Conservative to Not In A Political Group. I await the emergence of the Beyond the Gates Residents Alliance, sole councillor Nick Turner.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 3, 2023 10:50:38 GMT
Not all affiliations or groups show up: doktorb🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ is in a group of one as is timmullen1 but you can only see non aligned or Labour as the descriptor. I shall not create a room or subforum etc that puts members at risk of doxxing (or another risk) or where I'd need some sort of actual proof that people were in that group, or were genuine allies, for me to manage the risk. This is quite a different prospect to a disability/neurodiversity/LGBT network in a workplace where people know each other and discretion can be assumed. We've had doxxing in the past on here and I won't tolerate it again. May I be added to the "Friends of Preston Bus Station" room please? If you really want to...
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Sept 2, 2023 15:55:15 GMT
Well can't say I agree about the FT - currently the best *news*paper in this country by some distance. Did you actually prefer it when living breathing Tory Boy parody Seb Payne was a senior writer there? Yeah, the FT still does have actual news although it is less good than before. I have a WSJ subscription, which I admit I have purely because of £1 a month offer, and it is both much less good than the FT much less 'international': the world news section currently leads with Jimmy Buffett dying, for example. On the plus side, it does seem relatively free of spin.
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