UK Politics Thread IX: Try turning the UK off and on again.

[Ifreann]

https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/27/uk-investigation-after-complaint-about-mp-watching-porn-in-parliament


UK investigation after complaint about MP watching porn in parliament

Top tip: Dont watch porn at work

The woke mob are trying to cancel me for not being politically correct.

[Hirota]

-looks at the FSB agent that Boris forced into the Lords with no vetting-

Can we just confirm, for the sake of clarificiation, this is the same FSB agent who owns a newspaper you particularly enjoy reading and linking to?

I'm curious, because if we should be considering anything involved with these Russian oligarchs as potentially tainted (a rather sweeping assumption on your part), perhaps we should be including your reading tastes.

[Vassenor]

-looks at the FSB agent that Boris forced into the Lords with no vetting-

Can we just confirm, for the sake of clarificiation, this is the same FSB agent who owns a newspaper you particularly enjoy reading and linking to?

I'm curious, because if we should be considering anything involved with these Russian oligarchs as potentially tainted (a rather sweeping assumption on your part), perhaps we should be including your reading tastes.

Oh hey there's the NO U. Can almost set your watch by it.

[Hirota]

Can we just confirm, for the sake of clarificiation, this is the same FSB agent who owns a newspaper you particularly enjoy reading and linking to?

I'm curious, because if we should be considering anything involved with these Russian oligarchs as potentially tainted (a rather sweeping assumption on your part), perhaps we should be including your reading tastes.

Oh hey there's the NO U. Can almost set your watch by it.

A simple yes or no answer is all that you really have to do Vass. But that would be rather missing the point.

After all, this particular Oligarch you have a blind spot for did get round to openly criticising Putin, so maybe the answer I was leading you towards was that it's wrong of you to make sweeping assumptions, yes?

For the record, I personally think the donations (or at least a portion of them) from those Russian-UK dual nationality figures should be given towards funding Ukranian refugee efforts - including (but not limited to) donations to the Tory party.

Better still, I think a portion of the assets frozen by the various governments of the world should be seized and redistributed towards refugee efforts - but I imagine there are legal issues surrounding things like that.

[Philjia]

Hearing reports from my sources in the party that the Northern Independence Party is on the verge of victory in Newcastle upon Tyne's Wingrove ward, where Labour councillor Joyce McCarty was suspended over text messages describing the deselection of council leader Nick Forbes as a "Muslim plot".

The metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear are all Labour led and dysfunctional. Gateshead can probably consider itself the least worst, but there is a solid chance I will take one seat from them for the Greens, and another could flip Conservative. The others have more deep rooted issues to be capitalised on, especially Newcastle and Sunderland. Newcastle is going to see some seats change hands as the local Labour Party falls into infighting, and Sunderland has a good chance of entering a period of No Overall Control.

[San Lumen]

Hearing reports from my sources in the party that the Northern Independence Party is on the verge of victory in Newcastle upon Tyne's Wingrove ward, where Labour councillor Joyce McCarty was suspended over text messages describing the deselection of council leader Nick Forbes as a "Muslim plot".

The metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear are all Labour led and dysfunctional. Gateshead can probably consider itself the least worst, but there is a solid chance I will take one seat from them for the Greens, and another could flip Conservative. The others have more deep rooted issues to be capitalised on, especially Newcastle and Sunderland. Newcastle is going to see some seats change hands as the local Labour Party falls into infighting, and Sunderland has a good chance of entering a period of No Overall Control.

Isn’t Sunderland normally a Labor stronghold? I would think the party losing control would be a bid deal.

[The Huskar Social Union]

The metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear are all Labour led and dysfunctional. Gateshead can probably consider itself the least worst, but there is a solid chance I will take one seat from them for the Greens, and another could flip Conservative. The others have more deep rooted issues to be capitalised on, especially Newcastle and Sunderland. Newcastle is going to see some seats change hands as the local Labour Party falls into infighting, and Sunderland has a good chance of entering a period of No Overall Control.

Isn’t Sunderland normally a Labor stronghold? I would think the party losing control would be a bid deal.

Have you paid attention to Labour the last few years lol

[Ostroeuropa]

The metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear are all Labour led and dysfunctional. Gateshead can probably consider itself the least worst, but there is a solid chance I will take one seat from them for the Greens, and another could flip Conservative. The others have more deep rooted issues to be capitalised on, especially Newcastle and Sunderland. Newcastle is going to see some seats change hands as the local Labour Party falls into infighting, and Sunderland has a good chance of entering a period of No Overall Control.

Isn’t Sunderland normally a Labor stronghold? I would think the party losing control would be a bid deal.

Labour is very much not a popular party. Even with the current government being an utter shambles Labour can't seize the initiative. They perform better in national elections because of the stakes involved.

[Deblar]

https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/27/uk-investigation-after-complaint-about-mp-watching-porn-in-parliament


UK investigation after complaint about MP watching porn in parliament

parliament moment

[The Huskar Social Union]

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

[Hirota]

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

Especially when yougov polling on this matter of Labour voters shows a large base of support for legalisation

Source

[Ifreann]

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

Labour making the Lib Dems sound cool as hell. I thought Starmer was meant to be good at this.

[The Archregimancy]

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

Groooooovy, man.

(though actual LibDem policy remains committed to a reduced UK nuclear deterrent while opposed to Trident; we're not all sandal-wearing muesli knitters; we do ideally want to eventually work towards the elimination of nuclear weapons - but then I'd assume that most sane people would agree on that one.)


(also, can I point out that we wrote the following policy position in one of our nuclear weapon policy statements [second link above] all the way back in 2017:)

We are particularly concerned with the increasingly aggressive foreign and defence policy of the Russian Federation. Russian aggression in Crimea, Ukraine and its consequences for
the security of NATO’s Baltic states has led to a deteriorating relationship with western powers. Confrontation in the coming years cannot be ruled out. In such circumstances, it is conceivable that Britain’s possession of a viable nuclear deterrent would contribute significantly to the security of its people

[Mtwara]

https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/27/uk-investigation-after-complaint-about-mp-watching-porn-in-parliament


UK investigation after complaint about MP watching porn in parliament

Top tip: Dont watch porn at work

Could you say that they succumbed to their... basic instinct?

[The Huskar Social Union]

DUP says no to saying no

lol

[The Huskar Social Union]

Top tip: Dont watch porn at work

Could you say that they succumbed to their... basic instinct?

God damn it

[Nationalist Northumbria]

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

Especially when yougov polling on this matter of Labour voters shows a large base of support for legalisation

Source

New Labour electoral advert targeting the Lib Dems, specifically saying they are soft on drugs because they want to legalise them and "soften punishments". Also for wanting to get rid of Nuclear Weapons

Labour making the Lib Dems sound cool as hell. I thought Starmer was meant to be good at this.

It's meant for people in places like Sunderland lol.

[Shrillland]

All right, it's now time, and with wishing best of luck for Philjia's run(which I should've done before)...here's my take on next week. Remember, with local councils, my predictions are a little less confident given my knowledge, but enough for me to give rough ideas, and I'll only be showing where I think there will be changes.

At first glance, nothing's going to change in the Assembly, Unionists will be the largest group, Nationalists second, Non-Aligned third....but that's a deceiving picture. For the first time in modern NI's history, Sinn Fein is actually expected to have a comfortable lead in seat totals, averaging 27% in the polls, which means that Michelle O'Neill will be the first Nationalist and Left Wing First Minister in the country's history. Again, this is largely symbolic as the FM and the DFM are actually co-leaders with no distinction and the DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson will be Deputy, but it, combined with the rise of the Alliance Party, expected to win its first seats west of the Bann, shows both Northern Ireland's changes and a huge want of confidence in Conservative politics as a whole. Sinn Fein will stay more or less where it is at 26-29 seats, DUP will go down to about 19-22, APNI up to 15, UUP up to 12-14, TUV 5, Greens 4, People Before Profit still hanging on at 1.

Since STV's the rule in Scottish Councils, NOCs are also common, and changes are more towards who'll be leading them. However, the SNP's polls are a lot higher now than they were four years ago, and the Tories' floundering combined with a relatively weak Labour that can't take the initiative means that there will be some council changes, and although Labour will gain some seats, it's the SNP's to lose. Again, this doesn't necessarily say what the actual leadership will look like, just the seat totals themselves. Also, STV means we won't know the full results that night, but you knew that already, right?

Going Full SNP:
Aberdeen
Clackmannanshire
Dundee
East Ayrshire
Glasgow
Renfrewshire

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Aberdeenshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Dumfries and Galloway(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
East Renfrewshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Highland(Independent to SNP-led)
North Ayrshire(NOC to SNP-led)
Perth and Kinross(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
South Ayrshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Stirling(Conservative-led to SNP-led)

Welsh polls are a little harder to find, but the ones we have for Senedd preferences show no real differences. Even so, the same issues affecting Labour in Scotland are prevalent here, despite a good tailwind, Labour's fairly weak reputation means that their gains will be limited whilst Plaid Cymru, the Lib Dems, and the Greens will be able to take up the slack. Even so, Labour will do fairly well and take some council majorities. Welsh councils will also get to go to STV from FPTP, though it won't take effect until the next election in '27. Plus, boundary reviews have meant an overall loss of 23 seats country wide, which does change the math somewhat as some councils shrink drastically whilst others grow.

Going Full Labour:
Bridgend
Cardiff
Flintshire
Merthyr Tydfil

Going Full PC:
Carmarthenshire
Ceredigion

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Conwy(Conservative-led to Independent-led)
Denbighshire(Conservative-led to NOC)
Monmouthshire(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Vale of Glamorgan(Conservative-led to Labour-led)

Now we're arrived in England, and London is going to provide some of the best pickup opportunities for the Liberal Democrats from some of the more traditionally upper-class blue councils, though the number of council they gain won't be proportionate. Polls actually don't show a sizeable change in Lib Dem support and a small increase for the Greens, but I think enough disgusted Tories may choose Lib Dem to turn the tide in several places. Greens will also gain council seats, particularly in the safer red councils like Islington. 2018 was Labour's best result in years, and they're poised to surpass it further as the Tories will be decimated across the city...though not the City, they had their vote already.

Going Full Labour:
Wandsworth
Westminster

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Barnet(Conservative to Labour-led)
Bexley(Conservative to NOC)
Havering(Conservative-led to Havering Residents Association-led)
Hillingdon(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Kensington and Chelsea(Conservative to NOC)


Mayoral Races:
Croydon: Val Shawcross(Labour) elected
Hackney: Phillip Glanville(Labour) re-elected
Lewisham: Damien Egan(Labour) re-elected
Newham: Rokshana Fiaz(Labour) re-elected
Tower Hamlets: John Biggs(Labour) re-elected

Oh, doing England's always a mess because of how the councils are set up, it's where most of my mistakes from last year came about. Even so, the trends away from the Conservatives and towards Labour and the Lib Dems still hold. There's also a ballot measure in Bristol over whether they'll keep their separately elected Mayor, which I think they'll vote to do.

Going Full Independent/Residents Party:
Castle Point(Canvey Island Independent)
Elmbridge(Elmbridge Residents Association)

Going Full Labour:
Amber Valley
Crawley
Harlow
Kirklees
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Plymouth
Southhampton
Swindon
West Lancashire
Worthing

Going Full Liberal Democrat:
Gosport
Westmorland and Furness(New council from Cumbria's split)
Woking

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Basildon(Conservative to NOC)
Basingstoke and Deane(Conservative to NOC)
Brentwood(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Bolton(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Cannock Chase(Conservative to NOC)
Colchester(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Cumberland(New council from Cumbria's split: Conservative-led)
Derby(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Dudley(Conservative to NOC)
Hart(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Hartlepool(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Huntingdonshire(Conservative to NOC)
Maidstone(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Milton Keynes(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
North Hertfordshire(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Pendle(Conservative to NOC)
Portsmouth(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Reigate and Banstead(Conservative to NOC)
Rugby(Conservative to NOC)
Somerset(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Southend-on-Sea(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Stockport(Liberal Democrat-led to NOC)
Thurrock(Conservative to NOC)
Walsall(Conservative to NOC)
Welwyn Hatfield(Conservative to NOC)
West Oxfordshire(Conservative to NOC)
Wokingham(Conservative to NOC)
Worcester(Conservative to NOC)

Mayoral Races:
South Yorkshire: Oliver Coppard(Labour hold) Elected
Watford: Peter Taylor(Liberal Democrat) Re-elected

In short, a bad week of counts for anyone with blue rosettes.

[Ifreann]

Especially when yougov polling on this matter of Labour voters shows a large base of support for legalisation

Source

Labour making the Lib Dems sound cool as hell. I thought Starmer was meant to be good at this.

It's meant for people in places like Sunderland lol.

It's meant for Tories.

[Hukhalia]

the UK and American political systems are too different for the recent republican line of "balls-to-the-wall populism" to be applied here, stop trying to infect foreign politics with pointless references to your rotting country

I'm not sure that there anything in the UK's political systems that makes populism somehow inapplicable.

it's more the political culture, and i mean technically you could find populism here but not particularly in the tory party. boris is acc quite an establishment politician and is a totally different shade of abject evil 2 trump bc of that, i'm tired of ppl comparing our politics to american politics just for the convenience of the unfortunate human beings who happen to live in that abject failed state

[Nationalist Northumbria]

It's meant for people in places like Sunderland lol.

It's meant for Tories.

No it isn't, it's clearly meant for people (considering) voting Lib Dem in the local elections. Hull and Sunderland both have elections this year. In Hull the Lib Dems pose a serious challenge to Labour. With Sunderland, Labour is concerned by the prospect of losing overall control to a Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

[Ifreann]

It's meant for Tories.

No it isn't, it's clearly meant for people (considering) voting Lib Dem in the local elections. Hull and Sunderland both have elections this year. In Hull the Lib Dems pose a serious challenge to Labour. With Sunderland, Labour is concerned by the prospect of losing overall control to a Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

People considering voting Lib Dem probably think legalising drugs would be cool. I don't think they tend to be the "Tough on crime" sort.

[Nationalist Northumbria]

No it isn't, it's clearly meant for people (considering) voting Lib Dem in the local elections. Hull and Sunderland both have elections this year. In Hull the Lib Dems pose a serious challenge to Labour. With Sunderland, Labour is concerned by the prospect of losing overall control to a Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

People considering voting Lib Dem probably think legalising drugs would be cool. I don't think they tend to be the "Tough on crime" sort.

Evidently you do not understand who votes Lib Dem in Hull and Sunderland.

[Nationalist Northumbria]

Good afternoon. I'm doing a writing project related to British politics and would appreciate the feedback of this thread.

[San Lumen]

All right, it's now time, and with wishing best of luck for Philjia's run(which I should've done before)...here's my take on next week. Remember, with local councils, my predictions are a little less confident given my knowledge, but enough for me to give rough ideas, and I'll only be showing where I think there will be changes.

At first glance, nothing's going to change in the Assembly, Unionists will be the largest group, Nationalists second, Non-Aligned third....but that's a deceiving picture. For the first time in modern NI's history, Sinn Fein is actually expected to have a comfortable lead in seat totals, averaging 27% in the polls, which means that Michelle O'Neill will be the first Nationalist and Left Wing First Minister in the country's history. Again, this is largely symbolic as the FM and the DFM are actually co-leaders with no distinction and the DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson will be Deputy, but it, combined with the rise of the Alliance Party, expected to win its first seats west of the Bann, shows both Northern Ireland's changes and a huge want of confidence in Conservative politics as a whole. Sinn Fein will stay more or less where it is at 26-29 seats, DUP will go down to about 19-22, APNI up to 15, UUP up to 12-14, TUV 5, Greens 4, People Before Profit still hanging on at 1.

Since STV's the rule in Scottish Councils, NOCs are also common, and changes are more towards who'll be leading them. However, the SNP's polls are a lot higher now than they were four years ago, and the Tories' floundering combined with a relatively weak Labour that can't take the initiative means that there will be some council changes, and although Labour will gain some seats, it's the SNP's to lose. Again, this doesn't necessarily say what the actual leadership will look like, just the seat totals themselves. Also, STV means we won't know the full results that night, but you knew that already, right?

Going Full SNP:
Aberdeen
Clackmannanshire
Dundee
East Ayrshire
Glasgow
Renfrewshire

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Aberdeenshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Dumfries and Galloway(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
East Renfrewshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Highland(Independent to SNP-led)
North Ayrshire(NOC to SNP-led)
Perth and Kinross(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
South Ayrshire(Conservative-led to SNP-led)
Stirling(Conservative-led to SNP-led)

Welsh polls are a little harder to find, but the ones we have for Senedd preferences show no real differences. Even so, the same issues affecting Labour in Scotland are prevalent here, despite a good tailwind, Labour's fairly weak reputation means that their gains will be limited whilst Plaid Cymru, the Lib Dems, and the Greens will be able to take up the slack. Even so, Labour will do fairly well and take some council majorities. Welsh councils will also get to go to STV from FPTP, though it won't take effect until the next election in '27. Plus, boundary reviews have meant an overall loss of 23 seats country wide, which does change the math somewhat as some councils shrink drastically whilst others grow.

Going Full Labour:
Bridgend
Cardiff
Flintshire
Merthyr Tydfil

Going Full PC:
Carmarthenshire
Ceredigion

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Conwy(Conservative-led to Independent-led)
Denbighshire(Conservative-led to NOC)
Monmouthshire(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Vale of Glamorgan(Conservative-led to Labour-led)

Now we're arrived in England, and London is going to provide some of the best pickup opportunities for the Liberal Democrats from some of the more traditionally upper-class blue councils, though the number of council they gain won't be proportionate. Polls actually don't show a sizeable change in Lib Dem support and a small increase for the Greens, but I think enough disgusted Tories may choose Lib Dem to turn the tide in several places. Greens will also gain council seats, particularly in the safer red councils like Islington. 2018 was Labour's best result in years, and they're poised to surpass it further as the Tories will be decimated across the city...though not the City, they had their vote already.

Going Full Labour:
Wandsworth
Westminster

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Barnet(Conservative to Labour-led)
Bexley(Conservative to NOC)
Havering(Conservative-led to Havering Residents Association-led)
Hillingdon(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Kensington and Chelsea(Conservative to NOC)


Mayoral Races:
Croydon: Val Shawcross(Labour) elected
Hackney: Phillip Glanville(Labour) re-elected
Lewisham: Damien Egan(Labour) re-elected
Newham: Rokshana Fiaz(Labour) re-elected
Tower Hamlets: John Biggs(Labour) re-elected

Oh, doing England's always a mess because of how the councils are set up, it's where most of my mistakes from last year came about. Even so, the trends away from the Conservatives and towards Labour and the Lib Dems still hold. There's also a ballot measure in Bristol over whether they'll keep their separately elected Mayor, which I think they'll vote to do.

Going Full Independent/Residents Party:
Castle Point(Canvey Island Independent)
Elmbridge(Elmbridge Residents Association)

Going Full Labour:
Amber Valley
Crawley
Harlow
Kirklees
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Plymouth
Southhampton
Swindon
West Lancashire
Worthing

Going Full Liberal Democrat:
Gosport
Westmorland and Furness(New council from Cumbria's split)
Woking

Going NOC or Changing NOC:
Basildon(Conservative to NOC)
Basingstoke and Deane(Conservative to NOC)
Brentwood(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Bolton(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Cannock Chase(Conservative to NOC)
Colchester(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Cumberland(New council from Cumbria's split: Conservative-led)
Derby(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Dudley(Conservative to NOC)
Hart(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Hartlepool(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Huntingdonshire(Conservative to NOC)
Maidstone(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Milton Keynes(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
North Hertfordshire(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Pendle(Conservative to NOC)
Portsmouth(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Reigate and Banstead(Conservative to NOC)
Rugby(Conservative to NOC)
Somerset(Conservative-led to Liberal Democrat-led)
Southend-on-Sea(Conservative-led to Labour-led)
Stockport(Liberal Democrat-led to NOC)
Thurrock(Conservative to NOC)
Walsall(Conservative to NOC)
Welwyn Hatfield(Conservative to NOC)
West Oxfordshire(Conservative to NOC)
Wokingham(Conservative to NOC)
Worcester(Conservative to NOC)

Mayoral Races:
South Yorkshire: Oliver Coppard(Labour hold) Elected
Watford: Peter Taylor(Liberal Democrat) Re-elected

In short, a bad week of counts for anyone with blue rosettes.

Conservatives losing Westminster council would be a very big deal. I hope I can watch the live stream of bbc’s election coverage. I was able to last year.