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Post by juju on Jun 2, 2017 16:51:25 GMT
Not sure how much coverage they are getting anywhere else (if any) but they are hotting up. In a nutshell, Theresa May called a snap election (after repeatedly stating she wouldn't) as it appeared that the conservatives would walk it. She needed 'a mandate' to negotiate Brexit, apparently. Except... now she's looking weak and the gap is closing. Could be interesting times.
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Post by JoeP on Jun 2, 2017 18:20:47 GMT
STRONG AND STABLE.
Except not strong enough to join other party leaders in debates.
And not stable enough to stick to that promise of not holding an early election, or to stick to the manifesto "dementia tax".
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Post by Moose on Jun 2, 2017 18:37:22 GMT
Yes it was a farce that she did not turn up to the debates
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Post by tangent on Jun 2, 2017 20:47:01 GMT
I read a paper copy of the Daily Mail this morning and was sickened by the anti-Labour bias. The Sun and Express were not much better. Talk about corporate propaganda, it's really awful.
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Post by juju on Jun 2, 2017 23:07:31 GMT
Yes it was a farce that she did not turn up to the debates I read that she's not going to take part in any more interviews between now and the election. Clearly her publicist has decided it's a bad idea.
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Post by Moose on Jun 2, 2017 23:16:54 GMT
She's overplayed her hand I think.
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Post by Moose on Jun 2, 2017 23:17:12 GMT
I still think that the Tories will win, but not as bigly as they think they will
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Post by Alvamiga on Jun 7, 2017 12:14:17 GMT
I think they could do with a bloody nose. Let's hope we don't end up with no majority again and another Tory coalition of chaos!
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Post by Alvamiga on Jun 7, 2017 12:15:30 GMT
...She needed 'a mandate' to negotiate Brexit... Didn't we have a referendum on that? I have a vague memory of something like that in the past!
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Post by tangent on Jun 7, 2017 20:31:37 GMT
Did the referendum give her a mandate? 12 million voted for soft Brexit, 5 million voted for hard Brexit, 16 million voted to Remain and goodness knows how many voted for the Daily Mail lies. I don't call that a mandate for anything.
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Post by spaceflower on Jun 7, 2017 20:38:01 GMT
Tomorrow is the big day!
I don't know which is the less evil. I can't say that I find Jeremy Corbin a good choice either. I read that he does not consider IRA a terror organization.
I bouth The Sunday Telegraph on the airport. The headlines read "Corbyn's moral failings bar him from No 10" and " and "Corbyn wanted Hamas to be taken off UK terror list" . I assume The Sunday Telegraph is conservative. (The papers of UK are so blatantly partial!) Letters to the Editor say "Vote Conservative for an independant, prosperous Britain" and "Labour's promise to throw money at every challenge shows that the party has leartn nothing".
I read elsewhere that the young favour Labour but that many of them will not vote at all, they think it makes no difference.
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Post by spaceflower on Jun 7, 2017 20:57:26 GMT
What would I vote for if I lived in UK and could vote? Maybe the Liberal Democrats?
There was a paper from that party in my daughter's letterbox. The only one interested was me.
"Lib Dem George Turner
Opposes a damaging hard Brexit Will fight for affordable housing for local people Will protect funding for our scholls and NHS"
And there is something about Labour's Ukip-backed Kate Hoey
"Voted aginst the rights of EU citiens to stay livnig in our area
Supports fox hunting and grammar schools"
I don't see what is wrong with grammar schools.
And then this George Turner says:
"I have taken Lambeth Council and the Tor government to court over their fialure to deliver affordable housing."
But the British electoral system is hard on any party but the two big ones.
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Post by juju on Jun 7, 2017 21:20:45 GMT
The Telegraph, The Express, The Mail and the Sun are all Conservative papers, owned by billionaires who pay no tax in the UK. Guess why they don't want Corbyn in? They're trying to brand him as a terrorist sympathiser because they know that will get the best reaction. Cynical propaganda, but it appears to work with some people.
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Post by Moose on Jun 7, 2017 22:13:57 GMT
The Mail's leading page today was revolting even by their standards.
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Post by spaceflower on Jun 7, 2017 22:39:40 GMT
Well, according to Jerker (my son-in-law sort of), Corbin did not take a clear stand for Bremain, so he is partly responsible for Brexit.
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Post by Moose on Jun 8, 2017 18:18:16 GMT
Just been and voted. Ran into my next door neighbour whilst in there and someone had apparently already been in and voted in his name
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Post by tangent on Jun 8, 2017 19:23:37 GMT
Oh great, I hope he reported it.
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Post by Moose on Jun 8, 2017 21:30:10 GMT
I dunno. I was talking to his wife and she said she'd voted this morning and wondered if they'd just accidentally crossed them both off
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Post by spaceflower on Jun 8, 2017 23:44:40 GMT
I'm waiting for the results. Labour is winning in Newcastle. But I assume Tories will win over all but not as much as Theresa May was hoping. Servers her right.
My daughter called. The training place had turned into a polling station so the group would have a social evening instead. She was walking to the metro station. Suddenly she was surrounded by al lot of Indians (or so they looked). There were so many people that the station was closed and she had to walk to another. This could not be due to the elections, must be some game going on.
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Post by Kye on Jun 8, 2017 23:47:32 GMT
Cricket?
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Post by spaceflower on Jun 9, 2017 10:44:42 GMT
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Post by tangent on Jun 9, 2017 12:08:01 GMT
There are 650 seats but Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein do not take up their seats (because their allegiance is really to Eire). This time round, they won seven seats which means that a majority can be obtained with only 322 MPs. The DUP (Northern Ireland loyalists) are consistently loyal to the Conservatives and they will support them, no doubt with conditions. Their ten MPs and the 318 Conservatives mean they have a majority of six.
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Post by Sarah W. on Jun 9, 2017 14:29:09 GMT
[pretending to know things about UK politics]
Any ideas what a Tory-DUP coalition will mean for the NHS?
Given the border crossing in Ireland issue, I'm guessing the sudden importance of DUP will make things interesting regarding Brexit negotiations.
[/pretending to know things about UK politics]
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Post by JoeP on Jun 9, 2017 15:11:50 GMT
The DUP have made some statements about free movement across the Eire-NI border being protected - and free movement there pretty much means free movement everywhere - might as well stay in the EU.
But then, their leader said that May should resign and she seems to have quietly forgotten about that.
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Post by tangent on Jun 9, 2017 16:20:37 GMT
Any ideas what a Tory-DUP coalition will mean for the NHS? Given the border crossing in Ireland issue, I'm guessing the sudden importance of DUP will make things interesting regarding Brexit negotiations. Haven't a clue, your guess is as good as mine on both issues.
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Post by JoeP on Jun 9, 2017 17:31:19 GMT
Also, it's worth noting that the DUP are a bunch of bigoted crazies. Most are anti-gay, anti-women's rights, anti-choice, etc. Some are even creationists.
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Post by Moose on Jun 9, 2017 20:12:41 GMT
Ah, like American's very own GOP
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Post by juju on Jun 10, 2017 9:08:17 GMT
Also, it's worth noting that the DUP are a bunch of bigoted crazies. Most are anti-gay, anti-women's rights, anti-choice, etc. Some are even creationists. And anti Catholic. My worry is that this could upset the delicate balance of peace, too.
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Post by JoeP on Jun 10, 2017 11:18:10 GMT
That's true, and some are saying they can't be in coalition and still have the Westminster government act neutrally over the devolved government.
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Post by Alvamiga on Jun 10, 2017 17:42:35 GMT
Did the referendum give her a mandate? 12 million voted for soft Brexit, 5 million voted for hard Brexit, 16 million voted to Remain and goodness knows how many voted for the Daily Mail lies. I don't call that a mandate for anything. We didn't get a choice of "hard" or "soft". We didn't even have the extended options explained to us, let alone the actual impact of the two choices we did get. I'm still curious what a Red, White and Blue Brexit is!
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