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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 21:41:19 GMT
I am in Flanders since the beginning of March and I didn't notice there is an election campaign going on. I saw some PS Election posters in a restaurant in Tournai over the Easter weekend. Lots of NV-A and VB posters in Aalst last week.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 21:40:19 GMT
It possibly holds together in a sense of tension. Like a couple staying together for the sake of the kids (or in this case, Brussels). An independent Flanders would shoot for the stars. An independent Wallonia would sink. Both are fantastically underrated destinations. I want to see how many years it would take for Wallonia to become a far right stronghold after merging into France. If it did merge. Walloons are fairly proud of being Francophone but not French, and there are differences. Lots of monolingual Francophones in Brussels consider themselves Flemish. Indeed, Jacques Brel (who could speak both) described himself as Flemish, even though his command of the language was dodgy.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 21:07:02 GMT
It possibly holds together in a sense of tension. Like a couple staying together for the sake of the kids (or in this case, Brussels).
An independent Flanders would shoot for the stars. An independent Wallonia would sink.
Both are fantastically underrated destinations.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 16:12:29 GMT
For what it's worth, TUSC have endorsed Driscoll.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 14:50:14 GMT
Polls seem hard to come by at the moment, the last one being a month ago. It is a joint one for RTL, VTM (television channels), Le Sour and Het Laatste Nieuws (newspapers). Needing 76 seats for a majority, the current polls show: N-VA 20 PS 16 VB 27 MR 16 Ecolo 9 CD&V 11 VLD 6 PVDA/PTB 19 Vooruit 10 Groen 5 Les engagés 10 Defi 1 Others none I have no idea how you make a government from that. N-VA, MR, CD&V, LE, VLD would work but is still short. The other parties taking part so far include Blanco (a party that claims voters should spoil their ballot because...erm...there's not enough choice), Chez Nous (some sort of Walloon far-right outfit), Voor U (Flemish liberal splinter and personality cult), Volt, at least two different Arab groupings in Brussels, some antifederalists, and various German minority groupings. Flemish big beast Patrick Dewael has announced that he is retiring. He first entered Parliament in 1985. They could do the very Belgian thing, and just not bother Probably the best idea given the choices. As an aside, I was in Belgium last week and saw a number of vehicles with party-political wraps on them. I spent half an hour in a jam behind one with the giant head of the CD&V Leader, and parked up next to a knackered van with Groen livery.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 14:18:32 GMT
Polls seem hard to come by at the moment, the last one being a month ago. It is a joint one for RTL, VTM (television channels), Le Sour and Het Laatste Nieuws (newspapers).
Needing 76 seats for a majority, the current polls show: N-VA 20 PS 16 VB 27 MR 16 Ecolo 9 CD&V 11 VLD 6 PVDA/PTB 19 Vooruit 10 Groen 5 Les engagés 10 Defi 1 Others none
I have no idea how you make a government from that. N-VA, MR, CD&V, LE, VLD would work but is still short.
The other parties taking part so far include Blanco (a party that claims voters should spoil their ballot because...erm...there's not enough choice), Chez Nous (some sort of Walloon far-right outfit), Voor U (Flemish liberal splinter and personality cult), Volt, at least two different Arab groupings in Brussels, some antifederalists, and various German minority groupings.
Flemish big beast Patrick Dewael has announced that he is retiring. He first entered Parliament in 1985.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 23, 2024 10:21:10 GMT
An AfD staffer in the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
Quite why China needs to bother when the German economic and political establishment are happy to help, who knows.
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Fylde
Apr 22, 2024 17:20:48 GMT
via mobile
Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 22, 2024 17:20:48 GMT
I remember we had James Atkins (son of Robert) apply for Stretford & Urmston in 2010. He didn't get it but was impressive. He doesn't seem overly involved in politics now but maybe he would be interested given that he's from up the road?
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 22, 2024 6:42:58 GMT
An interesting choice for a rather rural seat. Not as rural, but still Cheshire - Mike Amesbury, who is very, very Manc, seems to have done well for himself though in Northwich, sorry, ‘Weaver Vale’ - now standing in Runcorn & Helsby I think. As for the rural issue, I’m not sure how much farming there still is in Cheshire, but I do know many will commute to Manchester (whether they like it or not). Also Cheshire broadly isn’t the sort of area I’d think that would have an issue with a candidate with a foreign-sounding name/origin. Anecdotally of course, but there's no shortage of Mancs pushing out towards and past Northwich as houses are still surprisingly cheap.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 21, 2024 17:54:50 GMT
Of relevance to Winchester, because it was in Colden Common, there were two LibDem Councillors whose back gardens abutted one another, who got into a boundary dispute (they both died last year so I can post this now). Are you able to name names? I'm wondering who they were and how long ago it was.
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Rochdale
Apr 21, 2024 14:32:14 GMT
via mobile
Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 21, 2024 14:32:14 GMT
There are 2 Reform UK candidates, one in each of those wards. Neither Independent stood in the by-election; David Tully is not standing. However William Howarth, the anti-grooming campaigner who stood as an Independent in the by-election is standing for the Workers Party in Balderstone & Kirkholt.I find this somewhat baffling - nobody could be less likely to agree with the politics of the Workers' Party than Billy Howarth, and many of the supporters of George Galloway consider him a racist for pointing out the ethnicity of the Rochdale grooming gangs. Not sure about Howarth, but David Tully has angrily denied claims that he is backing the Workers Party. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/they-manipulated-it-furious-rochdale-28959746
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 20, 2024 16:23:24 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 20, 2024 16:20:47 GMT
Intriguing. Presumably Longsight and Rusholme the focus for any activity?
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 19, 2024 6:54:56 GMT
The LD and Con candidates for The Worthys live on the same road. Which isn't very big.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 18, 2024 11:30:15 GMT
Some of those suspensions must have been going on for ages!
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 18, 2024 10:48:30 GMT
Mr Murray, having admitted his knowledge of the area is out of date, has offered to meet up with me "for a pint" to discuss local issues. What do people think? Given he tells me he worries about the segregation in the town, I would love to ask how he thinks that the George Galloway "Muslims who voted for Jack Straw in 2005 had a slave-mentality" and "now have a chance to redeem themselves by backing Craig Murray" speech given at a rally for Mr Murray in our town will help bring people together. Gut feeling- avoid. You could be opening yourself up to all manner of grief, for little gain on your part and plenty on his.
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Fylde
Apr 17, 2024 22:16:20 GMT
via mobile
stb12 likes this
Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 17, 2024 22:16:20 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 17, 2024 15:02:08 GMT
They're the group linked to Sasha Johnson, who was shot in the head a few years ago. She is one of those people who seemed to very loudly declare themselves to be linked to the BLM concept, but probably was not really. Although you might use Google Images and draw your own conclusions based on photos of blokes in bowties hanging around. TtIP may have been born out of BLM in some shape or form, but in Croydon they are closely associated with evangelical groups, such as those The Conservatives (or at least Mario Creatura) were trying there best to associate with from around 2017-2019. At the count in 2022, i recall how smart TtIP activists were dressed, it all felt very wealth gospel. Yes, certainly some of the chaps in the photos look suspiciously like the Nation of Islam. Who were making a bit of noise a few years ago weren't they?
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 17, 2024 10:01:36 GMT
Labour are going to be very wary of a decapitation strategy. They will be much keener to maximise their gains ranging from the relatively bread-and-butter to the realistic outside bets. In Norfolk there are better chances elsewhere even though only Norwich North looks doable other than in a complete Tory meltdown This is the sort of seat where decapitation will probably benefit the Conservatives. Truss going would help any new face wanting to set a new direction. After 1997, the party could rely on the likes of Howard and Clarke being around. Solid characters with gravitas and who commanded respect even amongst people who didn't like them and were glad that the Tories were out. Truss is nowhere near that.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 17, 2024 9:57:31 GMT
I’m not saying that Truss is or isn’t an assiduous MP, but ‘ we never see our MP’ is an irritating statement to me. Where do the people who say that expect to see their MP? Do they expect them to be standing in the high street on a Saturday morning to be seen? An otherwise very poor MP could do that and tick that box. Most MPs are pretty good at sharing what they’ve been doing and photo opportunities. In my adult life, I’ve had 7 MPs- 3 Labour, 2 Conservatives and 2 Lib Dems. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them more than about twice so I could say I never see them. ( apart from when I lived in a flat and the MP rented, as his constituency home, the flat next door for 2 years, and I only saw him about 3 times) . People say we never see them about my current MP, but she does all the remembrance day etc things and my dad is involved in an organisation in which she is involved and she turns up to most of the meetings. When anyone says we never see them or they are barely seen, I would always ask where do you expect to see them? The late Eric Forth once told someone who complained along these lines that: "I am employed to be your representative in the making of laws. I am not employed to be your social worker".
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