UK Politics Thread XI: Boris' Big Bombastic Brexit Bash

[New Bremerton]

Just one day in and already this is happening.

People didn't vote the way they were supposed to. They were either too stupid to know what they were voting for, or just plain old racist fascist bigots. The northern working class is poor and oppressed by the evil Tories and deserve our endless empathy and compassion, except when they vote the wrong way, then they're just a vile, ignorant basket of deplorables and we can't wait for them to die out and be replaced by enlightened young voters like us. We should routinely sneer at them, insult their intelligence and impugn sinister motives against them. That's sure to win them over to our cause. Just look at the elections we won way back in 1997, 2001 and 2005 when moderate right-wing traitor Tony Blair was in charge, Momentum didn't even exist and we had nothing to do with Labour's success. /s

We should have a second election. You know, like a people's vote? It's not really democracy unless we have it our way. We're just defending democracy by protesting against the result of a free and fair election that was held just yesterday, just like we protested against the result of a free and fair vote in which 17.4 million people voted to Leave with no preconditions, no negotiations, no delay, no dither, and no deal. /s

We should demonstrate in Westminster, stamp our feet in righteous indignation and call everyone we disagree with racist, fascist, homophobic, misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic scum until we get the result we want with Dear Leader Corbyn as the Prime Minister of a People's Democratic Soviet Socialist Republic of Great Britain (minus Scotland) and Brexit cancelled. We're young, enlightened, middle-class university students who have never experienced the daily hardships of the actual working class who obviously know what's best for everyone. Our professors say so, so they must be right. We may have lost this election, but surely we'll learn from our mistakes, won't we? /s

What happened to those water cannons Boris bought as Mayor? Because this seemed like an excellent chance to test them.

I'm originally from Hong Kong where the police have been extremely violent, so I'd rather not see a repeat of that in the UK. The British police are way more professional and restrained than the HKPF. Antifa and die-hard Corbynistas who can't accept total defeat will continue to make themselves look bad, as is their democratic right.

Just one day in and already this is happening.

People didn't vote the way they were supposed to. They were either too stupid to know what they were voting for, or just plain old racist fascist bigots. The northern working class is poor and oppressed by the evil Tories and deserve our endless empathy and compassion, except when they vote the wrong way, then they're just a vile, ignorant basket of deplorables and we can't wait for them to die out and be replaced by enlightened young voters like us. We should routinely sneer at them, insult their intelligence and impugn sinister motives against them. That's sure to win them over to our cause. Just look at the elections we won way back in 1997, 2001 and 2005 when moderate right-wing traitor Tony Blair was in charge, Momentum didn't even exist and we had nothing to do with Labour's success. /s

We should have a second election. You know, like a people's vote? It's not really democracy unless we have it our way. We're just defending democracy by protesting against the result of a free and fair election that was held just yesterday, just like we protested against the result of a free and fair vote in which 17.4 million people voted to Leave with no preconditions, no negotiations, no delay, no dither, and no deal. /s

We should demonstrate in Westminster, stamp our feet in righteous indignation and call everyone we disagree with racist, fascist, homophobic, misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic scum until we get the result we want with Dear Leader Corbyn as the Prime Minister of a People's Democratic Soviet Socialist Republic of Great Britain (minus Scotland) and Brexit cancelled. We're young, enlightened, middle-class university students who have never experienced the daily hardships of the actual working class who obviously know what's best for everyone. Our professors say so, so they must be right. We may have lost this election, but surely we'll learn from our mistakes, won't we? /s

So what you're saying is that people exercising their right to protest is bad because the Daily Mail said so?

I didn't say that and the Daily Mail didn't say that. Far-left protesters have every right to make fools of themselves and everyone else has every right to ridicule them.

[Vassenor]

What happened to those water cannons Boris bought as Mayor? Because this seemed like an excellent chance to test them.

I'm originally from Hong Kong where the police have been extremely violent, so I'd rather not see a repeat of that in the UK. The British police are way more professional and restrained than the HKPF. Antifa and die-hard Corbynistas who can't accept total defeat will continue to make themselves look bad, as is their democratic right.

So what you're saying is that people exercising their right to protest is bad because the Daily Mail said so?

I didn't say that and the Daily Mail didn't say that. Far-left protesters have every right to make fools of themselves and everyone else has every right to ridicule them.

So what was the Daily Mail saying aside from wailing and gnashing its teeth over people refusing to support their Dear Leader?

[Dooom35796821595]

What happened to those water cannons Boris bought as Mayor? Because this seemed like an excellent chance to test them.

I'm originally from Hong Kong where the police have been extremely violent, so I'd rather not see a repeat of that in the UK. The British police are way more professional and restrained than the HKPF. Antifa and die-hard Corbynistas who can't accept total defeat will continue to make themselves look bad, as is their democratic right.

Forget the police, let Boris drive it!

(I was joking.....mostly.)

[Stormaen]

My constituency has never ever elected a Conservative MP – until Thursday. The Conservative candidate overturned a majority of nearly 9,000 and ousted the local MP who was long regarded as a potential future leader. That was repeated across the county – even Blair's former seat was won by a Conservative. The 'Red Wall' fell like I never ever thought it would.

I do have concerns, however, particularly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. I take some comfort from the fact that in Scotland the pro-Indy needle twitched but hasn't significantly moved (pro-Indy parties won 46% of the vote compared to 45% pro-Indy vote during IndyRef). I found it really odd though that the SNP - which opposed leaving the EU - pretty much carbon copied the leave campaign with slogans akin to 'Take Back Control'.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Interesting vox pops from Leigh on the BBC just now. Paraphrasing some of it - this election result wasn't a sea change in British politics, those traditional Labour areas that voted Conservative this time only loaned those votes for this election. It was a vote to end parliamentary deadlock rather than an affirmation for Johnson's approach to Brexit.

The thing is, the Tories have received the votes of these people, which would have been unimaginable even 15 or 20 years ago. All they have to do is to work to keep their votes and build on their support, which is easier than winning their votes in the first place.

Think of it as give them enough rope. If the Conservatives disappoint, and as there are still years of the Brexit process to come, they inevitably will and there will be a backlash.

[Dumb Ideologies]

The protests are unsurprising and would have happened whatever the result. Obviously I've talked before about my own opinions on party-based democracy and the logic of wholesale determining the direction of policy on the basis of the signal given by amalgamating all the issues into a single popular vote held every five years after a campaign of spin in which most of the public has only seen the memeified version of the platforms provided by the infotainment industry. But this was a special case. The Brexit debate involved rival narratives of how Britain should look in the future, narratives that were mutually contradictory and which people felt so strongly about that they denigrated their opponents as monsters who the normal rules of political debate didn't apply to. The farcical parliamentary shitshow has meant that the issue has festered and that our political discourse has been stuck in a state of civil war for several years with each side thinking they can win, that they must win for the sake of themselves and their children, that the opposition is a malevolent force that wants to destroy the country. In such circumstances of tension, a winner-takes-all contest for power for the next half-decade was bound to provoke such feelings.

[The Blaatschapen]

The protests are unsurprising and would have happened whatever the result. The Brexit debate involved rival narratives of how Britain should look in the future, narratives that were mutually contradictory and which people felt so strongly about that they denigrated their opponents as monsters who the normal rules of political debate didn't apply to. The farcical parliamentary shitshow has meant that the issue has festered and that our political discourse has been stuck in a state of civil war for several years with each side thinking they can win, that they must win for the sake of themselves and their children, that the opposition is a malevolent force that wants to destroy the country. In such circumstances of tension, a winner-takes-all contest for power for the next half-decade was bound to provoke such feelings.

In other words, a lovely time to visit

[Crysuko]

The thing is, the Tories have received the votes of these people, which would have been unimaginable even 15 or 20 years ago. All they have to do is to work to keep their votes and build on their support, which is easier than winning their votes in the first place.

Think of it as give them enough rope. If the Conservatives disappoint, and as there are still years of the Brexit process to come, they inevitably will and there will be a backlash.

When Brexit is dispensed with, they won't have a leg to stand on in terms of policies.

[Turbofolkia]

Conversely, how likely is it to you think Conservative strongholds might decide to vote Labour at some point in the future?

It's possible. After all, Liverpool used to be a Tory city. Now Tory Scousers are as rare as hens' teeth. That said, many of the Tory strongholds, particularly those in the south, seem a better fit for the Lib Dems than for Labour.

Think of it as give them enough rope. If the Conservatives disappoint, and as there are still years of the Brexit process to come, they inevitably will and there will be a backlash.

Yeah, it also depends on who Labour chooses to replace Corbyn. Corbyn and Momentum have clearly proven to be toxic for many voters in working class seats.

[Bears Armed]

Conversely, how likely is it to you think Conservative strongholds might decide to vote Labour at some point in the future?

It's possible. After all, Liverpool used to be a Tory city. Now Tory Scousers are as rare as hens' teeth.

Actually, it used to be a 'Unionist' city after the alliance between the Conservatives and the British constituency branches of the 'Unionist' Liberals (who have since been more fully assimilated), and it remaining thus probably depended on the locals remaining divided on sectarian grounds: if the 'Liverpool'/'Everton' rivalry had become as sectarian as 'Rangers'/'Celtic' then maybe...

[The New California Republic]

The protests are unsurprising and would have happened whatever the result. The Brexit debate involved rival narratives of how Britain should look in the future, narratives that were mutually contradictory and which people felt so strongly about that they denigrated their opponents as monsters who the normal rules of political debate didn't apply to. The farcical parliamentary shitshow has meant that the issue has festered and that our political discourse has been stuck in a state of civil war for several years with each side thinking they can win, that they must win for the sake of themselves and their children, that the opposition is a malevolent force that wants to destroy the country. In such circumstances of tension, a winner-takes-all contest for power for the next half-decade was bound to provoke such feelings.

In other words, a lovely time to visit

Are you visiting?

[Crysuko]

It's possible. After all, Liverpool used to be a Tory city. Now Tory Scousers are as rare as hens' teeth.

Actually, it used to be a 'Unionist' city after the alliance between the Conservatives and the British constituency branches of the 'Unionist' Liberals (who have since been more fully assimilated), and it remaining thus probably depended on the locals remaining divided on sectarian grounds: if the 'Liverpool'/'Everton' rivalry had become as sectarian as 'Rangers'/'Celtic' then maybe...

I'm still puzzled as to why R/C have such a bitter rivalry despite being Scottish teams, with the issues coming from Irish unionism and nationalism.

[Dumb Ideologies]

The protests are unsurprising and would have happened whatever the result. The Brexit debate involved rival narratives of how Britain should look in the future, narratives that were mutually contradictory and which people felt so strongly about that they denigrated their opponents as monsters who the normal rules of political debate didn't apply to. The farcical parliamentary shitshow has meant that the issue has festered and that our political discourse has been stuck in a state of civil war for several years with each side thinking they can win, that they must win for the sake of themselves and their children, that the opposition is a malevolent force that wants to destroy the country. In such circumstances of tension, a winner-takes-all contest for power for the next half-decade was bound to provoke such feelings.

In other words, a lovely time to visit

Is a wild Wooloo going to appear?

[Hurdergaryp]

In other words, a lovely time to visit

Is a wild Wooloo going to appear?

Given the apparent Kriegsbereitheit amongst the British population in these dark days before Christmas, it's more realistic to expect armored vehicles appearing in the wartorn streets of Albion burning.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

Conversely, how likely is it to you think Conservative strongholds might decide to vote Labour at some point in the future?

It's possible. After all, Liverpool used to be a Tory city. Now Tory Scousers are as rare as hens' teeth. That said, many of the Tory strongholds, particularly those in the south, seem a better fit for the Lib Dems than for Labour.

Think of it as give them enough rope. If the Conservatives disappoint, and as there are still years of the Brexit process to come, they inevitably will and there will be a backlash.

Yeah, it also depends on who Labour chooses to replace Corbyn. Corbyn and Momentum have clearly proven to be toxic for many voters in working class seats.

Teeth are a pretty common mutation in hens actually.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

This election means one thing.

We can all have a nice hard Brexit that will make us richer, bring us together, and make us happier. We will be the envy of the world, with world-class trade links, the perfect political system and hopefully next to no public services.

[Crysuko]

This election means one thing.

We can all have a nice hard Brexit that will make us richer, bring us together, and make us happier. We will be the envy of the world, with world-class trade links, the perfect political system and hopefully next to no public services.

This but ironically.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

It's possible. After all, Liverpool used to be a Tory city. Now Tory Scousers are as rare as hens' teeth. That said, many of the Tory strongholds, particularly those in the south, seem a better fit for the Lib Dems than for Labour.

Yeah, it also depends on who Labour chooses to replace Corbyn. Corbyn and Momentum have clearly proven to be toxic for many voters in working class seats.

Teeth are a pretty common mutation in hens actually.

Are you implying there are lots of Tory Scousers, or just criticising a well known idiom?

[The New California Republic]

This election means one thing.

We can all have a nice hard Brexit that will make us richer, bring us together, and make us happier. We will be the envy of the world, with world-class trade links, the perfect political system and hopefully next to no public services.

If it were anyone else I would interpret this as the joke that it is, but unfortunately I know it is meant sincerely in this case.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

Teeth are a pretty common mutation in hens actually.

Are you implying there are lots of Tory Scousers, or just criticising a well known idiom?

Bit of both.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

This election means one thing.

We can all have a nice hard Brexit that will make us richer, bring us together, and make us happier. We will be the envy of the world, with world-class trade links, the perfect political system and hopefully next to no public services.

If it were anyone else I would interpret this as the joke that it is, but unfortunately I know it is meant sincerely in this case.

Are you happy?

[Vassenor]

This election means one thing.

We can all have a nice hard Brexit that will make us richer, bring us together, and make us happier. We will be the envy of the world, with world-class trade links, the perfect political system and hopefully next to no public services.

[Gormwood]

People who believe in deporting Jews should be expelled from army officer training.

But only if they vote Labour, silly.

[Greater vakolicci haven]

People who believe in deporting Jews should be expelled from army officer training.

But only if they vote Labour, silly.

Nobody should be prevented from partaking in their chosen career due to a political belief.

[The New California Republic]

If it were anyone else I would interpret this as the joke that it is, but unfortunately I know it is meant sincerely in this case.

Are you happy?

Why would a disappointment bring me happiness?