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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 16, 2024 15:48:54 GMT
The thing that strikes me as peculiar about it all is that her avowed support for Ukraine is absolutely not what Trump would do - I cannot see the logic of her support for him as the saviour of the west in that respect - Trump's foreign policy was anything but western engagement exactly. I think she is quite stupid actually even though she has had an education Possibly not stupid, but surely there's a strong chance that she is, to use the current parlance, neurodivergent. The inability to compromise or admit mistakes, the constant insistence that everyone else must be acting in bad faith, the sheer awkwardness, and the inability to play nicely with the other children beyond a tiny coterie...that surely suggests something deep-rooted.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 16, 2024 14:52:17 GMT
Obviously he opposes Zionism. And? If he thinks that 40 per cent of the Shadow Cabinet are being controlled by other people, then he should name names, surely?
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 16, 2024 12:43:18 GMT
Lots of people are opposed to those things, without being like Murray or his mate Galloway. And right on cue, he's gone with announcing his candidature by asserting that 40 per cent of the Shadow Cabinet are controlled by "the Zionist lobby". www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/04/i-stand-in-blackburn/No tropes here, kids.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 15, 2024 12:38:30 GMT
Two of the most of the most impressive political figures of postwar Germany were the Vogel brothers. Hans-Jochen was a SPD member, and Bernhard joined the CDU. They ended up on opposing benches in at least one Bundestag session.
Hans-Jochen became mayor of Munich, before joining Brandt's cabinet. He was then drafted in to be mayor of West Berlin as the local SPD collapsed into infighting. Whilst he couldn't save them from electoral disaster, he was widely regarded as a competent and affable bloke. This also made him the first and only person to be mayor of two of Germany's most populous cities. He then went into the Bundestag and ended up leading the SPD.
Bernie mostly made his base in Rhineland-Palatinate. He then became minister - president, and twice president of the Bundesrat. After over a decade in charge, he retired. Or so they thought. He then resurfaced after reunification as minister president of Thuringia, and did another decade. He is the first and only person to run two German Länder, and is the longest-serving Minister-President.
Hans-Jochen has passed away but Bernie is still with us and still giving interviews and expressing his views even though he is over 90.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 14, 2024 18:15:28 GMT
Well, either way, my assumption was clearly wrong! 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.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 14, 2024 17:57:53 GMT
I was in the Orpington/Biggin Hill area this week. No sign of any activity. What a bloody nice part of the world. On the other side of Bromley borough I've not heard a peep either. (assuming you mean election activity, and it's not just dead full stop) I thought there would be a bit more ULEZ-driven and anti-Khan noise around places like Orpington and Biggin Hill, particularly given the amount created when ULEZ was introduced. Although Khan would hardly have attracted that much support out there in the previous two elections. There has been some grumbling about ULEZ amongst my contacts. I reckon that it won't damage Labour enough in the grand scheme of things, given momentum, but certainly there's irritation and low-level anger. One of my relatives (further into town) was bitterly complaining about having to flog his car as it wasn't ULEZ compliant, and not having the cash to replace it. There's the usual thing about anecdotes and data, but there will certainly be people for whom it will be the major factor in how they vote.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 14, 2024 16:33:38 GMT
I was in the Orpington/Biggin Hill area this week. No sign of any activity.
What a bloody nice part of the world.
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Burnley
Apr 14, 2024 8:50:55 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 14, 2024 8:50:55 GMT
That is nothing specific to Burnley as far as I can tell. I think the majority of candidates everywhere opt for the 'address in **** district' now they have that option. In my own ward only 1 of 4 candidates has their address listed, in the ward I previously lived in in St Albans none of them do. I don't think its necessarily indicative of anything sinister Only a fifth of candidates here have their addresses listed. Trafford definitely not being like Burnley for political divides or local hostilities. Manchester candidates rarely used to list their addresses. Stockport candidates still seem to.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 13, 2024 19:07:22 GMT
This must have been one of the best Conservative results in 1997, there was hardly any swing away from them and Evans was elected by almost the same majority. Then again, one could say the ‘1997-esque’ swing had already occurred in 1992 in the wake of the by-election the year before, and the LDs had hit a pretty hard ceiling, on a general election basis at least, despite their sensational victory in 1991. Whilst Evans hails from the South Wales valleys, he seems to have made himself part of the furniture in this very different valley. A thought. Do outsiders who get stuck in end up with a bigger moat than locals? You're not stuck in the ancient grudges etc. You don't have that latent negative vote built on years of personal relationships.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 12, 2024 21:23:18 GMT
I guess we'll have to wait and see. I think the CSU would deeply regret it. Unless it's at the federal level or in Bavaria, then such a coalition is technically none of their business. Just because something is a federal matter that they say they're not interested in does not mean they won't interfere!
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 12, 2024 7:55:27 GMT
Thurgau/TG is situated in the NE-corner of SwitzerLand: While surrounding areas had industry - Zurich, Schaffhausen, textile in St.Gall(en) and Vorarlberg – TG was nicknamed “MostIndien” (=CiderIndia, a play with OstIndien=EastIndia) and famous for its bears (today more for apples). But although such selfPerCeption plays a role and many are deriving from farmers, only 5% are working nowadays directly in the agroSector and over 30% in the industry (mainly small&medium sized). Also urban progressives despising TG as even for CH-levels “boring” are not aware, that the canton had a tradition of rural “radicalism” (=leftLiberalism), represented by the Democrats, a splinter of FDP. (Amusingly the FDP was in french WestCH a coalition of New Money and those folksy Radicals with the Old Money forming its own “Liberal Party”, whereas in german EastCH Old&New Money dominated and the Radicals formed the “Dem.s”.) Of course: In the present climate noThing is left of that moderately left tradition (also not, that in the 1990ies and 2000ies SVP-TG was often not excited by Blocher moving the party into a new direction). The usual retort for being mocked for living in the uncultured and untrendy canton that is Aargau, is that at least it is not Thurgau, which is too bland even to have a stereotype (ours is for wearing white socks and being bad drivers). All the Züri lot say that Thurgauers have excessively long fingers.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 11, 2024 17:32:44 GMT
The 2019 manifesto was a steaming pile of crap, with a few jewels sticking out. Jeremy Corbyn is... PAPILLON!
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Wigan
Apr 11, 2024 7:14:44 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 11, 2024 7:14:44 GMT
Shevington seems unlikely ground for the Workers Party...er..platform.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 11, 2024 5:38:23 GMT
Inflation back up, which is a challenge for Biden.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 21:45:28 GMT
So what are the key battlegrounds in Manchester this year? Apart from the ongoing LD / Lab battle in Didsbury West with Lab up and Lab fighting to take back their seat from Green in Hulme? Piccadilly should be close. That's a part of town that has promised something interesting for years but never did. I remember Manchester Conservatives pouring lots of resources into a doomed attempt at a statement city centre win whilst Brooklands cried out for help and could have been won with the right effort.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 19:45:04 GMT
Was it 2017 that one of the Kent seats was announced as a surprise Lib Dem gain on the BBC by mistake?
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Sefton
Apr 9, 2024 14:09:17 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 14:09:17 GMT
Individual SOPNs: www.sefton.gov.uk/your-council/councillors-meetings-decisions/elections-in-sefton/2024-elections-in-sefton/Labour - 22 Conservative - 22 Lib Dem - 20 (missing Church, St Oswald) Green - 15 (missing Blundellsands, Ford, Linacre, Manor, Molyneux, Sudell, Victoria) TUSC - 3 (Derby, Netherton & Orrell, St Oswald) Formby Residents Action Group - 2 (Harington, Ravenmeols) Lydiate & Maghull Community Independents - 2 (Park, Sudell) Reform UK - 1 (Derby) Freedom Alliance - 1 (Netherton & Orrell) Independent - 1 (Litherland) No Description - 7 (2 in Sudell, 1 in Blundellsands, Ford, Manor, Molyneux, Victoria) Looks like most of the No Descriptions may be improperly nominated Greens? Six of them - I don't know why, I think there are Greens - I can see at least three. There are three candidates for Church ward - Lab, Green, Con. Four for PCC, Lab, Green, Con, LD Five for City Mayor, Lab, Green, Con, LD, Independent I don't know whether to vote.... Out of interest, do you think the left of Labour groups (excluding the Greens) will ever recover a semblance of force on Merseyside again?
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Oxford
Apr 9, 2024 10:16:26 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 10:16:26 GMT
I know, but I was thinking of parties of that ilk who had been successful in the city before. IWCA's success was fascinating, as was its demise. I agree, I'm just not convinced it's best conceptualised as a party of the radical left. Radical vigilantism!
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Oxford
Apr 9, 2024 10:10:35 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 10:10:35 GMT
That's a strong TUSC showing. IWCA didn't stand that many candidates in their heyday did they? Different things, though.
As well as IWCA, Socialist Alliance had candidates in 6 wards in 2002.
I know, but I was thinking of parties of that ilk who had been successful in the city before. IWCA's success was fascinating, as was its demise.
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Oxford
Apr 9, 2024 8:12:00 GMT
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Apr 9, 2024 8:12:00 GMT
That's a strong TUSC showing. IWCA didn't stand that many candidates in their heyday did they?
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