UK General Election 2024

[Gloster]

I have now had the full lot of party flyers, although nothing from the independent (*). The Conservative one was mostly about how their candidate is wonderful, which was a lot of padding as he is a new one without much of a track record. However, down at the bottom at the back was a little bit about the party, which went something like. ‘Rishi has a plan…Starmer hasn’t got a plan. Or if he has he’s not telling you what it is.’ (It was roughly that, but the leaflet has already gone for recycling.)

* - I am not sure what the independent is standing for. It may be independence for Ventnor, which, with the way the cliffs are behaving, may come anyway.

 

[Purple Train]

The second is extremely blinkered. I’m 73 and in my ‘voting career‘ I’ve been a floating voter. At each election I vote for whoever at that time I think is for the best. I’d guess that my Labour/Conservative totals are roughly equal. To constantly vote for the same party, whichever that party is, gets us nowhere. It needs floating voters to make a change.

Isn't the emoticon in the post you quoted forum code for "I'm being facetious", or have I got mixed up? Not that I disagree with you!

 

[DarloRich]

The second is extremely blinkered. I’m 73 and in my ‘voting career‘ I’ve been a floating voter. At each election I vote for whoever at that time I think is for the best. I’d guess that my Labour/Conservative totals are roughly equal. To constantly vote for the same party, whichever that party is, gets us nowhere. It needs floating voters to make a change.

To counter - i don't understand how you can be a floating voter. To me it shows a lack of conviction, interest or beliefs. I know what I believe and I know the Tories will never deliver that so I will never, ever vote for them.

As a PS - i didn't vote for Corbyn. I couldn't. He wasn't a serious person. I spoiled my papers.

 

[3141]

This is likely to be particularly sensitive for the labour party given previous accusations of various people in positions of authority within the party conspiring to deliberately lose elections.

I think that the main problem for the Labour Party is that they tore into the Conservatives because one or more officials in the know just before the election was announced placed bets on the date. Having done that, they could not take no action at all when one of their own candidates was discovered to have placed a bet about himself. They could have argued, as I did in post #2263, that the circumstances were entirely different, but many people wouldn't have understood that, and the Tory media would have called them two-faced.

It's a good news story, but it has very little to do with whose policies are most likely to meet this country's needs over the next few years. [Cue for posts about the shortcomings in everybody's manifestoes!]

 

[DarloRich]

They could have argued, as I did in post #2263, that the circumstances were entirely different, but many people wouldn't have understood that, and the Tory media would have called them two-faced

exactly - they retained the moral high ground by dealing quickly with a betting issue, unlike the Tories. The fact the issue is different is immaterial. Most people will only hear "betting issue" and as you say our Tory press and thier propaganda officers would then hammer Labour for hypocrisy even if none existed.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

To counter - i don't understand how you can be a floating voter. To me it shows a lack of conviction, interest or beliefs. I know what I believe and I know the Tories will never deliver that so I will never, ever vote for them.

Labour were unelectable in 1979, 1983, 1987, 2017/19 when they lost the centre ground .
They also ran out of ideas in 2010, despite being competent in government.
There are also other parties with different offers, and they all change over time.

 

[DarloRich]

Labour were unelectable in 1979, 1983, 1987, 2017/19 when they lost the centre ground .
They also ran out of ideas in 2010, despite being competent in government.
There are also other parties with different offers, and they all change over time.

ok - doesn't address my point though. Also only one of 2 parties are going to form a government. Pick one. Stick with it. ( Scotland and Welsh governments notwithstanding)

Also - i was only able to vote in one of the elections listed!

 

[dangie]

Isn't the emoticon in the post you quoted forum code for "I'm being facetious", or have I got mixed up? Not that I disagree with you!

Whoops. My eyesight on my phone screen isn't good. Having said that I didn't know it was 'I'm being facetious'.
(smile icon... I hope)

 

[birchesgreen]

So, the Tories have now begun a spat with David Tennant. I'm sure that will win them a few votes.

 

[Busaholic]

Agreed ! - his importance is dwarfed of course by Churchill (on both sides) - scathing comments about "a modest man with much to be modest about" etc , but his legacy in times of financial challenges (to say the least) was very impressive.

Also "kept in touch" - no car and driver for him (apart from his wife Vi who one is led to believe was not a great driver !) but a regular commuter from Stanmore and later Great Missenden , and a regular on the 24 bus (which he described as very reliable) ,

Michael Foot was a regular on the 24 bus too, using his bus pass when he became eligible.

 

[AM9]

The only thing I’m quite sure of is whichever way I vote it will be a wrong vote.

Nope, - provided that you voted the way that you felt was right at the time, it is a 'right vote'. Many of those that always vote the same irrespective of the situation aren't necessarily engaging in the process. Those that can't be bothered to vote are the wasters.

 

[Busaholic]

So, the Tories have now begun a spat with David Tennant. I'm sure that will win them a few votes.

The Tories have always despised Tenants.

 

[AlterEgo]

So, the Tories have now begun a spat with David Tennant. I'm sure that will win them a few votes.

They really are daft. They hate identity politics but Badenoch is happy to play on the “only black woman in the cabinet” to try and score a point back, mostly serving the interests of her recently discovered and frankly risible transphobia.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I am not sure what the independent is standing for. It may be independence for Ventnor, which, with the way the cliffs are behaving, may come anyway.

Is this your man?

David Groocock - Independent (Isle of Wight East) - Isle of Wight Vote

Name: David Groocock Party: Independent I moved to the Isle of Wight when I was 9, spent most of my schooling on the Island. In 1972 went to catering college Newport IW. Bought our Guest House in 1989 and traded successfully since, despite the challenges of Covid and recent fuel price rises...

isleofwight.vote

Extracts...

Since the huge landslip December 7th, Ventnor has lost one of it’s main roads into the town, whilst in the early days it was necessary to close this road along with other roads in and around Ventnor, it has become a real issue being closed.

My priorities:

Expand and support our slowly disappearing long-term care services and making more beds available whether by reopening wards or building new purpose-built ones.

Better Rail Infrastructure by once again exploring a Rail/Tram connection to Ventnor and Newport....

 

[JamesT]

So, the Tories have now begun a spat with David Tennant. I'm sure that will win them a few votes.

Wasn't it more the other way around? Tennant making a speech at an awards hoping that Kemi Badenoch didn't exist?

 

[birchesgreen]

Wasn't it more the other way around? Tennant making a speech at an awards hoping that Kemi Badenoch didn't exist?

Sunak has got involved.

 

[Busaholic]

I have now had the full lot of party flyers, although nothing from the independent (*). The Conservative one was mostly about how their candidate is wonderful, which was a lot of padding as he is a new one without much of a track record. However, down at the bottom at the back was a little bit about the party, which went something like. ‘Rishi has a plan…Starmer hasn’t got a plan. Or if he has he’s not telling you what it is.’ (It was roughly that, but the leaflet has already gone for recycling.)

* - I am not sure what the independent is standing for. It may be independence for Ventnor, which, with the way the cliffs are behaving, may come anyway.

Got a rarity today, a Labour one.I don't think they've ever been better placed than third in St Ives, though maybe they'll beat the Tories into second place this time. Also got the eighth or ninth LibDem one, disguised as the Cornish Voice. In all honesty the presentation made it look like a Mebyn Kernow (Cornish Nationalist) product, if it wasn't for the fact they are not standing anywhere in this election for the first time in decades.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

To counter - i don't understand how you can be a floating voter. To me it shows a lack of conviction, interest or beliefs.

If you have strong beliefs but those beliefs match different parties on different issues, then you have no obvious party to vote for, so you're probably going to be a floating voter.

 

[birchesgreen]

Its Bad Enoch who seems to have assumed being told to shut up means do not exist. Fascinating.

 

[Kaliwax]

I wouldn't be surprised if Badenoch ends up joining Reform like her mate Anderson did.

 

[Gloster]

I wouldn't be surprised if Badenoch ends up joining Reform like her mate Anderson did.

Only if she crashes in her bid for leadership of the Conservatives.

 

[edwin_m]

The longer this election campaigning drags on, the more unsure I am in who to vote for, or who not to vote for, or which party I wish to be the next government or which party I don’t wish to be the next government.

At first I wanted the Tories out and Labour in. Then I wanted the Tories out but not sure who I wanted in. Then I wasn’t sure if I wanted the Tories out and Labour in. Now I don’t know if I want anyone out or anyone in!

The only thing I’m quite sure of is whichever way I vote it will be a wrong vote. In this election I don’t think there is a right vote. Just which is the right wrong vote [confused - Rugeley]

General cynicism about democratic politics is just what the likes of Xi and Putin want to see and are probably covertly working to encourage. Helped of course by the behaviour of our last government and at times of the opposition parties too (though some of that may be the result of said encouragement). But I have to say I see a clear gap between the Tories, who have fallen down on pretty much everything with the likely exception of Ukraine, and Labour who may not be very exciting but do at least appear reasonably honest and competent.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Wasn't it more the other way around? Tennant making a speech at an awards hoping that Kemi Badenoch didn't exist?

Indeed. I just checked it out. This spat started after David Tennant in a public speech said: "Until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn't exist any more (crowd cheers) (pause) I don't wish ill of her I just wish her to shut up"

Imagine if a public figure had said the same thing about Diane Abbott - there'd be an outcry! The Tories have done pretty bad things during this campaign and personally I hope they lose the election badly - but I think on this one, they are quite right to call David Tennant out.

There's a video of Tennant's remarks at about 00:40 seconds into this:

(And sorry, I know it's a biased news source, but it's the only video of the actual speech I could find on a quick Google)

 

[Kaliwax]

I wonder if the next Tory leader will be a moderate or a far right tory.

 

[JamesT]

Its Bad Enoch who seems to have assumed being told to shut up means do not exist. Fascinating.

As you'll see from post #2304, it's not an assumption, it's the actual words he used.

 

[birchesgreen]

As you'll see from post #2304, it's not an assumption, it's the actual words he used.

Depends on how you interpret it, i took it as being the minister in post but hey ho. Bad Enoch was able to play the race card and Sunak was able to desperately try and get some distraction from the latest scandal response he had fluffed.

And it will have zero effect on the polls just like all the other rubbish.

 

[brad465]

I wouldn't be surprised if Badenoch ends up joining Reform like her mate Anderson did.

If Reform became a larger party than the Tories then yes it's entirely possible, but given she is a notable contender to be next leader there is no chance of her defecting otherwise.

 

[SynthD]

Labour do have the moral high ground in the area of bets. Betting on who wins an election is absurd and I don’t mind it being illegal for the candidate. But betting on the date is the actual insider information, the real low ground.

 

[D1537]

I do think it's important though for at least cabinet ministers to have some experience of what it's like in their department. for example, DWP, I think the minister for that department should have at least some experience with the welfare system, the issues that face it and the challenges of it.

There hasn't been an Education Secretary who has worked in the UK education system since Estelle Morris (Labour, 2001-2002) and before her Gillian Shepherd (Cons, 1994-1997). There have been 15 EdSecs since then, and although Ed Balls and Ruth Kelly did have some teaching experience, they were in universities abroad.

 

[DarloRich]

If you have strong beliefs but those beliefs match different parties on different issues, then you have no obvious party to vote for, so you're probably going to be a floating voter.

Surely you chose the most comprehensive offering. Labour will never deliver my "perfect policy platform" but they will most often deliver a broadly acceptable policy platform.

Imagine if a public figure had said the same thing about Diane Abbott - there'd be an outcry! The Tories have done pretty bad things during this campaign and personally I hope they lose the election badly - but I think on this one, they are quite right to call David Tennant out.

Fair point - however if the statement was about Diane Abbott there would very clearly be a harmful wish attached to it! it isn't even on the front page of the BBC website so I suspect most people wont care.