Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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Solauren
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Solauren »

His Divine Shadow wrote: 2024-03-11 06:22am Apparently there's something up with Kate Middleton and the royals don't want to let anyone know. Dead, Coma, something else?

Some people have likened the earlier released photos akin to attempting a Weekend At Bernie's.
She was in the hospital for surgery, then recovery for a week, and no one has seen her in a month or so.

Odds are, she's still in recovery, and just staying at home and out of sight to rest.

When my wife had hernia surgery, she was in bed for 6 weeks recovering.
I've been asked why I still follow a few of the people I know on Facebook with 'interesting political habits and view points'.

It's so when they comment on or approve of something, I know what pages to block/what not to vote for.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by His Divine Shadow »

Possibly it's just that easy, but the lack of information and posting pictures that are later retracted for supposed manipulation makes for some real juicy gossip and conspiracy theorizing
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... n-comments
Lee Anderson joins Reform UK after losing Tory whip over Khan comments

Former Conservative MP and ex-deputy chair claimed Islamists had ‘got control’ of London mayor

Peter Walker Deputy political editor

Mon 11 Mar 2024 11.42 GMT


The former deputy chair of the Conservative party, Lee Anderson, has defected to Reform UK, said the party’s leader, Richard Tice.

Anderson’s defection to the rightwing populist party was announced by Tice at a central London press conference on Monday.

Anderson lost the Tory whip after claiming Islamists had “got control” of Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and that he had “given our capital city away to his mates”.

Anderson, whose constituency is Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, becomes the only MP to sit for Reform, which grew out of the Brexit party after the 2016 referendum and has links to Nigel Farage.

The move is not without risk for Reform and Tice, given Anderson’s history of controversial statements – including about his new leader.

Earlier this year he told GB News that Tice was “not Nigel Farage”, adding: “I agree with one of my constituents, who said to me earlier today he is a bit of a pound shop Nigel Farage.”

Introduced by Tice, Anderson gave a brief speech in which he said, several times, “I want my country back”, citing immigration and recent pro-Palestine marches.

“My opinions are not controversial,” Anderson said. “My opinions are shared by millions of people around the country.”

He added: “I feel we are slowly giving our country away. We are erasing our way of life … we are allowing people into our country who will never adopt our values.”

In a sometimes bad-tempered question and answer session, Anderson said he would not resign and call a byelection, saying this would be wrong too close to an election.

Asked if he had any message for Tory colleagues who had backed him, Anderson refused to answer. He said he put his country first, followed by his constituency and then his party.

A Conservative spokesperson said: “Lee himself said he fully accepted that the chief whip had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances.

“We regret he’s made this decision. Voting for Reform can’t deliver anything apart from a Keir Starmer-led Labour government.”

Anderson has represented Ashfield as a Conservative MP since 2019, having previously served as a Labour councillor on Ashfield district council.

Jason Zadrozny, the leader of the council who is vying for Anderson’s seat as an independent candidate at the next election, said: “Ashfield people do not want the continuing soap opera of Lee Anderson. The fact that he is defecting to another ramshackle, rightwing political party is the worst kept secret in Ashfield.

“People in Ashfield just want an MP to speak up for their concerns and deliver results for them. Living standards in Ashfield have plummeted since Anderson became the MP and these shenanigans do not help a single struggling family here. If Lee Anderson truly cared about local people, then today’s announcement would have been his resignation.”
Lee '30p Lee' Anderson; from Labour Councillor to Tory loudmouth, now to Nigel Farage's crowd.

The cracks are starting to show.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Zaune »

I'm giving serious thought to volunteering to go to the Labour Party conference as a delegate just so I might get a chance to give Wes Streeting a right slap upside the head.

https://twitter.com/leftiestats/status/ ... 3867051245
BREAKING: Labour pledges to implement the recommendations of the "Cass Review" into trans healthcare.

The recommendations include barring under-25s from using gender clinics.

Wes Streeting said Labour will "work to implement the expert recommendations of the Cass Review".
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Juubi Karakuchi »

Britain has a transphobia problem, and Labour is pandering to it.

I'm not sure how that problem came about; beyond it being a media-driven moral panic. But I do have a sneaking suspicion that at least some anti-trans hate is transferred anti-gay hate. Gay people are more accepted in Britain than ever, and overt hatred or mistreatment is less and less socially acceptable; so frustrated homophobes take it out on trans people instead. Much the same thing happened with anti-semitism back in the 40s and 50s; with black people providing a convenient alternative.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Crazedwraith »

Anyone want to summarise the Cass review please? All I'm seeing is stories about fucking JKR being vindicated.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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Crazedwraith wrote: 2024-04-11 11:37amAnyone want to summarise the Cass review please? All I'm seeing is stories about fucking JKR being vindicated.
I haven't seen the full thing yet, but apparently the highlights include rejecting any study on the effects of puberty-blockers that didn't meet an impossible-to-achieve standard of quality (you can't do a double-blind trial with them because it's kind of hard not to notice the effects) and not talking to any trans people at all because they'd be 'biased'. The whole thing sounds like a blatant stitch-up.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Zaune »

Ghetto edit: Found a pretty good summary here.
The therapy-based approach encourages patients to consider alternative reasons for their gender-related distress, often eating disorders, neurodivergence, or social acceptance (as if being trans makes you popular at school) – all of which must be carefully worked through before medical transition can be considered.

The model offers all the harm of conversion therapy, with the convenient excuse that transition may be considered if all other avenues have been exhausted. Cass acknowledges that some young people will need medical intervention, but in presuming that the majority will not, and that it should be avoided at all costs, Cass appears to be endorsing conversion practices on a mass scale.

[...]

The Cass Review imagines that, with further study, the NHS will finally find the exact combination of sexual orientation, toy preferences in childhood, and pornography consumption habits in adolescence that will reliably predict whether that boy will become a trans man or a cis woman. To this end, Cass obsesses over growing the collection of data. After being ‘thwarted’ in her attempts to force adult gender clinics to hand over patient records, Cass is calling on the government to compel this same violation of patient privacy. Submitting to study will also be a prerequisite to receiving puberty blockers on the NHS.
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)


Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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Rwanda Bill to become law - what is the policy and what happens next?
After two years of legal and parliamentary wrangling, the government’s controversial Rwanda Bill is to become law.

After the Bill passed its final hurdle in the Lords on Monday night, ending the parliamentary deadlock, the government will now have the right to deport some asylum seekers to the east African country - and hopes to do so in a matter of weeks.

Despite already costing the UK taxpayer £240 million, the scheme has not yet seen any flights take off after being plagued by delays and controversy.

And the government’s fight is not yet over - it must now overcome the hurdle of getting the flights off the ground.

Human rights groups have condemned the scheme as a “breach of international law”, saying it poses “a significant threat to the rule of law” by undermining what protects people from an abuse of power by the state, and described Parliament as a “crime scene”.

ITV News understands at least one charity is preparing to launch its next legal bid to challenge individual asylum cases, while the United Nations issued a warning to airlines preparing to facilitate the government's deportation flights.

What is the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Bill?

As part of a five-year UK Government plan to tackle migration, some asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be sent to the east African country under the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

There, the Rwandan government will decide on their claim and if successful, they will be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If unsuccessful, they can apply to stay in Rwanda on other grounds or seek asylum in a different “safe third country”. However, they will not be permitted to apply to seek asylum in the UK.

After being blighted by legal challenges and delays ever since the policy was announced in 2022 by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this version of the Bill was drafted as a solution to a Supreme Court ruling last year that concluded Rwanda was not a safe country for asylum seekers.
Home Secretary James Cleverly meeting Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta in December. Credit: PA

After the Supreme Court blocked the Bill by ruling it unlawful, the government came up with a two-pronged solution: a new treaty with Rwanda and the "emergency" Safety of Rwanda Bill to declare it is a safe country.

Rishi Sunak's Bill gives ministers the power to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act and the power to ignore emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.

What will happen to those previously scheduled for deportation and how many could be sent to Rwanda?

The government already has a list of people on standby to be sent to Rwanda, who are likely to receive correspondence from the Home Office soon informing them of their fate.

Rishi Sunak told journalists on Tuesday he would not say anything further than "we've identified the initial cohort of people for the first flights - people who have been already denied asylum or their claims have been deemed inadmissible."

It is understood they are expected to be given at least seven days' notice informing them that they could be put on a flight. After that period, officials can confirm they will be put on a flight around five days later, it is understood.

During this period it is not clear where they will be held, though some will be detained.

Those contacted for deportation can use this time to appeal the decision.

Charities are expected to intervene at this stage to support appeals and ITV News understands at least one will launch legal bids to prevent their clients being put on flights, which the Home Office will assess.

However, if they are unsuccessful, they will be deported when the government arranges the flights - the first of which are earmarked for the end of July.

There is no limit on the number of people who could be sent to Rwanda, with the government describing it as an "uncapped scheme" - but it would not say how many it expects to send on the first flights.

In theory, an estimated 52,000 people who are in the UK illegally seeking asylum could be removed, according to the Home Office. They have come to the UK to seek safety - with many having made the perilous journey across the English Channel on a small boat - but have not yet had a decision made on their asylum claim.

They are based in Home Office-funded accommodation, such as hotels, and cannot work in the UK.

Two asylum seekers, who could face deportation to Rwanda, told ITV News last week they had been informed they will be moved from a London hotel to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset.

The government would not be drawn on exactly how it will choose who will be taken to Rwanda first and whether there is a specific criteria. The government would not say whether it would use the methodology of a so-called "first in, first out" process, as some ministers had previously suggested.

"The more detail I give you, the more ammunition for those who don't want this policy to succeed," Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson told ITV News.

The prime minister appeared confident that should any legal cases arise, the government has the capability to challenge them.

He told a press conference on Monday: “To detain people while we prepare to remove them, we’ve increased detention spaces to 2,200. To quickly process claims, we’ve got 200 trained, dedicated caseworkers ready and waiting.

“To deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively, the judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days.

“The Strasbourg court has amended their rule 39 procedures in line with the test set out in our Illegal Migration Act.

"And we’ve put beyond all doubt that ministers can disregard these injunctions with clear guidance that if they decide to do so, civil servants must deliver that instruction and most importantly, once the processing is complete, we will physically remove people."

However, Mr Sunak could face uproar within his own ranks, as he faces threats the FDA union representing civil servants could launch a legal review against the scheme because officials don't want to enact it.

The prime minister said civil servants "will be expected to follow ministerial guidance".

How soon could the flights take off?

On Monday, the prime minister vowed the first one-way flight to Rwanda will set off in 10-12 weeks, warning: "Those flights will go come what may".

After that, there will be “multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond”, he said.

The prime minister added that there are around 500 "highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda, with 300 more trained in the coming weeks".

Ahead of the Bill passing, the PM said the government “put an airfield on standby” and “booked commercial charter planes”, alongside a wave of other measures.

But reports have suggested the Home Office has struggled to find an airline to facilitate the flights, with Rwanda’s state-owned airline reportedly turning down a proposal because it didn’t want to be associated with the controversial scheme.

Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson on Tuesday would not say whether the government has found an airline or aviation operator and reiterated Downing Street's stance that they will not share "operational details" yet - fuelling suspicion that they are still struggling to find an operator.

Sources previously told ITV News’ Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana that AirTanker – which would call itself an aviation services provider – was considering whether to operate flights to Rwanda on behalf of the UK Government. AirTanker has not commented on the speculation.

The company, which provides jets to the RAF, pledged to non-profit Freedom From Torture two years ago that it would not.

Freedom From Torture has urged AirTanker against getting involved and claimed tens of thousands have written to the company supporting its fight.

The United Nations (UN) issued a statement on Monday expressing "concern" about the role of airlines and aviation regulators in facilitating the UK Government's "unlawful removals" to Rwanda.

It stressed that removing asylum seekers to Rwanda or any other country "where they would be at risk of refoulement would violate the right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment".

"Even if the UK-Rwanda agreement and the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ bill are approved, airlines and aviation regulators could be complicit in violating internationally protected human rights and court orders by facilitating removals to Rwanda," UN experts said.

“If airlines and aviation authorities give effect to State decisions that violate human rights, they must be held responsible for their conduct.

“As the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights underline, aviation regulators, international organisations and business actors are required to respect human rights."

Labour's Shadow Home Office Minister Stephen Kinnock told the Commons last week the government is still trying to “scramble high and low” for an airline to be associated with the “unworkable, unaffordable and unlawful” scheme.

It was also reported that properties earmarked for the scheme in the capital Kigali have instead been sold off to locals, according to The Times.

What have MPs and Peers said?

Ministers in support of the Bill hope the Rwanda scheme will act as a deterrent to those entering the UK illegally - particularly people crossing the English Channel on small boats – as part of Mr Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”.

But human rights and refugee charities have insisted there is no evidence the scheme will work as a deterrent.

Just hours after the Bill was passed, the French Coastguard confirmed on Tuesday morning that five people, including a four-year-old girl, died attempting to cross the Channel from France in a small boat carrying more than 112 people.

This year alone, 6,000 people have made the perilous journey across the Channel, with more than 75,000 arrivals recorded two years on from the Rwanda deal being signed.

Labour has insisted the Bill "covers just 1% of asylum seekers in the UK, with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper slamming it as “an extortionately expensive gimmick rather than a serious plan to tackle dangerous boat crossings”.

“The Rwanda scheme will cost more than half-a-billion pounds for just 300 people, less than 1% of asylum seekers here in the UK – and there is no plan for the 99%,” she said.

Labour says if it were to win the next general election it would get rid of the Rwanda scheme and would instead put the money into boosting Border Force.

Migration was listed as one of Mr Sunak's key pledges when he became prime minister - and he hopes it will form part of the legacy of his premiership and crucially, will satisfy voters concerned about migration particularly ahead of the May 2 local elections.

He has seen three home secretaries, Priti Patel, Suella Braverman and now James Cleverly, working to get the Bill over the line.

But the Bill has divided parliamentary opinion - with some on the right of the Tory Party arguing the policy does not go far enough, while opposition MPs, peers and others within the Conservative party say it is too harsh and breaches human rights laws.

In January, two former Conservative deputy chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, resigned from their positions in protest over amendments to the Bill arguing it was essentially being watered down. Just the month before, then-Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick also quit.

All eyes fell on the House of Lords on Monday night, where Mr Sunak had told parliamentarians that "enough is enough" and they must stay until the early hours if necessary to end parliamentary deadlock and pass the Bill.

The Bill had been subject to further parliamentary "ping pong" after peers insisted they would not pass it until their two amendments were included.

These included an exemption for agents, allies and employees of the UK overseas, such as Afghans who fought alongside the British armed forces, from being removed to Rwanda.

The other was that Rwanda cannot be treated as a safe country until an independent monitoring body has verified that protections contained in the treaty are fully implemented and remain in place.

After tussling over the two amendments late into the night, peers finally backed down and they were not included in the Bill.

What has held up plans for two years?

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson first announced the Rwanda deportation plans in April 2022.

Just two months later, in June, the first deportation flight carrying seven asylum seekers was scheduled to set off. But it was grounded minutes before take-off after judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted an injunction blocking it.

The last-ditch legal rulings sparked calls by some Conservative MPs to pull Britain out of the ECHR – a debate still ongoing among some.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Juubi Karakuchi »

For those needing light entertainment at this grim time.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 38777.html
Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting photo ID
Former prime minister was caught out by a law his own government introduced as he went to vote on Thursday

Jane Dalton
12 hours ago


Boris Johnson fell foul of legislation he introduced himself as prime minister when he was reportedly turned away from a polling station after failing to take photographic identification.

Mr Johnson, who quit as PM after three years in 2022, had been trying to cast his vote in the local elections in South Oxfordshire, according to Sky News.

But polling station staff had to turn the former Conservative Party leader away because he could not produce any ID, Sky said.

Showing a document with a photo identifying the voter has been compulsory since the Elections Act 2022 took effect a year ago.

Elections are taking place in 107 local authorities across the country, with 2,636 seats up for grabs.

A spokesperson for Mr Johnson did not deny he had failed to bring ID, adding he did manage to vote on Thursday.

In 2021, the then prime minister and Tory leader said: “What we want to do is protect democracy, the transparency and the integrity of the electoral process. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask first-time voters to produce some evidence of identity.”

In 2019, Johnson did not need ID to vote but this time he apparently forgot about his own law

Voters arriving at polling stations are now required to show a form of photo identification, such as a passport, driving licence or blue badge.

Other forms of identity that will be accepted include biometric residence permits, defence identity cards, and national identity cards issued by the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

Under Mr Johnson’s legislation, ministers argued the change was required to reduce electoral fraud.

Separately on Thursday, a Tory MP begged local members in his constituency for help after he was caught short without voter ID .

Tom Hunt, MP for Ipswich, asked local members to act as his “emergency proxy” after he found that he had no appropriate ID to vote in the local council elections.

At the same time, a former British army soldier said he was turned away from a local polling station because his veteran’s ID was not accepted.

Adam Diver, 46, who served for 27 years, said he was left “gutted” after being told it was not on the list of valid identification for voters.

Minister for veterans affairs Johnny Mercer apologised and promised on social media that a veteran’s ID card would be on the list for the next election.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “It is our intention for the new veteran card, which was rolled out in January, to be added to the official list.”

The government is consulting on adding the card to the list of acceptable voter ID, which already includes armed forces identity cards.

A police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley is being selected in the seat of South Oxfordshire.

Voters in England and Wales have been selecting new police and crime commissioners for their regions.

Elections have also been taking place for the mayor of London, London assembly members and 10 other mayors outside the capital.

And a by-election is taking place in Blackpool South following the resignation of former Conservative MP Scott Benton.

The Independent has tried to contact Mr Johnson’s team for comment.
In other news, the predicted Tory election pasting is coming to pass. Of 35/107 councils declared, Tories have lost 96 council seats, while Labour has gained 58. Lib Dems have gained 12, and Green 14. Symbolically, Labour has gained control of Hartlepool council.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by EnterpriseSovereign »

I heard about Boris, talk about Hoist by His Own Petard :lol:
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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EnterpriseSovereign wrote: 2024-05-03 12:19pm I heard about Boris, talk about Hoist by His Own Petard :lol:

Yup, and right up the flag pole too.

Shall we salute?
I've been asked why I still follow a few of the people I know on Facebook with 'interesting political habits and view points'.

It's so when they comment on or approve of something, I know what pages to block/what not to vote for.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Juubi Karakuchi »

EnterpriseSovereign wrote: 2024-05-03 12:19pm I heard about Boris, talk about Hoist by His Own Petard :lol:
It does make me wonder. Is Bojo really that shambolic, or is he just addicted to playing the fool long after it stopped being funny?

In a further update, as of posting, 103 of 107 councils have declared. Numbers to come are net gains or losses, with total number of council seats in brackets.

Tories: -376 (497)
Labour: +205 (1027)
Lib Dem: +94 (507)
Green: +57 (159)
Other: -6 (281)

So basically a Tory wipeout, with Labour reaping most of the benefits. The Lib Dem gains were primarily in their old heartland in the south-west, so their recovery continues. The Greens took no councils, but they're still just about in the game. Reform...barely registered.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Crazedwraith »

Juubi Karakuchi wrote: 2024-05-04 09:25am
It does make me wonder. Is Bojo really that shambolic, or is he just addicted to playing the fool long after it stopped being funny?
I've heard speculation it was either a deliberate thing, thinking they'd let him vote anyway and he could pick holes with the system or it's for Search Engine Optimisation and hide stories of it not working under stories of him. Apparently he's done interviews about liking Buses before that hide stories about the brexit bus.

How realistic either of those theories are, I don't know.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by IDahaka »

Crazedwraith wrote: 2024-05-04 09:32am
I've heard speculation it was either a deliberate thing, thinking they'd let him vote anyway and he could pick holes with the system or it's for Search Engine Optimisation and hide stories of it not working under stories of him. Apparently he's done interviews about liking Buses before that hide stories about the brexit bus.

How realistic either of those theories are, I don't know.
Both are speculative without solid evidence to back them up
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Gamerzone »

IDahaka wrote: 2024-05-12 04:16pm
Crazedwraith wrote: 2024-05-04 09:32am
I've heard speculation it was either a deliberate thing, thinking they'd let him vote anyway and he could pick holes with the system or it's for Search Engine Optimisation and hide stories of it not working under stories of him. Apparently he's done interviews about liking Buses before that hide stories about the brexit bus.

How realistic either of those theories are, I don't know.
Both are speculative without solid evidence to back them up
Maybe they are withholding the evidence and don't want to put it all out there, maybe if you study the case yourself you'll find the evidence you say it's missing
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Crazedwraith »

General Election Called

It's 4th July. I'm surprised I really thought he was going to hold on until the bitter end.


eta: Holy shit are you two bots or idiots? Yeah, I know it's speculative, that's why I said "I've heard speculation"
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Zaune »

Well, at least I'm not going to have to go canvassing in the bitter cold and pissing rain again.

So much for being a conference delegate, though. Probably for the best, I don't think the CLP would have appreciated me chucking some holy water over Peter Mandelson.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Zaune »

Ghetto edit: Oh, come on. Couldn't they have found him a bloody umbrella?

https://x.com/The_TUC/status/1793327489709641843

Image
Forced to work in the rain unnecessarily?

Join a union.
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)


Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Juubi Karakuchi »

Either they're hopelessly disorganised, or this was some pathetic and warped attempt to make people feel sorry for him.

In other news...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... ion-reform
Nigel Farage says he will not stand in UK general election
Farage says he will not stand for Reform – and will instead focus on helping Donald Trump re-election campaign

Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor
Thu 23 May 2024 10.26 BST

Nigel Farage has said he will not stand in the UK general election, instead focusing his efforts on getting Donald Trump re-elected in the US.

The Reform party is expected to launch its campaign on Thursday morning with candidates in all constituencies, but the former Brexit party leader said he would not be among them.

Farage said the US election on 5 November had “global significance” and that he intended “to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way I can”. The 2024 election would have been Farage’s eighth attempt to enter parliament had he chosen to stand.

Farage, who is a presenter on the rightwing news channel GB News, said he would “do my bit to help” Reform’s campaign, which will be led by Richard Tice and Lee Anderson, who defected from the Conservative party in March. Reform is polling at about 11% and has said it will stand candidates in every seat, including against Conservatives.

“I will do my bit to help in the campaign, but it is not the right time for me to go any further than that,” Farage said in a statement on X.

“The choice between Labour and the Conservatives is uninspiring, and only Reform have the radical agenda that is needed to end decline in this country.”

Farage has previously stood for election to parliament as the leader of Ukip but in recent years has become far more focused on speaking in the US and supporting Trump.

“Important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on 5 November has huge global significance,” Farage said in his statement.

“A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security. I intend to help with the grassroots campaign in the USA in any way that I can.”

Reform has made a strong showing in polls and in recent byelection results, but recent analysis for More in Common suggests it is Farage, not Tice, who is attracting voters. The polling also showed that the single issue of immigration was why people supported Reform. A quarter of Reform voters back the party out of support for Farage, while only 7% are doing so to support Tice.

Reform is ultimately owned by Farage, but electoral and corporate filings show it has been mainly bankrolled by Tice, who has contributed about 80% of its declared funding in loans and donations since he took over in 2021.

Tice told an audience this month that it would not be easy to run an effective ground campaign, saying Reform was spending “less than £1.5m a year” compared with the £35m allowed for each party nationally and likely to be spent by the Conservatives and Labour in the year before an election.

Tice has said he had so far picked about 450 candidates for the general election, although Reform managed to contest only 323 seats at the most recent council elections.
I think we know where Farage's priorities lie. As for Reform, I'm not sure. They're currently polling at about 10-11%, which might net them a seat or two if they're lucky. But the UK system can be unpredictable.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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With the UK's first past the post voting system, all the Reform Party will do is take votes away from the Tories, and it is very unlikely that they will win any seats themselves.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by His Divine Shadow »

Zaune wrote: 2024-05-22 05:47pm Ghetto edit: Oh, come on. Couldn't they have found him a bloody umbrella?

https://x.com/The_TUC/status/1793327489709641843

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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by EnterpriseSovereign »

Tories want to resurrect national service :banghead:
The Home Secretary has said that 18 year olds would not be forced to go to jail if they refused to carry out "mandatory" national service under Tory plans.

Speaking to ITV News, James Cleverly said that 18 year olds won't face criminal sanctions if they refuse national service, and that the Conservatives have "some ideas" about how to make it mandatory - but he declined to disclose what they are.

It comes directly after Rishi Sunak announced that all 18-year-olds would be required to carry out a form of national service if the Conservatives win the General Election.

The prime minister said Britain has “generations of young people who have not had the opportunities they deserve”.

He claimed the radical measure would help unite society in an “increasingly uncertain world”.

In future, 18-year-olds would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year volunteering in their community, the Tories said.

In an apparent pitch to older voters, the party said this could include helping local fire, police and NHS services as well as charities tackling loneliness and supporting elderly, isolated people.

Days prior to the announcement from the PM, Conservative MP Dr Andrew Murrison answering a question posed to him on the UK Parliament website, said the government has "no current plans" to reintroduce National Service.

He added that unwilling recruits could "damage moral, recruitment and retention" and "consume professional military and naval resources."

The prime minister is seeking to draw a dividing line with Labour on global security following his pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2030.

Teenagers who choose to sign up for a placement in the forces would “learn and take part in logistics, cyber security, procurement or civil response operations”, the Tories said.

The Conservatives said they would establish a royal commission bringing in expertise from across the military and civil society to design what they described as the “bold” national service programme.

The party said it would work towards the first pilot being open for applications in September 2025, after which it would seek to introduce a new “National Service Act” to make the measures compulsory by the end of the next Parliament.

It estimates the programme will cost £2.5 billion a year by the end of the decade and plans to fund £1 billion through plans to “crack down on tax avoidance and evasion”.

The remaining £1.5 billion will be paid for with money previously used for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which is a package to support charities and community groups, the Tories said.

The prime minister said: “This is a great country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve and there are forces trying to divide our society in this increasingly uncertain world.

“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new model of national service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country.

“This new, mandatory national service will provide life-changing opportunities for our young people, offering them the chance to learn real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and our country.”

Earlier on Saturday, the PM suggested a government led by Sir Keir would be marked by uncertainty and a “more dangerous world.”

“The consequences of uncertainty are clear. No plan means a more dangerous world. You, your family and our country are all at risk if Labour win,” he said.

Sir Keir’s party branded the announcement “another desperate unfunded commitment” and pointed out that Lord David Cameron introduced a similar scheme – the National Citizen Service – when he was prime minister.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the Conservatives’ national service announcement was a “gimmick”, while speaking to Sky News. Nigel Farage described the plans as "a joke" and "totally impractical".

The Reform UK honorary president also insisted he still has "one more big card to play" and confirmed plans to stand as a future MP candidate at a future general election.

The SNP also set out its opposition to the plans, saying they are “completely out of touch with families and young people”, while Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie dismissed the plans as a “gimmick”.

Lord Cameron’s announcement had no armed forces component to it, instead encouraging youngsters to take part in activities such as outdoor education-style courses as part of his “Big Society” initiative.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.

“Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas, and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to turn the page and rebuild Britain with Labour.”

Labour also announced some plans for the economy and voter's wallets, with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves ruling out increases to income tax or national insurance.

She made the pledge after saying both her and Sir Keir Starmer want taxes on working class people to be lower - but would not put forward "unfunded proposals". They also announced that they would revive Rishi Sunak's plan to ban young people from being able to legally smoke.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

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The Conservatives were already guaranteed to lose this election; Sunak with his conscription proposition has made that a certainty.
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Re: Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

Post by Crazedwraith »

Good old Labour are shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to Diane Abbott. They've reinstated her into the Labour party but no one seems quite sure whether she'll be allowed to stand for a seat or not.

If I didn't know better I'd assume both parties were trying their hardest to lose the election.
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